Brandon Schatz, the retailer whose question you answered in this newsletter, has a great Substack on all things in the comic market from a retailer’s perspective called The Indirect Market (https://theindirectmarket.substack.com/). He is also a regular contributor to The Beat.
Thanks for taking the time to answer me, Tom, it's greatly appreciated.
Like someone else said, my shop is located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. We're about to hit our 8th year anniversary, while I'm in my 16th year of comics retail in general. We won a Shuster Award for the Best Comic Shop in Canada in 2019, which felt cool and overwhelming. We have a lot of work we still want to do to be worthy of such a notion, but we're still very proud.
I have another question, if time permits: I'm a big fan of Marvel's Unlimited program, and somewhat counter to conventional wisdom, I'll often tell customers who are on the fence regarding a series to really explore that app. The goal has always been to laser focus on having their experiences with print be something they absolutely love, because attrition sets in when folks are getting too many things that don't LAND. Anyway, we have some folks asking about the various Unlimited series that run, and if those will be seeing print. A few projects have popped out here and there in single issues, but is there a plan for printing much of these? Or is it mostly a case-by-case, gut feeling thing? I know personally, we could sell the new Trung Le Nguyen story that's currently running Love Unlimited hand over fist - ideally in the YA sizing with labeled spine. As it is, the creator casting seems perfect for the current format, so no notes on that front.
Aside from Marvel’s staple ongoings, what percentage of books are conceived based on pitches from your creators versus titles that are conceived in editorial and then brought to a creative team? An example of the former would be a book that would not have been produced if a particular creator had not fought for its existence. Can you think of any books in your tenure that fit this bill?
(I only deleted it feeling like I might be over-participating in someone else's forum — I'm still learning what the proper netiquette is in spaces like this).
So Nightcat was like Dazzler, sort of, in terms of real world origins? Or a cross between Dazzler and The Human Fly, given that it was based upon a real person? And to think it didn't work!
Also, by 1991, wasn't "Dark Knight format" called "Prestige Format," especially by Marvel?
I am a sixty-one year old gay man and I loved Zimmerman's Rawhide Kid and its sequel. The take on Red Wolf was awesome as well. There have been gay themed projects through the years that have appalled and offended me but these did no such thing. I think some of it was people getting offended on behalf of a group to signal their support as well as people honestly triggered. In my head, gay Rawhide Kid will be canon forever!
I LOVED the Fantastic Four by Millar & Hitch. Some people were quick to criticize it, even though I knew they were building up to a big finale. Then Millar & Hitch left the book before the big finale. And the fill in team was absolutely terrible! Was there a REAL reason they left that we never heard about? And could Millar & Hitch possibly return for a limited series finale? Like a 4-5 issue "Battle Against Doom" story? Where it does not need to tie in directly, it stands alone. But for those of us who know, it is the finale? Once Millars contract ends with Netflix in a few years, of course. And Hitch is available.
I just finished Sean Kleefeld's Fanthropology, which was great (apart from the Forward, written by some hack whose name I don't recall ;-). It closed by Kleefeld commenting that according to his research, apart from enabling the ability for diverse fans to get together, it hasn't changed the fundamentals of fan behavior.
That was circa 2011 and I wonder if that holds true today. The first factor that springs to mind is the access the public has to creators is so much greater, that irate "fans" with poor impulse control can attack (verbally or worse) creators, staff, and actors for their creative choices or perceived political alignments. The second is that as with certain media ecosystems that are packaged to resemble news, that distorted opinions and outright falsehoods promulgate across social media before a person can form their own opinion of the work in question. And this particular dynamic is now incentivized by social media algorithms that rewards HateBait™ to the point where it can be actually lucratively monetized on YouTube.
QUESTION 1: In your experience as a fan, your experience in the industry when the Internet was still in its crib, and your vantage today, have you seen any "This is different now" shifts in fandom?
QUESTION 2: If "toxic fandom" is a dynamic that is real and worth addressing, and assuming its easy for a fan to fall into without even noticing it; do you have any observations for self-diagnosis tips, like particular bad habits that are warning flags? (I'd love to open this one up to any thoughtful folks with relevant experience who may be reading this).
