Canadian retailer joins ComicsPRO board
Calum Johnston
Comic book retail organization ComicsPRO welcomes its first-ever Canadian director with a recent change to its board.
Calum Johnston, owner of Strange Adventures in Halifax, Nova Scotia has been selected to fill a board vacancy of the direct-market comic-book retailer trade association.
Chris Powell, general manager of the Lone Star Comics chain in the Dallas metroplex, resigned from the board. Gary Dills, co-owner of The Laughing Ogre, with stores in Virginia and Ohio, has been named vice president of ComicsPRO, taking on the post left vacant with Powell’s departure.
“It’s great to welcome Calum Johnston to our board as the first ComicsPRO director from north of the border, ” said Joe Field, ComicsPRO President and owner of Concord CA’s Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff, in a release. “I’ve known and admired Calum’s work as a retailer for many years and I’m sure he’ll bring new energy and a fresh perspective to the ComicsPRO board. This should also send a message to comic specialty retailers everywhere that ComicsPRO is serious about about representing the interests of all our retailing brethren.”
Johnston worked as a disc jockey, graphic designer and bartender among other jobs before starting Strange Adventures in 1992. Johnston received the prestigious Will Eisner “Spirit of Comics” Award for retailing excellence in 2001.
“I’m very honoured to be asked to join the board,” said Johnston. “The aims of the group are to help comic book retailers and I will do my best to help the board and the membership anyway I can.”
Outgoing board member Chris Powell served on the ComicsPRO Board of Directors for the last four years and was recently named President of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. He said in a statement:
“It’s become clear in the weeks since I ran for re-election that the stresses of running seven stores and a mail order business during ‘interesting’ economic times, plus being on the Boards of Directors of two non-profit organizations is just too much for me. I will remain an active member of ComicsPRO, available to help out on the mentoring forum and other projects. I love what this organization has done, and am very optimistic about what it will accomplish in the future.”
For more information about ComicsPRO, visit www.ComicsPRO.org.
– Matt Price
Chicago retailer named to ComicsPRO board
Eric Kirsammer
ComicsPRO has named retailer Eric Kirsammer of Chicago Comics to the open spot on the organization’s board of directors.
Kirsammer has owned Chicago Comics since 1991 and received the Will Eisner “Spirit of Comics” Retailing Award in 1997. Kirsammer purchased Quimby’s bookstore in 1997.
Kirsammer was appointed to fill the board position of Ben Trujillo, of Star Clipper in St. Louis, Mo. Trujillo resigned to focus more fully on his MOBY point-of-sale system for comic retail outlets.
ComicsPRO is a retailer trade organization for comic book specialty stores. Its 140 member-retailers comprise approximately 180 storefronts.
– Matt Price
Geoff Johns on Flash: Rebirth, Blackest Night
DC Comics writer Geoff Johns talks to Matt Price about “Blackest Night” and “Flash: Rebirth” at the ComicsPRO annual meeting in Memphis.
Flash, Green Lantern in spotlight in 2009
WORD BALLOONS
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Flash and Green Lantern will be the “cornerstones” of the DC Universe in the coming year, said writer Geoff Johns, speaking at the ComicsPRO annual members’ meeting last week.
ComicsPRO is a nonprofit organization of direct-market comic store retailers.
Johns is the writer of the upcoming “Flash: Rebirth,” slated for release on April 1, and “Blackest Night,” which kicks off with a free No. 0 issue on May 2, Free Comic Book Day. “Blackest Night” No. 0 is the first original story created by DC for a FCBD giveaway. The first half of the book will be by Johns and Ivan Reis.
“It’s a 12-page story that’s a lead-in to the DC Universe through Hal Jordan (Green Lantern) and Barry Allen (Flash),” Johns said. “I look at Hal and Barry as very different in how they’re coming into the DC Universe.”
The Flash died a hero in “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” saving the world from the Anti-Monitor, before returning in “Final Crisis” last year. Hal Jordan was turned evil by the entity Parallax and destroyed the Green Lantern Corps before dying in the “Final Night” series. In the 2004 series “Green Lantern: Rebirth,” Hal Jordan was purged of the entity and returned as a hero.
“There’s a line in (”Blackest Night” No. 0) where Hal says, ‘You died a saint and I died a sinner,’” Johns said, referring to the different situations in which the two close friends now find themselves.
