Business News

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.

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

Announced via PR yesterday, Devil's Due, the long-running indie publisher is leaving Diamond as their distributor, for both books and periodicals, and going with Haven and self-distribution. But the reasons seem...

About half an hour ago a memo was sent to Zuda creators announcing that the original digital comics line 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.

This morning's Cup O' Joe coffee klatsch between Kiel Phegley and Joe Quesada included a lengthy segment on the whole digital royalty flap from last week. Specifically,Marvel has had them in the works for...

A round up of other news from the week, and some follow up on other stuff....The big, big news is that the Hasting retail entertainment chain will be going into comics in a big way, bother graphic novels, which tyhey 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:

Lots of reaction and ripples from yesterday's announcement that DC was at long last joining the digital world with their DC Comics apps for iPad, iPhone and PSP. One of the more amusing developments...

Hit records and stellar nerdlebirty status aren't always enough to steer a retail ship through the shoals of hard business realities. System of a Down's drummer John Dolmayan apparently learned that the hard way, as this sale for Torpedo Comics shows. The online retailers inventory and even domain name are being auctioned off to pay creditors.

Sean T Collins rounded up reactions from creators and fellow publishers on the closure of Buenaventura Press, and it's all sad, sad sad. WE've heard bits and pieces of the story behind the story, and that's all sad too. Some of it can be pieced together with some googling, but we'll respect Alvin's wishes for privacy at this time and just reiterate out hope that he can continue to find a way to contribute to this golden age of comics art.

Via PR, electronic publisher WOWIO has purchased the webcomic site DrunkDuck from Platinum Studios. Just to make it all neat and tidy, Platinum once owned Wowio, but Wowio is now owned by a separate...

There's a new superteam in town, Calvin Reid reports at Publishers Weekly -- brought together to face a mighty foe that threatens our very existence.   Or to put it another way, manga publishers have realized...

We're not necessarily going to make a cottage industry out of running all these "record setting art sales" PR pieces, but given the recent passing of Frazetta, the fact that his cover for Weird...