Just wondering something, as my wife and are rewatching Loki to get ready for Ant-Man, have you checked out the Marvel Disney+ shows? If so, which one stands out among them to you? After this rewatch it goes Loki, followed by Wandavision and She-Hulk for me. I love the Gillen/Ewing take on the destined to be a villain-yet sympathetic Loki.
I am so very sorry you have to go back to a commute. In 2018-2019, I had to commute from NJ to NYC for two assignments, and while I love NYC as a concept, I found commuting even in those pre-COVID days to be a hassle. Here's hoping you get to keep commuting to a minimum. (I now live in Jacksonville, Florida, and while my employer does have us coming to quarterly meetings, I am glad I don't have to go into an office every day.)
What was the URL of the Cerebus clip you watched? I am also a member of the "I read every issue of Cerebus" club, and would love to see that video. I think that the premise that Sim's mental illness sabotaged the end of his signature work is apt. And it's a damn shame, because the first half of Cerebus is one of the best works in comics history. I still remember reading the "Men are the Light/Women are the Void" issue in horror, wondering where this came from. I found Glamourpuss interesting, but Cerebus in Hell is unreadable, as far as I'm concerned. I wish Sim well, and I hope he is successful in the Cerebus restoration project, but yikes.
Actual comics question: I've started reading the post-Lee/Kirby Fantastic Four run. While I've read all of the Lee/Kirby comics, and every issue past 190 or so, I realized I never read the run between. It's an interesting read, watching great comic creators like John Buscema, John Romita, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway (who's so YOUNG!) try to come up with new stories so quickly after Kirby, then Lee, left the title. Do you have any favorites in that time period (issue 103 to issue 231 or so- i.e. before Byrne starts his signature run)?
Also, am I the only one who realized that issues 105 to 116 take place in one single day? The team just bounces from one situation to another, with every issue ending in a cliffhanger. There's no "the next day" transition as far as I can tell. You could literally package the issues together in a collection titled "The Longest Day" or something similar.
I was recently reading (and thoroughly enjoying) the Avengers Forever 1998 run. I noticed that in issue #8, the children of the Scarlet Witch were mentioned as beings that Immortus wanted to ensure did not exist due to their powerful potential (and till that point, to his knowledge he had succeeded given their disappearance in 1985 in West Coast Avengers).
In 1999, were there already plans to bring back the children of the Scarlet Witch at some point? Is that a sort of thing that editorial has as a soft goal? Or is it something that is completely initiated by a writer who wants to pick up on that story thread? I'm curious about how much editors help drive decisions like that if at all. Either way, safe to say it was executed amazingly in 2005 with the introduction of Billy Kaplan and Tommy Shepherd in Young Avengers!
I could've sworn Salicrup said somewhere online that he ghostwrote the script for that Nightcat comic as well. (It was the first time I ever heard of the book.) But Google's not turning anything up.
Question: Who typically writes the "Next Issue: Blah-blah-blah" caption at the end of an issue? The writer or the editor?
I keep wondering: How does the exclusive artist thing work? That is, what's in it for an artist? Is it a guarantee of work, a guarantee of pay, or both? (I know about the health insurance angle. Actually, it would be nice if Marvel allowed freelancers onto the plan, at their own expense of course. As we've seen, way too many are uninsured.)
And more or less back to an earlier question: How did the MacKay Avengers run come to be? Who reached out to who proposing what? And now that I think about it, isn't it kind of early to drop the preview?
And an aside: Read that Stormbreakers hand out and was happy to see that a couple of the artists owned rescue pups. BTW for earlier readers of the 2/12 post: Puppy Bowl at 2:00 EST.
Brandon Schatz, the retailer whose question you answered in this newsletter, has a great Substack on all things in the comic market from a retailer’s perspective called The Indirect Market (https://theindirectmarket.substack.com/). He is also a regular contributor to The Beat.
Brandon co-owns Variant Edition in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. https://variantedmonton.com/
Oh dang, thanks for sharing that info! I appreciate the kind words.
