Who is HotKey Comics & Collectibles?

HotKey Comics & Collectibles is a joint partnership LLC between Shelby Ferguson and Greg Weaver.

How did you start specializing in foreign comics?

We started making foreign comics our main focus in the spring of 2021, although we had bought a few before that. Since then, we kept reducing our American content inventory and focus and in early 2022 we made foreign comics our sole focus.

Do you have any experience with comic books before HotKey?

Yes, Shelby had a sports card and comic book business when he was just 12 years old and was setting up at card shows by himself in local malls in the Flint area by the time he was 14. He left the industry in the 90s after a break in happened at the same time the market was crashing and started buying comic books again after binging the series, “Comic Book Men”. Greg also had a comic book collection he had built over the years.

What are your goals with HotKey and foreign comics?

We want to grow the foreign comic community and bring awareness of foreign comics and how amazing they are to every comic book collector out there! We do this through many methods and outlets including our weekly live WhatNot sales, Instagram presence, hosting foreign comic panels at comic conventions, collaborating with artists, doing interviews with the media, and much more!

What is the biggest challenge you face?

Bringing awareness to everyone about foreign comics is our biggest challenge, but it is a challenge we take head on and make progress on every single day.

What are you most proud of so far?

We have achieved many firsts in the foreign comic community, but our proudest moment so far was definitely hosting a live sale on WhatNot in November of 2022 with the legendary artist Bill Morrison selling some of his personal foreign comic book collection. That was a moment we will never forget and we truly appreciate the opportunity Bill Morrison gave us more than we can say.

How many firsts have you achieved in the foreign comic community?

We started the first ever regular weekly live foreign comic sale on the internet and it is every Tuesday at 9pm EST on WhatNot, we have hosted the first ever live sale on the internet featuring the personal foreign comic book collection from an artist, we are the first to host a foreign comic panel at comic conventions four months in a row – and the first to ever host a foreign comic panel in the state of Michigan, we are the first to host two different panels about foreign comics at the same comic convention, we are the first foreign comic focused pressing and cleaning service, and we plan to achieve more firsts in the foreign comic community as time goes on… stay tuned!

What is most important to HotKey?

The most important thing to us is our reputation and being open and honest with everyone we interact with. We never want to mislead anyone to try to make a sale, or overstate the rarity or value of a comic book for profit, or do anything that can even appear shady or dishonest. We have always held this standard at the top of every decision we have made along the way and are proud of our conduct and how we have done business in the community. We will never sacrifice that reputation to make a sale or for profit.

Why don’t you work with so and so?

We get this question more than any other one, and while we don’t need to name anyone, we can honestly say that we have tried to work with just about everyone in the foreign comic community since we entered it. The vast majority of everyone in the foreign comic community has welcomed us with open arms and been absolutely amazing to work with and collaborate with, but there is a very small group who hasn’t for whatever reason. We can only say that every action and step we take is done with the hope and intent of growing and educating the foreign comic community and those who are entering it in a fair and honest manner and all of our actions back that up, and we love working with others who share those same goals. We truly care about the foreign comic community and the long term health of it and we do not work with anyone who doesn’t share those same values.