Marvel Month-to-Month Sales: May 2010
A busy month, as SIEGE wraps up, and the Heroic Age books begin, including the debut issues of both AVENGERS and SECRET AVENGERS. The "World War Hulks" crossover begins, "Second Coming" continues in the X-books, and the new ASTONISHING miniseries ship their first issues. Once again, Marvel had the largest share of the North American direct market, beating DC by 46% to 35% in terms of units, and 41% to 31% in dollars. For the benefit of any new readers, bear in mind the following disclaimers. These are estimates of orders placed by stores in the North American direct market. They don't include sales on newsstands, or to other countries (such as the UK). And most of this material will be repackaged in collected editions or made available online, so there will be further sales in other formats. On the other hand, we don't know whether the retailers managed to sell everything they ordered. With books that have been around a while, the retailers presumably have a fairly good idea of how many copies they can sell; with new launches, there's a bit more guesswork involved.
Continue ReadingSD10: Hero Initiative – #5003
The Hero Initiative charity which provides assistance to creators in need of financial aid has announced their Comic-Con schedule and promotions, including an auction to have cocktails with comics luminaries such as Joe Quesada, and a variant edition of the Overstreet Price Guide. Details below:
Continue ReadingPvP leaves Image for self-publishing
Via PR a story that touches the current comics business on so many levels. In short, Scott Kurtz is taking his print PvP collections of his very popular webcomic PvP and returning to self-publishing via his Toonhound Studios imprint. PVP has been published by Image since 2003, and Image will continue to sell his existing collections. However future print editions of the comic will be sold online. According to the release, Kurtz won't be selling them through Diamond at all, although he'll work directly with retailers who want to carry his books.
Continue ReadingGetting there
The expected tsunami of San Diego news is well under way, and we'll start our annual mega posting tomorrow. In the meantime apologies for the erratic Beat posting schedule of late due to conflicting deadlines on a variety of fronts; juggling all this stuff seems to take as much time as getting it accomplished. Despite all the problems, I hope you can stick with me. Of course, I'll be in San Diego to report on as much of it as one human possibly can -- we'll have a few stringers and correspondents on the scene as well and hopefully we can dig a little into the behind the scenes of the hype and hoopla.
Continue ReadingRemembering Harvey
It would have pleased Harvey Pekar, I think, that his passing yesterday was noted in every media outlet from the New Yorker to EW, and not just because they made a movie about him, but as a literary figure of worth and stature. Harvey's life's work was in showing that the ordinary was important, and a working class existence was not a prison but a journey through the profound and beautiful that anyone could experience if they took the time. He found that beauty in simple, quotidian things and experiences that others might have found trivial or mundane, but in the end his message was that what else is there? Life as it is lived is the most precious gift of all.
Continue ReadingTrue Blood Recap: Drip, drip, drip…
Share this link on Facebook!TweetSeason 3/Episode 4: 9 Crimes 9 Crimes unsurprisingly opens with a scene of Sookie cleaning a shirtless Alcide’s wounds. Maybe I’m not remembering correctly, but I don’t recall him sustaining severe chest wounds when he got into it with the Operation Werewolf Crew at Lou Pines last episode but, no matter, he’s [...]
Continue ReadingAdHouse announces AdDistro
Indie publisher AdHouse has announced AdDistro, a new distribution site for small press books. PR below:
Continue ReadingBusiek and Ross re-team for Kirby Project
Share this link on Facebook!Tweet Via PR, Dynamite has announced that Kurt Busiek will be the writer of the Jack Kirby/Alex Ross project they’ve been teasing. Based on some of Kirby’s concepts, Busiek and Ross will co-plot with Busiek writing and Ross supplying some of the interior art. Having already thrilled fans with the release [...]
Continue ReadingSD10 Sunday Programming
Share this link on Facebook!TweetLooking at the Sunday Programming for each year’s San Diego always makes us wistful, as we imagine the brain-blasted exhaustion we’ll be experiencing as we shuffle around like a zombie. If we can rouse ourselves for the following, however, we will: 10:00-11:00 Jack Kirby Tribute— It’s time once again to pay [...]
Continue ReadingHarvey Pekar 1939-2010
The Cleveland Plains Dealer is reporting that underground comics legend Harvey Pekar died last night. Pekar's wife, Joyce Brabner found him dead at about 1 am. Pekar had battled lymphoma previously, as chronicled in Our Cancer Year, but the cause of death is awaiting an autopsy. Pekar was best known as author of American Splendor, an autobiographical comic that adapted Pekar's lowly life as a filing clerk at the Cleveland VA into a journey of humor, drama and insight as memorable as any fictional hero, hiring artist friends such as R. Crumb, Gary Dumm, Frank Stack and others to illustrate his stories. American Splendor was an early self-publishing success story of sorts -- while its acclaim gained Pekar enough notoriety for him to become a semi-regular on the David Letterman Show (until erratic on-air behavior got him banned) he still had to work at the VA to rely on getting a pension and continuing to make a living -- indie comics was not a cash cow.
Continue Reading2010 Harvey Award nominations announced
This year's Harvey Awards nominations have just been announced -- nominees are chosen by open ballot among comics professionals, with final ballots due Friday, August 7th. Named in honor of the late Harvey Kurtzman, the awards will be presented August 28, 2010 in Baltimore, MD, in conjunction with the Baltimore Comic-Con. While past Harvey slates contained many examples of assumed ballot box stuffing -- the Nascar and Gemstone scandals spring to mind -- this year, voters seem to have nominated things that are actually great, like Asterios Polyp and R. Crumb. You go, Harveys!
Continue ReadingThe Life and Times of Paul the Psychic Octopus
We're sad and yet glad that the World Cup is over. Sad because it was fun and exciting and we actually hung out more with friends than we have in months because we were always getting together to watch the game, and sharing it with pals worldwide through Twitter. Although the Netherlands-Spain final was the kind of shitty game that makes people who don't like soccer continue to not like soccer, it wasn't representative of the tourney as a whole. Sad because there was so much to see and ponder in "the beautiful game." But we're also glad because things that are fun and exciting are the most fun and exciting when they come and go and leave you wanting more. Of course, the breakout star of the Cup was not Ronaldo or Kaka or Messi but an unassuming mollusk whose psychic powers amazed the world. Yes, it was Paul The Psychic Octopus whose stunning 8-for-8 predictions have left scientists and sports fans reeling with questions regarding cephalopod intelligence, the possibilities of psychic powers, and tentacled understanding of the passing game and the offsides rule.
Continue ReadingKibbles ‘n’ Bits — 7/12/10
Share this link on Facebook!Tweet§ Abhay does what Abhay does best and finds out Weezer was to blame: British fish have ovaries in their testes; the message is clear: even Jason Statham’s days are fucking numbered. Via the Forbidden Planet International Blog, a nice little video primer on graphic novels by Robin Valenza: [...]
Continue ReadingBriefs & Boxers! 07/11/10
This week: Jim Lee and Tom Brevoort reveal astonishing new publishing policies; "Brand New Day" ends, maybe; Mark Waid is sick of superhero comics; Gary Groth comments; and more.
Continue ReadingArt Spiegelman in the NY Times
Share this link on Facebook!Tweet Tomorrow’s Times includes a comic by Art Spiegelman about his experiences collaborating with the Pilobolus Dance Company.
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