Earlier this week the Borders bookstore chain announced its earnings for the quarter ending July 31 and the results were weak, as expected. Sales fell 11.5%, to $526.1 million, with a $51.6 million loss.

The deep declines in total sales and comp sales at Borders compared to a sales decline of 2.6% at Barnes & Noble’s retail stores in the quarter with comps down 0.9%. In its official release, Borders had little to say about its financial performance, choosing instead to focus on the various initiatives it says will better position it to perform in the digital marketplace and for the holiday season. The company did not breakout results between its Walden specialty group and superstores. During the quarter, Borders opened one store and closed two, but previous closings in its Walden unit resulted in the company operating 679 stores at the end of the quarter compared to 886 outlets one year ago. In its conference call, Borders executives said the sales decline at its stores was due to a poor performance by its core trade book category, while bargain books and cafe segments rose.

Sales were up at Borders.com, however, mostly from actual book sales.

Today PW’s Jim Milliot interviews Borders CEO Mike Edwards and interim CFO Glen Tomasczewski on changes they hope to make in order to survive. With digital books taking over the future model, the stores are redefining their product mix:

Edwards said that since there is little chance that sales of print books will increase through its bricks-and-mortar stores, the retailer “needs to redeploy the space” that it has dedicated to trade books. While transforming the stores will take time, Tomasczewski said that the Borders that customers walk into this fall will be much different than the store of fall 2009. The retailer’s Area e digital section will be in all stores by the end of October, more bargain books will be available and the layout is being remade to make it easier to find books, Tomasczewski said. The makeover will include adding approximately 900 new signs per story to help customers navigate their way in the stores. And as reported yesterday, Borders is adding more children’s educational toys and games, adult games and puzzles and more stationery. In addition, Borders will add more open space to create a more relaxed atmosphere, Tomasczewski said.

The average Borders shopper is a woman, which defines the chain as “a family- and community-based destination,” said Edwards.

Borders’ teetering state has been a huge drain on the graphic novel industry this year. It was, arguably, Borders’ aggressive investment in manga, led by then buyer Kurt Hassler, that set the stage for a lot of the expansion of the graphic novel market in the last decade. While publishers have already been preparing for a Border-less world, a huge round of book returns from the chain earlier this year sent many comics publishers into maintenance mode for all of 2010. GIN general, graphic novel sales were one of the few bright spots in bookstore sales over the last decade, with steady growth while other categories remained flat. However, the dwindling of the bookstore environment itself is forcing big changes to every publisher.

But, see also.

Only 25% of our line is over $2.99.  For the amount of books that we put out, the amount of product we have out there, to be over $2.99 for just 25% I think is a good, strong indication of how we’re dedicated to try to keep the prices down. In the 4th quarter we’re going to be doing a number of reprint books at a higher price but I wouldn’t compare them to the periodicals.  I say a “halfway trade” in order to get more product in the market that people are looking for and find ways to do it.  We’re trying to hold the price as much as possible. 

There’s also this bit of character development:

One observation that we’ve heard is that a co-publisher arrangement is unusual and might be… 
Didio:  Well I’ve never been in one before!  (laughter)
 
Lee:  This is my third, and Image Comics was six co-publishers!

And finally,

Lee is enthused about the upcoming DC Universe Online MMORPG as a means of getting new readers:

Lee:  On the videogame side, I’d say DC Universe Online scheduled for November 2nd release through Sony Online Entertainment.  We plan on supporting it with a bi-weekly comic book that basically ties into the storyline that’s crafted for the game itself. 
 
You couldn’t ask for a better demographic of people that to choose from to convert to comic book readers.  These are people that are gamers and they’re going to be exposed to not just Justice League, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, they’re going to be exposed to hundreds of secondary and tertiary DC heroes and villains and probably get to know our universe better in certain ways than the comic book readers, because they’ll be going through the universe at a much quicker pace.  It would be great to be able to convert some of those gamers into readers.  Being able to sell comics digitally and also co-market through the user interface when you log into the game, these are opportunities that look particularly ripe for us. 

Finally, the BIG question of whether DC is moving to the West Coast gets evaded skillfully:

Are you going to move the New York office to California?
Didio: Me personally, no. (Laughter) I don’t pack boxes really well.

There’s a lot being explored and I can be perfectly honest about it, there is no answer on that just yet. We’re trying to find the right fit, where the right place for the company’s going to be. Again, like you said, we were just talking about Consumer Products and other divisions. Where things make the most sense is where we need to be, but we don’t want to rush any of those decisions. We want to make sure we keep everybody’s best interests in mind.

