Had some great expectations for this item.

filed under Categories advertising 5 Comments


This is a flyer sent out to comics retailers in the early 1990s advertising First Comics’s Classics Illustrated display rack. Not sure why my previous place of employment never got one…probably had enough shelves and racks and display units in a store already filled to the brim. Just didn’t have the room, I suspect.

However, at some point in the early 2000s, while perusing some of the downtown Ventura thrift shops, I found a store using one of these racks as a display for, I think, old hardcover novels. I asked the owner if she would be willing to sell the rack, but alas, she preferred to keep it to hold about $10 worth of used books.

Most of those downtown thrift shops have gone away now, and I don’t know what the owner of this now-defunct storefront did with this Classics Illustrated rack. Hopefully, once the time did come to close up the business, she eventually did sell it to someone who’d appreciate it, or that she took it home to, I don’t know, hold an array of magazines in the bathroom. I really hope she didn’t just toss it in a dumpster, to let it rot in some landfill.

Anyway, here’s a photo of one someone pulled off the eBay. The rack’s blue color was very striking. I wish I’d been able to talk that thrift store owner out of it.

“It is also worth your while to rack this issue as part of (or near) your ‘Acts of Vengeance’ display.”

filed under Categories marvel, retailing 3 Comments

Still going through old boxes of comic book promotional material of decades past, and one item I found was a Marvel Comics retailer letter with suggestions on how shops could market a particular comic book to its customer base. The comic in question: The ‘Nam #41 (February 1990):


This of course is the issue of the ongoing mostly real world-ish Vietnam War comic that guest-starred Marvel super-heroes. Now, it’s not as egregious as it may sound…the premise is that a U.S. soldier in Vietnam imagines how conflict would go if Iron Man and pals were around, and, you know, a guy imagining what that would be like is at least within the realm of possibility. It’s not like, say, the Punisher showed up or anything. So the premise doesn’t really break the main conceit of the book, that it’s a dramatized “realistic” retelling of the war, from the points of view of the men on the ground.

Of course, in execution, it likely plays out differently. In context of “this is all in a fella’s imagination” it may be, but it’s still pictures of superheroes fighting in the Vietnam War in a comic that had eschewed that sort of imagery.

Anyway, whatever, that’s fine. If they needed the occasional story like this to goose sales a bit (and I’m assuming sales might have needed bit of a boost) so they could keep telling the superhero-free stories they wanted to tell…I mean, sure, knock yourselves out. But what I wanted to mention briefly were the sales tips in the above scan. I’d posted this pic initially on the Twitterers the other day, and as Bully, the Little Shelving Bull, pointed out, “Put it near What If? so nobody can find it!” appears to be one of the suggestions. Frankly, that sort of racking strategy would probably create more confusion for sales…”Hey, why is The ‘Nam in the Ws?”

The suggestion that bothers me the most, however, is the idea that retailers should tell customers “hey, that Sgt. Fury comic with Captain America is worth a lot now, wink wink, nudge nudge,” implying that surely this comic will be a highly sought-after expensive collectible in short order as well! (Recent sales on eBay: one copy at 99 cents.) If you’re trying to convince customers to buy a comic for its possible investment opportunity…well, I never ever ever do that. Partially because I want people to read and enjoy their comics, but mostly because I don’t want someone to buy three dozen copies of something on my investibility precognitive knowhow, only to have said items turn out to be a bust and suddenly the buyer’s back in my shop with, like, one of these.

Also, that Sgt. Fury comic is from the mid-1960s, and features an early Silver Age appearance of Captain America. Not quite the same as a boom-period comic with reworked Romita Sr. drawings, when it comes to demand.

• • •

I do plan on going back to that post about the Boris the Bear variants/flyer, so keep your comments there comin’, if comments you do have!

