ICv2 has received a number of e-mails from retailers upset over Bill Jemas' comments in regards to Marvel's 'print to order' policy (see 'Jemas: Marvel's No Overprint Policy is IQ Test For Comic Retailers').  One of the angriest reactions was from a retailer who did not receive the books he ordered because of damage or mis-packing, and had to deal with upset and angry customers when the problem could not be corrected because of the unavailability of extras (see 'Marvel Fine-Tunes Handling of 'No Overprints'').

Here's a typical example of the kind of reactions we received.  'After reading Mr. Jemas's comments on the overshipping, I must say that I can count the number of digits in his IQ by his 'I know better than you do' attitude (zero).  As a retailer for over 10 years, and dealing with Marvel in that time, I can state that nothing has changed.  They are still unresponsive to the retailer, and couldn't give a rat's *** if we sell their product or not.'

Another comment, 'My IQ level did not drop when I voiced my concerns about Marvels 'no overprints' policy, but many of my order numbers did on the not so lucrative titles that Marvel produces.'

We're not sure what Jemas' goals were when he made his 'IQ test' remarks, but it's safe to say that if stirring controversy was among them, he's happy with the results.  Meanwhile, orders on the top Marvels are creeping upward (see 'Ultimate X-Men Tops 100,000'), although whether that's related more to the unavailability of reorders or the editorial product is unclear.   For more retailer comments and a fuller discussion of the issues related to Marvel's no overprint policy, see 'Reactions to Marvel's 'No Overprint' Policy.'