Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk is a weekly column by Kendall Swafford of Up Up Away! in Cincinnati, Ohio. This week, Kendall looks at the ComicsPRO early release controversy and a couple of other recent events that are changing the industry.Whew! Here we are at the end of January, and we've already: celebrated DC's price rollback and Day-Early-Delivery from Diamond, lost both Wizard magazine and the Comics Code Authority (good riddance to both!) and witnessed a minor controversy right here on ICv2 that I for once wasn’t involved in!
The controversy is of course, Marvel granting an early on-sale date for the new Orson Scott Card comic Formic Wars #1 to all ComicsPRO members. Distribution concerns came into play, and the early release promotion was cancelled before it could happen, but not before a whole lotta stink was raised by a relatively few, non-ComicsPRO members over the very idea that membership has its privileges. Unfortunately, these "squeaky wheels," rather deliberately or inadvertently, are overshadowing many of the positives that come along with a ComicsPRO membership.
Since I started this column, I've been accused of many things, including muckraking, so I was just gonna sit this one out, but I can't. Here's what I know; I get far more FROM ComicsPRO than I give TO ComicsPRO. Some people simply aren't joiners. I almost talked myself out of joining three years ago. I figured "What do I need with those guys? I'm just one little store in Ohio." The talk here, as well as on the CBIA forum, is that ComicsPRO is somehow elitist, and I’ve never found that to be the case. I've never been made to feel like my voice was unimportant, or that my point-of-view was less valid simply because I was a new member, or not a chain of stores, or not located on the west coast. Everyone I've ever met through ComicsPRO has been friendly and welcoming, to say the least.
The publishers that attend the ComicsPRO annual meeting respect us as a group as well as individuals, and the annual meeting has become my favorite trip of the year. I see old friends, make a few new ones, and get more business done in three days (and nights) than I do at every other convention or trade show combined.
Some see the early comic release for ComicsPRO members as misguided, or somehow outside the purview of the organization's mission, and I'm not sure I disagree. Which means I’m not sure I agree, either. Marvel gives rare variant covers to MRRC members, which is a paid, members-only organization and no one complains. Marvel also produces "premiere variants" for launch-day parties, which are opt-in events for a fee, and no one complains. DC, Marvel and others have produced variant covers with ratios as high as 250:1, which are purchasing incentives, and no one complains. I'm not sure I see this as any different.
ComicsPRO does an awful lot of good. While they can't (and didn't) take credit for day-early delivery becoming a reality, I know they were instrumental in convincing/cajoling both the publishers and Diamond to make it happen, and that benefits all retailers, CPRO members and non-members alike. Joe Field may have been a little cavalier when he said "You're not going to beat us, so you might as well join us" but I understood where he was coming from. I haven't spoken to Joe about this (yet), but I'm sure it's more than a little frustrating being accused of doing wrong when you work so hard to do so much good, and as the president of the organization, are relying on an all-volunteer army to affect a positive change on an industry that can be incredibly petty and small-minded. My words, not Joe's.
Having read ICv2 Monday morning, I appreciate (non-member) Downtown Comics' Michael Costello's suggestions, not only toward this particular topic, but some of his ideas for future benefits for ComicsPRO members. Michael, the annual meeting is open to members and non-members alike, and I would love to see you come to Dallas next week. I've been in all four of your fine stores before, and you seem to be a retailer headed in a positive direction. As for continuing the conversation, it really behooves anyone that has concerns, questions or suggestions for the group to reach out to Amanda Emmert, our Executive Director using the contact information on the ComicsPro Website. Amanda is more than happy to answer anyone's questions and/or address any concerns you might have.
I’ve been a very vocal proponent of ComicsPRO in the very column, and I didn't want to chime in and appear to simply be towing the company line. If you’re frustrated with a deal that requires membership into an organization such as ComicsPRO (or the MRRC, for that matter) consider joining. But don’t drag the org down simply because you choose to be on the outside looking in. Succeed or fail, I’ll never apologize for making the effort to separate my business from the herd.
****
Ah, the Comics Code Authority... we hardly knew ye. The fact that it took until 2011 for this misguided relic to finally go away underscores how reluctant this business is to change. As I understand it, DC's lawyers are handling the cleanup and all the records associated with the CCA are being forwarded to DC. I hope one day soon someone makes the effort to archive all of the historical information. I think it might paint a very interesting picture of the industry over the last 50+ years. The Comics Code saved an industry that was at one time afraid of its own shadow, and of course went on to neuter the very industry it was created to save. The behind-the-scenes story those documents could tell would be fascinating, to say the least.
****
Wizard: The Guide to Comics is no more. And like the CCA, it outlived its usefulness some years ago. It's always sad for those who lost gainful employment due to Wizard's demise, so let me say that I'm very sorry for the families affected, but Wizard did as much harm in its own way as the CCA has done over the years. I think we would all agree that at one time, Wizard had too much inside information as a news source to also publish a price guide as well as operate an online store. I for one am not sorry to see it go.
****
With all the changes January has wrought, I suspect we may look back on comiXology's recent press release as the most significant change this month, if not in all of 2011. (It's early yet, so there's no way I'm gonna stand by that prediction.) David Steinberger and his team are at the forefront of the digital comics biz, and I can’t wait to see David in Dallas and hear more about what he has planned. As I've stated before, I'm not afraid of digital. It's here to stay, and we all have to find a way to either profit from it, or remain profitable in spite of it.
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.