Believe it or not, I still occasionally have to explain the very idea of variant covers to customers that have been buying comics for years.

filed under Categories publishing 9 Comments

So the latest find in my recent adventures in digging through boxes of ancient comic book promo material was this 1986 letter to retailers from Dark Horse Comics:


…which amuses me mostly because of the effort extended in explaining the idea of “50/50 variant covers,” a once novel concept in which most retailers today are well-versed at best, entirely sickened by at worst. Anyway, here are both the covers of Boris the Bear in color, and if you haven’t yet, check them out…these are fun comics that are more than just parodies of then-current comic trends.

One thing I’m wondering about is where they say they’re “sensitive to the problems created recently by other ‘two cover’ comics.” The only comic from that period that immediately comes to mind, probably because it’s the very comic being riffed on by those Boris the Beat covers, is Man of Steel #1. I don’t recall there being any particular issues with the dual covers on that comic, but then again, this was a couple of years before I started working in comics retail, so maybe I missed something. Far as I know they were equally available in comic shops, but maybe there was some kind of “order 1 of this one for every 2 of the other” deal goin’ on there, which admittedly would seem a bit out of place in the mid-1980s (but not so much in 21st century Marvel solicits).

Wikipedia’s entry on variant comics specifically notes that Man of Steel #1 was the first comic marketed with two different covers, so maybe some confusion reigned at the time, with customers wondering which cover is the “real” cover. Or maybe retailers, new to the whole variant-ordering thing, ordered less of the “newsstand” cover versus the “direct sales” cover, causing a self-created shortage of the newsstand cover in the direct market.

I’m not 100% certain, so if you can remind me of any other variant cover shenanigans of the time that might be the ones referred to in this letter, please let me know. Also, if you can think of simultaneously-released variants prior to Man of Steel, because I feel like there must have been something. Either that, or variant covers have been so much a part of our lives it’s hard to imagine they had a beginning. Just an endless parade of variants, infinite holograms and chromium enhancements and foil logos, looping through time from the beginning to the end and back again.

Progressive Ruin presents…the End of Civilization.

filed under Categories End of Civilization 14 Comments

It’s Halloween, the spoooookiest time of the year, and what better day than today to look through Diamond Previews and see what terrors will be heading our way in…well, January, more or less. THE SECOND SPOOOOOOKIEST MONTH. Anyhoo, pull out your November 2017 editions of the catalog and follow along, IF YOU DARE…just be aware that 1) yes, I know that’s a picture of a book for the audio CD listing, and 2) yes, that’s the ol’ ProgRuin watermark on an old scan I reused. Enjoy the nostalgia that elicits for the older, better days of this site whilst you cringe in horror:

p. 63 – Berserk Official Guidebook TP:


Finally, we’ll get the full story behind Evil Otto, why our hero is running through that maze, who’s responsible for all those robots, why the walls are even electrified…all that stuff.
 
 
p. 79 – Doomsday Clock #3:


Guys, I’m just going to assume that cover, with Batman reading Rorschach’s journal, implies a team-up between the Dark Knight and Watchmen‘s Red Knight, Seymour.
 
 
p. 141 – DC Gallery The Joker Cane Prop:


Joker carries a Jay Leno cane? Well, sure, I guess.
 
 
p. 156 – Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters #1:


If this comic doesn’t contain a scene of kids contemplating the pros and cons of cutting open Stretch Armstrong to see what’s inside, then they just don’t want my toy-nostalgia money.
 
 
p. 162 – Star Trek Boldly Go #16 Funko Cover:


And he’s still the handsomest bastard in Starfleet. How does Kirk do it?
 
 
p. 191 – Ice Cream Man #1:


The Van Halen song comes alive as Diamond Dave takes up his new job as…wait, what? It’s not? I’m also using the “deliberately misunderstanding the premise of a comic” gag too often? Oh well, that’s life, that’s what all the people say.
 
 
p. 271 – The Tremendous Trump Remastered Edition:


Was going to make a “Now Even Oranger!” joke, but the actual solicitation beat me to the orange reference. Ah, well. By the way, I keep selling out of each Trump comic like this I order, in case you’re wondering.
 
 
p. 293 – Kong on the Planet of the Apes #2:


Crisis of Infinite Apes, where Mighty Joe Young and Detective Chimp team up to investigate the Lost City of Zinj from Congo, while Tracy from The Ghost Busters tries to talk Donkey Kong into giving up his pastime of tormenting plumbers/carpenters. …I mean, I presume this is where this is all leading.
 
 
p. 300 – Judas #2:


I had a gag about the exact cover price of this comic, but, um, maybe I’d better keep it to myself.
 
 
p. 326 – Battlestar Galactica Vs. Battlestar Galactica #1:


Crossing over the original ’70s Galactica with the 2000s reboot? There’s hope for my Land of the Lost Vs. Land of the Lost Vs. Land of the Lost Vs. Land of the Lost script yet!
 
 
p. 389 – Judge Dredd The Daily Dredds Vol. 1981 – 1986 HC:


Oh, I’ve read some of these! Man oh man, does Judge Dredd hate Mondays, but he sure loves lasagna.
 
 
p. 395 – The Epic of Gilgamesh GN:


And after reading this, don’t forget the exciting sequel!


 
 
p. 395 – Please Destroy the Internet GN:


Okay, but all I ask is that you maybe leave the bits where I make money. And keep this site up, too.
 
 
p. 409 – Babylon Berlin HC:


I’m having trouble seeing how this prequel series eventually connects up with Babylon 5.
 
 
p. 457 – Spider-Man Forever Young Audio CD:


Ol’ Webhead sings Rod Stewart’s greatest hits!
 
 
p. 457 – Aquaman Is Fair Picture Book:


Yeah, he’s fair, I guess…I mean, he’s okay, not great.
 
 
p. 457 – Batman Is Trustworthy Picture Book:


“Trust me, kid, you’ll be great as Robin! I’ve had a 3 outta 4 success rate! Or 2 outta 4, depends who you ask.”
 
 
p. 457 – The Flash Is Caring Picture Book:


“Let’s go, pal! Nah, you don’t a seatbelt on that chair…seatbelts are for chickens!”
 
 
p. 457 – Green Lantern Is Responsible Picture Book:


Oh, sure, ask the people of the planet Xanshi just how responsible he is.
 
 
p. 457 – Superman Is A Good Citizen Picture Book:


“Okay, this is the last of the trees! Now let’s put down all that concrete and metal and make everything look like Krypton!”
 
 
p. 458 – Wonder Woman Is Respectful Picture Book:


Yeah, okay, all these heroes are kind and great and all that, but I think they’re really missing a bet by not having a picture book just titled “DARKSEID IS.” Get that nihilism ingrained in those kids early!
 
 
p. 457 – Sweet Dreams, Supergirl HC:


Yes, the book is about a young lady dreaming about Supergirl, but just what is Supergirl herself dreaming ab–


OH HA HA NOTHING TO SEE HERE
 
 
p. 461 – Superman You Choose Stories Metropolis Mayhem SC:


Unless one of the endings involves the Bravado Beast, I’m going to have to say this is but a faint shadow of the greatness of this book.
 
 
p. 514 – Marvel The Punisher Logo Bookends:


At last, something to hold up my bound copies of Cat Fancy magazine.
 
 
p. 565 – Sherlock 221B Street Entrance 1/6-Scale Diorama:


What if this was the only “action figure” you had? All the other kids had Star Wars and G.I. Joe figures, and you had…a door. “I SLAM MY DOOR ON COBRA COMMANDER’S HAND!” “Hey, great job…way to go, door!” …Yeah, I think a kid could cope. ‘Course, at a list price of $250, that kid better not be slammin’ that door on nuthin’.
 
 
p. 608 – Monopoly Team Fortress 2 Edition:


Do not pass — um, the fortress? — do not…collect…oh hell, I don’t know. I’m pretty sure one of the sure signs of aging is “not immediately recognizing properties used in themed Monopoly sets.” Did they ever do a Berzerk-themed Monopoly set? I can do Berzerk jokes.

Hiya, pals!

filed under Categories blogging about blogging is a sin, self-promotion 1 Comment

I didn’t want to skip another Monday, but I don’t really have anything ready to go for today, so let me just cover a couple of things:

1. The new End of Civilization post will be up on Tuesday, just in time for Halloween. Not that it’s specifically Halloween-themed or anything, beyond its typically scary content. Sorry for skipping last month, but this month’s installment should be, you know, okay, I guess.