Lots more to read and parse in the links!

§ Archie Comics’ aggressive new management team is profiled in a big story in the NY Times’ Business section:

We’re at the beginning of the beginning,” says Jon Goldwater, co-chief executive of Archie Comic Publications. “We’re going to expand. Publishing will always be part of it, but we must morph into a multimedia company.”

With more than $40 million in print and digital sales last year, Archie Comics, based in Mamaroneck, N.Y., is a small player in a large but unforgiving market dominated by DC Comics and Marvel Entertainment. Archie’s titles capture less than 1 percent of sales at comic book specialty shops, and the competitive challenge is only growing: Comics in general are battling the popularity of other distractions like video games and YouTube. And traditional readers of comics are aging, with no steady stream of new ones to take their place.

Among the Archie merch on its way, T-shirts at Urban Outfitters and Target, caps, jammies and so on. The whole article paints a solid picture of the process of Archie’s business over the last few years.

§ What are the great emblematic comics of the ’70s, asks Tom Spurgeon. Go supply your own answers.

§ Batwoman, the first major gay DC superhero, is coming back in her own book, starting with a 0 issue in November, followed by a regular series in February ‘11. J.H. Williams and W. Haden Blackman will co-write, and Williams and Amy Reeder will alternate on story arcs on art. And to go along with the announcement, DC released not one but two awesome alternate covers, by Williams (above) and Reeder.

§ At Comics Comics, Jog’s interesting thoughts on Bakuman and Peepo Choo.

§ Douglas Wolk examines Salvador Larroca’s use of the “widescreen” panel.

§ What comics strip — if any — will arise to fill that Cathy-sized hole in the newspaper page?

§ Bleeding Cool links to a Canadian study showing that comics help boys learn to read, something that many studies over the years have shown. The study isn’t loading up right now, but BC had some salient quotes.

How to find an artist:
I recommend looking through art sites such as Deviantart for an artist which suits your taste, or any other site that has a decent art community such as Newgrounds. There’s a few reasons you want to find an artist this way. First of all, they’re cheaper. These guys aren’t used to making a lot of money for their work so they will be more appreciative of the chance even if they are being payed slightly less than what professionals are payed. Second of all, they’re better. The quality of art you can find through this method is pretty amazing, and the vast amount of artists guarantee you will find something that suits your tastes and needs. Unless you have a specific price you want to pay in mind, ask THEM what they are willing to charge for the project. This usually causes people to give offers that are lower than what you normally pay, and will make them happy.

How NOT to find an artist:
Do not look for either professional artists, or an artist that has done a lot of game design work in the past. The problem with artists who do this as their full time job is that they’re usually expensive. Compared to what you can find through art sites, these guys tend to cost an arm and a leg. Artists who have done a lot of game design work are also bad for a similar reason, they know how much flash games can earn so they expect a decent percentage of the profit. It’s ridiculous to pay something 50% of a sponsorship when you can find someone else who would accept $500 for the same job. When your game sells for $10,000, the difference in cost is a multitude of 10.

Elsewhere in the post, Gregorio advises keeping artists “in the dark” because “If an artist knows how much their artwork will increase the value of the game they will then feel they deserve that amount of money.”

It would be nice to dismiss this as a joke (it’s not) or the rantings of someone who’s completely unprofessional (they are) but the reality for any artists reading this is that…this is how some people really think.

After the post began to get wider play, Gregorio came back to defend himself in an update…but it’s less of a defense than defensiveness:

Alright, now about the part the majority of you are most upset about, my “Keep them in the dark” comment. My wording on this was poorly thought out. Many people claim about this being unethical, but in reality it’s how all businesses work. When a company makes a profit, does it take that profit and evenly split it up among all of it’s employee’s? No. The most it ever does is sometimes gives bonuses which I also do when a game performs very well. As I’ve said before, I pay artists based on what they believe their work is worth rather than the estimated value it increases a game by. I’m sorry for anyone that finds capitalism to be the devil.

The takeaway?

HE’S RIGHT.

We’d like to say that all publishers want to help all their freelancers get paid a lot of money for a satisfying job — and many do — but there are also “capitalists” out there who are consciously taking advantage of the naiveté and inexperience of beginning artists. And unless beginning artists understand this, they will continue to be preyed upon by assholes.

And who is this Christopher Gregorio? According to a bio page:

My name is Christopher Gregorio, I’m from the United States (North Carolina), and I develop online flash games. I’ve been in the industry for a little over two years and have released several large titles, here’s a few that may ring a bell… Medieval Rampage 1 & 2, Cell Warfare, and Penguin Massacre. Last year I earned over $45,000 from developing these games through several different forms of monetization.

