AOL Time Warner is taking its consumer book group, which includes Warner Books and Little Brown, off the market because the giant media conglomerate was unable to get 'a price that reflected the value of the asset.'  The recent sale of its stake in the cable network Comedy Central for $1.2 billion has evidently given AOL Time Warner the financial breathing room that it needs to avoid letting go of its publishing arm at a fire sale price.  This news matters to pop culture retailers because it means that DC Comics will continue to be able to take advantage of an excellent 'in-house' book distribution system.  By using Warner Books and the WEA distribution arm, DC pioneered the current trend toward graphic novel publishing, which has altered the economics of comic book publishing and helped gain new readers for comic book publications.