2. No, I haven’t forgotten the Swamp Thing-a-Thon over on my Patreon. I’ve been otherwise occupied the last few weeks, with health issues and other distractions, but I should good to go from here on out. I may be down to one entry a month rather than the planned two, but we’ll see what happens. Thanks for all your patience.

3. Googum wonders in response to my previous post:

“Returns, or ‘returns’? Didn’t they used to have to mail back part of the cover for credit, but not always?”

Yes, in general newsstands returned either just the logo, or perhaps the whole cover, in order to receive credit on unsold copies. Even in the direct market, in which I “make” my “living,” where comics are generally sold on a non-returnable basis (advantage: higher profit margins for retailers; disadvantage: enjoy eating those unsold copies) sometimes comics are returnable. Reasons vary: either a special publisher promotion (“try this comic out, and your order is returnable!”), or the comic is distributed not as originally solicited, or it’s hideously late, or, you know, whatever. Every week we get a list of what’s returnable, and it’s indicated on the sheet if we should just send back the stripped covers (usually the case, particularly with periodicals) or send back the whole thing (not terribly often, and usually for books and such).

Also in those comments: Ben has a few words about how direct-sales-only books were offered up in England, and Dave explains why even just a reprint book could be so unprofitable. Oh, and read Thom H.‘s and Dallas‘s comments, too, so they don’t feel left out.

• • •

Okay, be back with the End of Civilization tomorrow…if the actual End of Civilization doesn’t beat me to it.

Oh, did I say “briefly?”

filed under Categories dc comics, publishing, teen titans 6 Comments

So earlier in the year I spent some time talking about DC’s “hardcover/softcover” publishing program for New Teen Titans, Legion of Super-Heroes, etc. (posts 1 and a 2 and a 3). Thus, if you still need an explanation of what it’s all about, please refer to those posts, because I’m gettin’ back into it briefly for today’s entry.

Before I get to my main point, let me present this to you. Despite being reprints of the direct-sales only New Teen Titans title, the newsstand editions didn’t reuse the previously-published covers, but instead had brand new covers commissioned for each issue, which you can see over at the Grand Comics Database. Some of those covers were pretty sharp, and then there was this weird-ass thing Brian Bolland unleashed upon your unsuspecting 7-11s and Stop ‘n’ Go shops:


Imagine being the fella cutting open bundles of the latest periodicals to fill the racks and seeing that staring back at you. “THE KIDS THESE DAYS, WHAT ARE THEY INTO?” you’d clearly be thinking to yourself. I mean, that’s an amazing drawing, and one you won’t soon forget, but hey, it’s Comics Code-approved, so I guess the kids are safe. Oh, Brian Bolland, you’ve done it again!

Anyway, what I really asked you all here for is to talk about the last issue of Tales of the Teen Titans, #91 from 1988:


…with its Justice League #1-inspired cover acknowledged by artists Michael Collins and Romeo Tanghal. What’s particularly interesting is the frankness of the editorial page inside, explaining that while they wanted to keep all Titans fans caught up with their adventures, the sad fact was that this reprint series just wasn’t selling enough to keep it going. The newsstand customers for this comic are then implored to seek out the direct-sales “hardcover” version of New Teen Titans at comic shops or other venues, or to use the subscription ad in the inside back cover to start getting that series in the mail.

And here’s where my question about this comes in. At the end of the book is a back-up story of sorts, with Nightwing and Changeling giving a brief synopsis of the “missing year” between the main story reprinted in this issue, and the events in the current issue of New Teen Titans, so any readers making the jump from newsstand edition to direct sales edition wouldn’t be lost. The story ends with this panel:


…but the ad he’s pointing to on the inside back cover is this:


…which features only Action Comics Weekly, Power of the Atom and The Wanderers. What I was wondering…was there a separate coupon just for New Teen Titans bound into the comic at this point (seems unlikely), or…if you’ll look back at that scan above of issue #91, you’ll see there’s no UPC code. Thus, this was a copy sold through comic shops…despite being published specifically for newsstands, copies were also available through the direct market for those completists or the thrifty, as previously discussed. To finish my thought, what I was wondering was if there were maybe different subscription ads inside the back covers of copies that went to newsstands versus those that went to comic shops. Alas, I don’t have a copy of the newsstand edition on hand, but it definitely exists.