Wow, $45,000 — we are talking a real money spout here.

We’re not familiar enough with the world of Flash games to know where Gregorio stands in the hierarchy of success — $45K is chump change when console video game franchises routinely break the $1 billion barrier, but everyone’s gotta gnaw the bone of success somehow.

What we do know is that unless you value yourself and your work, no one else will either. Gregorio may be a particularly smug and clueless asswipe, but he’s just thinking what lots of people are saying. And entire companies have been based on his premise.

UPDATE: Colleen Doran comments, as only she can.

[Photo above from starberryshyne’s Flickr page.

COWBOYS & ALIENS, which is certainly an A-list project with Jon Favreau, Daniel Craig, and Harrison Ford aboard is set to be the first comic of its genre to ever actually get turned into a big movie. But this is the first time it has ever happened and it took 10 years. And despite this, there are still no other Platinum, Tokyopop, Radical, or Liquid movies. No one can go to Netflix and order the MAYHEM movie or OCD movie or GAMEKEEPER movie.

And yet companies STILL pursue the comics-to-movie model. And stories like this one in Deadline Hollywood Daily are why. Disney has paid “mid-six figures in option money” for OBLIVION, a graphic novel by Arvid Nelson and Andree Wallin based on an idea by TRON: LEGACY director Joseph Kosinski.

The story is set on a future Earth, where civilization lives above the clouds and alien scavengers stalk the irradiated surface below. When a surface drone repairman finds a woman inside a crashed spacepod planetside, it leads him on a journey filled with romance and adventure.

As regular BEAT readers know, studios optioning comics are a weekly occurrence, and yet this one not only gets a coveted Nikki Finke TOLJA! (signifying an important story) but ~$500K just for some typical comics-to-movie pitch after FOUR STUDIOS were in the running to get it? What gives?

The answer lies in the identity of the celebrity brainstormer. Although TRON:LEGACY is still months away from release, Disney has set its eyes on TRON as its franchise of the future, and they are very, very — as in VERY — high on Kosinski, even though he’s a virtual unknown: TRON: LEGACY is his first film and prior to that he was best known for that GEARS OF WAR TV spot with the song from Donnie Darko in it. (Granted, that was a DOPE spot.)

Kosinski’s age isn’t even listed on his IMDB page, but he looks youthful and full of pep. Disney obviously thinks they have the next David Fincher, or at least Neill Blomkamp on their hands and they want to make him happy and feel loved, and optioning his graphic novel is part of that process. Or, as the story put it, in the most significant sentence:

His reps decided that turning it into a graphic novel would set the table for a movie deal once Kosinski was finished with the film.

As for Radical, they either got lucky or really canny — out of all the underperforming actors (hello, Wesley Snipes), comics-loving rockers or amorphous Hollywood types they could have teamed with, they smartly made a deal with a real up-and-comer. There’s no telling how much of that “mid-six figures” that Radical main men Barry Levine and Jesse Berger got, (Levine will produce, Berger exec produce) but it’s doubtless enough to keep them in the comics game.

And to be fair, this month Radical has, uh…radically upped their actual comics content, releasing several long awaited books, including TIME BOMB by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Paul Gulacy; HOTWIRE by Warren Ellis and Steve Pugh; and THE RISING by E. Max Frye and J.P. Targete. We’ve never actually heard of anyone buying and enthusing over a Radical comic*, but several of these sound good enough to flip through, anyway.

As remote from the practice of making Great Comics as the whole comics-to-movie industry is, it’s here and it’s here to stay because of deals like the OBLIVION one. The positive side is that these comics often pay actual page rates and many people we know make a living working on them — it’s certainly a viable alternative to working on company-owned characters for other publishers if you’re going to do work-for-hire, and the page rate is good.

As for the OBLIVION movie…well, don’t hold your breath. The odds are STILL against it getting made — Kosinski is going to have a lot of offers to sift through if TRON does as well as everyone hopes, and directing his own unknown property might get lower on his list. Like it or not, Hollywood is still a big shell game of properties and options and deals, and this time Radical spotted the pea.

Howabout it, peanut gallery? Have you read and enjoyed a Radical comic book?

Geoff Johns and Diane Nelson are riding to the rescue of Warner Bros. as they ready Green Lantern and Wonder Woman to become the blockbusters they were destined to be, according to this profile in the LA Times by Geoff Boucher and Ben Fritz.

