Speed-weblogging!
I’m running a little behind today, so I’m knocking out this post fast like the bunny. I’ll fix typos, logical gaps, etc., later.
With pal Dorian having made good his escape from the wonderful world of comics retailing, I find myself having to be a bit more aware of what books have come out when, and whether we have them in stock. Not that I was totally unaware, but whatever I couldn’t remember off the top of my head, I could usually ask Dor and he’d remember. So now I must expand my brain power to remember everything, everything…soon I’m gonna look like this guy. I’ve already got the green skin.
It’s been a few years since our last “Midnight Madness” sale, and I finally got around to arranging for a new one in a couple weeks. I’ve printed up the flyers, started handing them out…and what’s the reaction I get from a bunch of our customers? “Oh, I’m out of town that week…can’t make it!”
Well, crud.
So last I checked, Absolute Watchmen is still out of stock at Diamond, as is Complete Bone…and guess which two items I’m constantly asked about?
And, about four months ago, I had a customer order a copy of volume 8 of the Fruits Basket manga…I checked Diamond’s stock list every week since then, and finally, two weeks ago, it showed up again. Every other volume was generally available, but #8? Pffft. Nada. (I’m guessing every Borders and Barnes & Noble in the country had as many copies of #8 as they could stand.)
This one isn’t Diamond’s fault, but it’s annoying that I can get every issue of the Green Lantern: Rebirth series from Diamond except #3, which is of course the one I’m out of stock on at the store. Rebirth is still selling as a back issue, but it could probably sell better if I had a full run to offer to the customers.
Speaking of back issues…the various Batman comics based on the animated series (the good animated series, not the new one they’re running now) are selling insane amounts for us right now. I have one young person who comes in every week and buys a pile of them, which is driving the majority of the sales, but there are several other kids buying them as well. I was wondering what was driving these sales, and for a moment I thought it was perhaps kids rejecting the regular continuity-heavy Bat-comics in favor of the simpler TV-inspired series, but it’s probably simpler than that. It may just be that the Batman in the comics based on the cartoon is the Batman they’re familiar with, since that’s the one they grew up watching. Or maybe it’s just because the animated series comics are just better than the other Bat-books. That’s why I read them.
Redboots.net…your Lois ‘n’ Clark reference site. Includes an article decrying “Clana” sex. (“Clana?”)
