Lone Star Comics
A Texas comic-book retailer that developed from a mail-order business into a Dallas–Fort Worth store chain and later an online comics marketplace.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Lone Star Comics was an American comic-book retailer based in the Dallas–Fort Worth area of north-central Texas. The business was established in 1961 by Jake "Buddy" Saunders, an entrepreneur and publisher associated with local comics fanzines. It began as a mail-order operation, serving collectors who wanted comic books and related material beyond what was available through ordinary newsstands and local shops. This early mail-order foundation was important to the company’s identity: Lone Star combined specialist retail with the collector-oriented practices of the emerging direct market for comics. Saunders opened Lone Star’s first brick-and-mortar store in Arlington in 1977. The company subsequently expanded around the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area, at its height operating nine retail outlets. Its stores sold new and back-issue comic books, action figures, gaming supplies, videos, collectibles, and other pop-culture merchandise. Locations appeared in communities including Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth, Hurst, Irving, Mesquite, Plano, and Wichita Falls, as well as a store in the Town East Mall area. The precise operating dates of individual outlets varied, and several locations closed or changed ownership before the chain’s final retail phase. Lone Star also played a role in comics-industry institution building. In 1988, Saunders and Lone Star were involved in the founding of the Harvey Awards, which were designed as professional awards voted on entirely by comics professionals. Lone Star employees tabulated ballots for the first presentation, held at the Chicago Comicon in July 1988. This connection reflected the company’s position not merely as a retailer but also as an active participant in the professional comics community. The business began shifting back toward its original mail-order model in the early 2000s. Rather than relying exclusively on physical stores, Lone Star developed online subscription and back-issue services, allowing collectors to obtain ongoing series and older issues remotely. This transition anticipated the increasing importance of e-commerce in specialist collecting, while also giving the company a way to serve customers beyond the immediate Texas market. The physical chain contracted during a difficult period for the wider economy and retail sector. The Irving store closed in February 2008, the South Arlington location closed in 2011, and the Dallas store closed in October 2012. In July 2013, the company sold its Mesquite, Hurst, and Plano stores. In September 2013, it sold the remaining Arlington and Fort Worth locations, ending Lone Star’s operation as a conventional brick-and-mortar chain. The final physical store closures marked a change in format rather than the disappearance of the company’s commercial activities. After the retail locations were divested, the online operation continued and expanded as mycomicshop.com, described as a clearinghouse connecting buyers and sellers of comics. The business therefore evolved from a regional mail-order venture into a physical specialty chain and then back into an online-focused comics marketplace. Lone Star Comics is chiefly notable for its long history in Texas comics retail, its role in the Harvey Awards’ early administration, and its adaptation from store-based selling to digital commerce.
History
Lone Star Comics began in 1961 as a mail-order comic-book business founded by Jake "Buddy" Saunders, a Dallas–Fort Worth-area fanzine publisher and entrepreneur. Its early activities were closely tied to the collector culture surrounding comics, where mail order provided access to issues and merchandise that were difficult to find through conventional retail channels. The company entered physical retail in 1977, when Saunders opened its first store in Arlington. Over time, Lone Star built a regional chain across the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. At its largest, the chain had nine locations. The stores offered comic books and back issues alongside action figures, gaming supplies, videos, and other pop-culture products. Former locations included outlets in Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth, Hurst, Irving, Mesquite, Plano, and Wichita Falls, as well as a Town East Mall location whose exact closing date is not recorded in the cited material. In 1988, Lone Star contributed to the development of the Harvey Awards, an awards program intended to be voted on entirely by comics professionals. Employees of the company counted ballots for the first awards, presented at the Chicago Comicon in July of that year. The company’s participation placed it within the institutional history of the American comics industry as well as the retail sector. During the early 2000s, Lone Star increasingly returned to its mail-order roots, this time using online commerce. Its services included subscriptions and sales of back issues. This model allowed the company to serve collectors without depending entirely on a network of local stores. The shift became more pronounced as the physical chain contracted. The Irving store closed in February 2008, the South Arlington store closed in 2011, and the Dallas store closed in October 2012. In July 2013, Lone Star sold its Mesquite, Hurst, and Plano stores. Two months later, it sold the remaining Arlington and Fort Worth locations. Those transactions ended the company’s brick-and-mortar presence. The online business continued and expanded through mycomicshop.com, which developed beyond a conventional company-operated store into a marketplace or clearinghouse for comic-book buyers and sellers. Lone Star’s history consequently follows three connected phases: a specialist mail-order origin, a decades-long Texas retail-chain period, and an online marketplace phase. Its physical-store network is defunct, but its online commercial activity continued after the 2013 divestiture of the final stores.
- 2013
Regional stores are sold
[1]Lone Star sells the Mesquite, Hurst, and Plano stores in July, followed by the Arlington and Fort Worth locations in September.
- 2012
Dallas location closes
[1]The Dallas store closes in October.
- 2011
South Arlington location closes
[1]The South Arlington store closes in June.
- 2008
Irving location closes
[1]The Irving store closes on February 24 during the contraction of the physical network.
- 2000
Online and mail-order activities become more prominent
[1]During the early 2000s, Lone Star returns toward its mail-order origins through online subscriptions and back-issue services.
- 1988
Role in launching the Harvey Awards
[1]The company participates in founding the Harvey Awards, with employees tabulating ballots for the inaugural presentation.
- 1977
First Arlington store opens
[1]Lone Star opens its first brick-and-mortar store in Arlington, Texas.
- 1961
Lone Star Comics is established as a mail-order business
[1]Jake "Buddy" Saunders establishes the company as a mail-order comics business in the Dallas–Fort Worth area.
Products and positioning
A specialist comics and pop-culture retailer serving collectors, readers, and hobbyists, with a business model that moved from local stores and mail order toward online subscriptions, back issues, and marketplace commerce.
Print comics · 1961
Comic books
The company’s core merchandise consisted of comic books, including newly issued material and comics sold through the specialist direct-market trade.
Collectibles · 1961
Back issues
Lone Star built services around older comic books for collectors, first through mail order and later through online subscriptions and back-issue sales.
Pop-culture merchandise
Action figures and collectibles
Its physical stores carried action figures and other collectible merchandise connected with comics and broader popular culture.
Hobby products
Gaming supplies
The retail chain sold gaming supplies alongside comics and collectibles, extending its appeal to tabletop and hobby customers.
Entertainment merchandise
Videos and other pop-culture goods
Lone Star stores also stocked videos and a wider assortment of popular-culture products, making them general specialty destinations for comics fans and collectors.
Brand decisions
2013
Exit from brick-and-mortar retailStrategyBackground
The company’s physical network had contracted through store closures and sales during the preceding years.
Action taken
Lone Star sold its remaining Arlington and Fort Worth stores in September after selling three other locations in July.
Aftermath
The business became solely focused on e-commerce, with the online operation expanding as mycomicshop.com.
2000
Shift toward online subscriptions and back issuesStrategyBackground
After operating a regional store chain, Lone Star returned toward its original mail-order model as online commerce became more practical for specialist collectors.
Action taken
The company developed online subscription and back-issue services and later expanded its online operation into mycomicshop.com.
Aftermath
The online business outlasted the physical chain and became a marketplace connecting comic-book buyers and sellers.
Sources1 sources
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