The industry odd couple — she previously managed the Harry Potter brand for Warner Bros. but had no experience in comics, he’s a fan-favorite comic-book writer who had never worked at a studio — are the president and chief creative officer, respectively, of DC Entertainment, main comic-book rival to Marvel. Their task is to rummage through the massive DC library and finally get venerable characters such as Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Flash and Aquaman on the silver screen for parent company Warner Bros. Their appointment, part of a restructuring of DC last September, is an implicit acknowledgment of the long dysfunctional relationship between the studio and its New York comic book unit.

Warner Bros. is counting on the pair to fly to the rescue and to do it soon — the Potter franchise, which has pulled in more than $5.3 billion at the box office, is winding down with its seventh installment this November and its finale next summer. The top Warner leadership is also frustrated that over the last decade it has been Marvel Comics characters — led by Spider-Man, the X-Men and Iron Man — who have won the hearts of moviegoers with franchises that have pulled in close to $8 billion.

The profile of DC Entertainment’s place in the Warners hierarchy is notable for its look into the current decision making process at the studio, and also for little nuggets like this tossed-off gem:

The biggest challenge for Nelson and Johns may be merging the cultures of the Warner lot in Burbank and the offices of DC, which are in Manhattan but may soon move to L.A.

Oh, you don’t say!

Rumors of DC moving to LA have been flying ever since Nelson took over last fall. The buzz at Comic-Con is that the move is coming sooner rather than later, although exactly how to dismantle DC’s well-populated NYC office remains a puzzler.

Oh the times, they are a-changin’.

Mr. Kirkman’s plan is to offer creators advance payments and a marketing push. If the book proves successful and attracts outside attention, Mr. Kirkman will also help navigate things like international publication rights and licensing in other media — including film, TV and toys. In return, he will get a partnership stake in all of Skybound’s properties. That investment can include percentages on any feature film, TV or merchandising deals.

“It’s a whole new world out there. It’s hard to do any comic book without having an expectation of what could happen. It’s such a prevalent and integral part of our business,” he said.

The line is launching with WITCH DOCTOR, by Brandon Seifert and Lukas Ketner, (which we previewed last year when Ketner was nominated for the Russ Manning Award*.)

This project — supernatural doctor stories — has been kicking around for a awhile but now it is getting the burst of attention that association with the creator of THE WALKING DEAD can give.

A further press release from Kirkman has the second Skybound book, THIEF OF THIEVES, by the very busy Nick Spencer and Kirkman.

Commentary: Kirkman has always been vocal about promoting creator owned work, and it’s nice to see him working out a way to further this which is (hopefully) economically viable. The word “partnership” implies a pretty high percentage, however, so the Skybound deal should be carefully scrutinized. That said, publishing WITCH DOCTOR is a no-brainer if only for Ketner’s awesome art.

Robert Kirkman announced that he is launching SKYBOUND, an all-new imprint of Image Comics. The imprint will give a new generation of comic book creators the opportunity to publish their works as SKYBOUND Originals.

With SKYBOUND, Kirkman will handpick up-and-coming creators and maintain an active role in promoting and expanding the projects of this already growing talent pool. Artist and imprint alike will be fully vested in the development of their properties into new mediums (e.g. television, film) globally.

Image Comics, the comics publisher that has served as the outlet for Kirkman’s original works (including the New York Times bestselling series The Walking Dead and Invincible), since 2002 will provide publishing and distribution support to SKYBOUND. Kirkman will continue his duties as COO at Image Comics, and use the SKYBOUND imprint to release his own titles as well as every SKYBOUND Original to follow.

Robert Kirkman will preview the first SKYBOUND Original, Witch Doctor by newcomers Brandon Seifert and Lukas Ketner, during his spotlight panel at Comic-Con International this Thursday. “Witch Doctor is a perfect example of the material we’re looking to cultivate with SKYBOUND,” says Kirkman, citing the comic’s unique vision of a “sick world” where mythical creatures interfere with the natural order.

Kirkman himself found the creators of Witch Doctor online and will continue to play a personal role in the ongoing search for a constant stream of new talent to sign under the SKYBOUND umbrella. SKYBOUND will focus on cutting-edge, creator-owned stories that are outside of the normal spectrum of mass-market genres.

Looking forward, Kirkman recently secured the second exclusive SKYBOUND Original, Thief of Thieves, a collaboration between Kirkman and writer Nick Spencer (best known for his critically- acclaimed Image series Existence 2.0, Forgetless, and the upcoming Morning Glories). Thief of Thieves tells the story of Conrad Paulson, the world’s greatest thief, who has set his sights on his own kind. He vows to steal only what’s already been stolen, in an effort to right the great wrongs of his life. But he may be too late for redemption.

