Commentary on various aspects of publishing and marketing, primarily focused on books, magazines, and social media.

AdWatch: Platinum Studios’ "Babes"

"You may not be able to get into her pants...but you can have her in yours.Platinum Studios Mobile"It's in Flash format, so I can't figure out how to save it and display it here, but I came across it on the main page over at The Pulse (of all places) and you can view it here: mobile_120x600_babes.swfI'm guessing this predates Jim MacLauchlin's joining Platinum as EiC, but considering the fit he threw behind the scenes over being a suspect in last year's Mid-Ohio-Gate, you'd think he'd want to be a bit more careful about being associated with such blatantly sexist…

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Call me muy lame-o!

So, I'm in Boston with a free night, an expense account and my first appointment tomorrow not until 10am and a mere three blocks away from my hotel and I...1) Walked 5 blocks over to Faneuil Hall and had dinner at a divey Mexican restaurant I could afford on my own;2) Rushed back to my room to catch Grey's Anatomy.I am a disgrace to the sales profession!Earlier in the day, I got lost several times while navigating via Hertz' NeverLost GPS, which tends to not work well when it can't pick up its signal, like when you're underground, or say,…

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On the Shelves: 11/15/06

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit! My weekly sporadic, ill-informed look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 11/15/06 follows. The full shipping is list 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 Moon Knight #6AMAZE INK (SLAVE LABOR GRAPHICS) Tron #2, $3.50 It's kind of ridiculous how long ago #1 came out, but it was a good…

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On the Shelves: 8/23/06

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit! The drought continues as I am now three weeks behind in picking up my stash from Midtown Comics. Here's my weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 8/23/06. The full shipping is list 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 Kraven's Last Hunt Premiere HCDC COMICS Batman And The…

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COMMENT: Civil War, Indies and Marketing 101

The interesting discussion over on The Engine about the potential opportunity Marvel's Civil War flub has opened up for indies misses a key point: your average Civil War reader doesn't care about non-Marvel titles, and condescendingly referring to those titles as "spandex super fights" or "Muscular Mutant Man Monthly" suggests they're not your audience anyway, no matter what's on the shelves that week.That point aside, though, there's some good information in there, not the least of which is that few comics creators know how to approach marketing, and even the bigger names feel a bit hamstrung by an industry that…

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On the Shelves: 8/16/06

Reading is fundamental. Reading comics is supposed to be FUN, so don't waste your time reading bad ones! Tomorrow is my 37th birthday and I'm particularly feeling it in my knees as the softball season is starting to take its toll! Plus, I'm definitely going to have to get my shoulder checked during the off-season as I'm pretty sure I tore something. Nevertheless, my mutant power has always been denial, so I'll push through it. One thing I can't deny is that my passion for comics has been dialed down several notches recently as I again skipped my weekly visit…

Continue ReadingOn the Shelves: 8/16/06