Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2.fluke 9/24/84; site vax2.fluke.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!whuxl!houxm!mtuxo!mtunh!mtung!mtunf!ariel!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!fluke!moriarty From: moriarty@fluke.UUCP (Henry Vogel) Newsgroups: net.comics Subject: Comics news and opinions from Henry Vogel (Big News!) Message-ID: <788@vax2.fluke.UUCP> Date: Thu, 4-Jul-85 05:37:43 EDT Article-I.D.: vax2.788 Posted: Thu Jul 4 05:37:43 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 6-Jul-85 09:30:53 EDT Reply-To: henry%clemson.csnet@csnet-relay Distribution: net Organization: Remotely posting via Moriarty Lines: 83 Okay folks, gather 'round for news and rumors from the comics industry! I picked up these tidbits from David Kraft of Comics Interview and he picked some of them up from discussions with the people at Fantagraphics. So here goes... First of all, Chayken (sp?) is leaving - or has left - First Comics. It seems he's gotten tired of not getting paid. Yes, First Comics is about three months behind in paying people. Timothy Truman is said to have one and a half feet out the door up there, too. As an interesting side note, how many of you thought that when Chayken left First, American Flagg would too (raise your hands)? I'm glad to see that I wasn't alone in thinking American Flagg was creator owned. It seems First Comics owns AF - for all I know First owns all of the books they publish (and I would expect they do, now). All that hype about creator owned books may have been just that - hype and nothing else. One of the big things Both Dave Kraft and Fantagraphics try to keep up with is what publishers seem to be on the financial tight-rope. Needless to say, First is taking their first few steps on the rope although I wouldn't yet say they're in danger of falling off, yet. However, there are others who aren't so fortu- nate. Eclipse is suffering. Kraft has been trying to get them to pay for some of the ads he's ALREADY RUN for them and, so far, is having no success. This is an excellent barometer as to how well off a company is. Pacific continued to order books for distribution (including copies of the Southern Knights that they had no intention of paying for - they folded owing us several hundred dollars (I know others got hit worse, but we only had $2000 to start with)) and to take out advertising (or try to) up until the end. Another company to watch for potential problems is Renegade Press (Deni Loubert's - formerly Deni Sim - company). According to Fantagraphic, Deni doens't have any money available to weather a storm - and you can be sure one is brewing. The poten- tially most disturbing info concerns DC. DC has recently pulled out of large advertising contract with Fantagraphics - one where the papers had been signed and some money placed to secure the agreement. Obviously, DC felt they could afford to lose the money more than they could afford to pay for the ads. The reports are that DC is running scared. Advertising or marketing will decide to do one thing and the upper level management will reverse the decision. What's causing all of this? Lack of sales, of course. Marvel is selling, but that's about it. (To make matters worse, Marvel is dumping 80 titles on the market next month - really, EIGHTY titles!) Why is this? Part of DC's problem, I think, is they doomed themselves in the 70's when they put out such trash and it still sold. Then Marvel passed them by and kept pulling away and DC finally decided they needed to do something. They began publishing good stories but it's going to take YEARS to reverse the bad image they built for themselves back then. That's fine as far as DC goes, but why aren't the independants selling? I really don't have an answer for that. Sure, American Flagg isn't the kind of book most kids would buy, but we like to think there are lots of adults in the market that would buy it. Maybe we're wrong. Maybe there aren't nearly as many adults as we think there are. Or, maybe the adults are buying the same stuff as the kids... I've heard from people who won't buy alternative books because of the price. They seem to think the price is too high, that the independant publishers have higher prices so they can make more profit. That is 100% WRONG (and I'll send in another article on the cost of publishing a comic book based on my experience with the Southern Knights). Maybe the fault is ours. How many of you hide the fact that you read comics? I used to do that, too. A lot of people do. There's nothing worse than having your peers laugh at you for reading kid stuff. Nothing worse, that is, except having the entire field fall apart for lack of readers! It's up to us to try to get people to read comics. However, it's important to use your judgement in this matter. Try to figure out what they would enjoy (you might find out what else they read for entertainment and loan them comics that fall - more or less - into the area their "regular" reading tastes follow). Someone who is outside of comics will not, most likely, read one issue of the X-Men and decide it's great - even if you were to loan them the truly great issues (#94-150). Is the person into mysteries? Try Jon Sable or Ms. Tree. Fantasy? How about Elfquest? You get the idea. It's up to us to cultivate new readers. One last thing and then I'll shut up. If you know someone who reads comics but isn't reading a book you particularly like, try loaning them issues of it. At least try to talk them into buying the book. From the other side of the issue, if you hear lots of good things about a book, give it a try! I had been hearing many good things about Zot! but hadn't picked it up. I decided to try it and I would have to list Zot! as one of my 5 favorite titles now. It doesn't even matter if you continue to buy the book, though. Just give the book a try. To forestll the complaints of those who have a limited budget, I'll tell you that I have one too. When I find a book I really like, though, I'll add it to my list even if it means dropping something else (and the something else is almost always published by Marvel or DC). Well, that's it. I'll shut up now. Henry Vogel henry%clemson.csnet@csnet-relay