Witch Doctor will hit shelves in early 2011, with Thief of Thieves following close behind. Kirkman has several other SKYBOUND Originals in the works, but plans to focus on quality and the company will take its time to find and develop unique projects that reflect SKYBOUND’s core ideals.

*Damn, that Manning Award series was awesome — we should have done it this year!

Diamond has been running a retailer survey on their website for a few months, polling shops on what day and delivery method they think would be best, and whether a $5 weekly fee to cover the costs of policing the system and prevent early sales would be reasonable. The fact sheet can be read here. We’re told that over 1,000 retailers responded, but Diamond hasn’t decided how to move forward yet.

We’ve been provided with the survey answers. While 52 percent think Tuesday on-sale would benefit their business, some 66 percent are less excited about that $5-per-week charge which would go towards a roving spot check crew to make sure comics weren’t being sold early. And while 75 percent think Tuesday would be a good thing, 44 percent think going up against movie, book and music releases on Tuesday would NOT be a good thing. A lot of uncertainty about this move, overall.

A historical note: Wednesday-is-new-comics-day has not been in place since the great god Kurbee descended from the clouds. In the early days of the direct market, Friday was new comic day, and at one point comics were delivered twice a week — Tuesdays and Fridays. So please, don’t say this would change everything forever and nothing would be the same…because in the end, it’s just a business move.
What do you think? Wednesday or Tuesday? Survey results below:

During the Retailer Summit² in Chicago in April, Diamond introduced the possibility of delivering New Releases to retailers the day before they go on sale. Also discussed was the possibility of changing the New Release day from Wednesday to Tuesday each week.
In an effort to anticipate and answer questions retailers had about these ideas, Diamond prepared a Q&A. Additionally, Diamond polled retailers in June on a Day-Early Delivery Retailer Survey, the results of which are presented below.

“We know that decisions like these aren’t Diamond’s alone to make,” said Roger Fletcher, Diamond’s VP-Marketing and Sales. “Such a significant change will take a consensus with retailers, publishers, and their printing partners. Of course, the potential impact these changes make on direct market retailers and specialty stores means that your opinions carry a great deal of weight, and we thank the nearly one thousand retail accounts that completed the survey

Fletcher said Diamond continues to have discussions with publishers to determine if a consensus can be reached on potential future changes.

1. Do you think your business would benefit from receiving products a day early? My business would:

2. Do you think the Direct Market would benefit from receiving products a day early? The Direct Market would:

3. Under this proposal, retailers who elect to receive their shipments a day early would be charged a weekly fee – not to exceed $5 – to help fund 3rd party monitoring of compliance with the new comics on-sale date and associated Diamond costs. I feel that this fee would be:

4. Retailers electing to receive their shipments a day early would be required to agree to hold their shipments for sale until 10:00 a.m. on new release day, and – if found in violation – agree to accept penalties ranging from suspension of day-early delivery privileges to complete revocation after three violations. I feel these penalties would be:

5. One motivation for moving new release date to Tuesday is to get comics in-sync with other entertainment media – such as books, DVDs, and video games – that release new titles on Tuesdays. Do you think your business would benefit from getting in sync with other media? My business would:

6. How do you believe the majority of your customers would respond to the proposed Tuesday release day? I believe my customers’ response would be:

7. If given the choice between Monday delivery for Tuesday on-sale, and Tuesday delivery for Wednesday on-sale, what would be your preference? I would prefer:

8. Would you prefer the status-quo (Wednesday delivery for Wednesday on-sale) over either of the above options if schedules could be adjusted to prevent day-late on-sale for weeks with Monday holidays? (Note FOC and Reship Reorder lead times would still increase under this scenario.)

.

[PS: Special thanks to Mark Chiarello for producing the comic that I'm gonna use EVERY TIME I run this story!]

Rocketship, the innovative Brooklyn comics shop which has been a mecca for graphic novels and forward-looking comics retailing, is closed down, several locals reported to The Beat. The store is currently locked up but with all the stock inside intact.

Reached for comment, co-owner Alex Cox told The Beat that it was a real estate problem and the store might reopen at some point. “We’ve come to the end of a five year lease, and are deciding what to do now. Five years went by fast, and my partner and I are suddenly making some large life decisions about what comes next. We love the shop, and as fun as it is, we have to figure out what makes sense for us on a practical level. 

“Comic retail was never something either of us wanted to do forever, and if it happens that we close, we had a great five year run, and look forward to what comes next. If not, we will be back in the swing of things soon.”

