Confessions of a Comic Book Guy is a weekly column by retailer Steve Bennett of Mary Alice Wilson's Dark Star Books in
Those that read last week's column might be under the impression I believe until comic publishers start publishing different comics that will appeal to different niche audiences there's nothing retailers can do to sell more comics. Of course nothing could be further from the truth; I still maintain there's always something you can do even if it's just scouring every issue of Previews for new titles.
I'm always happy to come across a new comic that seems genuinely different from everything else currently on the stands, and I think I've found one in the February Previews: The Many Adventures of Miranda Mercury #295. The solicitation was just different enough (the heroine of a Planet Comics-style space opera is, of all things, black) from the others around it to make me want to order a copy of it for myself sight unseen.
But what sold me on it as a retailer was when Newsarama posted several pages from the first issue online (though the most useful thing the publisher, Archaia Studios Press, could have done to help sell it was to e-mail me, and every other retailer in America, a copy of the entire first issue). It's a title with a lot going for it, starting with attractive art and strong character designs from Lee Ferguson, crisp dialogue by Brandon Thomas and a little something we used to call 'sense of wonder' back in the day. Also imbedded in the fairly conventional SF premise is a neat gimmick: to get around the fact it's increasingly difficult making readers care about new comic characters they're pretending this isn't Miranda's first appearance (why it's numbered #295 and not #1).
And though its creators have a fairly limited track record, it should be noted that not too long ago the same publisher brought out another out of left field title, Primordia, and in spite of a minimal amount of advertising it (a) did surprisingly well for Super-Fly Comics, and (b) was surprisingly good. About the only downside for Miranda Mercury, I can think of is the cost; I know $3.95 for 32 color pages is becoming increasingly common price break, but I'm afraid it's still high enough to induce sticker shock in some of our less hardy consumers.
Of course I won't know it's any good until it actually arrives and even if is good that doesn't mean it'll actually sell (and even if it does it doesn't mean that it will sell at your shop; I've long since stopped trying to make those kind of predictions). There's remarkably little calculation involved in making these decisions; mostly it involves personal taste times experience divided by what you think 'kids today like.'
I like to think I've been right more often that I've been wrong and while the guesswork gets to be second nature after a while I still can be surprised; I knew I was going to enjoy Red 5 Comics' Atomic Robo, but thought it probably too 'pulpy' for 'today's kids.' Happily it had enough of a post-modern spin to it that the Hellboy and Umbrella Academy crowd 'got it,' and Super-Fly has been selling through (and selling through on the reorders).
Now of course you're not likely to sell a lot of copies of The Many Adventures of Miranda Mercury, but you might. You might sell out and have to reorder and reorder again, and without devoting a lot of time and attention to it your store has gained another nice little performer, one that more than justifies its place on your new comics display. But to do that you'll have to take a chance and if my meager fifteen years in this business has taught me anything it's almost always worth taking a chance on a new comic.
Of course all of the above is predicated on the assumption your customers want something different, when I'm sure Marvel and DC would be happy to tell me I'm operating under a delusion. Clearly what they really want is more of what they're already getting (a.k.a. today's 'too much is never enough' paradigm), and unfortunately I have to admit there's some truth to that. But mostly I've found that when one of my customers starts to buckle under from 'event fatigue' it's easier to interest them in say, the new Bat Lash mini-series, rather than the latest clump of Countdown spin-off titles.
And now we come to my final confession of 2007; after (at least) fifteen years, I will no longer be working for Dark Star Books. I have genuinely loved my years there but have to confess I'm really looking forward to not working there (if you have ever wondered why there aren't more good secondhand bookstores out there here's a tip--it's because the day to day operation of one is exhausting to the point of debilitation).
I have been given the great blessing of time and while I plan to use some of it to pursue new opportunities I will continue to serve as consultant to Super-Fly Comics & Games and write this column for ICv2 through 2008.
The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.
