Papercutz has announced its August releases, and there are several graphic novel products with strong commercial potential.

License Magazine has released its annual list of the 101 Leading Licensors, and Marvel held its #4 slot, growing from $4 billion to $5 billion in retail sales based on its brands. Pokemon USA , now on its own, was in 23rd, with a staggering $1.3 billion in sales in its 9th year!

Marvel's Toy Biz division has announced that it will release a new series of Marvel Legends figures exclusively through Wal-Mart in May.

Diamond sold almost 202,000 copies of Infinite Crisis #5 to comic stores in March, around an 11% increase over its sales of #4.

This week, Bennett looks at the publishing events being mounted by the Big Two comic publishers this summer.

Jim Brocius of Cosmic Comics in Las Vegas, Nevada saw the comments by Dean Phillips on the scary prospect of comics in Wal-Mart, and has a hard time believing that it's really a threat.

Marvel's press conference on Thursday was a discussion of Last Planet Standing and Spider-Girl #100.

Dean Phillips of Krypton Comics in Omaha, Nebraska saw Joe Field's comments on Wal-Mart, and adds his thoughts on why Wal-Mart is 'scary.'

Long-time X-Men writer Chris Claremont has returned to New York after being hospitalized while attending the Bologna Book Fair in Italy .

This week, between his always entertaining asides, Bennett covers in-store salesmanship.