Comic book marketplace Shortboxed is launching with Walmart Marketplace to open up its catalog to the U.S. retail giant’s vast digital audience.
Shortboxed, which is one of the comic industry’s most established marketplaces, serves customers in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K., and has a catalog of over 75,000 comics sourced from thousands of sellers. Most of those will now be available via Walmart.
This is the first time Shortboxed has collaborated with a third-party marketplace, said Walmart in announcing the collaboration.
The launch of Shortboxed on Walmart Marketplace will make “it easier than ever for fans to discover, buy and sell comics they love,” Walmart said. In an industry where the authenticity of rare comic books is paramount, the Walmart name would bring the level of trust that serious collectors need, it added.
The collaboration is part of a broader push into collectibles, said Walmart, which also announced the launch of several limited-edition comic books created with DC, Marvel and other brands. The global comic book industry is worth tens of billions of dollars a year, making it a potentially lucrative channel for the U.S. retailer.
“This isn’t just a booth – it’s a manifestation of Walmart as a digital destination for collective comic books,” the company said.
