Horizon Comics' Battles Health Challenges
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Who is Richard Gray and how did he take over Horizon Comics during the 2020 shutdown?
Hi, it's Adam Freeman. This is Comic Industry Insiders, the weekly conversation with the people behind the scenes of the comic book industry and the people who make it run, both on the very large scale and on a neighborhood level. Comics is very much about ground game. It's all about the people who make comics work in their stores, in their communities, and on a day-to-day basis. This week we have one of those. Richard Gray is the owner of Horizon Comics in Lancaster, California, a shop that he took over at the exact moment the whole world shut down in 2020, and somehow he has kept it alive through sheer will, long hours, and personal sacrifice. A five time best collectible shop winner in the Antelope Valley, Richard represents the modern comic retailer at their most
and most committed, all in community driven and battle tested. Behind the counter has been a really much tougher story. One of those one of serious injury, chronic pain, and a disability system that told a man who walks with a cane to go find to work as a traffic camera operator. What came out of that denial wasn't defeat, it was a plan. Richard is selling his personal collection, launching a GoFundMe for stem cells treatment, and rebuilding how his shop operates from the ground up, moving to a membership model built around the customers who have shown up for him in the way that he always has shown up for them. This is a conversation about what it actually costs to keep a local comic shop alive and what it looks like when someone just will not let it die.
And if I can have a personal request before all of this, before I go in, I'm all little obviously a little off script here. Take a look at the show notes this week. Make sure that you take a look at the ways that you can support Richard and the ways you can support Horizon, but also look at the Bank Foundation because they are the best way that I know of to support stores like Richard's that just need a little helping hand. All right. Without further ado. Richard Gray. From Horizon Comics.
Richard, thanks for coming on the show. Uh y it is it is May first. I know that was a big deadline for you on a lot of the w stuff that you're doing right now, yeah?
It was, you know, a fictional deadline that I set myself, but yeah, deadline nonetheless. And uh I had to accomplish it and I think I did, so
What was that so what was the goal to c accomplish by May first?
Uh, the goal by May First was to pretty much I had been teasing a bunch of stuff. Uh, 'cause I had tried a bunch of stuff in the past to get like attention and like In this ain't an age it's kinda hard to get, you know? Attention people lose empathy, so um You know, like I tried multiple things so then this uh idea came, you know, and um
So you uh in twenty twenty, you put your life savings on the line and you created uh a comic shop in Lancaster, California. I wanna take a note here and say that for eighteen years I ran Brave New World Comics in New Hall, which is Santa Clarita, California. Really close to you. So I lived I lived right in your area for many, many, many years. Uh right up until two thousand ten when I had to move. into publishing because Yeah, you know, it was an e economic downturn and I had to figure out something, right? So um Uh so you know, I I I feel you. I feel what it's like living in that area and I feel what it's like trying to keep a comic shop alive in that area. Um you you this was your obviously you had uh this is your life's work.
You put your your savings on the line in order to build this. Yeah,
I
tried to
I told them to give me some space um till May 1st. You know, there was a purpose behind my madness, and the goal was to by May 1st have uh the GoFundMe live, uh all the shows and auctions scheduled, because they're by like weeks, you know. Like so phase one was the the GoFundMe, uh me posting, you know, a couple of stories, teasers, and then like the first two weeks will be, you know, store-wide blowout sales. Uh IG sales Um, and then the third week will be daily whatnot shows.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Who is Richard Gray and how did he take over Horizon Comics during the 2020 shutdown?
0:00–6:47
2
What health challenges and injuries led Richard to pursue stem‑cell treatment?
6:47–11:46
3
How did the GoFundMe campaign and personal comic auction get launched to fund his treatment?
11:46–17:57
4
Why is Horizon Comics switching to a membership‑only model and how will it work?
17:57–23:20
5
What benefits do the new membership tiers offer to longtime customers?
23:20–27:06
6
How has the shop survived financially despite COVID, lack of stimulus, and personal setbacks?
27:06–32:32
7
What role does community support (BINC Foundation, ShortBox auction, social media) play in keeping the shop alive?
32:32–37:18
8
What can listeners do right now to help Horizon Comics and support Richard's health journey?
37:18–41:49
Speakers
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