# Comic Vine Scraper - Comic Book Database (`lulzasaur/comicvine-scraper`) Actor

Scrape Comic Vine comic book database. Search and extract characters, issues, and volumes with full details including creators, powers, cover images, and more. Uses the Comic Vine API for reliable structured data.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/lulzasaur/comicvine-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [lulz bot](https://apify.com/lulzasaur) (community)
- **Categories:** E-commerce
- **Stats:** 1 total users, 0 monthly users, 0.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $10.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## Comic Vine Scraper

Apify Actor for scraping the Comic Vine comic book database. Search and extract detailed information about characters, issues, and volumes/series using the Comic Vine API.

### Features

- Search by characters, issues, or volumes/series
- Full detail mode extracts creators, powers, teams, story arcs, and more
- Paginated results with configurable limits
- Built-in rate limiting to respect API limits (200 requests/hour)
- Structured JSON output ready for analysis

### Requirements

You need a free Comic Vine API key. Get one at [comicvine.gamespot.com/api](https://comicvine.gamespot.com/api/) (requires a free GameSpot account).

### Input

| Field | Type | Default | Description |
|-------|------|---------|-------------|
| `apiKey` | string | *required* | Your Comic Vine API key |
| `searchQueries` | string\[] | `["Batman"]` | Search terms |
| `searchType` | string | `"character"` | Type: `character`, `issue`, or `volume` |
| `maxListings` | integer | `100` | Max results per query (0=unlimited) |
| `scrapeDetails` | boolean | `true` | Fetch full details for each result |
| `proxyConfiguration` | object | `{}` | Proxy settings (optional) |

#### Example Input

```json
{
    "apiKey": "your-api-key-here",
    "searchQueries": ["Batman", "Spider-Man"],
    "searchType": "character",
    "maxListings": 20,
    "scrapeDetails": true
}
```

### Output

#### Character Output

```json
{
    "type": "character",
    "id": 1699,
    "name": "Batman",
    "realName": "Bruce Wayne",
    "aliases": ["The Dark Knight", "The Caped Crusader"],
    "publisher": "DC Comics",
    "gender": "Male",
    "origin": "Human",
    "powers": ["Genius Level Intellect", "Martial Arts", "Stealth", "Gadgets"],
    "teams": [{"name": "Justice League", "id": 31815}],
    "enemies": [{"name": "Joker", "id": 1702}],
    "creators": [{"name": "Bob Kane", "id": 2643}],
    "firstAppearedInIssue": "Detective Comics #27",
    "issueCount": 15234,
    "description": "Bruce Wayne witnessed the murder of his parents...",
    "imageUrl": "https://comicvine.gamespot.com/a/uploads/...",
    "url": "https://comicvine.gamespot.com/batman/4005-1699/",
    "searchQuery": "Batman",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-04-25T12:00:00.000Z"
}
```

#### Issue Output

```json
{
    "type": "issue",
    "id": 110729,
    "name": "The Court of Owls, Part One",
    "issueNumber": "1",
    "volume": "Batman",
    "volumeId": 42721,
    "coverDate": "2011-11-01",
    "writers": ["Scott Snyder"],
    "artists": ["Greg Capullo"],
    "characters": [{"name": "Batman", "id": 1699}],
    "storyArcs": [{"name": "Court of Owls", "id": 55766}],
    "description": "Batman investigates a series of murders...",
    "imageUrl": "https://comicvine.gamespot.com/a/uploads/...",
    "url": "https://comicvine.gamespot.com/batman-1-the-court-of-owls/...",
    "searchQuery": "Batman",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-04-25T12:00:00.000Z"
}
```

#### Volume Output

```json
{
    "type": "volume",
    "id": 796,
    "name": "Batman",
    "publisher": "DC Comics",
    "startYear": "1940",
    "issueCount": 713,
    "firstIssue": {"name": "The Legend of the Batman", "issueNumber": "1"},
    "lastIssue": {"name": null, "issueNumber": "713"},
    "description": "The original ongoing Batman series...",
    "imageUrl": "https://comicvine.gamespot.com/a/uploads/...",
    "url": "https://comicvine.gamespot.com/batman/4050-796/",
    "searchQuery": "Batman",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-04-25T12:00:00.000Z"
}
```

### Search Types

| Type | Description | Detail Fields |
|------|-------------|---------------|
| `character` | Comic book characters | Powers, teams, enemies, creators, origin |
| `issue` | Individual comic issues | Writers, artists, characters, story arcs |
| `volume` | Series/volumes | Issue list, first/last issue, characters |

### Rate Limits

The Comic Vine API allows 200 requests per hour. The scraper automatically:

- Adds 1.1s delays between API calls
- Retries on rate limit errors with 10s backoff
- Retries failed requests up to 3 times

For large scrapes (100+ results with details), expect ~2 minutes per 100 results.

### How It Works

1. Sends search queries to the Comic Vine API search endpoint
2. Parses paginated search results (up to 100 per page)
3. Optionally fetches full detail pages for each result via the API
4. Extracts and normalizes data into clean JSON structures
5. Pushes results to the Apify dataset

### Quick Start

```bash
apify run --purge
```

### Deploy to Apify

```bash
apify login
apify push
```

***

### Run on Apify

This scraper runs on the [Apify platform](https://apify.com/?fpr=lulzasaur) — a full-stack web scraping and automation cloud. Sign up for a free account to get started with 30-day trial of all features.

[Try Apify free →](https://apify.com/?fpr=lulzasaur)

### Related Scrapers

More scrapers and data tools by [lulzasaur](https://apify.com/lulzasaur):

- [IMDb Scraper](https://apify.com/lulzasaur/imdb-scraper) — Movie and TV show data
- [Goodreads Scraper](https://apify.com/lulzasaur/goodreads-scraper) — Book ratings and reviews
- [PSA Population Report](https://apify.com/lulzasaur/psa-pop-scraper) — Card grading data
- [TCGPlayer Scraper](https://apify.com/lulzasaur/tcgplayer-scraper) — Trading card prices
- [Reverb Scraper](https://apify.com/lulzasaur/reverb-scraper) — Music gear marketplace
- [StubHub Scraper](https://apify.com/lulzasaur/stubhub-scraper) — Event ticket prices

# Actor input Schema

## `apiKey` (type: `string`):

Your Comic Vine API key. Get one free at https://comicvine.gamespot.com/api/ (requires a free account).

## `searchQueries` (type: `array`):

List of search terms (e.g., 'Batman', 'Spider-Man', 'X-Men'). Each query produces a separate set of results.

## `searchType` (type: `string`):

Type of comic book data to search for.

## `maxListings` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of results to return per search query. The Comic Vine API returns up to 100 per page. Set 0 for unlimited.

## `scrapeDetails` (type: `boolean`):

If enabled, fetches the full detail page for each result (description, creators, powers, etc.). Slower but much richer data. If disabled, only returns search result summaries.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Proxy settings. Generally not needed for API calls but can help with rate limiting.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchQueries": [
    "Batman"
  ],
  "searchType": "character",
  "maxListings": 100,
  "scrapeDetails": true,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "searchQueries": [
        "Batman"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("lulzasaur/comicvine-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "searchQueries": ["Batman"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("lulzasaur/comicvine-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "searchQueries": [
    "Batman"
  ]
}' |
apify call lulzasaur/comicvine-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,lulzasaur/comicvine-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/ZjfmOkabmdevoKcMP/builds/OJkjQLXObz5RbwSpJ/openapi.json