Diamond Raises Order Minimums
Diamond Comic Distributors, the largest US direct market distributor of comics to comic shops by far has raised its minimum order benchmark from $1,500 to $2,500. "That means the average $3 comic would have to sell more than 2,100 copies — a rare feat for many small publishers," writes Robot 6's Kevin Melrose, in an article on the subject. The increase will almost certainly exclude many niche and less popular comics from the stands entirely.For more information and industry reaction, see PW's The Beat blog's post on the subject.
Kyle Baker Comic Free Online
Veteran comic creator Kyle Baker, known for his work on Plastic Man and Nat Turner among many others, has made his comic I Die at Midnight available to read for free online. The story of a poisoned man who will die unless he finds an antidote by midnight, I Die at Midnight was originally published by Vertigo in 2000. Illustrated by Baker in 3-D computer graphics, the new online edition includes several pages with new art. I Die at Midnight can be found on Baker's site www.kylebaker.com.
Golden Apple Comics Owner Interviewed
Ryan Liebowitz, owner of Golden Apple Comics which is arguably the most famous comic store in Los Angeles, has been interviewed on Complex.com about life in the comic shop business. Liebowitz and his interviewer, Sentences author and rapper Percy Carey (aka M.F. Grimm), discuss art, business and shoes with Batman on them. The interview is available here.
Satrapi and Ware Onstage
PersepolisMarjane Satrapi and fellow comic creator Chris Ware, known for Acme Novelty Library and Jimmy Corrigan among others, will be appearing together in an onstage conversation at New York's Festival of French Writing. The festival pairs French-speaking writers such as Satrapi with relevant American authors for a series of moderated discussions open to the general public. Other scheduled guests include E. L. Doctorow and Bernard-Henri Levy. The Festival of French Writing is open to the public free of charge and simultaneous translation in both languages will be available. The Satrapi and Ware event will be held at 4:30 p.m. on February 28, and the festival will run from February 26-28 at New York University's Tishman Auditorium in Vanderbilt Hall at 40 Washington Square South, New York, NY.
Brevoort hosts "Take My Trade!"
Marvel Comics Executive Editor Tom Brevoort is running "Take My Trade", an ongoing online feature in which he trades comics with fans on his blog to benefit The Hero Initiative. The goal of "Take My Trade" is for Brevoort to slowly trade up from his relatively lowly starting comics for other comics of increasing value until he finds something he deems worthy of being traded for the historic original Fantastic Four #1 comic. Meanwhile, he'll be swapping comics with his readers, choosing the emailed offers that suit him best. The winning comic and all leftover comics will then be auctioned off to benefit The Hero Initiative, a charity supporting less fortunate comics creators in their time of need.
