L.E. Becker of Warp 9 in
You know after reading the comments from other retailers about how Marvel "screwed us over" and how they "dropped the ball", the only thing I can say is...
OBAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Look, I know the economy is pretty bad. Was it a jerk move to make a retailer order more of a book from three months ago in order to purchase this variant? Well, yeah. Should it have been the actual cover because of the story? Yeah, in my honest opinion it should have been. But, let's be brutally honest. Would you have upped your orders? No. Because, and I will not beat around the proverbial bush, this industry is the MOST cynical industry I have EVER witnessed.
Seriously... the comic industry with all of its ironic "professionalism" makes the current auto industry look like the movie It's a Wonderful Life (and I LIVE (for lack of a better word) in the auto capital of the world). Almost every retailer I talked to was so down on this book, it even impaired my judgment, and I cut my orders on the variant (but not too much). Retailers weren't the only nay sayers of this book. When this project was announced, the negativity on Newsarama was so over the top, I really thought I was reading a parody Website. Paraphrasing some quotes... "This is complete garbage"..."Is this the only way they can sell Spider-Man?"..."Someone needs to fire Quesada."
Yeah? Well someone needs to chillax!
Let me stress again that not a one of you who have complained on this site about the Obama-gate would have ordered extra copies if this was the regular cover with the story. There would have been just as much complaining from retailers. "Marvel didn't print enough for demand"..."Marvel doesn't care about the retailer"..."Someone needs to fire Quesada!"
I highly agree with Mike Milewski from M&M! This was a GREAT marketing stunt that pulled people into our stores and, yes, even put some green into our registers. Were some retailers blind sided? Yes, however, this is first and foremost a business! Decisions are made everyday about the running/handling of your store or what have you. Sometimes, if not all the time, you have to put personal feelings aside and do what is best for you operation, and if you think the business world owes you simply just "because" then you are living in a world of make believe, full of pixies and fairy dust.
I know my opinions aren't always popular or even politically correct for the comic industry (does that even fit?), but for all of you player haters who disagree with me, all I have to say is...
OBAMAAAAAAAAAA!
The opinions expressed in this Talk Back article are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.