I honestly don’t know the answer. The previous place of employment no longer has copies, else I’d check there, but maybe one of you can check the copy in your collection and let me know. For your effort, you’ll win the prestigious “Hey, That’s My Name in a Progressive Ruin Post!” award, with a cash value of exactly nuthin’.

My initial thought was that they would have changed the subscription ad for comic shops so that they weren’t explicitly telling readers to send money directly to DC instead of spending money at the place where you presumably purchased that copy of #91. But, then again…that’s still a subscription ad, including (I think) the direct-sales only Wanderers. Anyway, I don’t know, but if you know, please let me know. You know? I realize this isn’t the most vital information in the world, but I am curious. And hey, if you’re a Titans completist, maybe now you’re aware there’s kinda sorta a new story in the back of that last issue you need to have.

Speaking of curiosity, I was wondering just what the sales numbers on this comic were near the end there, and luckily for me, I found the yearly Statement of Ownership in the first issue I looked at (#88):


…and if I’m reading the statement correctly, this sales on this series would put it solidly in the top 25 today. Times have certainly changed. And hoo boy, that’s a lotta returns.

Probably my favorite comic this week.

filed under Categories this week's comics 6 Comments

Got in really late this evening, so my post is just going to be a plug for Rick Veitch‘s newest release in his “King Hell Heroica” line, Boy Maximortal:


Yeah, okay, it’s been a while since the last installment (this Bratpack/Maximortal special, I believe?), but Veitch includes a brief recap of What Had Gone Before in the original mini, and you really should own all that stuff anyway. …There’s not that much, just the Bratpack mini (which has appeared in paperback with a slightly altered ending, if I recall correctly), and the previously linked Maximortal and Bratpack/Maximortal specials.

As for this book: it’s 100 pages long, in black and whie, with the “Boy Maximortal” material taking up the first half, and the rest of the book filled with a text piece about the history of the Heroica line, commission pieces and the like. Swamp Thing fans take note: some of the featured commissioned art has Swamp Thing in it.

The Maximortal story itself continues the peculiar yet effective mix of “superhero deconstruction” with a somewhat fictionalized and not terribly flattering history of the comics industry. Some of the players are only just barely disguised versions of actual figures from the business…you can probably guess who “Stanley Burr” and “Jack Curtis” are supposed to be. Veitch also incorporates a couple of anecdotes/character details into his story that may not necessarily be common knowledge, but hoo boy it was rough to see ’em just straight up presented here. It’s like how the story about Jerry Siegel working as a delivery boy after leaving Superman, and having to take something to DC’s offices, made its way into the first Maximortal series. It’s on that level.

The book is, I believe, Print-on-Demand, like his Rare Bit Fiends volume I mentioned a while back, and you can get your own copy here:


It’s a high-quality product, squarebound with crisp printing and a nice slick color cover, in case the “print on demand” thing has you worried. It’s also slightly smaller in size (in actual physical dimensions) than your standard comic book/trade paperback.

Anyway, it’s good to see Veitch returning to this material and advancing the story. It’s been 20 years, and I hope the folks who read these comics back then can find their way to this new release. But even more, I hope new readers discover this book and seek out Bratpack and that original Maximortal, and get their minds pleasantly twisted by what they find.

So of course the first thing I talk about when I get back is Swamp Thing.

filed under Categories swamp thing 2 Comments

And here it is, at last:


…the Swamp Thing Bronze Age Omnibus, containing approximately ONE MILLION PAGES of Swamp Thing goodness, starting with the initial story in House of Secrets #92 (making this my, I don’t know, 87th copy of that story) and running through the second series up ’til just before that weird British guy with the beard takes over.

