A new digital comics marketplace, Sweet Shop, has launched its invite-only beta for Android and iOS. The platform is entering a competitive space with a hard-line stance that will appeal to many creators and fans: it does not accept any AI-generated comics.
The company launched today with a diverse selection of titles from 24 publishers. Key features available at launch include in-app purchases, offline reading, and the ability to download DRM-free PDFs for participating titles, a feature that directly addresses long-standing reader concerns about digital ownership.
Sweet Shop also noted it was developed without venture capital money, positioning itself as a community-focused venture. Future plans include social features like recommendations, sales bundles, and user-created reading lists.
A coalition of distinguished publishers is available at launch. Image Comics, the creator-owned powerhouse known for titles like Spawn, Saga, and The Walking Dead, is the lead launch partner. They are joined by other major names, including Dark Horse, Kodansha, Fantagraphics, and IDW, alongside indie publishers like Manga Mavericks, Ignition Press, and Panick.
The new store has already drawn praise from high-profile comic creators.
Kieron Gillen, the bestselling writer of The Power Fantasy, X-Men, and Young Avengers, praised the new store’s philosophy.
I’ve been looking for a digital comic company that looks at what makes Steam and Letterbox work and working out how to do it for comics, so I’m excited to see Sweet Shop land,”
Kelly Sue DeConnick, author of the FML and Bitch Planet series, was also enthusiastic about the platform’s potential.
The Sweet, um, suite (sorry!) is the first real, executable vision for a connected comics ecosystem I’ve seen that honours creators, readers, and—vitally—the brick-and-mortar stores who make our community possible. Sweet Shop feels like it was built for us, not off us. I don’t have a lot of faith in tech these days, so I’m trying not to get ahead of myself, but… honestly? The Sweet folks have demonstrated to me personally that they’ve got hearts as powerful as their big ole brains. I’m borderline feral waiting for the beta.”
Publishing partners echoed the creator-centric sentiment. Lorelei Bunjes, VP of Digital Strategy at Image Comics, told the press,
Everyone at Image is so incredibly thrilled to be working with Sweet to meet comics readers where they are—literally and meaningfully. Not only will anyone in the world be able to access our titles, but also the discovery tools within Sweet will offer readers the ability to explore and discover new titles that they’ll love.”
The beta is invite-only, and prospective users can register for a username and join the waitlist at sweetshop.app.
