Kingstone Media makes another run at faith-based comics
Religious bookstores remain one of the pillars of the independent bookstore world, but companies trying to target them with comics have had varying levels of success -- or failure. PW reports on Kingstone Media which has jumped into the category with funding and a wide ranging line of books:
Retailers wake up and smell DC’s day and date
A story from the Boston Globe captures the mood of comics retailers who are sitting on the porch sipping an iced tea while the digital tornado comes right for them. Some sip their cool drink knowing that no matter what happens, they had a good run:
Rowling goes Akallabêth and self-publisher on Pottermore
Although Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling has remained mum about her future writing, she has a lot of existing writing on the Potterverse -- notebooks full of background information and so on. This week she launched a new website Pottermore, which will sell digital copies of her Potter books, audio books, and offer all sorts of Mufggle-friendly activities:
Pioneering comics retailer Bud Plant selling business
Bay Area comics retailer/distributor Bud Plant, one the first first retailers to specialize in independent comics and related art books has announced his retirement after 41 years in the business, according to a letter to his mailing list:
Gary Groth on reprints, digital, Borders, DC and even more
Today's slam dunk interview is Alex Dueben's chat with Fantagraphics' publisher Gary Groth, probably just because on the internet a frank discussion with a knowledgeable comics publishing figure is about as common as a humble moment from LeBron. Throw in that he has stellar vocabulary skills, and you have a winner.
What does GREEN LANTERN’s box-office mean for DC Entertainment?
Meanwhile, back at the box office, GREEN LANTERN debuted at #1 with $52.6 million, less than THOR and even X-MEN: FIRST CLASS. As the Times put it: "An all-hands-on-deck effort by Warner Brothers to turn “Green Lantern” into a box office superpower fizzled over the weekend." With a budget of a reported $300 million, dreadful reviews and a big Friday-to-Saturday drop-off, GL's task as the advance guard for a new generation of movies based on DC characters has been made much more difficult.
Walmart teams with Captain America for digital comics
When the Captain America movie was in the planning stages, there was some anxiety over whether the "America" in the title would be off-putting to foreign lands, where so much movie money is made these days. Well, there's one place that Cap fits right in and it's Wal*Mart, which has a whole Captain America store, including a link to CAPTAIN AMERICA: FIRST VENGEANCE #1 a digital comic byFred Ven Lente, Luke Ross, and Richard Isanove that you can read right now for free via Marvel's DCU interface. The comic has been up for a while, but it's interesting to see Wal*Mart getting into the game.
Archie’s Jon Goldwater on moving forward
Archie's dynamic publisher Jon Goldwater gets the Comics Reporter interview treatment and his comments on the many changes he's made since the venerable comics publisher had a big management change might be viewed as emblematic of much going on these days:
Must Read #1: Steve Niles on what the Flashboot means to creators
Steve Niles, who has been very much in the forefront of the renewed emphasis on creator controlled comics, looks at what recent events mean:
DC announces digital pricing strategy: "Price parity"
Good news! Turns out DC isn't trying to destroy the direct sales market with their "Flashboot" -- or whatever it's called -- relaunch after all! And it is a relaunch, not a reboot, according to a letter sent by SVP of Sales Bob Wayne to retailers, announcing a pricing strategy that will see digital comics at the SAME price as print comics for their first four weeks of release. Wayne calls this "price parity" -- " No DC digital comic will be cheaper than its physical counterpart at launch." The Johns/Lee JLA #1 will be available with a digital download for $4.99, in print and digital only for $3.99 each.
Valiant Entertainment comics back…again
Flipping Point: The Coin Is Scarred Side Up
While there will be plenty of PR spinning about DC's big news as a great jumping on point for new readers and all that other doublespeak, let's look at the other side of the coin.
