Longtime comics industry icon Bill Schanes, who entered the comics field at the age of 13 selling at local Southern California comic shows, has concluded his bid to purchase the online mail order business, Bud’s Art Books, the long-serving purveyor of comic strip, comic book, fantasy, horror, and sci-fi illustrated books and graphic novels, originally launched by legendary retailer, distributor, publisher, collector and historian, Bud Plant.
Bud’s Art Books is distributor of Book Palace Books brilliant British comic collections in the United States, and its flagship bookazine title, illustrators.
The deal, which was officially completed on 15h January 2026, gives Schanes ownership and control of Bud’s Art Books (a.k.a. Bud Plant Comic Art), the online mail order business that sells new and rare books related to comic books, fantasy art, illustration, and related subjects. This is a purchase of the overall assets of Bud’s Art Books.
Founded in 1970 by renowned illustration and comic art expert Bud Plant, Bud’s Art Books flagship Incredible Catalog has evolved from its roots, growing to include all forms of great visual art, and now bears the name Bud’s Art Books. Here you will find the very best of the visual arts. A unique and diverse collection representing the past, present and future. And of course, Bud’s trademark service from a great staff who share your passion for great art.
Schanes and Plant began their storied careers in comics in the early 1970s and the late 1960s respectively, each transitioning from retailer to publisher to distributor in the Northern and Southern California regions. Over the years, their paths have intersected on both personal and business levels, with Plant purchasing the assets of Schanes’ Pacific Comics distribution company in 1985. Now, over 40 years later, Schanes has purchased Bud’s Art Books, completing a comic book industry loop worthy of a special issue.
Schanes is joined in this new endeavour by his business partner, Sasha Fera-Schanes, the President and CEO of POP-KING, Inc., a longtime player in the comic book and pop culture industry. Both PopKing and Bud Plant will exist as separate business entities, but cooperation between and support of both companies is planned going forward.
Schanes, who retired in 2013 from his role as Vice President of Purchasing at Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. since 1985, has spent the years since his exit from Diamond travelling the world and visiting comics, games, and collectibles stores wherever he found himself. He chronicled his travels via Facebook posts, which found him visiting shops in over 160 countries, all while experiencing our world as few have ever done.
In regards to his acquisition of Bud’s Art Books, Schanes stated, “After travelling around the world for over a decade, I returned to the United States and my children. I missed seeing them while I was away, but I also found that I missed the industry as well. Acquiring Bud’s Art Books, a company with a long history of serving comics and fantasy art fans was, to me, the perfect way to get back into the business I love, while also providing a solid future for my family.”
Plant, who announced in 2011 plans to sell his mail-order business and retire, continued the business when no potential buyers emerged after a year. Since then, Bud’s Art Books has continued to serve fans of comics and illustration with its curated catalogue of new and rare books. When he was approached by Schanes about acquiring Bud’s Art Books, Plant knew he had found his buyer.
The deal was completed surprisingly quickly, as both parties shared a similar vision and mutual trust formed over 50 years of interaction and cooperation.
Following the sale, Plant will remain available onsite during the transition period in an advisory capacity as the new team (including Marty Grosser, most recently Diamond PREVIEWS Editor, and former Comics & Comix/Bud Plant staffer) familiarises themselves with the Bud Plant business model. Schanes and his team officially take control of the operation as of 1st February 2026.
With the sale of his company completed, Plant reflected on his long history in the industry and the end of an era for him: “I’ve been privileged to share my passion for all things comics as well as illustration and art history… for an amazing run of 55 years. I’m so lucky to have had the support of wonderful customers as well as comic book creators, many of my good friends.
“I’ve loved picking catalogue covers featuring my favourite artists, creating cool signed bookplates (thanks to all you artists and writers!!), and last but not least, helping deserving books get to people who appreciate them.
“As if that’s not enough, I’ve been told I’m being inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame at Comic-Con this July. Life is good! I’m super pleased Bud Plant Comic Art will carry on with our present great staff and also new people like Marty Grosser and Bill Schanes to keep up the good work and add new dimensions to what I’ve achieved.”
In his new role as Owner and President of Bud’s Art Books, Schanes has long range plans to expand the company’s reach into new online forums and to also expand the company’s already comprehensive pool of titles.
“My vision for this company is comprehensive, and I have mapped out our future plans to take it into new markets, new audiences, and offering even more books and products than ever. The demand for comics and fantasy art has never been stronger, with comics currently in a strong period of sales. We will strive to be an important facet of that market, and look forward to serving their comic art needs.”