Thanks for taking the time to answer me, Tom, it's greatly appreciated.
Like someone else said, my shop is located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. We're about to hit our 8th year anniversary, while I'm in my 16th year of comics retail in general. We won a Shuster Award for the Best Comic Shop in Canada in 2019, which felt cool and overwhelming. We have a lot of work we still want to do to be worthy of such a notion, but we're still very proud.
I have another question, if time permits: I'm a big fan of Marvel's Unlimited program, and somewhat counter to conventional wisdom, I'll often tell customers who are on the fence regarding a series to really explore that app. The goal has always been to laser focus on having their experiences with print be something they absolutely love, because attrition sets in when folks are getting too many things that don't LAND. Anyway, we have some folks asking about the various Unlimited series that run, and if those will be seeing print. A few projects have popped out here and there in single issues, but is there a plan for printing much of these? Or is it mostly a case-by-case, gut feeling thing? I know personally, we could sell the new Trung Le Nguyen story that's currently running Love Unlimited hand over fist - ideally in the YA sizing with labeled spine. As it is, the creator casting seems perfect for the current format, so no notes on that front.
Aside from Marvel’s staple ongoings, what percentage of books are conceived based on pitches from your creators versus titles that are conceived in editorial and then brought to a creative team? An example of the former would be a book that would not have been produced if a particular creator had not fought for its existence. Can you think of any books in your tenure that fit this bill?
Mortimer directed me to a previous newsletter that I missed that mostly answered this! Thank you, Mortimer!
I'm glad to help!
(I only deleted it feeling like I might be over-participating in someone else's forum — I'm still learning what the proper netiquette is in spaces like this).
You needn’t worry about over-participating. All comments are welcome, especially those that are helpful to people.
So Nightcat was like Dazzler, sort of, in terms of real world origins? Or a cross between Dazzler and The Human Fly, given that it was based upon a real person? And to think it didn't work!
Also, by 1991, wasn't "Dark Knight format" called "Prestige Format," especially by Marvel?
I am a sixty-one year old gay man and I loved Zimmerman's Rawhide Kid and its sequel. The take on Red Wolf was awesome as well. There have been gay themed projects through the years that have appalled and offended me but these did no such thing. I think some of it was people getting offended on behalf of a group to signal their support as well as people honestly triggered. In my head, gay Rawhide Kid will be canon forever!
I LOVED the Fantastic Four by Millar & Hitch. Some people were quick to criticize it, even though I knew they were building up to a big finale. Then Millar & Hitch left the book before the big finale. And the fill in team was absolutely terrible! Was there a REAL reason they left that we never heard about? And could Millar & Hitch possibly return for a limited series finale? Like a 4-5 issue "Battle Against Doom" story? Where it does not need to tie in directly, it stands alone. But for those of us who know, it is the finale? Once Millars contract ends with Netflix in a few years, of course. And Hitch is available.
Can Tom (or someone) share a link to the CEREBUS/Dave Sim video essay he mentions? Thanks.
Thank you for sharing the our-toyota-was-fantastic webcomic. That literally brought me joy.
I just finished Sean Kleefeld's Fanthropology, which was great (apart from the Forward, written by some hack whose name I don't recall ;-). It closed by Kleefeld commenting that according to his research, apart from enabling the ability for diverse fans to get together, it hasn't changed the fundamentals of fan behavior.
That was circa 2011 and I wonder if that holds true today. The first factor that springs to mind is the access the public has to creators is so much greater, that irate "fans" with poor impulse control can attack (verbally or worse) creators, staff, and actors for their creative choices or perceived political alignments. The second is that as with certain media ecosystems that are packaged to resemble news, that distorted opinions and outright falsehoods promulgate across social media before a person can form their own opinion of the work in question. And this particular dynamic is now incentivized by social media algorithms that rewards HateBait™ to the point where it can be actually lucratively monetized on YouTube.
QUESTION 1: In your experience as a fan, your experience in the industry when the Internet was still in its crib, and your vantage today, have you seen any "This is different now" shifts in fandom?
