Retailing & Marketing

Wow, we're zonked and we didn't even do anything. But the beehive of activity over this weeks New 52 debut was exhausting just to follow on twitter. Yesterday Jim Lee and Geoff Johns made a barnstorming tour of NYC comics shops, calling ahead and then showing up for flash-style 45 minute signings. They hit Manhattan, Hanleys, Forbidden Planet and St. Marks and somewhere in between Lee did an NPR interview. This enthusiastic blitzkrieg was somewhat reminiscent of the 90s comics days, when Image signings required giant tents, creators did crazy signing tours, and unsold skids of comics were sometimes left in the wake. It was a silly time, yes, but there was genuine fan excitement; one senses Jim Lee's hand behind some of the current promotion, and there has definitely been excitement generated. Even Marvelites were complimentary, perhaps reaching the zenith when Lee retweeted Marvel's CB Cebulski retweeting writer Nick Spencer:

ComiXology's digital storefront for physical comics shops went live yesterday, but not without some bumps. The release has been accelerated in order to get ready in time for DC's digital day-and-date rollout next week, and some retailers have voiced concerns about the contract, including the fact that retailers cannot use customer data, while comiXology can, use of store logos and so on. The terms have already been emended a bit from the version posted at Bleeding Cool, which was leaked on a private retailer forum, so we won't run it here. Although the basic agreement is that the stores are affiliates of comiXology, selling digital comics via their own sites, this is not entirely a comfortable idea for many retailers. Despite all the worries, about 100 stores have signed on for the launch, according to the PR, below.

New developments in the Atomic bankruptcy and Grant Morrison vs Chris Ware, and a new take on Kirby/Lee.

Many reports tonight via Twitter that the Atomic Comics chain in Arizona is shutting down, and confirmed on an employee's Facebook page. The four store chain, owned by Mike Malve, was one of Diamond's biggest accounts and a huge, progressive retailer known nationwide for its signings and aggressive, innovative promotions. Atomic and its logo were included prominently in the KICK-ASS movie, after Mark Millar became a fan following a signing. The four stores were located in Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, and Paradise Valley.

DC has been promising a HUGE marketing campaign for the New 52 launching in just a few trembling weeks. And now the first ad is online, but not embeddable yet. (Drat.) HEro Complex is showing a 30-second version which will be shown in movie theaters as part of National CineMedia’s “FirstLook” ad block -- you know, in between the ads for Fanta and something starring Ashton Kitcher.

Thanks to some hardworking employees, as the above video shows, the Staten Island branch of Jim Hanley's Universe which was closed due to flooding is now open for business.

Severe rains pummeled the East Coast this weekend, leading to record rainfall at Kennedy Airport and flooding throughout the region, especially hard-hit Staten Island. And sadly, the New Dorp location of Jim Hanley's Universe comics shop was badly hit, as the above video shows. On Twitter, it was announced that

Our Staten Island store in New Dorp will be closed again Monday. It suffered extensive rain damage in this weekend's storms.

A clean-up effort is under way but the total amount of damage looks severe.

News roundup and some personal notes on the rioting.

As The Big Day approaches, DC is putting out more information on its massive reboot. Newsarama has an addendum to the retailer FAQ that went out some weeks ago.

A new Cup O' Joe with Marvel's Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada reveals many things, including more about the origin of MIles Morales, and the fact that Quesada has been commissioned by the actual President of the United States for a piece of art. But it also contains an explanation of what has vexed many of late: Marvel's spoilerific PR in major media. For instance the story of the new dark-skinned Spider-Man broke on Tuesday inUSA Today, spoiling the story with its ubiquity before the issue in question came out. However, says Quesada, there really isn't any other way to do it:

Well, HOLY CRAP. It's all done broke loose now, hasn't it. What the hell is going on? The dead rising from the grave! Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together. OR should that be: men and women, blacks and whites making COMICS together. It seems like "The Diversity Issue" in comics has exploded all over the place. It can't be silenced. It can't be swept under the rug. More accurately, its ISP can't be blocked. The intersquawk just won't let these issue die. Is it just a few malcontents who won't shut up? Is it a reflection of the world we live in? Or is it just that as we enter the Digital Age of comics (and everything else) infinite accessibility means that the broadening audience for comics needs them to step up and join the real world?

August 31st will be quite a day for DC. On that day they will offer only two comics for sale -- Flashpoint #5 and JLA #1. And stores will be able to sell them at midnight: