Wizard World/Comic Con 2010

Ok, I'm late on this one, the convention was last month. But I have a one year old and a full time job and well... excuses abound.

Anyway, I found it funny this year not seeing it called Wizard World. Instead we're now to refer to it as Comic Con again. Wizard runs it though.

I also missed the chalk artist guy. He always does amazing work and if he was there he certainly didn't have a location where I could find him. Where are you chalk artists guy?

Even with calling the convention Comic Con it felt less comic book focused than in years past. In fact it feels less like a comic convention each year and more like a pop culture convention. Now, I don't mind pop culture conventions. I got to see Michael Trucco of BSG up close and he IS just as good looking in person as he was on the show. But let's not call it a comic book convention if the only thing representing comic books is a handful of dealers. Even the panels were primarily meet and greets with actors and screenings of upcoming shows, not the discussions of comic books that they've had in years past. Once again this year Marvel and DC were not present either. I don't mind seeing small publishers at conventions, I like to see them out promoting themselves. But even those were few and far between - comic creator-dom was largely represented by artist alley where individuals were out to promote themselves regardless of publisher. Again a good thing! However artist alley seemed like it was an after thought this year for the convention except for the occasional appearance of a bigger name artist who would have a line.

Sure, there were some fun comic book character costumes. We always get a kick out of those. But even those, at least on Saturday, seemed fewer in number. More costumed people that I didn't recognize who they were than in years past, a lot of them looking rather scary.

These are really just observations. I still enjoyed the convention, but would really like to see something more comic book focused I'm going to check out C2E2 next year - I've heard good things about that. But there was one BIG thing that REALLY ticked me off about the convention and I know other people found it alloying to - the presence of Rod Blagojevich, former Chicago governor outed due to political corruption. Sure, he's from Chicago and the convention was in the Chicagoland area. But why do we need to promote this guy? Who made the decision to give celebrity status to a guy who gives politicians, and heck even people, a bad name? I'm embarrassed at having attended an event that was publicized in local media not as a great place to find out about comic books and have fun, but the place where people could pay to have a picture and/or autograph with a political criminal.

(Thanks Phil, for this pic that summarizes my opinion soooo well!)

Wizard World/Chicago Comic Con

This past weekend was one of the larger comic book conventions in the Midwest, run by the gang at Wizard magazine.

There were a few things notably missing at this year's convention. One of which was the presence of the Wizard logo and name. They now are using the Comic Con logo and name - something I think they quickly adopted before the gang who run the New York Comic Con could take that name and use it for their convention next year.

Another thing missing - the big name comic book publishers. No DC booth, no Marvel booth, no Dark Horse booth. While those publisher's booths never really offered a lot other than bright colors and specified book signings, it was quite obvious that they were not there. I always liked the DC booth because they'd have great displays of the upcoming toys.

Speaking of toys, I did not see Sideshow Collectibles or Mattel toys this year either. Those two also would have great displays of upcoming items that I always enjoyed checking out, and Mattel usually was selling convention exclusives.

And if you were at the convention on Saturday, or spoke to anyone who was, they'll tell you that it felt like the air conditioning was missing, or at least not working. We got there Saturday right as the floor opened and it already felt stuffy, so we knew it wouldn't get better as the day continued to warm up and the hall filled up with warm humans.

They had comic book panels this year, but there were never announcements for them. They seemed to take a back seat to the TV panels and photo ops that they were doing for shows like Battlestar and Twilight and Buffy.

But even without all of those things the convention was still a great time. The chalk artist was there working hard, showing off his amazing talent. Plenty of folks were dressed up in a variety of costumes. There were wrestlers, TV stars, movie stars, of course Lou Ferrigno was there and Margot Kidder-this year without her spooky Chirstopher Reeve Superman wax statue. While there were several empty tables in artist alley this year, those that attended seemed to have a GREAT turn out - many artists we spoke with had their sketech lists filled or had long lines as they did sketches on the spot. I have yet to figure out out artists decide on their rates for sketches at conventions, but that's another post for another day. There were plenty of vendors with a variety of items, and I saw plenty of people spending money. I even heard one vendor say they had loaded up on inexpensive items and only brought a few high ticket items, and they were surprised they'd sold completely out of the high ticket items first. I had some great conversations, got some great sketches, and had a really good time, even being so pregnant.

I also wanted to mention Mark Texeira and how cool he was. Back at the Baltimore Comic Con 3, yes 3 years ago now, we gave him $50 as a down payment for a Captain America sketch on Friday night. He'd promised he'd have it done Saturday AM, but Saturday morning came and went and he didn't show up at the convention. We'd asked his booth neighbors to let him know we were looking for him, and then left to go to Washington DC for the day. We returned at the end of the day and he was again not at his booth. We gave up - angry that we'd never see the $50. When Craig saw that Tex was going to be at this convention he decided he'd beg and see if he could possiblly, even though there was little to no chance that Mark would remember us at all, collect on that sketch. We stopped at Mark's table on Friday night and Craig told him the story, and he agreed to do a head sketch at no additional cost to repay us for the 3 year investment. Saturday morning went by and again Texeira was nowhere to be found. We were worried - figuring once again we wouldn't get this illusive sketch. But eventually he did arrive, several hours after the con started, but there. Craig asked if there was any way to get the sketch done by 5 pm, and Tex said he'd do it - but he had to work through his line of fans first, which was long and getting longer by the minute. Craig kept a warry eye over on Mark's booth, wishing away fans and wondering what Mark was working on. Finally around 5 Craig walked over and MUCH to his happiness there was an AWESOME sketch of Captain America courtesy of Mark Texeira. We were very happy and impressed that Mark not only did such a great job but was so cool about doing it after so long. Thanks Mark!! You're all right in our book. If you're ever in the Milwaukee area stop by Neptune.

Chicago Comics & Entertainment Expo

Most of you probably already know about next year's big event - the Chicago Comics & Entertainment Expo, but if you don't, you've got a year to gear up. It's being put on by the same folks who do the New York Comic Con and will compete with Chicago Wizard World. CWW conveniently changed the name of the convention to "Chicago Comic Con" before Reed could claim the name - so the new con has to have a different name. But that's fine with me! It's about time someone tried to bring a real comic con back to Chicago instead of the insult to comics Wizard World has started to become. Wizard lacks organization, creativity, and good names. If the Reeds people can be as effective in Chicago as they have been in New York then next year should deliver an AWESOME convention to the midwest. So put mid-April in your calendar now and plan to trek down to downtown Chicago for this convention.

The next question is will Wizard survive another year? They are not going to publish Anime Insider anymore, they have postponed one convention and cancelled another for this year. Staff cuts continue. And no one buys the magazine for comic book prices anymore. Comic book magazines Comics Foundry and Comics Now have both ceased publication, will Wizard survive or also fall? Time will tell!

Anti-Con Harassment Project

Not me! That's why I support the girwonder Anti-Con Harassment Project.

From the site:

About CAHP

The Con Anti-Harassment Project is a grass-roots campaign designed to help make conventions safer for everyone. Our aims are to encourage fandom, geek community and other non-business conventions to establish, articulate and act upon anti-harassment policies, especially sexual harassment policies, and to encourage mutual respect among con-goers, guests and staff.

The convention experience is often a fun and rewarding one; we want to do our part to make it fun, rewarding and safe for everyone involved. Conventions can’t eliminate harassment, but they can reduce it, have ways to deal with it when it happens, and make it clear that it’s unacceptable in our fun con environments. Our campaign is based upon a three-part action plan we encourage con committees to adopt and adapt for their own con atmosphere and environment.

Let's all show our support for this goal and work together to help end harassment at conventions. While I haven't experienced harassment at a convention, I do believe it occurs, and I feel for those that have had to experience it. We can't stand by and tolerate this behavior. Write a letter, support those who have experienced harassment, discuss convention policies with people you know in the comic book industry.

Wizard World Chicago 2008

Another Wizard World Chicago has come and gone. This year's con was earlier than usual and it seemed a little less attended than the last few I've been to.

I have photos from the con on Flickr now.

We found out about Michael Turner's death at the convention, which made things a bit more somber. At first we thought it was just a rumor someone made up. But as Saturday progressed we found out it was true. Some creators left the show to go bet with Michael's family. Others stayed, but their mood was definitely changed due to his passing. While he had been sick for a while, making his death a little less surprising, that doesn't make it any easier to know a young and talented man is now only a spirit and memory. But at least he left many footprints - his work will live on and be enjoyed by generations. This has been a rough year for the comic book industry as we have lost a few very good people.

Overall Chicago was fun. We hung out with friends, met some new people, and enjoyed costumes and comics. Craig got a Wonder Woman headsketch from Aaron Lopresti which I'm sure he'll upload onto here in the next day or two. We got to learn about Diamond's POS system, which is everything our current POS system was supposed to be but isn't, so we are 99% sure that we will switch. Cheryl (who is a regular reader of this blog, by the way - HI CHERYL!) did a great job showing us the bells & whistles of Comic Suite and it really impressed us - plus Diamond makes the system affordable by providing retailers with payment options. For those stores not yet on a POS & inventory management system, I recommend checking it out. If not the Diamond system, then some system, because it is SO important and valuable of a tool.

Well, it's getting late and that's all I've got for now.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Busy Weekend!

Not much rest this weekend! As you should all know, Saturday was Free Comic Book Day. We left the house around 7:30 am on Saturday and had to pick up the cake, get some breakfast and coffee, and head to the store where we had to rearrange all of the furniture in order to make room for the free comics and loads of people. Around 10 am the 501st gang started to arrive to change into their Star Wars attire and we began to cut the cake. A line became noticeable outside the store at 10:30 am, and they started getting restless by 10:50.

At 11 am the doors opened and eager shoppers poured in to get comics, both free and not free, and enjoy the cake and see the Star Wars characters. Unfortunately the weather was bleak - it rained on and off for most of the day, finally getting sunny around 7:30 pm (we closed at 5 pm). So the 501st folks had to stand under the awning by the store instead of being able to wander around, and those looking at the items we put outside were cold and even a bit wet when the rain really came down. The store was completely packed from 11 am - 12:45 pm and then you could finally walk from one end to the other in less than five minutes. That's not to say it was empty, it just was not as full. At about 4:45 we thought we'd had our last store visitor leave, but right before we closed at 5 another bunch came in for last minute purchases.

Free Comic Book Day is usually our busiest and best day of the year, and this year was no different. After counting the cash and totaling up the day's sales, we were happy to announce that this was our best Free Comic Book Day yet, in spite of the bad weather. Then we had dinner with some friends and finally went home to relax.

Early to bed meant early to rise on Sunday for the Oconocon. We got breakfast, went to the storage unit, and then drove out to Oconomowoc for the convention. Set up was fairly quick for us, since we didn't sell anything at the convention. Then we got to talk to all kinds of great comic book people. People like Jim Krueger of Justice and Project Superpowers - who should be coming in for an in-store signing this August. Craig got two new sketches for his sketch book - we'll have to upload those this week sometime. After the con wee had a quick dinner with Sean McKeever, Mike Norton, and Chris Burnham.

Then we had to head out to the Majestic Theater to see Iron Man. We enjoyed Iron Man quite a bit. Fun, action packed, clever movie that should be the standard for other superhero films. No Hulk cameo though - that was either cut or just a rumor, unless someone else was able to spot it, but I didn't see it at all. You have to stay through the long credits to the end of the film, of course, to see a little teaser about the future of Iron Man. By the time we got home it was 10 pm.

Now the weekend is over already and we haven't even done laundry or done the grocery shopping for the week. But it was a fun, comic book filled weekend.

Check out the weekend in photos on Flickr, here.

ComicsPRO Opinion Paper - Publisher Convention Sales

Yesterday ComicsPRO posted publicly our position on publishers pre-selling comics at conventions. I say "our" because Neptune is a full member of ComicsPRO.

Let me first give you a basic understanding of ComicsPRO, before I get into the position paper. ComicsPRO is the newest & largest organization of brick & mortar comic book retailers. I did a column about it on Sequart a while ago that explains the organization even more.

Now let me explain that the paper is called a "position paper" for a reason. It outlines the current situation and states what position current retailers find themselves in. It is not a solution paper - it does not make demands or call for solutions. It says how things are currently being handled, and then requests that publishers consider our position and take action. It is a tool that the organization has decided to show a united front to publishers and the comic book community, in the hope that the problem will be heard and that the parties involved can come together and find a solution that works for both sides.

This position paper is about retailers' problem with publishers who sell their comics at conventions before they are available for sale in stores (and this is both on-line stores as well as brick and mortar stores). The paper states that both retailers and publishers need to sell their product as a revenue stream, but outlines how the pre-sales can negatively impact stores, and how stores then end up cutting back on the comics they order from these publishers.

This paper is not an "us against them" paper. It does not say that publishers don't have the right to sell their products directly to the audience. However, it does ask that they NOT pre-sell them. Why? I'll explain it as simply as I can.

Stores have to order comics over a month in advance of receiving them. When we place the orders we do so with the understanding that every place that can sell those comics, be they on-line stores or vending machines or comic book stores, ALL get the comics at the same time. We are all on an even playing field and then use what we use - marketing, convenience, price, whatever - to get our customers to buy comics from us.

However, what is happening is that publishers will take copies of their books to conventions and sell them BEFORE the official release date for the product. Now stores that have already ordered the comic might have some customers who purchase the book at the convention, and when it arrives in the store they put it back on the shelf or don't buy it off of the shelf because they already have it. Then the retailer ends up with extra issues of the comic book. And, as you should all know by now, these comics are rarely ever returnable. So, one extra copy or 50 extra copies - it doesn't matter, it is money wasted for that retailer.

We brick and mortar stores have a high overhead cost, one of which is stocking comics, and if we see that a publisher is not abiding by the "release date" for their comic and causing to loose money, most of us have no choice but to cut back or stop buying comics from that publisher. Especially during convention time. Suddenly the equal playing ground is gone!

Remember back when you were in school and everyone started out the year with an "A" and it was up to each student to determine where their grades when from there? Well, in this case the publisher is the only student getting an "A" and the rest are starting out at "C" - a clear disadvantage to one group. That's not to say the "C" grade group can't catch up, but they've got to work a whole lot harder then they already do.

Or think of a race - if you were running the 100 meter and some of the runners got to start out several seconds before you did, you'd have a serious disadvantage. Those that started early would have a much better chance of winning than you would, regardless of who the better runner is.

In this position paper the members of ComicsPRO are stating the problem - publishers are getting an unfair sales advantage. And they ask that publishers end that practice.

This isn't really a big problem for us, out here in Waukesha. We aren't really that close to any big conventions. But this past year we did have a customer tell us he wasn't buying the first issue of a comic book he'd asked us to order for him, because he'd got it from the publisher's booth at Wizard. Thankfully we had another customer who wanted to check out that comic book, he bought that copy, so it all worked out. But this is most certainly not the case, especially for stores that are located near some of the major conventions. And as Brian Hibbs recently said on another blog discussing the topic, "I pretty much don’t care if someone takes $1 from me or $1000 — in the end I’m making less money (regardless of scale), which makes it harder to run a “good” comics shop."

My opinion - overall I agree. Any time other places are able to sell comics before my store gets them (like on days when my Diamond shipment doesn't show up on-time) I loose money. I don't like to loose money because it endangers the health of my business. On the other hand, publishers selling comics at conventions can help increase the interest in the comic book and lead to an increase of in-store sales of the following issues. But on the other hand, we retailers spend a lot more time selling comic books to the general public in a face-to-face setting than the publishers do - the publisher makes money when stores buy their product and they should support their sales force (the comic book retailers of the world) rather than taking business from them.

I've said this before and I'll say it again - publishers need to be more creative. Instead of re-selling or pre-selling what stores are already selling, or giving the same products away that they want retailers to buy, they should come up with ways of promoting interest in their comics that works WITH what retailers do, instead of against it. Make a convention issue that they sell or give away that has a link to the Comic Book Locater Service and the product code for issue #1. Sell issues of #1 AFTER they've been available in stores, instead of before, so that people that didn't see it in the store can still get it, and then they can ask their comic book store to get them the following issues. These are just two suggestions for ways that publishers could still get their product into people's hands at conventions while not disenfranchising comic book retailers.

Some Quick Links

The news came out yesterday via Variety that the live-action Justice League movie is now put on the back burner. Craig called this months ago! Instead everyone will just have to pick up a copy of the DC New Frontier DVD next month.

The popular CW show Supernatural is going to have another comic book mini-series! I'm excited because the first one really sold well for us and brought in a lot of people who wouldn't usually come into a comic book store. And people really seemed to enjoy the comic - which helps. It will be written by Peter Johnson, who is also co-executive producer of the TV series. So, while the show might be off the air due to strikes, fans can continue the adventure in comics. The series is set to start in spring (April, cover pictured). AND they even have a third mini-series they're starting to plan out.

According to Digital Spy, Kevin Smith wants to make a sci-fi, comic book film. I guess a title he's playing with is: Ranger Danger and the Danger Rangers. Hmm... I think he'll need to work on that.

January is National Hobby Month.

Oh no - SanDiego Comic Con might have to actually focus on... COMICS this year!

Dan Dare comic is getting some good publicity in the UK. It is a good comic - if you haven't read it yet, pick up issue #1 and see for yourself. Then once you see how good it is, go back and pick up issue #2. #3 hasn't come out yet, so you will easily be able to get up to speed.

School in Kansas City has a Graphic Novel Club. That's AWESOME! Why aren't more schools or even libraries starting something like that? Especially since people are starting to realize that comic books can actually help promote literacy. Teachers are even developing comics-based literacy programs.

The Good, The Bad, and the Geek.Kon

Craig and I set up a table at a first-year con held on the UW Madison campus, Geek.Kon. Overall, it was a success for us.

The convention was held in a part of the Humanities building on Park St. There was no real loading area, and the vendor room was at the opposite end of the hall from the entrance. So, bringing stuff in and out was a process. Once we got into the room, we were surprised to see it was basically one classroom with 8 8X3 foot tables in it. The tables were set up oddly, and it was extremely difficult to move around in there since the room was maybe 500 square feet max. Once we were all set up and people came in, the room became very crowded and difficult to move through. It was also very difficult for any vendor to leave their table without crawling under it. But, the con people say they are working on getting larger rooms next year!

The nice thing was with only 8 vendors there wasn't a ton of people selling the same things. When you walked in there was a table right in front of you with people who make hats with fox or cat ears and tails and sleeves that are hip with manga/anime fans. To your left was a woman who made dice bags while you watched and also had catnip loaded dice for cats who like to play with dice. Once you were inside there was a table with lots of hand made items like pins and cards featuring popular anime and manga characters. Turning the corner was a table featuring voice changing software from a Madison local company, Screaming Bee. People loved that booth because he was handing out coupons for free trials and letting people play with the voice changer. Next to his table was ours. We had lots of manga, some anime figures as well as Star Wars and Dr. Who figures, and some other fun stuff just thrown in for fun. You can kind of see Craig in the picture - look to the back of the picture and up against the dark chalkboard you see some grid racks and colored banners (Harry Potter banners) and off to the right of the last banner is Craig with his head turned. I was too short to be seen over the grid rack and was just a voice from somewhere trying to talk to people- but my forehead is to the left of Craig in the picture. In front of our booth, on the other side of the isle, was a guy selling games. He had lots of RPG's as well as some other stuff. Next to him was a guy selling tons of used books for a buck or two each. And next to our booth, around the corner, was another costume company selling hats that looked like cats, bunnies and other manga/anime characters. They mainly do costumes for cosplay people - and their pictures and stuff looked really good, but they sold a ton of those silly hats!!

No one in the vendor room had duplicate items, which was great. The book guy had manly novels, and we had manga. The game guy had a bunch of stuff, but not the Heroclix and Halo ActionClix that we brought. Even the two places that had anime hats and stuff, while they were selling similar things, each had its own unique style. If they have the con again next year and decide to add more vendors, I hope they still stick with having only one of each kind of thing there because it really kept everyone busy making money and not having to compete with each other for customers.

All of the vendors seemed busy. There was a good, steady flow of people most of the day. We made the bulk of our money early on, as is typical, because all of the good stuff sells out right away. The convention was keeping the vendor room open from 9 am - 11 pm, which was WAY too long. Most of us packed up at 6 pm and left. Three of the 5 stayed, and two of those three said they were only staying because they didn't want to have to take everything out of the room and then bring it back the next day, so they were staying until 11 pm when the con people locked the room up for the night.

We had Kelly Ann set up to work again on Sunday, and planned on making the early morning trip back out to Madison to work again the next day. Sunday the con was going from 8 am - 4 pm. We had our items under the table and Craig was taking some stuff to the car. When he came back he said, "Take everything down. Tim (his best friend who, thankfully, lives in a Madison suburb) is coming to get us. The car won't start." This is, of course, the new used car we just bought last Tuesday. On Thursday and Friday it was starting a little slow, but it still started. However on Saturday it wouldn't start at all. When Tim arrived he took us to the car and called a towing company - we were on the top floor of a parking garage and I have no idea how a tow truck would even get up there without getting stuck, but that's a different topic. Anyway, Tim called a towing company he was familiar with and had the guy listen while Craig tried to start the car. The towing guy said without hesitation, "it's the battery, you need to jump it. Unfortunately neither Tim nor us had any jumper cables. So, we went first to Shopko and then to Sears where we found a set of jumper cables. Then we grabbed some dinner and headed back to the parking ramp to see if we could get the car started. Sure enough, once we jumped it it started up and got us home. The next day it didn't want to start again - so no trip back out to Madison (we had the place where we bought it put a new battery in the car this morning).

This con was quite an experience! TONS of people dressed in costume. Mostly anime and manga character costumes - I saw at least 6 Narutos. But there were some Harry Potter characters and other fantasy characters. I didn't see too much sci-fi, but there were a few Star Wars characters present. A guy was there who makes "life size" Dalek characters (Doctor Who). There were men and women of all ages and sizes supporting their various fandoms in costumes or just with pins or bags or with their purchases. A steady flow of new people flowed into the con throughout the afternoon and into the evening. We even saw a few of our customers out there. The con was on CNN and our local news, plus it had lots of newspaper coverage too.

Overall, the con was good - good attendance (the con counted over 1,800 people attending), good price of FREE, good publicity, good costumes, good sales at the table. The bad - the car problem that kept us from going back with more of the stuff that we'd sold out of on Saturday, and the overcrowded con room that was scheduled to stay open way too late on Saturday night. If they have it again, we'd definitely set up a table! Congrats and a pat on the back to those folks, many of them UW Madison students, who put this con together. GREAT JOB GEEK.KON GANG!!

In fact, we're even considering doing Odyssey Con next April in Madison. Maybe some other, more local, sci-fi and anime conventions too, if we can find them.

photos courtesy of the geekkon.net site Since I forgot my camera.

Superhero Catalog of Games, Books, Toys & Puzzles

Yesterday I introduced you, or reintroduced you, to the Superhero Catalog of Games, Books, Toys & Puzzles. Here's another two-page spread from the book featuring Spider-Man toys. Remember, you can click on the images to see them larger.


If you had any of these give a shout as we walk down memory lane together.

I won't be blogging this weekend as we're doing a booth at Geek.Kon in Madison and it is literally all day tomorrow and a good chunk of Sunday. It's on the UW campus, and it's FREE. So, if you're in the mood to check out a con, come on by. There are only 8 vendors, so don't expect a lot of stuff available for purchase. But they've got a lot of different game events and tons of panels. I'm sure I'll share any interesting stories from the con on Monday. Have a great weekend!

More Baltimore Stuff

Just to make Ben from AZ jealous, here's the rest of our Baltimore freebie stuff.

I got to meet Terry Moore! He seemed like a very nice guy. Too bad I had to give him the bad news that Diamond didn't have the Volume 1 of Strangers in Paradise in stock. But, it must have worked, because it's back in stock at Diamond now, so I can order some of them for the store.

Aparently there were three different Mouse Guard figures they were giving away. Somehow we only got the one. Must be because we weren't as greedy as some of the rest. (I will try to post the story about that today)


If you're interested in any of this let us know. Otherwise it's going to end up on eBay. Well, maybe not the Terry Moore signed art - I might frame that and put it up in the store.

Baltimore Goods

Here's some of the stuff we were given at the Baltimore retailer summit - this is the way they try to "incentivise" our visit. There's some more stuff coming later this week that we shipped instead of bringing on the plane.

Personally, I'd be fine if they didn't give us anything but gave us more time to talk to other retailers. Maybe a break-out session or something. But, it is nice to have some of the stuff to sell so that we can recoup some of our costs for going out there and staying in the hotel, etc.

I've got a story about retailers who only go because of the free stuff... watch for it, probably tomorrow.

Baltimore Brief

We had a great time in Baltimore. Not enough sleep, but lots of good stuff. I have tons to blog about, but at the moment we're busy with Wendesday new comics and customers. So... you'll have to wait and check back. In the mean time I've been working on uploading pictures to Flickr. These will give you a taste of what's to come, so you can check them out and get some "spoilers" or you can wait until I discuss them formally later on.

Stay tuned!

Big Stuff at Baltimore

From Lying in the Gutters yesterday on Comic Book Resources:

"... Diamond have enjoyed an effective direct market monopoly on comics distribution by brokering exclusive distribution deals with the four largest "Premier" comics publishers.

But I understand that there are one or two companies interested in entering the direct market distribution system right now, who will be making themselves known at Baltimore next week. Initially they are interested in working with high profile independent publishers who don't feel best served by Diamond, first in bookstores, then into comic stores. But their interest may extend across the independent publishers and to Premier publishers whose exclusive contracts with Diamond may be up for renewal.

Could this be the beginning of the end of the Diamond monopoly? Are Diamond's upcoming announcements the sign of them fighting back?

And will Baltimore be the perfect setting for a bunch of distribution hoodlums to make a grab for Stringer Geppi's territory?"

This is HUGE! I am really glad that we made the decision, even though it was rather last-minute, to make the trek to Baltimore. This could really be interesting! Competition for Diamond and it being announced at Baltimore Comic Con, the home of Diamond's HQ. WOW! Really, WOW.

Plus Marvel & DC have been rumored to be sharing some actual news at this con. And there's a bunch of GREAT comic talent that's going to be there this year. AND we're looking forward to meeting up with a bunch of retailers we only get to see once in a great while. And there are some new friends and acquaintances we're looking forward to talking to that will be there. Maybe even a Meeley sighting?? We were planning on going to Washington DC one of the two days, but now it looks like we might not even make it there, as there is just so much going on.

We went to this convention all day on Saturday and a couple of hours on Sunday last year, and we really really enjoyed it - even though we all had to evacuate on Saturday due to a fire alarm going off because a plastic bag was caught in some vent or something. If you are in the area, I definitely recommend checking out the Baltimore Comic Con!

Looking Forward to Baltimore

Once again this September we are going to Baltimore MD for the Diamond Retailer Summit. We will get there a couple of days in advance and spend one day going to the Baltimore Comic Con and one day playing tourists in D.C.

We didn't think we'd go this year because at first money was tight and flights were expensive. Then we got some money but were going to put it into the house we were buying. Then we lost that house deal but hotel rooms over that weekend (September 8,9) near the convention center were extremely hard to come by unless one wanted to pay over $200 per night. Finally, we lucked out, finding both affordable air fair and a hotel room under $200. Unfortunately the hotel isn't by the convention center, but it is easy to get there via the train, so it shouldn't bee to bad.

We went to the Baltimore CC last year and aside from getting ripped off by Mark Texeria it was a lot of fun. It is a good size convention but not so crowded that one can't get to talk to creators. Although some artist were very snobby, sitting at their table working on paid-for sketches with signs up that they were not to be bothered until their scheduled signing time for the day. But most were up-beat, friendly and accessible and it was fun to check it out.

This year they're having some cool guests like Joe Kubert, Amanda Conner, both Romita's and Louise Simonson. Plus a ton of other bigger name comic book creators, so it should be really neat to walk the floor.

Then there's the Diamond retailer summit after the convention. That is always a fun time, meeting up with comic book store owners that we've not seen since last year. Sharing the pains and victories of owning our own comic book stores. They give away door prizes as well as other freebies just for attending (that stores can then sell to recoup their costs of going). Complete set/autographed Strangers In Paradise Pocket Books is the one door prize I’d like to win. And the 1 per store - exclusive cover, The Mice Templar #1-A Mike Oeming Release will be nice, not so much to sell, but just because this sounds like a nifty comic.

The programs aren't all that exciting this year though. Only one I really want to go to: Location, Location Location: Opening a second store - When, Where, Why & How to Open an Additional Location or Upgrade Your Present Store; How Suppliers Could Help; etc. Speakers: Chris Powell Lone Star Comics, Gary Dills Phoenix Comics/Laughing Ogre.

The other one I might check out is: Satisfying Your Customers’ Yen for Manga - How to Add or expand Manga to Your Already Successful Specialty Retail Store’s Product Mix
Speakers: Chris Oarr from ADV Films, Dirk Wood from Dark Horse Comics, Fletcher Chufong from DC Comics, John Wagenski from Lost World of Wonders, Lisa Richards from Tokyopop and Christopher Boily from Viz Media. But it kind of just sounds like manga publishers pitching their books... so it will just depend on what I feel like at the moment.

The BEST part of the summit is when they have open the exhibit hall. They often have some great give-away stuff there, plus many of those creators from the convention stay the extra days to set up for this, making them even MORE accessible. Last year we saw Michael Turner sitting in his Aspen booth with NO LINE (he'd run out of free stuff) just casually doing some art. This year some of the guests will be Garth Ennis, Terry Moore, and Andy Runton - the three I'd really like to meet, plus several others.

Now that we've made the decision to book the rooms, flights, and spots at the summit, we're getting excited for it! Sure, it is a work-related vacation, but last year we really had a fun time and we can't wait to do it again.

Wizard World Chicago 2007

My WWC 07 photos are now posted to Flickr.

We had a lot of fun. It's funny because in years past one day at the con seemed like more than enough... we were usually bored and exhausted by 5 pm. But this year, with knowing more people and standing in line for a sketch from David Finch, going to the Cup O Joe Panel, etc. it seemed like 6 pm wasn't quite late enough.

Of course we'd already had the bus reserved and paid for when we found out about the Batman Dark Knight peak they were doing starting at 6 pm. We had some bus riders get wrist bands, but we had to tell them that unfortunately the bus was scheduled to leave at 6. It would have been nice to have the information a week or two ahead of time so that we could have contacted the coach line to see how much more it might cost for the extra hour of time.

We got to talk to Sal Abinanti about his new baby, to Sean McKeever about working for DC, to David Finch as he sketched about a "how to draw" DVD he's helping bring to market, to Jonnie Allan the creator of Stykman about the difficulties of being an independent publisher dealing with Diamond, to Mike Norton about drawing Teen Titans Go!, to Jamal Igle about P.O.W.E.R. in Comics and art in general, to fellow retailers and old friends... it was a great day.

For even MORE pictures, check out here, here, toys here, be sure to check out the costume contest photos here, star wars fans here.

Some random observations -- It didn't seem as crowded this year - still lots of people, but it wasn't ass-to-elbow as it has been in years past.
I saw a few spaces with no booths set up in the vendor area, and some vendors selling things completely not related to comics.
The fighting ring was still there, but this time it was at floor level instead of ring level - much less annoying.
There were LOTS of empty tables in artist alley - not sure if they were there Friday and not feeling well on Saturday or had sketch lists filled up and didn't bother to come to the con floor, or if they just were empty tables.
It seemed like there were more vendors selling lots and lots of toys and fewer selling comics and statues this year compared to the last couple of years.
Not as many impressive costumes this year, and for some reason a LOT of Poison Ivy costumes on Saturday.
It seemed like there was a slightly larger percentage of women present this year compared to last, but I have no solid data on that.
Turns out that an artist I thought was a pompus ass is just that.
Again this year it felt like they turned the air conditioning off around 3 pm as the con began to get stuffy around 3:30 and was downright ripe by 6 pm.

Even HOG's Love Comics!

Harley Davidson, the Milwaukee Wisconsin based manufacturer of motorcycles, is financially backing a new comic book project. The comic book, called Johnny Delgado is Dead, is published by TopCow (Image) and owned by Spacedog Entertainment, and will debut next week at the SanDiego Comic Con.

The comic's story, "centers on two childhood friends who are bound by the code of brotherhood, loyalty...and fate. Closer than brothers, one is destined to die and the other to secure justice as a tale of corruption and murder along the U.S./Mexican border unfolds," according to the press release on Comic Book Resources.

"The lead characters in the story, Johnny Delgado and Victor Reyes, personify the Harley-Davidson brand through their adventurous spirit and rebel attitudes. Growing up in a tough neighborhood, the young boys stayed off the streets by helping out at the local motorcycle shop where they gained their love of bikes and the freedom of the open road. We initially approached Harley-Davidson because our hero is a modern day Zorro and today Zorro's steed would be a Harley. Nothing else would have made sense," says Roger Mincheff, CEO & President of Spacedog Entertainment. "There are brands that define a lifestyle. As our relationship developed, Harley's rich brand helped us further develop the richness of our hero. The ability to use that image lends authenticity to the lifestyle portrayed in this story.""After reviewing the project, we knew it was something that Harley-Davidson needed to support," says Matt Schmidt, Entertainment Marketing Project Manager at Harley-Davidson. "The theme of brotherhood is at the heart of our brand."

Now, I'm not sure to what extent Harley is involved in the project. It may just have given the OK to the book's owners over at Spacedog permission to use the likenesses of their motorcycles and logos. Or, their might be more to it. Maybe advertising by Harley in the comic?

Either way, Harley is a pretty big deal out here, since it's a locally based company. It will be interesting to see if Harley does any kind of promotion via their businesses or the H.O.G. or other venues that drives people interested in this comic book into comic book stores.

Diamond Comic Shop Locator Kiosks

From our Diamond Daily email...

As part of its improved trade show presence debuting at this year’s Comic-Con International: San Diego, Diamond will introduce a computerized kiosk designed to introduce consumers to the Comic Shop Locator Service (CSLS) and the thousands of specialty retailers it represents!

Available at Diamond’s all-new booth, the kiosk will attract passersby with flashing messages, inviting them to find their local comic shop and receive coupons for Previews, Gemstone Publishing’s EC Archives and Disney Comics and admission to Geppi’s EntertainmentMuseum. Furthermore, different coupons will be available as the convention season progresses.

After touching the kiosk’s screen, users will be able to enter their ZIP code to view a listing of comic shops in their area. Better still, they’ll have the option to look at those stores’ online CSLS profiles when available, giving them a wealth of information about participating businesses. Users can then print the list of comic shops, with coupons attached.

Finally, kiosk visitors will have the option to join an email mailing list to get the latest updates on industry events, new products, additional coupons and much more from Diamond and its vendors. The kiosk will be present at each convention and trade show that Diamond attends, helping to gain new customers for stores in the area.

“There’s no better tool for putting potential new consumers into our customers’ stores than the Comic Shop Locator Service, and we believe that the CSLS kiosk will go a long way towards making that happen,” said Diamond Director of Marketing Dan Manser. “We’re also interested in hearing retailers’ reactions to the kiosk, and invite any suggestions on how we can improve it down the road.”

Interesting. On one hand I'm really glad they're pushing the Comic Shop Locator Service. On the other hand, I'm not sure how the whole thing will work out. If you see one of these kiosks at a convention check it out and let me know what you think of it.

Joss Whedon Teams with Dark Horse and eBay to benefit Equality Now

Whedon press release...

Joss Whedon has long been championed by women around the world for his depiction of strong female characters. His breakout hit television show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer featured Buffy Anne Summers, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar as the young woman chosen by fate to battle demons, vampires and other nightmares. Buffy inspired a generation with the show's powerful depiction of women overcoming all odds to defeat the forces of darkness.

Dark Horse has been the proud publisher of the companion comics since 1998, and earlier this year brought Buffy back with a direct follow-up to season seven of the smash-hit TV series, written by Joss himself!

Now, Joss has teamed up with Dark Horse and eBay to offer fans a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sit down to a private dinner -- with Joss himself -- at this year's Sand Diego Comic-Con. Beginning on July 2nd, fans will have the opportunity to bid on seats at his table, all for a worthwhile cause. The auction will run from July 2 - July 12, and also offers additional rarities, including signed editions of Dark Horse's upcoming Serenity hardcover.

For complete details, visit ebay.com/josswhedon.

Funds raised from the charity auction will benefit Equality Now, an organization founded in 1992 to work for the protection and promotion of the human rights of women around the world. Equality Now documents violence and discrimination against women and mobilizes international action to support their efforts to stop these human rights abuses.

The event is being managed on eBay by Auction Cause, a premiere online auction management agency.

Some Wizard World LA Tidbits

From what I've read, WWLA was fairly quiet and nothing too big was announced. Since it was the fourth major con in a row, people were probably pretty tired out.

I heard that DC did not have a booth. I know that they were pretty unhappy with the treatment they received at WW Chicago, and I don't know if the same things happened at the other WW's last year, but that might (I have absolutely NO confirmation on this) have had something to do with their lack of a booth this year.

The KISS guys are jerks, especially Gene. They were there to push their new comics at Platinum Studios, and had some crazy 4-foot comic there (I blogged about this before). Apparently they would only sign the comics, not other fan stuff.

Read JimSmash for his personal report on WWLA.