Hype

Industry Buzz is my monthly roundtable column at Buzzscope, featuring some of the most outspoken creators, retailers, pundits and advocates in comics commenting on the issues affecting the comics industry. This month, we took a look at hype, and what, if any, affect it has on sales.Does marketing/hype help sell more copies of a comic book? Would, say, the first volume of Runaways have sold better if Marvel had promoted it half as much as House of M? What about reviews? Do they have any measurable effect on sales, especially of independent comics that lack the marketing resources of the…

In my never-ending quest for great independent comics, I've come across some real gems and promoted the hell out of them. 100 Girls, Fade From Grace, Western Tales of Terror, Elk's Run and Skyscrapers of the Midwest are all great reads that not nearly enough people know about. The latest inductee to that stellar group is...{drum roll, please} Debbie Huey's Bumperboy!I reviewed it this week for Buzzscope, but wanted to give it an extra special shout-out because it's THAT kind of good. Check out bumperboy.net if you want to really get sucked in like I've been. There's the great "Meet…