Barry Allen returning from the dead is “the worst thing that ever happened to him,” Johns said.
“I think a lot of people are wondering why we’re bringing Barry Allen back,” Johns said. “But really ‘Flash: Rebirth’ is knee-deep in doing what we do best.”
“Flash: Rebirth” is from the creative team of “Green Lantern: Rebirth,” Johns and artist Ethan Van Sciver.
DC Executive Editor Dan DiDio announced that, based on pre-orders, “Flash: Rebirth” No. 1 will be DC Comics’ top book for April.
“Blackest Night” No. 1 will launch July 15, written by Johns and drawn by Reis. It will tie in with “Green Lantern” and “Green Lantern Corps.”
“I’ve been working really hard on Green Lantern for the last few years,” Johns said. “When we did (the) Sinestro Corps (storyline), it was kind of a surprise for a lot of people,” Johns said. “But now that we’re headed toward ‘Blackest Night,’ the fact that readers, retailers, DC, everybody’s really excited about it, that gets me excited, because I’ve been wanting to tell this story for a long time.”
By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Filip Sablik talks Berserker, Fusion
Matt Price interviews Top Cow Publisher Filip Sablik at the ComicsPRO Annual Meeting in Memphis, Tenn.
Top Cow to launch Milo Ventimiglia’s Berserker
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Norse warriors are loosed on the modern world in “Berserker,” a new Top Cow series spearheaded by actor Milo Ventimiglia.
Top Cow Publisher Filip Sablik said the violent series should appeal to fans of “Wanted.” In the story, the two lead characters discover they have incredible strength when they become filled with rage.
“It’s all about these ordinary people who find out that they’re descended from Norse berserkers, these fierce warriors,” Sablik said at the ComicsPRO annual meeting. “But at this point, it’s so underneath, they have no control over it. It’s an uncontrollable rage, and they basically fly off the handle like we all do, but when they fly off the handle, things and people break.”
A special signed variant-cover edition of “Berserker” No. 1 will be distributed to comic-book retailers who sign up to support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund through Diamond Comics. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund was is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of First Amendment rights for members of the comics community.
The issue will be signed by Ventimiglia and the writer and artist of the book. Retailers can sign up in the April Previews magazine.
Ventimiglia brought the project to Top Cow; the team creating “Berserker” is made up of writer Rick Loverd (”Friday Night Lights”), artist Jeremy Haun (”Civil War: Iron Man/Captain America”) and cover artist Dale Keown (”PITT”).
“Berserker” started as a screenplay from Loverd, a staff writer on “Friday Night Lights.” Ventimiglia, who portrays the superpowered Peter Petrelli on “Heroes,” and his producing partner Russ Cundiff both loved the script. But they thought the violence could make it a hard sell.
“They found this screenplay. They read it. They loved it; and they said, no one in their right mind is going to make this as a TV show or a movie – we should totally buy this,” Sablik said. “Both Russ and Milo are comics fans, so they said this would be perfect for comics fans.”
The preview issue of “Berserker” is available now; the first issue is set to ship in June.
– Matthew Price
From Wednesday’s The Oklahoman
ComicsPRO meeting: Thoughts and comments
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — As the third annual ComicsPRO members’ meeting drew to a close, retailers said they felt refreshed and recharged from the three-day conference.
“This experience has refined my understanding of what my job is,” said Atom! Freeman, of Brave New World Comics in Santa Clarita, Calif. “The day to day can really muddy your perceptions … being in a room full of people who know what you’re going through can refine what is you should be doing.”
Several retailers revealed in informal conversation that they believe the ComicsPRO conference to be the most important event on the comics retail calendar; the increasing membership and presence of the largest suppliers, most available to connect with on a one-to-one basis, would seem to bear that out.
While some retailers shared fears with me prior to the meeting, after the meeting, retailers said they felt better prepared to face the challenges of the future.
Some additional notes:
– While I plan much more in-depth coverage on this later, I’ll say now that talking to Geoff Johns about the upcoming “Flash: Rebirth” and “Blackest Night” has me very excited about the DC Universe in 2009.
– Vertigo’s “The Unwritten” (pictured) by Mike Carey and Peter Gross looks to be a must for Harry Potter fans over the age of 17.
– Diamond Comics announced a plan to import magazine/figure combos, similar to the Eaglemoss Marvel and DC magazines, featuring Star Wars characters and vehicles.
