“Bone” creator Jeff Smith is auctioning off his only comic-book store appearance for 2008-2009 for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. The auction will be for members of the ComicsPRO trade organization only, with bidding held on the ComicsPRO forum from Oct. 5-12.
There’s still time for interested stores to sign up for ComicsPRO to get in on the bidding - for more info, visit www.comicspro.org.
– Matt Price
(full press release after the break)
Vaneta Rogers at Newsarama talked to several retailers about “Amazing Spider-Man” sales post-”Brand New Day.”
There’s a few names there you should recognize (including mine). Seems like the general consensus is that “Amazing” three times sells better than “Amazing” and two spinoff titles, but not as well as previous “Amazing” numbers for some.
– Matt Price
BOOM! Studios and iFanboy.com are running auctions to benefit David Pirkola, the comic-book retailer recently shot during a robbery.
Artist Jeffrey Brown (”Clumsy”) is a friend and customer of Pirkola, of Kentwood, Michigan. Brown is auctioning off Warhammer 40,000 tribute art to benefit Pirkola here. Brown is offering the piece in conjunction with iFanboy.com and BOOM! Studios.
Brown directed Death Cab For Cutie’s “Your Heart Is An Empty Room” musical video and has also appeared on NPR’s “This American Life.” His latest book, “Little Things,” was released last month
“I became a father a year and a half ago, so it’s been a while since I’ve had the time to field my Ultramarines force or let my epic scale ork gargants rampage across the battlefield,” said Brown in a release. “I keep up with the comics, novels, and White Dwarf magazine, but spend more time playing with buses and trucks now. It was a great experience to work on this page and get back to the game that I love, and it was even better knowing I could help David by doing it.”
In addition to the artwork, iFanboy.com will also auction several rare BOOM! comics.
“This is why I love comics,” said Chip Mosher, BOOM! Studios’ Marketing and Sales Director, in a release. “They are exciting, escapist fantasies that take us to new worlds, but in a split second used to help people in ours. Hopefully this page will raise money to aid Mr. Pirkola and give fans of WARHAMMER 40,000 something exciting to look at as well.”
The auction starts today at http://www.ifanboy.com/content/articles/David_Pirkola_Charity_Auction. So far, fundraising campaigns have raised $7,000 for Pirkola’s medical and business expenses.
– Matt Price
1060
Art from “Star Trek: Assignment Earth” #1
Kyle Roberts and I discuss “Star Trek: Assignment Earth” #1, by John Byrne; “Justice League of America” #21, by Dwayne McDuffie and Carlos Pacheco; and the career and legacy of retailer Rory Root, all on today’s comics podcast.
– Matt Price
Writer Beau Smith posts his remembrances of retailer Rory Root here. Joe Field, of Flying Colors Comics in Concord, Calif, posted some more thoughts about Rory at the Flying Colors web site. Meanwhile, lots of people continue to post their recollections of Rory at the Comic Relief web site, Rory’s store, which the staff assures everyone will remain open. The Comic Relief Web site also lets people know they can make a donation in Rory’s name to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
Here’s a bit from Beau’s column that I thought was particularly apt:
Rory was unselfish with his knowledge of not only comics, but more importantly his knowledge of people. Rory never forgot what it was like to be that person looking for something entertaining to read. He could relate to the child, the teenager, the college student, the collector and the adult seeking to regain a small piece of their childhood. Rory may have forgotten that he had worn the same shirt a couple of days in a row, but he never forgot the mug in his hand and a friend. With Rory Root, you always had a friend, not only in comics, but in life as well.
– Matt Price
San Francisco retailer Brian Hibbs wrote a column about his friend Rory Root, the innovative retailer at Comic Relief in Berkeley, Calif., who passed away yesterday.
Several other people are writing about Rory, including Warren Ellis, Brian Wood, Chris Ryall, Neil Gaiman, Paul Levitz, as well as more in retailer and comic-book message boards. There’s also a tribute up at Comic Relief’s Web site. The Comics Reporter has a bio and a roundup of more links.
Rory was a pioneer in retailing, and was personally helpful to me in the early days of my store. Like the rest of those in the comics world, I’m going to miss him.
– Matt Price
Innovative comic-book retailer Rory Root has died, following emergency surgery. ComicsPRO president Joe Field wrote about Rory at the ComicsPRO blog, asking for thoughts and prayers for his friends and family.
Rory is the owner of Comic Relief in Berkeley, Calif., an Eisner-award winning comic book store that was an early embracer of the graphic novel movement.
Joe also has a tribute up at his store’s site:
Rory was a friend of mine for more than 20 years…and years before that, he was the guy I dealt with when I was buying old comics from the old Comic Relief predecessor Best of Two Worlds in Berkeley.
Rory was also one of the industry’s most influential retailers, embracing the book-store model in the comic specialty market long before most of his retailing contemporaries. With his huge presence, his ever-present coffee mug and stylish hats, Rory was an easily-recognized retailing luminary at every event he attended.
I miss him already.
Rest in peace, my friend.
——————————-
This has been tough for me to report on — Rory was a friend of mine as well, and a frequent source of good advice about comic-book retail. I last saw him at the ComicsPRO meeting in Las Vegas, and assumed I’d see him in a couple of months in San Diego. This is a sad day for comics retailing; really, for all of comics.
– Matt Price
Comic Zone Radio talked about the rise and fall of Sparkle City Comics with Jay Maybruck, one of the most prominent comic-book dealers of the 70s and 80s, in a recent podcast. Check it out here.
– Matt Price
The Grand Rapids Press reports that comic book retailer David Pirkola, owner and operator of Apparitions Comics and Books in Grand Rapids, Michigan was robbed at his store and then shot by the robber.
According to the Grand Rapids Press, Pirkola is in critical but stable condition in a local hospital.
iFanboy.com has set up a Paypal account to accept donations to help cover the cost of Pirkola’s medical treatment and to help keep his store going. iFanboy is also in the process of setting up auctions and other fund-raisers to help Pirkola.
To donate, go online to iFanboy.com.
The Beat has the analysis of Marvel’s February sales numbers, and I’ve got to join in with writer Paul O’Brien’s massive “huh?” over the way the chart shook out.
“X-Force” No. 1 debuts at No. 1; I don’t know when the last time the X-Force title outsold the main X-Men titles but I’d be willing to guess it was in the Rob Liefeld heyday of 1991.
In addition, the “Ultimates” team of Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch take over “Fantastic Four.” This seemed to O’Brien, and other industry watchers, to be a sure No. 1 book — it instead hits the charts at No. 8, with estimated sales of 92,000.
“Fantastic Four” landed behind “New Avengers,” “Hulk,” “Thor,” “Ultimates” and one of this month’s three issues of “Amazing Spider-Man.”
“Thor” continuing to hold down the No. 4 spot overall (behind X-Force, New Avengers and one of the “Amazing Spider-Man” issues) is good news for the title. Writer J. Michael Straczynski is exploring some options at DC, but for the moment, the Asgardian hero and his Oklahoma setting appear to be connecting with readers.
Basically, we’re in the calm before the storm when “Secret Invasion” hits — as such, the chart is down a bit, but perhaps more interesting for it.
