2010 December
Kids’ comics in the direct market: A publisher’s perspective
I did a lot of opinionating about whether all-ages comics are likely to do well in comics stores a while back, but Jason Burns, editor in chief of Ape Entertainment, knows a lot more about it than I do—Ape publishes a whole line of kids’ comics, including the creator-owned Scratch 9 and their own Little Green Men as well as licensed properties like Shrek and Penguins of Madagascar—and they announced at NYCC that they have just picked up the licenses for Richie Rich and Strawberry Shortcake comics as well. So I asked Jason if he would mind talking a bit about how they fare in the direct market, and he graciously acceded.
Brigid: Why did you choose to sell comics in the direct market, and how is that working out for you?
Jason: As a comic publisher, we can never truly walk away from the direct market. While we’re trying to run a business, we’re also fans of comics, and more importantly, the industry in general. If we don’t support it, they won’t support us. Yes, all-ages comics do not sell as well in the direct market, but it’s important for us to never lose sight of what we are, which is first and foremost, a comic publisher. We have been finding great success in both the book market and the digital market with our all-ages titles, so we will continue to explore new outlets for getting the product to consumers, but we’ll never walk away from the direct market… not while we’re still publishing comics.
- December 1, 2010 @ 09:30 AM by Brigid Alverson
Comics A.M. | One Piece doubles yearly sales, Comico art auction questioned
One Piece, Vol. 60
Publishing | Eiichiro Oda’s blockbuster pirate manga One Piece has sold 32.34 million copies in 2010, more than double what it sold the previous year. According to Japanese market survey company Oricon Communications, the series’ five newest volumes have sold a combined 12.5 million copies. [Anime News Network]
Publishing | Comico co-founder Gerry Giovinco weighs in on an eBay listing that includes original artwork apparently left in the stewardship of his former partners Dennis and Phil LaSorda when the company went bankrupt in 1990: “It always was Comico policy to return all art to the creators. If there is art that was not returned, we are in total agreement that it should be returned to the rightful owners of the work. If you are a creator that believes your work could be among this lot, we would suggest you fight to get it back.” [CO2 Comics Blog]
- December 1, 2010 @ 08:36 AM by Kevin Melrose
Clowes’ The Death-Ray hardcover coming from Drawn & Quarterly next fall
The Death-Ray
I’ve been anticipating this since Daniel Clowes teased it at the Alternative Press Expo in October … Tom Spurgeon broke the news this morning that Drawn & Quarterly will release a hardcover version of Clowes’ The Death-Ray next fall.
Much like Pantheon did when they repackaged Clowes’ Ice Haven as a stand-alone hardcover, the book will repackage and re-release an issue of Clowes’ Eightball — issue #23, which came out in 2004 and starred the outcast-turned superhero. The Death-Ray has also been optioned for film by Jack Black’s Electric Dynamite Productions, with Chris Milk attached to direct
“The Death-Ray is one of the most perfect and fully realized comics of the past decade and it is nothing short of the highest honour to publish,” said Chris Oliveros, editor-in-chief and publisher of Drawn & Quarterly in the press release. “The story of the alienated Andy is drawn and written to perfection with Dan’s signature subtle humour, stylistic eloquence, and understated social commentary–showcasing all of the hallmarks of why Dan is one of the preeminent cartoonists of the comics medium.”
You can find the entire press release after the jump.
- December 1, 2010 @ 07:11 AM by JK Parkin
Dark Horse announces launch titles for its homegrown digital app
Back in October Dark Horse Comics announced that they would release their own homegrown proprietary bookshelf application for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, as well as on the Web in January 2011. With the release date approaching, Dark Horse has posted on their blog a list of all the comics that will be available at launch.
The list includes many of their top titles, including Hellboy, BPRD, Umbrella Academy and Conan; the only thing I noticed that was missing that kind of surprised me was the current Buffy series (Fray, which starred a future Slayer in the Buffyverse, will be available) but maybe they have bigger plans for it at some point.
Individual issues will be available for $1.49 each, and they’ll also bundle series together (ComicsAlliance has the price list). Dark Horse also noted that in February you can “expect to see select issues of your favorite comics appearing online the same time they’re released in stores.”
It’s also worth noting that comics bought via one client can be viewed on all of them. “Once you buy a DH digital comic, whether on the web or on any mobile device, you may access that title from any client,” Dark Horse Chief Information Officer Dale LaFountain told us back in October. “In other words, the purchase is associated with your account, not the device.”
Check out the list of launch titles after the jump.
- December 1, 2010 @ 06:00 AM by JK Parkin