Random Thoughts On A Shifty Stand

I was thinking more about the Marvel Comics predicament with the release of the STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND: CAPTAIN TRIPS hardcover and had something occur to me:

1. Marvel Comics published a mini based on an already published Stephen King novel.
2. Random House publishes THE STAND novel.
3. Random House is keeping Marvel's related graphic novel from being sold through the book store market.
4. DC Comics has a distribution deal with Random House.

Ya think 4 might have something to do with 3?

Ultimate Comics Walk-Up Sales For Feb 18th, 2009

From Lee Newman of Ultimate Comics, the list of top-selling books at one of their locations in North Carolina for what was released on 2/18/09. Pull lists are not included, as this is meant to capture what is being bought off the shelf.

1. Dark Avengers #2
2. Uncanny X-Men #506
3. Robin #183
4. GI Joe Origins #1
5. Mysterious The Unknown #2
6. Justice League of America #30
7. Spider-Man Noir #3
8. Amazing Spider-Man #587
9. Supergirl #38
10. Ultimate Fantastic Four #60

1. So yeah this book is a juggernaut.  Maybe they should have changed the name of Thunderbolts ages ago.
2 & 10. Last issue bump, even if it is meaningless in both cases.
4. Strong word of mouth for the core title translated into a strong debut for the first spin-off.
5. Honest recommendation in action.

2. I imagine that was supposed to be an Ultimate X-Men issue, not Uncanny.
6. Someone please alert me when McDuffie is either off the title or starts writing stories that are of the same quality as the JLU episodes he was involved with. I can't understand how that many people are sticking with the title or picking it up for any reason other than forgetting to take it off their pull list.
7. None of the comic book readers I chat with have really been commenting on this book lately.

Anyone care to chime in?

The Newest Attempt By Hollywood Moguls To Screw The Little Guy

Nikki Finke is reporting on the current contract proposal between the IATSE and the AMPTP and it looks horrible. If this is the sort of contract the IATSE is willing to accept, they should no longer be able to complain when other unions strike, since they'd be agreeing to screw themselves out of far more than they ever wind up losing during another Hollywood union's strike. If the union continues to elect leadership that threatens that a NO vote on this proposal is tantamount to an authorization to strike when the current agreement doesn't even expire until the first of August, then they deserve what they get.

BEST. MOVIE. TIE-IN. EVER.

Courtesy of Topless Robot

What's With The Rash Of DC Character Twitters?

Are there really that many fans with that much free time to Twitter cosplay minor DC characters like Alfred Pennyworth and Jimmy Olsen? Are these just people that Marvel successfully ran off from Marvel character Twitter accounts hoping that DC will be as slow to respond to their violations as they were to even adopt a DC Twitter presence to begin with?

Tales Of Preference?

I wonder if there will be any behind the scenes griping by online direct market retailers about how heavily David Gabriel, Marvel's Senior VP of Sale & Circulation, pimped TalesOfWonder.com (to the exclusion of all others) in his Publisher's Weekly interview regarding the DM exclusive STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND: CAPTAIN TRIPS hardcover:

For those folks who don’t have a store near them, they’ll be able to easily locate an online retailer such as Talesofwonder.com and order the book online.

...

Talesofwonder.com is our strongest online retailer for collected editions and their reach has grown enormously over the past two years.

...

TalesofWonder.com stepped up to become our MVP, and the folks over at Diamond Comics have also issued statements about what a boon for the comics industry applauding all the efforts that have gone into making this a huge success.

...

I have to emphasize again here that the book will be offered through the direct market, through the Comic Shop Locator where you can find a local comics retailer, through TalesofWonder.com, and other various online retailers.

Is there some kind of business deal (other than level of sales) that is involved with becoming an online MVP that gets such preferential treatment? Is there an opt-in that requires a retailer to give back some of their discount on this title in order to be prominently featured in Marvel's discussion of online retail availability? If I'm a DM retailer that does pretty brisk online business, I know I'd have wanted to be included in that conversation and it would have been worth taking a bit of a financial risk, if necessary. I'm curious as to whether there will be a more complete listing of online retailers made available somewhere on the Marvel website closer to the release date, though.

Of course, I'm, also, dumbfounded as to how TalesOfWonder.com can be at the head of the pack when there are direct market retailers that offer better pricing. For instance, I've attached two screen cap images to compare the same product (SHAZAM: Monster Society of Evil Deluxe HC) at TalesOfWonder.com and InStockTrades.com.



I guess it boils down to getting the word out. Or maybe one of you readers can relate an experience with TalesOfWonder.com that leads you to spend more money to order from them rather than moving to a competitor?

NY Post Chimp/Stimulus Cartoon: Racist/Treasonous Or Tempest In A Teapot?

Personally, the way I see it: MANY people wrote the stimulus bill and this was just a commentary on how absolutely ridiculous the cartoonist thought the final legislation was.

As much as I lean left, I find it embarrassing to watch people twist some of the statements made by the cartoonist. On Countdown With Keith Olbermann, the host said that the artist said the chimp was meant to represent Pelosi, not Obama, and Olbermann mentioned how advocating the shooting of one rather than the other was cold comfort. What the cartoonist actually said was that, if the chimp represented any one person, it would be Pelosi, not Obama...but wasn't meant to represent either.

Terry Dodson: A Peek At The Process

Apologies For My Absence

(or to those who don't like my blogging: you're welcome)

Over the last week, I started a new day job. It's a temporary IT contract, but it still is a welcomed complication to my average day's schedule. That WebSense blocks almost any non-productive website from within the confines of my employer walls has left me unable to drop the occasional new post during the business day.

Things should start returning to normal this week. It's up to the individual reader as to whether that is good or bad news.