The Outhouse - The Greatest Comic Book Forum

[LOLtron]

With so many new DC #1's coming out in the month of September, at least one comic book retailer is offering an incentive to their customers who purchase all 52.

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The 2011 "Spirit of Comics" Eisner Finalist, The Comic Bug, is running with the excitement DC's 52 comic book reboot has created by coming-up with a fan-friendly promotion that may encourage customers to buy all 52 new #1's.

The Manhattane Beach, California community friendly comic shop is starting a promotion that gives every customer who buys all 52 reboot #1's, at The Comic Bug, a $100 voucher to spend on future DC reboot comic books. Customers will be able to pick-up bags of the follow-up #2's,  #3's and so forth (until their $100 voucher is depleted) of the new DC titles they actually wanted to continue reading.

            The yearly line of people at The Comic Bug on Free Comic Book Day

Mike Wellman, co-owner of The Comic Bug, states, "We are not so much concerned with people purchasing the #1's, as we are concerned with reader retention. Selling #1's isn't hard. Joe blow off the street may come in and buy a #1 because he heard about the DC thing on the news, or because he is just a #1 collector hoping that an investment pays off in the future. As a comic book retailer, I'm trying to cater towards the repeat customers and long lasting comic book fans by giving them a great deal; and, if we (retailers) can maybe get some of those #1 purchasers to read issues #2 and #3, maybe they'll discover a whole bunch of titles they may actually want to continue reading, and thus...purchasing. Does that make sense?"

It does to me, Mike!

By implementing this promotion the Comic Bug also fights the "comic shop verses digital comics" battle by heavily incentivizing the purchase of the physical copy. Starting with DC's new 52, DC will be releasing all of their comic books digitally the same day they hit shops. For DC fans, or comic fans in general, who want to get a bunch of free comics which consists of comics they were going to buy anyway...hell, fans might as well go into the shop. Granted, maybe a fan will have to purchase a couple extra DC #1's they didn't plan on collecting, but still...spending an extra $15 bucks to get a $100 voucher is a no-brainer!

In the end, The Comic Bug just wants more people reading comic books.

Wellman closes our weekly Wednesday chat by mentioning the Grant Morrison Rolling Stone interview. Morrison discusses the future of the comic industry by saying, "Every thing is available for free, I think that's the real problem, nobody wants to buy it (comics) anymore. One comes out, you see it immediately online and you can read it."

Wellman leaves me with these wise words, "...comics are the purest form of commercial artistic expression, and like Grant, I want to get people offline and inshop!"

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For more information on The Comic Bug and their upcoming promotion, check-out the Comic Bug's website (promotion not yet revealed online) or stop into the shop today! Tell 'em Dom sent you.

Also, if you are not in the Manhattan Beach, CA area...ask your local comic shop if they are doing any DC 52 promotions. And if they say no, ask, "Why not?!" and share with them this post.



For more comic related posts and reviews by Dom, head on over to 365DaysofComics.com!

Source: Mike Wellman - Co-Owner of The Comic Bug
Written or Contributed by: Dom G


http://173.199.169.70/index.php/news/comics-news/15413-dcs-52-inspires-retailers-to-get-creative.html/

[Jubilee]

DC urges retailers to get creative. "Someone certainly needs to" said Dan Didio.

[HNutz]

My LCS's having a midnight release party/sale...

[avengingtitan]

DC urges retailers to get creative. "Someone certainly needs to" said Dan Didio.

[fieldy snuts]

The guys that run my LCS cursing Dan and the gang.

Sales were already down in comparison to last financial year and they had to basically scrap all existing quantities and order a ton of books that they may or may not end up filling up the back issues sections. They're a relatively small store and this whole thing pretty much shook half their Diamond order list to hell.

I agree with them, before with event spin-outs you only had a handful of new titles and spin-offs to worry about and the demand for the events that causes this were a useful indicator. This on the other hand is a stab in the dark with no idea if they have enough books ordered or if they've ordered too much unless a customer tells them what they're getting.

I mean DC and Diamond has been bragging about how they've sold 200k copies of Justice League #1 and 5 other titles are over the 100k mark..yeah, sitting in warehouses with no indication on just how many will end up in a customers buy. I'd love to see the spin in 5 months time when orders are adjusted to actual demand quantities....I'm also wondering if this massive over-ordering by stores will make Brevoort's "covers for Marvel variants" a success in its own right.

[IvCNuB4]

DC urges retailers to get creative. "Someone certainly needs to" said Dan Didio.

And what's the newest, freshest, hottest thing from The House Of Ideas ?
More " friends vs friends and family vs family, with shock-waves and long-lasting repercussions that will rock the Marvel Universe to its core"

[Chesscub]

My shop is showing upticks in orders on some of the books. They've got a deal that if you order all the DC books for a given week you get a free variant (not the greatest incentive but it's something)

The other thing that they're doing is "Breakfast with the Bat" on Wednesday Aug 31. There's a guy that does guest appearances as Batman in places in the area. It's a fun idea but I can't go that day.

[Jubilee]

And what's the newest, freshest, hottest thing from The House Of Ideas ?
More " friends vs friends and family vs family, with shock-waves and long-lasting repercussions that will rock the Marvel Universe to its core"

I generally don't know. I don't know why people always turn what I say into a Marvel v DC thing. They both suck.

[sdsichero]

And what's the newest, freshest, hottest thing from The House Of Ideas ?
More " friends vs friends and family vs family, with shock-waves and long-lasting repercussions that will rock the Marvel Universe to its core"

Weird, I didn't see anything mentioned about Marvel in the quoted post...

[Chesscub]

I can see shops being nervous about this. It's challenges their forecasting processes they've had for a while because they now have no sell thru history on books.

I'm glad that DC is doing some books out of the superhero mainstream (the military books, the horror books)

[Herald]

DC urges retailers to get creative. "Someone certainly needs to" said Dan Didio.

[IvCNuB4]

I hear that in the DCnU Kimiyo Hoshi is a normal working-class single gal employed at a Dry Cleaner where she handles the "light starch" laundry

[e_galston]

I hear that in the DCnU Kimiyo Hoshi is a normal working-class single gal employed at a Dry Cleaner where she handles the "light starch" laundry

wait let me get this straight. you've been since this whole thing is announced saying that everyone needs to get behind it and DC is 'the shit' in EVERY post you make. And instead of you know trying to convince someone (yes i know its Herald and he's not gonna change his views) to pick up the books, you instead ridicule their favorite character. I might be over reacting, but its not really a good way to "drum up" interest in this reboot.

[Herald]

wait let me get this straight. you've been since this whole thing is announced saying that everyone needs to get behind it and DC is 'the shit' in EVERY post you make. And instead of you know trying to convince someone (yes i know its Herald and he's not gonna change his views) to pick up the books, you instead ridicule their favorite character. I might be over reacting, but its not really a good way to "drum up" interest in this reboot.

IvC is as pitiful a salesman as his Lord and Savior, Dan DiDio.

[IvCNuB4]

wait let me get this straight. you've been since this whole thing is announced saying that everyone needs to get behind it and DC is 'the shit' in EVERY post you make. And instead of you know trying to convince someone (yes i know its Herald and he's not gonna change his views) to pick up the books, you instead ridicule their favorite character. I might be over reacting, but its not really a good way to "drum up" interest in this reboot.

Are you over-reacing ? Yes.
Jesus. Lighten the fuck up, Drama Queen.

IvC is as pitiful a salesman as his Lord and Savior, Dan DiDio.

Dan is my Lord and Savior. I shall not want