ComicsPRO 2024 is now in the rearview mirror, so we’ve collected a round-up of big and small announcements related to the the way Retailers do business and what Publishers have on tap for the near- and long-term future.
What is ComicsPRO?
According to the ComicsPRO website:
ComicsPRO is a trade association for comic book retailers. We are a volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to improving the comic book specialty market. The power and strength of ComicsPRO comes from it’s members.
The goals of ComicsPRO spell CAPE:
COMMUNICATE: (Forums, Feeds, ComicsPROgress.com, Digital Newsletters)
ADVOCATE: (Lobby Industry Partners)
PROMOTE: (Industry Days, Industry Awards)
EDUCATE: (Annual Meeting, Online Education, Seminars at Conventions)
In effect, ComicsPRO is a convention that focuses on the business of comics. You won’t find a bunch of fancy cosplayers, flashy displays, or comic creators hyping their next project. This convention is all about the businesses who really on each other to form the foundation of the Comics Industry… emphasis on the word ‘Industry’.
Sometimes you have to weed through the fluff to get to the meat, so we’ve compiled a list of meaningful revelations below.
Announcements Affecting Retailers
ComicsPRO announces changes to it’s leadership board:
- Joe Murray of Captain Blue Hen is taking over as President of the Board
- Sienna Fulton will be replacing Tim Stoltzfus on one of the board seats
- The rest of the board remains intact
Per Lunar Distribution, DC, Image, Oni, Magma and Vault have agreed to affidavit returns.
- When comic shops have the option to return comics due to lack of sale, the shop staff would tear off the cover of each comic returned as proof that the comic isn’t being sold. It’s a manual, time-consuming process
- By switching to an affidavit agreement, shops would provide a signed statement instead of physically returning the covers.
- This move save the LCS time, labor, and shipping costs.
Big push for the Comet Standard adoption
The Comet Standard is a grass roots effort to standardize the way publishers and distributors use meta-data and descriptors for comics inventory, which makes developing new comic ordering and inventory tracking tools easier to develop.
Instead of DC describing an issue of Batman as “Batman, 145, Zdarsky, $4.99” but every other publisher providing the inventory data in a completely different format, the Comet Standard is an effort to get the publishers to use the same format.
When the publishers standardize, it’s less work for the LCS by eliminating the need to track publisher data on multiple spreadsheets or multiple systems in multiple formats.
Publisher Announcements
Marvel Comics
New Free Marvel Must-Haves Comics
Per the Marvel announcement and the follow-up press release (link):
These free issues collect multiple iconic issues that spotlight the Marvel characters and comic book series currently at the forefront of pop culture. These stories have been handpicked to get fans in-tune with current Marvel adventures and act as perfect jumping on points for new readers, too!
Here are the three thrilling issues collected in the first MARVEL MUST-HAVES one-shot (that’s more than 80 pages of comic book adventures for free!), available at comic shops next month:
MS. MARVEL: THE NEW MUTANT (2023) #1
Marvel holds the line (mostly) at $3.99
Per a Bleeding Cool news article (link):
“But at the ComicsPro retailer summit in Pittsburgh this week, we hear that Dan Buckley, President Of Marvel Entertainment stated that Marvel Comics will be emphasizing the $3.99 comic price point for most issues, going forward.”
DC Comics
DC made several announcements during its presentation and the subsequent press release (link)
- Absolute Power is the name of the big Summer event that will presumably (re)align a majority of the main DC titles in September and restore the Justice League as an ongoing. Written and drawn by Mark Waid and Dan Mora respectively, the event unites Amanda Waller, Failsafe, and Brainiac Queen in a bid to remove all superheroes from Earth. You can get an early peek at the event in the FCBD issue, 2024 Absolute Power Free Comic Book Day Special Edition, available on May 4, 2024.
- Elseworlds returns in June with a collection of monthly stories slated to run through November.
- DC will be releasing a series of paperback trades called DC Finest, character-specific trades that collect the best stories from individual characters during select eras. The first group of trades will focus on Superman, Flash, Batman, Catwoman, and Wonder Woman.
DC moves NCBD back to Wednesday
After nearly four years as the outlier, DC moves new releases back to Wednesday. Dustin Kitchens, Direct Market Sales Manager announced the move will happen later this year. No formal date was provided.
Image Comics
Image Announces creation of a Retailer Appreciation Award
Now that the Diamond Retailer Summits are officially no more, Image has stepped up to the fill the recognition void by recreating a fan-nominated award “to galvanize recognition of members of the Comic Book Direct Market retail community that are going above and beyond to serve their customers, expand readership, and grow a healthier marketplace.”
Anyone can nominate an LCS via this link.
BOOM! Studios
Via BOOM’s post-ComicsPRO press release (link), the publisher has a number of title announcements and retailer benefits to commemorate the publisher’s 20th Anniversary.
- BOOM! will be emphasizing the success of James Tynion IV’s title with anniversary issues of his works, including Something Is Killing The Children. Also, the acclaimed series, Erica Slaughter, returns from its hiatus in April.
- Jason Aaron returns to BOOM! to pen a new BRZKR series
- BOOM! Studios reiterated its mission to support and champion retailer partners in 2024.
- Coupled with Diamond’s newly announced 3% of retail flat shipping rate, BOOM! Studios reinforced its commitment to its 2% of retail weekly freight rebate, reducing retailer freight costs to a mere 1% of retail beginning April 1.
- Additionally, BOOM! Studios announced a deep discount sale that will run March 25 through April 5 so comic shops can take advantage of the improved shipping costs to restock their shelves.
- These initiatives augment BOOM! Studios’ industry-leading, consistent affidavit returnability program (BOOM! Guarantee), best-in-class marketing and sales resources, and point-of-sale materials.
Mad Cave Studios
Mad Cave is taking full advantage of it’s recently licensed properties. In addition to the forthcoming Dick Tracy series, Mad Cave is planning a slate of main titles, side titles, and one shots related to Gatchaman and Flash Gordon.
See the graphic below for titles and release dates on Gatchaman.
See the graphic below for titles and release dates on Flash Gordon.
We’ll continue to track subsequent announcements and publisher releases in the coming days.
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