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[Thad]

...you know, the trolls in that Greg Land thread are pretty damn good.

"Oh yeah?  Show me ONE EXAMPLE of what this entire thread is made up of examples of.  ...Okay, now show me THREE.  ...Okay, well, if it's so easy, try doing it yourself!  ...I just wrote three sentences and talked you into spending two hours in Photoshop."

That's downright Guildensternian.

[Arc]

Entirely random 'crash' image found for thread icon. Reminiscent of We3.

[Thad]

Nrama: Diamond ups order minimum from $1500 to $2500, ends the print version of the Previews Adult Supplement.

As Slave Labor chief Dan Vado explained in an e-mail (published with Vado’s consent) to Tom Spurgeon, the new $2500 threshold means that each book needs to generate $2500 worth of revenue to Diamond – a total on a purchase order for the book. In Slave Labor’s case, that means $6000 in retail sales, based on the discount SLG gives to Diamond in order to be listed in Diamond’s Previews and distributed via the company.

Vado continues, “That does not mean that Diamond is going to cancel or not carry books which appear in the Previews but do not reach that benchmark, but it does mean that if you have a line of books which consistently do not meet that mark, you will not be getting your books listed in the Previews for long. “

While the change affects smaller publishers in terms of current product – first issues may meet the benchmark, but later issues may not, it also hits publishers when re-listing their products as “Offered Agains,” to keep a backlist of titles available to retailers, as many of those issues will not reach the new threshold.

Again, Vado: “Diamond is in essence asking everyone to sell more in a recessionary environment or find themselves out of the catalog. Short term, a lot of publishers are going to find themselves with no distribution.”

[Mongrel]

Looks like direct marketing may get a boost here.

It's more like a tinfoil lining than a silver one, but hey...

[SCD]

Right,

I'm not buying into the crash in the comic industry quite yet, but that's only because I go downtown, and buy a graphic novel, a comic, or something from a comic book store, between two others on the same block. 

I never really liked reading the stuff until I picked up manga quite sometime back.  Since then, I seldom return from the graphic novel format. 

I shy away from all the _____man stuff.  It always seems like it's been done.  Instead, I try to aim for the more creative stuff.  "Hey, this one's about 12 second-rate comic book characters not used since the war.. and it's written by JMS!", or Fables, or DMZ, or even non-fictional stuff. 

I have Louis Riel and Palestine in hardcover.  Both of them are well-done and their minimalistic art style plays a major contrast with the depth of the stories told in both cases. 

I wouldn't be surprised if the traditional comic book industry slows down, but I would be shocked if graphic novels stop selling.  Especially for my wide range of friends in different walks of life who abide by the list. 

[Thad]

...well, manga's not really what I'm talking about when I predict a market crash.  I'm talking about American comics, which generally means the Big Two, which generally means men in tights.

I like DMZ and have a complete run of it, but it feels like it's getting a bit long in the tooth at this point.  What are your thoughts as a member of the Wait for the Trade crowd?  (I'm going to guess that, as trade-oriented as the market is now, the Parco Delgado election arc is out as a trade now.)

Not sure what the JMS book you're referring to is, but it sounds a lot like Project Superpowers, which is about WWII-era superheroes who have passed into the public domain and which has Alex Ross onboard, but which isn't as neat as all that makes it sound.

The realignment from serialization to the graphic novel format is part of what I'm talking about, but I think there's a lot more to it than that.

[SCD]

Sorry, while manga was what got me into American comics in the first place, I was not referring to that.  Apologies for any confusion.

JMS has two projects on the Go right now in the comic book world that I read and purchase per issue:  Thor (which is the first mainstream marv-c comic serial that I've purchased) and the project that you refer to, otherwise known as "The Twelve" which you are spot on.  I stick with that one only because of my undying faith for his ability to tell stories..  At least a few of the good ones. 

As far as 'wait for the trade' goes, It's a difficult decision on my end to undergo.  On terms of what I'd want in my library in ten years, I'll stick with the collections, no debate.  For one thing, if someone takes one of my books and curls up on the couch, chances are so far that she will pick the collection. 

As far as the mechanism side of the house - can good indie ideas survive without the issue format, then the trade-off is right there.  Personally, I am a fan of a local comic known as "the magic teeth dailies", which is an ongoing series of a local artist/comic book store owner's daily strips (for the rest of his life) involving bad jokes, puns, events, pop culture, pop history on Victoria BC, cool shit like that.  Facebook link. 

Without the comic book format, his work would be dead.  No one would invest a whole book.  But people invested in the individual copies. 

To sum up, the book format is superior, but for that to materialize in the market's current form, the run needs a fanbase. 

Wow..  That makes me want to buy more individuals..

I think I'm going to talk to this to my comic book store owner tomorrow.  It's too bad he doesn't have a title, like a tobacco store owner would be tobbaconist... maybe comicconist...   

[Thad]

Mad goes quarterly.

[Mongrel]

Eh, this is more the end of a very long slow process that's been going on for over 20 years (or longer depending on who you talk to).

Mad in it's prime was always that magical thing, the beautiful product of amazing teamwork. As the members of that team died, left, or simply grew out of touch over time they were seldom replaced with members of equivilant skill. The exact date is subject to much contention obviously, but no one disagrees that they have long since crossed the threshold where the remaining original giants could carry the magazine.

[Brentai]

MAD was very much a thing of its time.  It's not as popular today for the same reason that Hula Hoops and Mighty Mouse aren't, not because of any lack of Special Blend.

...okay yes the lack of Special Blend isn't putting any points in its favor either.

[Mongrel]

Well, that's where growing out of touch over time comes in.

Mad's satire could have continued into the internet age, but I'm damned if I know what their particular brand would look like done 'right' online. Of course, if I DID know, I'd be making a fortune from the advertising on my cutting-edge satire site.

[Thad]

MAD was very much a thing of its time.  It's not as popular today for the same reason that Hula Hoops and Mighty Mouse aren't, not because of any lack of Special Blend.

Let's compare apples to apples here -- Mad's like Saturday Night Live or National Lampoon.  It used to be edgy and now it's mainstream.  I'd say The Onion tends to fill the niche that Mad used to, at least in terms of being the sharpest political satire you're going to find.  (Of course, SNL is still popular -- and Tina Fey as Sarah Palin last fall showed that's occasionally justified -- while National Lampoon is a shadow of its former self.)

That said, you're wrong.  Mad in its heyday was host to GIANTS of the medium -- Bill Gaines, Mort Drucker, Don Martin, Wally goddamn Wood, Antonio Prohias.  (And, okay, Dave Berg wasn't exactly edgy, but he drew some damn purty pictures.)  I assume Jaffee and Aragones are still there (I haven't picked up a Mad since it went full-color and started printing ads), but to be blunt, most of the people who made the magazine the incredible thing that it was are dead now.

Anyway.  Deserved or not, I see this as a real canary-in-the-coal-mine scenario.

[Mongrel]

Don Martin...