New Logo Mania: Bongo gets new logo, new creative director; Matt Groening gets secret projects
Bongo is the successful comics publishing company that nobody knows about. Although it will celebrate its 17th anniversary this year, and has mastered the periodical-to-trade business model, and has been happily plugging along publishing essentially creator driven comics for all that time....no one in the comics industry EVER talks about Bongo. Sure, publishing Simpsons comics seems like a no-brainer...but do you think the books would have lasted this long as a licensed title at DC or Marvel? Well, now there have been some changes. And some new branding. It has a new logo to start with—three's a trend! And long-time art director Nathan Kane has been promoted to Creative Director, replacing Bill Morrison, who, we're told, has joined Simpsons creator (and Bongo owner) Matt Groening to work on secret projects.
Continue ReadingPre-Ordering Dominates Comics Purchases – Survey Results
Last week, I conducted a survey on how people buy their comics. The results of which are eye opening. 67% -- a little over 2/3 -- of respondents listed a form of pre-ordering as the primary purchasing method.
Continue ReadingDC logo use demonstrated
And here's the official word and examples of treatment. Looks like the Vertigo and MAD logos have been adjusted to include the Gotham-lettered branding for now. Now that we can see the actual treatment, it's clearer how "the Peel" works as a symbol as opposed to a readable name—so even with the peel, the lettered DC Comics part is included. On that basis alone the peel works a lot better.
Continue ReadingDC Entertainment’s new interactive logo officially unveiled
A piece at business site Fast Company has unveiled the new DC logo — and yeah, it's been chosen because it can be animated and — probably — make a sound. John Rood and Amit Desai, senior vice president of franchise management, roll out the new malleable, adaptable, interactive logo:
Continue ReadingSales Charts: Barnes & Noble Graphic Novel Bestsellers
A snapshot of graphic novels bestsellers from BarnesAndNoble.com, taken at 3 PM, Monday, January 15, 2012.
Continue ReadingChris Powell joins Diamond to work with retailers
Diamond has just hired Chris Powell to the slot of Executive Director of Business Development for the comic book specialty market (CBSM). Powell is a familiar industry figure due to his many years at Lone Star Comics and as the head of ComicsPRO, and as a CBLDF board member. This new position was advertised by Diamond last year, and Powell will work with Chuck Parker and Roger Fletcher to create new programs for comics retailers, with a stated goal of creating more brick-and-mortar stores.
Continue ReadingThe Surprising State of Marvel Graphic Novels and the Diamond 2011 List
Over at Publisher's Weekly, I was writing about how Marvel has trouble keeping their books in print and had some retailers tell me how Marvel's sales suffer for it. Now with Diamond's 2011 year-end sales charts coming out, WOW, do things look odd.
Continue ReadingDecember 2011 Diamond Sales Estimates: Notable and Surprises
ICV2 has their December 2011 Diamond sales estimates up and the downward correction would appear to be continuing. The big debating point here would be DC returnability. IIRC, Diamond's been adjusting the numbers to allow for returns (10%?), but relatively few people believe that retailers are returning that much, when taken across the industry. So anything returnable is probably a little under-reported.
Continue ReadingSeuling, Schwartz among ComicsPRO Industry Appreciation Awards nominees
ComicsPRO, the retailer advocacy group, has announced the 2012 nominees for their third annual Appreciation Awards, which honors pioneers in the direct market:
Continue ReadingINTERVIEW: Kris Longo joins the Bonfire Agency
It's been abut a year since we covered the launch of The Bonfire Agency, an ad agency devoted to respectful and appropriate branding to the geek market, as well as market research and consulting on industry mainstays including the CBLDF and New York Comic Con. In talking to founders Steve Rotterdam and Ed Catto a year ago it was evident that they not only had advertising matters on their mind, but also blank spots in the industry, such as getting more demographic information and helping publishers monetize via an ad network. As 2012 dawns, Bonfire has just made a new hire, Kris Longo who joins the firm as Vice-President, Advertising Sales & Business Development following a stint at DC Comics as Manager of Advertising and Custom Publishing. At Bonfire Longo will be majorly involved with ComicsUnited, an ad network for non Big-Two comics publishers that will sell ads across books from a number of publishers.
Continue ReadingCase study: Axe body spray thinks comics readers need sexy scent
If you've watched any male-targeted TV programming in the last five years you know that it only takes one squirt of Axe body spray to turn the pudgiest sportsbar refugee into a rampaging sex god with the ladies. And now the cologne company has decided to turn to the comics audience with an interactive graphic novel. YOU can view the idea for Axe Anarchy in the above video -- basically normal looking schlubs and super hot women in the Brokeback pose. But all can contribute!
Continue ReadingWho Killed the Newsstand Comics Market?
Today, we keep seeing attempts to bring back limited versions of the newsstand comics rack. 2011's Barnes & Noble program being the most prominent to get a little press. Interestingly, in recent weeks, both Jim Shooter and Chris Clarement have made comments about the demise of the newsstand system. Coming from these two, the opinions are a bit more interesting as both were on the top of industry when things shifted over from the newsstand to Direct Market in the early-to-mid-80s.
Continue Reading2011 Sales Snapshot: Challengers Comics + Conversation
Sometimes it feels like people forget that different comic shops have different sales patterns, what with all the comments on the various industry websites. Challengers Comics + Conversation, a shop in Chicago with one of the higher profiles in that area, has released the top 200 sellers for 2011 in the both the monthly issues and graphic novel categories.
Continue ReadingFor sale: LA’s iconic Golden Apple comic shop
If you have $679,000.00 sitting around, you can buy Los Angeles's The Golden Apple, one of America's best known and longest running comics specialty stores. It's for sale on eBay right this minute. The sale price includes $300,000 in inventory in comics, games, toys and so on. You can make an offer. Founded back in 1979 by Bill Liebowitz, one of the leading retailers in the rise of the direct market of the '80s, The Golden Apple was a forward-facing store with a wide range of merchandise and a steady stream of events and signings - some of them historic. LA celebrity comics readers were regular customers over the years, and the store was frequently used as a film location when a comics shop was called for.
Continue ReadingGift Guide: Last-minute gifts at your friendly local comics shop
We've been running several e-tail items here on The Beat over the last few weeks but as the precious hours until Christmas morning tick away, there's no time to trust to the Post Office, so may we suggest a trip down to the local comics shop for some great gifts? Here are some stores with gift suggestions of their own:
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