P. Margolin of Compleat Comics Company on Maui, Hawaii, saw our article on Marvel's new terms (see 'New Marvel Trade Terms Rationalize Order Cycle'), and sent these comments:

 

Granted, I have not received the 'official' release yet, so only have the ICv2 article about Marvel's change in trade terms to go on.  Let me get this straight.  Marvel solicited items during the past year.  In good faith, retailers ordered those items.  Marvel did not publish or distribute, or delayed or re-solicited some of those items.  Retailers are then penalized by having those good faith orders 'removed' from their historical order totals.  What's wrong with this picture?

At present, the order increase cut-off is 3 weeks.  Under the 'new regime' the order increase cut-off will be 3 weeks.  What's wrong with this picture?

Marvel has, more and more, solicited multiple issues of the same title in the same month.  This, alone, skews monthly totals from a 'normal' once-a-month per title release.  What's wrong with this picture?

Reorders are virtually non-existent, so a true reading of what total sales would reach is unattainable.  What's wrong with this picture?

Marvel has imposed a unilateral new contract, with no negotiation of the terms offered to its end customers, and with an ex post facto change to the terms implicitly offered and accepted by retailers during the past year.  What's wrong with this picture?

Any store, such as my own, that occasionally (or regularly) orders Marvel comics from anyplace other than directly from Diamond will not have those orders incorporated into the 'new regime.'  What's wrong with this picture?

Comics retailing just got much, much more difficult, through no fault of the retailers or the vagaries of the buying public.  What's wrong with this picture?