Lone Star Comics’ Buddy Saunders has announced that the company will sell its remaining two stores to concentrate on its successful internet site, mycomicshop.com.

The Arlington and Fort Worth, Texas locations were the last two brick-and-mortar outlets for the chain that dominated comic sales in North Texas for decades. Three other stores were sold over the summer.

“As we completed the transition of the first three stores and saw how streamlining our operations was allowing us to devote much more attention to our online mail order business, we felt even more certain that this was the right decision for us,” says Buddy Saunders, who opened the Arlington store in 1977. Saunders had been active in mail order since the early 1960s.

“Lone Star Comics has always been built on families. Just as Buddy and I have worked side-by-side with our son Conan, we have also enjoyed working with the entire Powell family. Over the years, Elaine has served as a Store Manager, the stores’ General Manager, and the Buyer for many of the product lines carried in our stores and on mycomicshop.com while Les and Matthew have helped design and build each of our North Texas stores over the last 25 years. They understood the vision and goals of Lone Star Comics from the very beginning and we know that they’ll build on our collective successes for many years to come,” said Judy Saunders, Buddy’s wife.

“The two stores will close at the end of the day on September 27th. When we reopen on September 29th as Wild West Comics & Games, our customers will find the same great selection, customer service, and store teams that they’ve come to expect. To celebrate our new beginning, we’ll even have comic legend Neal Adams making store appearances in our first week! He’ll be in our Arlington store on October 2nd and in Fort Worth on the 3rd,” Elaine Powell said.

“On one level, it’s sad to see the end of the familiar Lone Star Comics chain, but on the other hand, with their incredible, continuing success of mycomicshop.com, it’s not like Buddy, Judy and Conan Saunders are really leaving the industry to which they’ve already given so much,” said Steve Geppi, President and Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Comic Distributors.

“It’s exciting to officially welcome Elaine, Les and Mathew Powell and the new Wild West Comics stores. I am sure that with their familiarity to their customers and the fantastic range of products they’ll carry, the former Lone Star customers will enjoy an almost seamless transition,” he said.

Previously, Lone Star Comics Regional Manager Aaron Settle, who had worked for the chain for 17 years, purchased their Mesquite store, and former Heroes owner Ron Killingsworth and veteran retailer and publisher Brent Erwin acquired the Hurst and Plano stores to go with their existing Fort Worth retail outlet, Collected: Your Pop Culture Headquarters.

“I would also like to offer a belated congratulations to Aaron Settle, Ron Killingsworth, and Brent Erwin. Like the Powells, they have a great legacy to live up to, and a great customer base to serve. I look forward to seeing how they grow in the coming years,” Geppi said.

“Like many others in the comics industry, Buddy Saunders gave me my first opportunity in the business. I’m glad to know that the end of their retail days doesn’t mean that he, Judy and Conan are leaving the industry, and it’s great to see their stores end up with other Lone Star veterans and my friends at Collected: Your Pop Culture Headquarters,” said J.C. Vaughn, Vice-President of Publishing for Gemstone Publishing.

The Arlington store is located at 1215 S. Cooper Street, Arlington, Texas 76010, and the Fort Worth store is located at 5429 S. Hulen Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76132.