I haven’t read through the whole thing yet, but my general perusal reveals good reproduction of the art, recoloring that reflects the original presentation, and also it weighs about as much as a Ford Festiva, so don’t let this sucker rest on your legs for too long. However, like my issue with the Don Newton Batman book, it all just looks weird being on nice white glossy paper and not on decaying newsprint. Well, maybe not so much the first few issues, which have been reprinted (and repurchased by me) in multiple upscale formats. But, like, seeing Thrudvang clearly printed in bright colors is an experience that’ll take some time to get used to.

And to address some questions I had a while back, based on the conflicting information I was seeing about this volume here and there:

  • As I half-suspected, the extant pages of the unpublished Swamp Thing #25 from the 1970s were not included. I was sort of hoping maybe they would print these, much in the same way the unreleased Firestorm issue was included in that trade paperback. But they might not have had all the pages, or even had suitable copies of the available pages for printing, so there you go. Maybe someday.

  • Also left out are any tie-in books, like Brave and the Bold and Challengers of the Unknown, that came out during the time the other comics in this book were released. I can understand, since we’re already pushing 1,000 pages here, but still, the Challengers issues did follow up on events from the last couple of issues from the original Swamp Thing series. It would have been nice to have them in there just so there’s some transition from the status quo at the end of #24 and where things are at in Saga of the Swamp Thing #1.

  • Issue #19 of Saga of the Swamp Thing is included, so its omission from at least one online listing was definitely a typo. And the reprint of #18 includes all the new art that appeared in that issue, while directing the reader to previous pages in the omnibus for the story from original series #10 that was originally reprinted therein.

It would be nice if they had a second volume covering all that ’70s/early ’80s swamp stuff they skipped, but that seems unlikely at this point. Any theoretical second volume is going to pick up with the Alan Moore material, probably including the one DC Comics Presents…and when that book comes out, come back here to see me wondering if they’ll include Rick Veitch’s “Swamp Thing Meets Jesus” story in Omnibus #3.

In other Swamp Thing news, here’s a DC Comics ad slick for Moore’s run, starring casual Swamp Thing:

…and keep a lookout for the Swamp Thing Winter Special in early 2018, featuring what would have been the debut story for a new series written by cocreator Len Wein, and illustrated by Kelley Jones. Wein only finished the one issue before he passed away, which is a shame, but it’s nice that we’ll get to see it. A new 40-page story by Tom King and Jason Fabok will accompany Wein’s final Swamp Thing. Sounds like an all-around pretty good comic book to me.

Not dead, just resting.

filed under Categories low content mode 1 Comment

Taking just a brief break, and I will be back Monday, October 23rd with more of that prime Progressive Ruin content that kids crave and parents approve. Thanks for your readership and patience, pals.

And don’t get me started on “Copper Age.”

filed under Categories advertising, batman, publishing, retailing 5 Comments


Found this in the boxes o’old promo stuff…an ad slick for the videotape release of 1989’s Batman, since we were talking about that very thing a few days back. (The reverse side of the page is a larger, greytoned version of the ad.) If I remember correctly, when I put a reserve on a copy at our local video shoppe, I paid $19.99…saved a whole $4.99 like the bargain hunter that I am! I believe I still have my copy of the video around here somewhere, in case I feel like having a Pan ‘n’ Scan Party in the entertainment den.

Anyway, let me take care of a little business right now, so y’all can go on and enjoy your weekend:

  • Alas, looks like the End of Civilization for this month will in fact be postponed ’til next time. Sorry, my free time was less free these last few weeks, so it’s the blogging what pays the price when that happens. This is also what put a crimp in my Patreon plans this month…Swamp Thing #8 is the next issue to be covered, and it will be covered, I promise. Just gotta clear the schedule.