With a lineup of art shows, parties and signings including release parties for the last edition of Scott Pilgrim, Achewood, Brian Wood, Top Shelf and many other notable books, Rocketship has been the center of a social scene in its gentrified Brooklyn neighborhood, as a gathering place for comics readers and creators. It was also in the forefront of the graphic novel store revolution, as comics shops evolved from stores that relied entirely on the weekly periodical market to ones that operated more like bookstores with wide ranging material for all ages stocked in-depth. It was voted the Best Comics Shop by the Village and and New York Magazine and was a finalist for the Will Eisner Spirit of Retailing Award.

On a more personal level, we’ve spent many a sociable evening at Rocketship hobnobbing with colleagues and friends. It’s the kind of place you want to hang out in and a model for the way comics shops should be run — clean, well-lit, well-stocked and open to anyone of any age or gender. Here’s hoping that Cox can find a way to keep the show going, because the loss of Rocketship would be felt in many corners.

The first branch-off of “The Pekar Project” is coming out this year. He was working on a graphic novel called “Cleveland,” which comes out during the summer of 2011 from this company called Zip Comics. The script was ready for that. It’s one-third history of Cleveland, one-third Harvey’s experiences there, and one-third biographical sketches of Cleveland characters. It’s drawn by Joseph Remnant, one of the definitive Pekar artists.

Going by the promo art, this should be something to look forward to.

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.

The new PvP collection (above) — the eighth in the series — will be available for sale from Kurtz at San Diego.

We have an email in to Kurtz for more info, but it isn’t hard to see that, as the release states, the pamphlet/floppy/periodical is just not a viable format any more for a comic that appears five days a week on your computer screen. And one would presume that holding on to 100 percent of the profits of selling collections directly to fans would offset any losses incurred by not being in the front of the Diamond catalog any more.

Scott Kurtz is releasing the latest print collection of his popular online comic PvP, but he won’t be doing it through publisher Image Comics. After 8 years with Image, PvP is returning to its self-publishing roots, printing all future collections under the Toonhound Studios banner and selling them online via PvP’s store at http://www.pvpstuff.com.

“Over the last three years our business has shifted,” says Kurtz. “Sales through brick-and-mortar stores are declining and online sales are increasing. Readers who discovered PvP in comic shops have shifted from monthly readers to online readers, and their buying habits have changed. The monthly floppy is selling less and the trade paperbacks are selling more.”

All existing volumes of PvP are still available from Image Comics through Diamond Distribution, including the PvP Awesomeology hardcover, a 600-page retrospective celebrating the strip’s recent ten-year anniversary. The PvP monthly comic book, which Image also published, has been cancelled and ended with issue 45.

“Image has been an amazing publisher. Jim Valentino believed in Webcomics before anyone else in the industry. Erik Larsen and Eric Stephenson were instrumental in helping PvP shine. I still believe that Image is the best game in town for independent creators. I’m proud to continue offering my existing trades through them,” says Kurtz.

Although Kurtz has no immediate plans to offer future collections through Diamond, he’s still eager to work with interested retailers.

“The retailers have always supported PvP and I want to make it as easy as possible for those who wish to carry our books moving forward. Any interested retailer can contact me directly via email and we’ll do our best to get them whatever they need.”

Diamond has released the Top Ten and market share information for June. Here are the periodical and GN lists. Marvel and DC split the periodicals while DC, as usual, dominated the GN list.  

TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

TOP 10 COMICS

RANK	DESCRIPTION	PRICE		VENDOR
1	NEW AVENGERS #1	$3.99		MAR
2	BATMAN #700	$4.99		DC
3	AVENGERS #2	$3.99		MAR
4	BATMAN RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #3	$3.99		DC
5	GREEN LANTERN #55	$2.99		DC
6	BRIGHTEST DAY #3	$2.99		DC
7	BRIGHTEST DAY #4	$2.99		DC
8	SECRET AVENGERS #2	$3.99		MAR
9	UNCANNY X-MEN #525	$2.99		MAR
10	AVENGERS PRIME #1	$3.99		MAR

TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS

Diamond has released the top ten and publisher market share information for June. Here’s the periodical and GN lists.

About half an hour ago, a memo was sent to Zuda creators announcing that the original digital comics line website was being shut down. A few of the better known Zuda titles, such as I RULE THE NIGHT, BAYOU, and HIGH MOON will be folded into the newly announced DC Digital program.

Begun in 2007 as DC’s fledgling attempt at the world of comics on the Web, despite some quality content, Zuda was plagued by a number of problems including a widely derided Flash-based interface and a monthly contest format that often killed the best content after 10 pages. However, it did have successes with the award winning BAYOU comic, and other print projects such as the Harvey award-winning HIGH MOON by David Gallaher and Steve Ellis and THE NIGHT OWLS by the Timony Twins.