QUESTION 2: If "toxic fandom" is a dynamic that is real and worth addressing, and assuming its easy for a fan to fall into without even noticing it; do you have any observations for self-diagnosis tips, like particular bad habits that are warning flags? (I'd love to open this one up to any thoughtful folks with relevant experience who may be reading this).
Thanks as always for taking the time to opine.
Thanks Tom! As always this is a delight to read.
Just wondering something, as my wife and are rewatching Loki to get ready for Ant-Man, have you checked out the Marvel Disney+ shows? If so, which one stands out among them to you? After this rewatch it goes Loki, followed by Wandavision and She-Hulk for me. I love the Gillen/Ewing take on the destined to be a villain-yet sympathetic Loki.
I am so very sorry you have to go back to a commute. In 2018-2019, I had to commute from NJ to NYC for two assignments, and while I love NYC as a concept, I found commuting even in those pre-COVID days to be a hassle. Here's hoping you get to keep commuting to a minimum. (I now live in Jacksonville, Florida, and while my employer does have us coming to quarterly meetings, I am glad I don't have to go into an office every day.)
What was the URL of the Cerebus clip you watched? I am also a member of the "I read every issue of Cerebus" club, and would love to see that video. I think that the premise that Sim's mental illness sabotaged the end of his signature work is apt. And it's a damn shame, because the first half of Cerebus is one of the best works in comics history. I still remember reading the "Men are the Light/Women are the Void" issue in horror, wondering where this came from. I found Glamourpuss interesting, but Cerebus in Hell is unreadable, as far as I'm concerned. I wish Sim well, and I hope he is successful in the Cerebus restoration project, but yikes.
Actual comics question: I've started reading the post-Lee/Kirby Fantastic Four run. While I've read all of the Lee/Kirby comics, and every issue past 190 or so, I realized I never read the run between. It's an interesting read, watching great comic creators like John Buscema, John Romita, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway (who's so YOUNG!) try to come up with new stories so quickly after Kirby, then Lee, left the title. Do you have any favorites in that time period (issue 103 to issue 231 or so- i.e. before Byrne starts his signature run)?
Also, am I the only one who realized that issues 105 to 116 take place in one single day? The team just bounces from one situation to another, with every issue ending in a cliffhanger. There's no "the next day" transition as far as I can tell. You could literally package the issues together in a collection titled "The Longest Day" or something similar.
I was recently reading (and thoroughly enjoying) the Avengers Forever 1998 run. I noticed that in issue #8, the children of the Scarlet Witch were mentioned as beings that Immortus wanted to ensure did not exist due to their powerful potential (and till that point, to his knowledge he had succeeded given their disappearance in 1985 in West Coast Avengers).
In 1999, were there already plans to bring back the children of the Scarlet Witch at some point? Is that a sort of thing that editorial has as a soft goal? Or is it something that is completely initiated by a writer who wants to pick up on that story thread? I'm curious about how much editors help drive decisions like that if at all. Either way, safe to say it was executed amazingly in 2005 with the introduction of Billy Kaplan and Tommy Shepherd in Young Avengers!
I could've sworn Salicrup said somewhere online that he ghostwrote the script for that Nightcat comic as well. (It was the first time I ever heard of the book.) But Google's not turning anything up.
Question: Who typically writes the "Next Issue: Blah-blah-blah" caption at the end of an issue? The writer or the editor?
My latest questions:
I keep wondering: How does the exclusive artist thing work? That is, what's in it for an artist? Is it a guarantee of work, a guarantee of pay, or both? (I know about the health insurance angle. Actually, it would be nice if Marvel allowed freelancers onto the plan, at their own expense of course. As we've seen, way too many are uninsured.)
And more or less back to an earlier question: How did the MacKay Avengers run come to be? Who reached out to who proposing what? And now that I think about it, isn't it kind of early to drop the preview?
And an aside: Read that Stormbreakers hand out and was happy to see that a couple of the artists owned rescue pups. BTW for earlier readers of the 2/12 post: Puppy Bowl at 2:00 EST.