Celebrating Another Year of Comics and Community in Bradenton

Award-winning comic shop and non-profit Bat City Comic Professionals celebrates its second year in Old Manatee

Bat City Comic Professionals invites the community to celebrate its Second Year in Bradenton on September, 28, 2024. Shop 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, FL.

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, which is a 501(C)(3) non-profit, taught nearly 2,000 students through its writing programs in 2023, with another 700 students using their comic-based reading programs.

“Having a chance to see the young people in our community develop their skills in Reading and Writing has been an absolute joy,” said Live. “We are honored to get a chance to be part of not just their educational journey but their creative one as well.”

Funding for non-profit objectives are reached primarily through the sale of weekly new, vintage, and graded comics in the organization’s location on Manatee Avenue. Shoppers at the store can make one-time purchases, sign up for a weekly subscription, or take part in some of the organization’s many preservation services such as the cleaning, pressing, and grading of comics. 

Since moving to Bradenton, Bat City has been named one of the Best Specialty Shops in Bradenton’s Best twice. They were also named one of the five best comic book shops in the world at the comic industry’s Will Eisner awards during San Diego Comic Con the past two years running. 

“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. 

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About Bat City Comic Professionals

Beginning in 2018 in Austin, TX, Bat City Comic Professionals’ mission merges the love of comics with the value of education. As a 501(c)(3) organization, Bat City creates resources and workshops for educators, students, and parents to help readers of all-ages improve their reading, writing, and creative skills. Proceeds from purchases in their brick-and-mortar comic shop help to fund their non-profit mission.