Asked for comment, DC sent out the following press release:

DC Entertainment announced today that select ZUDA titles will be available through comiXology and the PlayStation®Network. Each ZUDA issue will feature approximately twenty pages of content; the first issue will be available for free and each subsequent issue will be priced at $.99. Effective today, www.zudacomics.com will be shut down. The Collective, the Official ZUDA Blog, will continue to be updated at http://zuda.blog.dccomics.com/ with information about upcoming releases and behind-the-scenes information.

The first issue of Jeremy Love’s Eisner nominated Bayou was available at launch for free. Issue 2 is now available through ComiXology and the PlayStation®Network. The first issue of David Gallaher and Steve Ellis acclaimed’ High Moon is now available, with the second issue available next week.

Upcoming Zuda titles for the PSP and ComiXology app include John Zito and Tony Trov’s Black Cherry Bombshells, Dan Govar’s Azure, Andy Belanger’s Bottle of Awesome, Sheldon Vella’s Supertron, and Adam Atherton’s Lily of the Valley.

DEVELOPING.

UPDATE: Creative Services VP Ron Perazza has made the official announcement on the Zuda blog:

The submissions question is simple: It is the new DC Co-Publishers’ plan to expand submissions beyond just Zuda Comics and the Online group into a larger, more comprehensive system that covers all of DC Comics’ wide variety of needs, skills and interests. Jim and Dan are very excited about bringing in and developing new talent so look for more information about that from them as plans develop.

As for the site, from here on out, Zuda Comics will be folded into DC Comics’ exciting, new Digital Publishing initiative. Expect more Zuda series to be released through the DC Comics and comiXology Apps, the Sony PSP and on both the comiXology website and, eventually, the main DC Comics website as well. You’ll be able to read all of your digital editions and manage your entire library in one place, whether DCU, Vertigo, WildStorm or Zuda. The goal there is convergence of technology and convergence of editorial.

Dedicated industry watchers will note that Quesada uses the word “incentive” as opposed to “royalties,” an important distinction on a corporate legal level.
Asked about Marvel’s overal disparity in the royatlies offered, Quesada replies:

There are differences I’m sure. I’m not privy to DC’s entire incentive plan as I’m sure they’re not privy to the entirety of ours. But at the end of the day I’m sure we are better in some areas than they are and they are better than we are in some others. However, I think when you add it all together and you push and pull the numbers, it all breaks down to be about the same. It’s just coming from different pools. However, the big difference is the Marvel books on average and across the board sell more than DC books and that affects incentives in a very, very big way and it’s obvious that Marvel’s iPad announcement really helped cement us as the industry leader.

So the race is still on.

As we said the other day, any transparency that helps creators make informed decisions about the best deal for them — and helps younger creators get some idea of what the business landscape should be like — is a good thing, as far as we’re concerned. And based on our emails and IMs, a lot of creators agree. With Marvel and DC engaged in a fairly aggressive behind-the-scenes for the hearts and minds of creators this summer, you might expect to see a bit more of this kind of thing.

For the comics READERS in the audience, later in the interview, Quesada mentions the recent Avengers summit which included Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction Ed Brubaker and Christos Gage:

We’re talking about much broader stories at this point. Matt and Ed came to the table with a huge, let me re-emphasize huge idea for the Marvel U, and the entire room got stoked. It’s still at the bare-bones stage, but we found a great theme and structure by which to start hanging stories on. This will all most certainly change, gather momentum and get fleshed out once we have our next summit, which is our big Marvel U get together in which everyone is in the pool. This is really where the magic starts to happen, as more and more people start giving their input and look at the structure that we bring to the table with fresh eyes. It ends up being an incredibly exhausting creative endeavor but really priceless in the sense you have so many brilliantly creative brains locking in and doing the Borg hive-mind thing.

§ The big, big news is that the Hastings retail entertainment chain will be going into comics in a big way, bother graphic novels, which they already carry, and now periodicals, including back issues. 147 Hastings stores — mostly in the Midwest, Sun Belt and Texas, will start up direct marketing accounts. The move follows the success of two test stores:

After the decision was made to pursue the comic industry, two test stores were chosen to see what impact a full comic presence would make in our stores. These stores would contain 32 feet of new comic releases, 32 feet of back issues, 44 linear feet of Manga and graphic novels, an expansion in action figures, role playing books, comic-related merchandise and supplies among other things. Almost immediately, these stores showed a double-digit improvement in comic sales, and a significant sales increase within the department in which the comics are featured.