“To say that the world of the comics industry without Bud Plant, Inc. would not have survived the earliest days of its infancy, is no over statement, to say the least,” said comics editor Bob Schreck of the sale. “Over the years Bud and his crew provided so many avenues to get comics and graphic novels into the hands of a much underserved fan base. I am happy to hear that Bill Schanes, former big wig at Diamond Comic Distributors, is taking over the reins of this fine institution, and I can say that its future is in excellent hands.”
“Bud Plant has been a critical part of the comics world since before he was supporting my fanzines over 50 years ago,” commented Paul Levitz, Former Publisher DC Comics/Writer. “It’s an important business to the field and art form, and it couldn’t be transitioning to better hands than the Schanes brothers – pioneers, a good business guy, and a tastemaker”
• Bud’s Art Books is online at budsartbooks.com
Industry Legends: William “Bill” Schanes and Bud Plant
William “Bill” Schanes (along with his brother, Steve Schanes) began a comic book mail-order service in 1971 at the age of 13. By 1974, the brothers opened their first Pacific Comics retail location on Cass Street in Pacific Beach, California. That first store soon became the anchor for a chain of stores across the region.
When they experienced difficulties in getting comics into their stores, the Schanes brothers became distributors themselves, with the business going nationwide soon after.
By 1981, Schanes and his brother launched Pacific Comics (PC), a progressive comics publisher that introduced groundbreaking creator rights guarantees, effectively changing the very nature of the artform and industry in the USA and beyond. Under their PC banner, they introduced fandom to Dave Stevens and his retro action hero, The Rocketeer, which in itself helped to rekindle interest in 1950s pin-up beauty, Bettie Page, who served as the inspiration for the hero’s girlfriend, Betty.
The diverse library of series published by PC included SF and Horror anthologies Alien Worlds and Twisted Tales, the legendary Jack Kirby’s creator-owned series, Captain Victory, and veteran MAD artist Sergio Aragones’ Groo the Wanderer (with Mark Evanier).
As we previously reported back in 2023, the history of the company was documented in Stephen Friedt and Jon B. Cooke’s Eisner Award nominated Pacific Comics Companion, available digitally direct from TwoMorrows Publishing, print copies available from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link).
In 1984, Schanes closed down the Pacific Comics chain and publishing arm, and sold the Pacific distribution network to Bud Plant, Inc. Following the sale, Schanes accepted the position of Vice President of Purchasing at Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. in Maryland, where he oversaw product acquisition and worked with Diamond’s vendors and suppliers until his retirement in 2013.
Following his retirement, Schanes travelled the world, touring over 160 countries, and visiting comics and games stores wherever he went, an ambassador to the world for a most American artform. In 2025, Bill and his brother Steve were both inducted in the Eisner Awards Hall of Fame.
As of 1st February 2026, Schanes is the new owner of Bud’s Art Books, the mail-order business Bud Plant launched in 1970 to sell new and rare comics, books, and graphic novels.
Bud Plant has been active as a comic book collector since 1964 and made it his career, working within the comics industry as a comic store owner, mail order retailer, publisher, and comics distributor beginning in 1968 with his first comic store and up to the present day. He was one of the first sources for fanzines, books about comics, archives and underground comics with his mail order business beginning in 1970. He exhibited at the earliest comic book conventions beginning in 1969.
He set up shop at 48 consecutive San Diego ComicCons from the first one in 1970, with as many as ten booths there. He published several independent comics including 24 issues of The First Kingdom by Jack Katz (1974-85) and five annual issues of the early fanzine Promethean Enterprises (1969-75). He co-founded and ran Comics & Comix, the first comic store chain (eventually seven stores) in Northern California from 1972 to 1988. He started wholesaling material to comic book stores before the Direct Market began, split print runs of fanzines and early independent comics with Direct Market founder Phil Seuling, and eventually established seven distribution warehouses.
He sold the distribution portion of his business to Diamond Comic Distributors in 1988. From then on, he concentrated on his original roots, as a source for comics related publications, books, archives, histories etc. — all except comics themselves. Led by his own interest in illustration in general, he expanded into art books dealing with a wide variety of art and art history, from the Pre-Raphaelites to Maxfield Parrish, from pin-up masters to pen & ink craftsmen and painters. He has published a printed catalog for the last 55 years and has a well-known website. He continues to issue weekly “new items” lists of new hand-picked books, emailed to thousands of customers worldwide.
Today, Bud is also considered a comics historian, with first-hand knowledge of the first years of 1960s comics fandom and the earliest days of comic book stores and distribution. As a comics and book collector right up to the present day, he’s knowledgeable about the entire history of comics from the origins in the 1930s, through the Golden Age, EC Comics, Pre-Code era, Carl Barks etc.
• Bud’s Art Books is online at budsartbooks.com
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Art and Illustration, Books, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Other Worlds, US Comics
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