Marketing Monday: First Things First

Among the myriad challenges comics publishers of all sizes face, one of the biggest -- and most frustrating, personally -- is marketing. Way too many publishers believe that marketing is little more than sending out badly written press releases and snagging previews, reviews and interviews from Wizard, Newsarama, Comic Book Resources, et al. While some recognize industry trade shows and fan conventions as being a necessary part of any marketing plan, few understand what it takes to maximize their presence at such events. Perhaps most astoundingly, many publishers don't even have the sense to invest in a solid web site…

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On The Shelves: 1/17/07

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit! My weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 1/17/07. 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 Batman: Year One HundredAMAZE INK (SLAVE LABOR GRAPHICS) Tron #3, $3.50 As a casual fan who was intrigued by the first issue -- which came out…

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Fierman Out at DC Comics

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…

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On The Shelves: 12/13/06

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit! My weekly, semi-informed look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 12/13/06 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 Star Wars: Legacy #1CUP O JAVA STUDIO World Without Super Heroes #1, $2.99 Curious about this title? Hope not because there's no sign of it anywhere…

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Delays Ahead for newuniversal?

Newsarama's interview with newuniversal artist Salvador Larroca suggests it might be yet another high-profile series Marvel is unable to ship on time:NRAMA: Could you tell us what was your first impression when you read newuniversal script?SLR: I loved it. It was water clear that Warren Ellis would write a solid script, but I really got impressed with the visual strength of his writing: I could really see the movie inside the story and drawing it was not only easy but a real pleasure. After more than 14 years in the comic industry, the script got me so impressed that I…

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Creator Directory is Up

Instead of writing any reviews today, I decided to finally get one of the "resource" aspects of the site up and running, focusing on the Creator Directory, which is now available.It's a somewhat selective list, a mix of well-known and upcoming creators whose work I've enjoyed in the past and who have a legitimate web presence (where the hell is Frank Miller's web site?). One of the more frustrating things, both as a fan and journalist, is trying to track down solid information on certain creators, or information on their non-Big Two projects, so hopefully the directory will become a…

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