The longtime owners of Texas retail chain Lone Star Comics and online store MyComicShop.com have announced the sale of three of their five locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

“The time is right for us to focus our attention on our online business, which grew out the mail order business I began in 1961, a time when there were virtually no comic book stores and no internet," Buddy Saunders, who opened the Arlington store in 1977, said in a statement. "To that end, Judy and I found two talented businessmen who want to carry the stores forward in a way that we’ll continue to be proud of.”

Lone Star Comics Regional Manager Aaron Settle, who has worked for the chain for 17 years, will purchase the Mesquite store, while the Saunders' friend Brent Erwin, a longtime fan and publisher, will buy the Hurst and Plano locations, which will operate under the name Collected: Hurst and Collect: Plano. Erwin already owns a store in Fort Worth called Collected.

That will leave the Saunders with the Arlington and Fort Worth stores, as well as the retail website. The chain previously had locations in Dallas, South Arlington, Irving and Wichita Falls.

"It will be bittersweet to hand over the keys,” Buddy Saunders said, “but Judy and I want to continue working with our son, Conan, to develop new features for our growing internet business.  This change will also give us more time to travel and spend time with our family.”