Comic Book Resources

Greg is my new favorite character.

Hehe, I like that last line. Are Magic cards still popular? If not, that makes the joke even funnier.

"That rang true. Follow me."

Ha! Great line, great delivery.

Cool!

Though Josh looks a bit weird... Has he lost weight, but put it on his face?

Shouldn't the name of this strip be changes to, "The Award Winning Comics Critics"?

Sigh, my shop was under-shipped on Scott Pilgrim too. My shop guy also assured me that my copy was on it's way, and I was also tempted to go across town to get a copy.

But loyalty to my little shop stopped me. Still sad, though.

How about a 'Greg is my Homeboy' T-shirt?

Or "changed"

I also feel like something's different about the art style. Not really worse or better, just...different. Maybe the lines are thicker? Is Brandon experimenting with a different style?

Anyway, good stuff all around.

This strip is really growing on me. The last two or three episodes have been some of the best yet. Great job, Sean and Brandon.

"I can't read it a week late, I'll be a social pariah"

---even one of the posters here reflected that point-of-view.... It's so sad that patience and loyalty for a local comics store is so lacking.....

What difference would a week make????

I also feel like something’s different about the art style. Not really worse or better, just…different. Maybe the lines are thicker? Is Brandon experimenting with a different style?

Brandon has mentioned that in the comments the last few weeks.

He is using a different style.

Good stuff. More Scott Pilgrim jokes = the funny.
I'm actually about to read volume 5 for the second time already...

"What difference would a week make????"

It makes one helluva difference IF your world REVOLVES around the said item.

THAT being said, I STILL haven't gotten my GARTH ENNIS BATTLEFIELDS: DEAR BILLY # 1!!!!!!

I'm chomping at the bit!
I'm tearing my hair out at the roots!
I'm grinding my molars down to the nubs!
I'm bouncing off the wall!
I'm suffering from ENNIS withdrawal!!!!

All kidding aside, you get the idea.

I really enjoyed your comment, Tom F!

I like that you guys are starting to make it more character driven, while still topical to the fandom you're writing it for. Reminds me of old-school CAD. Good job.

I honestly don't get the joke here. Is it that fans of different types of comics both get mad when they're late?

Yeah I slightly altered my drawing style in the last few strips.

Before I would use various width PS brushes (5-20 pixels) to get a nice polished look. I would retrace some lines to get added thickness. Though I noticed I would lose some of the expressiveness of my rough.

Recently, I switched to a 30 pixel width brush and use different brush pressures to get various line widths. I think this gives a little more expressiveness to my lines though I lose a little "polish" to my finished art.

I didn't get it either. People don't like it when their comic books are late. Try as I might I don't see the joke in there.

Sean and Brandon are getting into a nice groove here. They've reached a level of confidence that allows them to tell jokes about their characters rather than just observations about "comics culture". This week's strips work because we've gotten to know Marrisa and Josh.

I honestly don’t get the joke here. Is it that fans of different types of comics both get mad when they’re late?

I didn’t get it either. People don’t like it when their comic books are late. Try as I might I don’t see the joke in there.

The joke is that Diamond doesn't care if you read spandex books or smaller press stuff, you are subject to the same shipping delays, and this particular small comic shop is resigned to fans buying stuff from bigger retailers and taking advantage of their pricing and wider variety of merchandise to keep their regulars and staff happy.

"What difference would a week make????"

It depends on how in to the story you are, I guess. I've never read Scott Pilgrim so I could care less when it comes out. However, if I was a reader and frequented indy comic blogs and/or message boards I'd be going crazy if I had to tip toe around trying to avoid spoilers.

Oh, heh, now I get it. Thanks, joshschr.

Marissa was extra disappointed because the last Scott Pilgrim came out about a year ago.*

Which reminds me. Three strips about Scott Pilgrim?!? Get a new joke, guys!**

*Established in Comic Critics #34. Ed.

**Just kidding.

Why is the shop a 'complete embarrassment' just because Diamond screws them over? If you ordered the damn book and Diamond just dicked you over, it's not your fault.

Now, when I walk into your shop and ask for *Comic book name here*, and you tell me you DIDN'T order it because "that book doesn't sell", THEN you're an embarrassment.

The CC strips about the conflict between the (seemingly only) two types of comics tastes always makes me a little sad. I can remember when the range of choices was broader than just the kind of stuff Main Guy likes and the stuff Whatserface is into.
Yeah, maybe it's not as reductive as all that in the real world, but sometimes it seems almost that bad.

Now, when I walk into your shop and ask for *Comic book name here*, and you tell me you DIDN’T order it because “that book doesn’t sell”, THEN you’re an embarrassment.

I dunno, let's take Scott Pilgrim as a fer instance.