  • From the comments section for my October 9th post, rag notes

    “[Seventh Generation] sounds somewhat similar to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_of_the_Superheroes“

    Yeah, that was brought up to me on the Twitters as well. For those who don’t know, that’s an Alan Moore proposal for a company-wide event at DC Comics, in which shenanigans are afoot in a dark future for Earth’s superheroes, and part of the plot involves characters coming back to the past (our present of 1987 or so) to prevent whatever was going to cause said dark future. Or you can just read the Wiki link there. That’s not an uncommon trope (like I mentioned, it’s happening in the Justice League comic right now), but funny that it popped up twice in two different DC event books, neither of which ended up happening. Maybe the descendants of Dan DiDio traveled back from the 23rd century to prevent those series from getting published. And if so, why couldn’t they save Frank Miller’s All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder?

  • Jmurphy quite reasonably wonders

    “Mike, there was an omnibus of some kind released on the 4th. Will we be hearing about it here?”

    Yes, yes indeedy. The Swamp Thing Bronze Age Omnibus (and part of my brain still rejects the “Bronze Age” label as a dumb marketing term to help make those old issues of Human Fly seem sellable) is in my hands and ready for my perusal. But, related to those “free time” problems mentioned previously, I still haven’t even removed the shrinkwrap. But there it is, staring at me from atop the pile of comics from the last few weeks that I also haven’t read. However, rest assured, Jmurphy, that the Omnibus is on my Omni-genda.

  • From the comments for October 11th, Zoot Koomie zoots

    “I’m curious about the New Universe cancellation story. How was the implosion of that imprint covered at the time? Was information about the behind-the-scenes turmoil leaking out or was it just hype about line reconfiguration around the Pitt crossover?”

    It was just a short article about how four titles in the New Universe line were cancelled due to poor sales, and would be replaced by as-yet-undetermined new series. The replacement of the editor for the imprint was also noted, from which one may infer behind the scenes troubles, but nothing was explicitly detailed. As far as more general coverage elsewhere in the Comics ‘Zine-a-verse…I don’t remember. I’ll have to look through the Amazing Heroes and Comics Journal collections to see what at least the general tone there was. …Actually, I can probably already guess.

  • DanielT cashes in with

    “Any particular reason your eBay prices are all $ xx.97?”

    Well, as you know, if you price something at $9.99 instead of $10, the $9.99 price point looks like it’s a whole dollar cheaper, right? Well, that $xx.97 price is me undercutting everyone listing things at $xx.99, like the crafty capitalist storeowner that I am, as opposed to those sons-of-bitches undercutting me with their $xx.96 prices, the jerks. How dare they!

  • William Burns fires me up with

    “They have comics in Japan? What ever happened with that?”

    Japan? Never heard of it.

  • The JRC store called, and they said

    “I always like CSN, especially the semi-regular oversized season preview issues that covered the coming quarter/or six months.

    “I was surprised, shocked really, to get a copy a few months back when I happened into a previously unexplored shop.

    “It is little more than reprinted press releases, but there’s still something neat about holding a newsprint style paper in hand.”

    I wonder just how widespread the distribution is on Comic Shop News. I know some stores don’t carry it, which seems weird to me given its low cost and its usefulness to customers, which I’d mentioned in that post. But they must be doing okay…I did a little searching on the Diamond website, and it looks like the per-bundle cost has only gone up a dollar in the last few years, which seems reasonable enough. I know the number of copies per bundle dropped a little bit at some point, but that was prior to the oldest entry I could find in Diamond’s database. I’ll take that to mean that orders on CSN are holding relatively steady. Or they’re charging more for ads to subsidize the price, one of those.

    I’m glad they’re still around. Yeah, it’s a lot of press releases, but as mentioned that’s how many customers get their comics news, so that’s okay. It’s not like there are any other print mags or ‘zines covering the current market, or at least nothing with the reach of CSN. It’s hard to beat “free at the store’s front counter” for distribution.

    And there’s more than just press releases. You get those great Fred Hembeck covers on the special issues, there’s the occasional “Red K” awards issue that pokes fun at recent comics industry hoohar, there are interviews, and of course there is the surreal experience of the Spider-Man newspaper strips that are reprinted therein. How can anyone do without those?

Okay, pals…thanks for sticking with me. Back with More Stuff™ in short order.