Jeff Mason of Alternative Comics has issued an urgent appeal to comics fans to buy Alternative Comics titles from their local comic shop retailers, and for retailers to stock and reorder his books.  As was the case with Top Shelf, Alternative comics has been hurt by the bankruptcy of book distributor LPC back in the spring of 2002 (see 'LPC Group Files Chapter 11'). 

Alternative's situation is a good example of how a bankruptcy can have ripple effects felt long after the principal players have left the stage.  Alternative was able to absorb the first hit -- taking a deal that was to pay just 42 cents on the dollar for the amount LPC owed the publisher.  Mason used his own savings and credit based on what he thought he would get from LPC to keep his company going, but more than two years after LPC went bankrupt, he is yet to see his 42 cents on the dollar, and has run out of both savings and money.

Mason, who operates Alternative Comics entirely by himself, publishes comics as a labor of love and, with no staff to pay, does so about as efficiently as is possible.  He is asking comics fans to buy his books, which includes works by James Kochalka, Sam Henderson, Nick Bertozzi, Sara Varon, and Jon Lewis to name a few, and he is asking retailers to stock and reorder his books whenever possible.  He is not asking fans to buy direct, rather he is directing them to their local comic shops. Alternative Comics titles are available from Coldcut, Diamond Comic Distributors, and FM International.