Commentary on various aspects of publishing and marketing, primarily focused on books, magazines, and social media.
NOTE: I've rearranged the updates, so if you're checking this for the first time, scroll all the way down for the original post. ***** UPDATE (1/16 @ 12:49m): The Beat's latest update stirs the pot a bit as former and current DC staffers debate the story. It's mostly he said/she said stuff involving Vinnie Costa's take on working for Fierman, but there's an interesting bit about Nellie Kurtzman's departure from a current staffer, Joe Castleman [not sure if that's his real name or not], that possibly sheds some light on things: "...everyone in marketing worked with Nelie Kurtzman. Really nice…
Comic Book Resources' review of 2006 has been made fun of by several bloggers for its participants lauding of Civil War as "the one project that had the biggest impact on the comics industry" -- which is arguably true, if for all the wrong reasons -- but I found this particular exchange much more interesting: If we're all agreed that sales are up and things look bright for the industry, how can we ride this success? The last time business was this good was the 1990s and we all know what happened there. What's the key to keeping things going…
I knew a lot of people in the comics industry didn't like Platinum Comics' Scott Rosenberg, but holy cow!Comics writer A. David Lewis (the excellent The Lone and Level Sands) absolutely flipped his lid last Friday upon seeing Entertainment Weekly's sporadic comics sales chart showing Cowboys & Aliens in the top spot, according to Midtown Comics:"What smarts most is that C&A is listed as the top-selling graphic novel. Yes, Entertainment Weekly crowns it as #1.First, that's crap. I think we all know that's crap. And, by 'we,' I mean people who actually go to comic book shops on an almost…
Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit! My weekly look at select comic books being released Thursday, 1/11/07. The full shipping list, as always, is available at ComicList. [NOTE: Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. If your LCBS offers a pre-ordering service, be sure to take advantage of it. If not, find another one; or try Khepri.com or MidtownComics.com] PICK OF THE WEEK Are We Feeling Safer Yet? A (Th) Ink AnthologyAFTER HOURS 7 Days To Fame Complete Set, $11.99 I reviewed this last year for PopCultureShock: "There are…
Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit! Hello, 2007! 2006 was a great year for comics of all types (be sure to check out my Best of picks) and I'm betting this year is going to be even better all-around. Hopefully Ed Brubaker's crystal ball is in working order: What will be the biggest story in comics in 2007? The rebirth of major interest in creator-owned non-universe spanning comics in the American Market. Yeah, after two years of crossovers and events, readers decide they just want to read the ones they like, and miss…
Marc-Oliver Frisch's always enlightening sales analysis for November is up at The Beat, and includes a sobering take on how 2006 played out for the Distinguished Competition: Although quite a number of DC titles have been unable to hold on to their audiences and taking nose-dives down the chart lately, the publisher's November output profited from several additional upper-level sellers: Batman, Green Lantern and Teen Titans shipped twice, in order to get back on schedule; 52 had five issues out due to the additional Wednesday; and Superman/Batman, Wonder Woman, Supergirl and Superman were back after skipping October. While this results…
In the most glaring sign yet of how much my tastes have changed over the 3.5 years since I started reading comics again, compare my Best of 2004 choices to this year’s stellar roundup (below). Posted nearly two months before the year had ended, that 2004 list was limited to ongoing series, two of which were canceled prematurely, in my opinion, and two others that were cut from my pull list a while back. The lone survivor, Conan, remains a consistently good read, and a repeat honoree on my 2005 list, but it didn’t make the cut this year. In fact, reflecting my gradual shift towards OGNs and TPBs, only three ongoing/mini-series made my list this year.
(in alphabetical order)
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