– Dark Horse Comics announced their intention to more clearly communicate with retailers about stock levels, when items would be unavailable, and when they might become available again.
– Joe Keatinge of Image received positive feedback to his preview of “Viking,” shipping April 1, by Ivan Brandon and Nic Klein.
– Filip Sablik of Top Cow showed lots of amazing artwork that we hope to have to show at Nerdage later, including art from Marvel Fusion, featuring Cyberforce, Hunter/Killer, Avengers and Thunderbolts.
– Matt Price
ComicsPRO attendees tour new comics distribution center
OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. — ComicsPRO meeting attendees toured the new facility of Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc., to close out this year’s annual meeting.
The 600,000-square-foot distribution center replaces three such centers previously housed in Memphis. Diamond has two additional distribution centers, in Plattsburgh, N.Y. and in Los Angeles. The Olive Branch facility is now the most technologically advanced of the bunch. The new inventory control system allows workers to pick items via computerized voice commands over a headset, and the quality control system will eventually be able to all but eliminate short-packed boxes with mechanisms that will make sure shipment weights are correct within ounces.
After the tour and a catered barbecue dinner, Diamond representatives answered questions from attendees about the facility and other distribution topics. Retailers said the answers they received, and the tour of the facility itself, helped to calm fears brought on by some shipping issues as the system was being implemented.
Diamond representatives acknowledged there were still kinks being worked out, but that once the system was fully implemented, it would be more efficient and cost-effective for everyone.
– Matt Price
ComicsPRO directors elected
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The results of the ComicsPRO board member elections were announced at the ComicsPRO annual meeting. Named to the three ComicsPRO director positions up for election were Joe Field, Brian Hibbs and Chris Powell. The board also announced its officers: Field was re-elected as President; Chris Powell was named President Pro-Tempore; Amanda Emmert was named Corporate Secretary/Treasurer; and Carr D’Angelo was named Recording Secretary.
More information from ComicsPRO about the elected directors:
Joe Field has owned and operated Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff in the suburban city of Concord CA since 1988. He is a recipient of the Will Eisner “Spirit of Comics” Award for retailing excellence. He previously worked in the broadcasting field and has also done freelance public relations. Joe is also the founder of Free Comic Book Day, the industry’s only coordinated outreach effort.
Joe is a founding member of ComicsPRO, having donated his time and energy to the organization in its formative stages. In addition to running board meetings and overseeing the work of ComicsPRO’s Communications Coordinator, Joe also is the Chair of the Public Relations committee and is a member of the Mentoring and Member Benefits committees.
In his duties as ComicsPRO’s president, Field has attended numerous industry events to find new members for ComicsPRO and to increase awareness for the organization. These events include ComicsPRO members meetings in Las Vegas and a member recruitment meeting in Philadelphia, as well as giving his time to attend and run retailer programming at Comic-Con International-San Diego.
Chris Powell is the General Manager of the north Texas-based Lone Star Comics and mycomicshop.com.
Powell has been with Lone Star since 1989 and has worked at every level of the organization. He has served on the Board for 3 years and as ComicsPRO’s President Pro Tem for 1. At the ComicsPRO meeting, Powell was named president of the Board of Directors of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
Brian Hibbs opened Comix Experience in San Francisco at the age of 21, on April Fool’s Day, 1989. He was a founding member of the ComicsPRO board of directors.
Ben Trujillo, of Star Clipper in St. Louis, Mo., announced his resignation from the board. He told the assembled membership his retail business and his responsibilities to his software development business, which handles the point-of-sale system MOBY, made it impossible to dedicate the needed time to the board. Field thanked Trujillo for his time on the board, and the membership applauded Trujillo’s time on the board with a standing ovation.
The remaining board members are Rick Lowell, Phil Boyle and Gary Dills.
– Matt Price
ToW Distribution promotes selling bargain books
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Joe Havorka, president of ToW Distribution, a distributor specializing in remainder books, talked to assembled retailers at the ComicsPRO annual meeting about sales possibilities in bargain graphic novels.
Havorka said he believes stores who designate a “bargain book” section can see returns on a percentage basis that exceeds that of new merchandise.
ToW Distribution sells graphic novels and related merchandise to retail stores. Retailers who want to apply for an account can do so at www.towdistribution.com/
– Matt Price