After the success of these two large expansions, our team began to move quickly with two exciting versions of comic layouts within our chain. One expansion mirrors our two test stores, while the other smaller version contains mostly comic new titles and back issues with 16 linear feet each. Out of the 147 stores, approximately 27 will have our large expansion and 100 will have the smaller comic expansions by the end of the year. Along with these expansions, we have added skateboards and the accessories one would need to enter the sport in our 27 large expansions.

A couple of observations:

– since Hastings was in the business of carrying dying media like DVDs and CDs, it shows the fantasy economy of paper has some life in the old girl.
– A 147-store national chain of comics accounts will quickly become a big force with Diamond and publishers. Rich Johnston, breaker of the story, has been showcasing that exclusive covers from publishers Top Cow and IDW are already in the mix.

Very, very developing.

§ Some other retail stuff going on. Chris Oliveros makes a plea for a local indie bookstore:

Landmark Toronto bookstore THIS AIN’T THE ROSEDALE LIBRARY is facing tough economic times, as reported in this post by Rory Seydel, manager of our own independent bookstore. THIS AIN’T is particularly close to our hearts in part because they have carried and supported D&Q books and comics since the early 1990s, at least a decade before most bookstores in North America started creating “graphic novel” sections. Folks, we all have to step up here and do our part to support these stores, or else we’ll all be reading books on iPads and Kindles a lot sooner than we think. Except without a base of independent bookstores to hold together the foundation of a book industry, there won’t be any options to read books in “hard copy” formats anymore. And on another depressing level, when independent stores shutter their doors they’re often replaced by the likes of a GAP or Starbucks and their ilk, making our cities less interesting places to live in. Sigh, this is all starting to resemble the “future” that Seth has long complained about.

§ But on the GOOD side, Halifax comics shop Strange Adventures is opening a third store in Dartmouth . Add this to NYC’s Midtown Comics adding a third branch, and you see the iPhone hasn’t killed brick and mortar yet.

§ Speaking of iPhone, Robot 6 rounded up reactions to DC’s entrance into digital comics. A piece on CNet talked to Brian Hibbs:

One retailer in San Francisco sounded largely unfazed by the announcement. Brian Hibbs, proprietor of Comix Experience, said it’s too early to gauge how the day-and-date release will affect sales, if at all. “We can’t avoid day-and-date. It’s going to happen, at least as experiments. But there’s no evidence yet that they replace these are 1:1 replacement sales.”

Hibbs, who is also on the board of the comics retailers advocacy group ComicsPRO, noted that DC’s plan to funnel some earnings from digital sales back into brick-and-mortar stores represents an unusual path to trailblaze in online sales. “Think if we had the record companies doing that when digital music started selling. We might still have record stores.”

§ Also, from the first line of DC’s press release on their digital comics:

DC Comics, publisher of Superman, Batman, Green Lantern and Fables,

Oh, Wonder Woman. You’re the comeback kid now.

§ With the announcement that DC was going for day-and-date release with the biweekly miniseries JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST, it has announced issues 4 and 5 will be returnable to retailers.

§ Writer Paul Cornell has gone exclusive with DC.

§ Bleeding Cool reports that Jeff Lemire will soon get his own DC press release on going exclusive. Lemire has already had awards and acclaim as an indie comics guy, so it’s nice to see DC reaching out to new voices.

§ Also via Bleeding Cool, the whole story of how Darick Robertson took some time off from THE BOYS to draw the BUTCHER spin-off, and wrote some things on the internet that he wishes he hadn’t. But it all ended happily, and Russ Braun will fill in while Robertson is away.

§ Adrienne Colan, wife of Gene Colan, passed away this week — she was found dead in her home, and no cause of death has been announced. The Colans had been in the middle of an unfortunate and ugly story in recent months — Adrienne was under a restraining order to stay away from Gene after an attack left him in the hospital. While acknowledging the sad winding down, Clifford Meth remembers the good stuff, too:

The Adrienne Colan you met at conventions was the real McCoy. She was tough and funny and uncompromising; warm and intelligent and spiritual. And her sense of humor was splendid. I think that’s where we met—at that dark crossroads where everything was tragic-comic. Our friendship existed outside of my friendship with Gene; we corresponded for decades, sharing dreams and fears.

And I guess I loved Adrienne. Now that the end has come amidst ashes and tears, I owe myself that honesty. I loved her attention, loved sending her a new story and when she got something I’d written and dissected it (and me with it); loved that she was intellectually curious about everything I shared and painfully honest with me…and with herself.