Michael Pfeifer of Main Street Comics in Milltown, New Jersey, saw John Riley's comments about the limited availability of Captain America #25 (see 'Sharpening the Sword--Captain America Died') and is frustrated at not being able to provide books to his regular customers:

So I'm sure everybody by now has heard about the death of Cap.  OK, supposed death.  Nobody dies for real so let's all assume that he will be back next issue or sometime in the near future.  But this isn't about what happened in the comic.  This is about what happens when a comic like this comes out -- from my point of view.

12 o'clock rolls around and the new books arrive.  Phone starts ringing with people asking if I have the new Captain America book.  This rarely happens with a mid-level book so immediately I know something is up.  I'm sure people think that Marvel let's us, the retailer, in on all of their big secrets to help... but they don't.  I am first hearing about this like everybody else.  Now immediately I know that I have way under-ordered this book (along with every other retailer in the country) so I'm not happy.  I hate it when I don't have one book that somebody is looking for so with this I am miserable.  See Marvel thinks they are helping the industry by press releasing this and creating a buzz.  Their feeling is it gets people into the stores and helps us sell comics.  It really doesn't.  All I get are people (I like to refer to as baseball card people) who are looking to retire one day off the death of Captain America.  Now I love and appreciate anybody who comes into my store, but I know these people will never be back after they buy this book.  So in my opinion, the real comic book readers who now can't find it will be very frustrated.  How does it help the industry by pissing off your bread and butter?  I pull all of my copies off the shelf and hold them for my regulars who come in every week and just want to read it.  Now why can't Marvel, who knows what is happening with this issue, overprint 200,000 extra copies so every retailer can reorder enough to go around?  I wish I knew.

So for all of you frustrated people who couldn't snag a copy of this... I feel your pain.  My phone rang all day with 'do you have Cap #25' and I expect it to continue for a couple weeks.  It's out of my control and I hate that I have to continue to say no.

If I can give any advice, please DO NOT pay top $$ for this book.  Just take a peek into my $1 boxes for the rare Death of Superman.

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