Earlier in the week, Comix Experience retailer Brian Hibbs mentioned that a leaky toilet had flooded his store, and all but demolished his stock of Marvel Comics.
His subsequent post, A Very Public Thank you to Marvel Comics shows that Marvel DOES listen…Hibbs was contacted by Marvel sales honcho David Gabriel and asked what was destroyed:
I gave them a list of stuff that I thought I should actually replace, in “appropriate” quantities (ie, I didn’t mention completed mini-series that I still had on the rack, I didn’t list anything b-list or under, and I only specified what I thought I might sell in the next 6 or so weeks, rather than what I actually lost — which was a truly larger number of books), and I’ve been told that I’ll have my whole list sent to me, for free, with free and expedited shipping so I’ll have it by Friday.
Marvel did not have to do that, they were under no obligation, and, frankly, since we joust so much I am not entirely sure that I’d’ve done the same thing in their position. But they did, and that’s awesome, and they deserve some public props for that, so here they are!
Considering that Hibbs is a vocal critic of Marvel — and even sued them once — this is a classy move.
I feel some sense of calm before the storm. Just a feeling.
Who knew Hibbs even had Marvel comics in his store? :>
Maybe if he mailed all those damaged comics in he could get a free Seige #3 variant.
I think this a classy move both on Marvel’s part and on Brian’s. No matter what previous history that there might have been, the move by a publisher to help out a retailer, far above and beyond whatever might be called for in any business transaction is A+ in my book. Marvel deserves the props for doing what they did and Brian is a class act for letting people know what they did for him. Good on both of ’em!