You order a copy of Volume 1.

It doesn't sell.

You order a copy of Volume 2.

It doesn't sell.

You don't order Volumes 3-4.

No one asks for it.

You don't order Volume 5.

Someone comes in and asks for it.

How's that an embarrassment? You're really supposed to lay out the money for a book that hasn't sold a copy in five years?

Good luck finding scott pilgrim at any of the stores in my area. Vol. 1-5 are GONE. Great comic once again.

How’s that an embarrassment? You’re really supposed to lay out the money for a book that hasn’t sold a copy in five years?

Not that I don't see your point Brian, but I'd say it's an embarrassment if you have 20 copies of Uncanny X-men 503 on the shelf waiting to get thrown in a quarter bin and no extra copies of more indie titles with some measurable buzz or fan base. My preferred LCS has tons of extra copies of X-titles, Wolverine, Bat-Titles, but not 1 extra copy of Doctor Who, Scott Pilgrim, Young Liars etc. If you're really a store that markets heavily to comic fans and not just a game/card store that carries some comics, it would be kind of embarrassing to be out of title like Scott Pilgrim on new comic day.

However, I'll plead ignorance on what kind of capital outlay is involved in these decisions.

How’s that an embarrassment? You’re really supposed to lay out the money for a book that hasn’t sold a copy in five years?

If you can't get Scott Pilgrim to sell, then you are an embarrassment.

"it would be kind of embarrassing to be out of title like Scott Pilgrim on new comic day."

Unless there was a freeze on reorders because the Diamond warehouse is being moved, and you were counting on reorders to make sure you had extra stock, for a variety of technical reasons not worth going into. Maybe?

There is more to comic retail than simply being embarassing. Sometimes there are actual technical glitches that throw a wrench in the works. YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST

Hmm, I like this comic, but it seems to be lacking a rather a obvious character: The manga obsessed 'otaku.' Isn't that set apart from either the indie snob or the superhero fanatic?

Brian:

What I've found to be most common is that when a retailer says 'that book doesn't sell', it means they didn't bother ordering it at all, or if they did order, they did absolutely nothing to promote the book.

Now, if you're saying that S.P. doesn't have a huge following due to its inconsistent publishing schedule, that's all well and good and that can be detrimental to any book's success, certainly.

But when I said "insert comic book name here" I guess I should have cited examples of books I've been told "didn't / don't sell" over the years:

BONE
BONEYARD
BPRD*
CONCRETE
DANGER UNLIMITED
FINDER
GALAXION
HELLBOY*
JOHN BYRNE'S NEXT MEN
THE NOCTURNALS
PERHAPANAUTS
STRANGERS IN PARADISE
THIEVES & KINGS
WANDERING STAR

Just to name a few.

* - And I'm talking as recently as 14 months ago, when I moved to Columbia and asked my LCS where they were. "Oh, those never sold well, so we stopped carrying them." Really. And then I'm around demanding it and getting others to ask for it, and the new movie comes out, and now they sell 15 copies each on the shelf and another 20 on pulls. *Because the guy who does the ordering went to see HELLBOY 2 and liked it*. Go figure. So, was it that the books don't sell, or just that the person in charge of the orders didn't bother?

I find it's more that, than an issue like Pilgrim's though certainly I agree it would be difficult to garner an audience if you don't have a reasonable publishing schedule.

Oh yeah, B-R, I can totally see you pointing out that a particular store you've been to was lame. That's fair.

Just saying that that particular complaint is, well, you know, a particular complaint, not a general one.

but it seems to be lacking a rather a obvious character: The manga obsessed ‘otaku.’

You've been reading my notes!

Brian:

"Oh yeah, B-R, I can totally see you pointing out that a particular store you’ve been to was lame. That’s fair.

Just saying that that particular complaint is, well, you know, a particular complaint, not a general one."

Brian:

As for the Hellboy / BPRD, that was just the LCS I actually go to currently. There are eight shops locally, and none of the other seven stores in the local area carry them either - I know, because I was looking for BPRD / HB backstock in December and phoned around to save on gas, and was told as much. I also learned that none of them carried The Goon, Perhapanauts, The Nocturnals, Umbrella Academy, Dynamo 5, Proof... in fact the general consensus was if it's Image, either it's Spawn or Top Cow (Witchblade, Tomb Raider or Darkness specifically at that), or we don't carry it, and if it's Dark Horse, it's Star Wars / Aliens / Predator / Buffy, or we don't carry it.

And I received that same attitude at 12 of the 15 comics shops I visited in the greater Las Vegas area between 1996-2007 as well.

And we don't even have to get into self-published / indie books.

So is it a 'particular store' issue, or is it apathy and laziness that is widespread across the retail community? I say it's the latter.