Bat City Comic Professionals, an award-winning comic shop and non-profit company is celebrating its second year in Old Manatee.

The organization began in 2018 as a delivery service in Austin, TX. Husband and wife team of Matt and Shannon Live along with their friend Stan Baldwin founded the company and met monthly at a comic friendly restaurant, allowing customers to come and pre-order comics that would then be delivered to them throughout the Greater Austin area. Bat City soon became a charity, awarding three college scholarships and hosting comic creation workshops with local libraries. By March 2021, they were nominated for Best of Austin by the Austin Chronicle. That year, they organized numerous workshops and donated over $10,000 in graphic novels to local schools. With another Best of Austin nomination in 2022, Bat City moved to Bradenton, seeking a new space for comics, community and charity. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, they focus on educational opportunities through comics education, offering resources developed by volunteers, including reading specialists and educators, to enhance reading, writing and emotional development.

Bat City Comic Professionals is inviting the community to celebrate with them on September, 28. Shoppers can browse through thousands of new, backstock and graded issues of comics, all while benefiting the charity’s educational programming. The event runs from 11am-4pm at 915 Manatee Ave E in Bradenton. The celebration includes a chance to meet local artists and vendors, free comics for all-ages, crafts in the classroom, free food, extraordinary deals throughout the store, the return of the sidewalk sale, and more.

“The last two years in Bradenton have been absolutely amazing, ” said Shannon Live, president and director of outreach at Bat City. “We’ve had the opportunity to partner with so many amazing organizations, like the Manatee Public Library System, The Boys and Girls Clubs, the Girl and Boy Scouts, the Manatee and Sarasota County school systems, The Patterson Foundation, the Bradenton Marauders, and many more. We’ve also hosted numerous workshops on-site, helping students explore their imagination while sharpening reading and writing techniques.” The organization has taught nearly 2,000 students through its writing programs in 2023, with another 700 students using their comic-based reading programs. "I hope that new people from the community come to our celebration and get a chance to not only see what we have to offer but also discover some of the other local vendors and creators that are going to be here. We love to see so much talent in the community, from both children and adults."

Bat City Comic Professionals funds its nonprofit goals through sales of new, vintage, and graded comics at their Bradenton location. Customers can make one-time purchases, subscribe weekly, or use preservation services like cleaning and grading. Since relocating, they’ve been named one of Bradenton's Best Specialty Shops.

“The community we’ve found in Bradenton is like an extended family,” Live said. “Seeing the way people here show up and support each other, and especially the kids, is a daily reminder that Bradenton is our forever home."

Bat City Comic Professionals, 915 Manatee Ave E, Bradenton, 941-714-0402. 

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