April 21, 2009:
THE BLUEWATER COOLER: Publisher Darren G. Davis rants and raves about the comic industry: ISSUE 14
This is the 1st year we have participated in Free Comic Book Day. For those who do not know about the day, it is where you can go into a participating comic book store and load up on comic books for free. Most stores that I have been too have signings with artists, writers and creators. They do a big blow out on this day. It is a day where comic book stores and publishers try to get new readers into their stores.
This year our FCBD issue will feature all the William Shatner Presents line of comics. Starting with a 12 – page prologue of “Tek War” that you will not find in the single issue comics when they come out in June. Then will be a preview of “Man O’War” and a preview of “Quest for Tomorrow”. You will even get a glimpse of the 4th title that Shatner has created for Bluewater.
Shater along with “Tek War” writer Scott Davis and “Quest For Tomorrow” artist will be signing at Golden Apple comics in Los Angeles, from 1-3.
Free Comic Book Day should only be one part of getting new readers
into the stores. Back in the 90’s X-men sold 8 million copies. Now Marvel
and DC are still struggling to pass the 100,000 mark. What happened
to the readers? Did the video game industry kill comics?
I love this medium and want to see people coming back to comics. Since
we started doing the “Female Force” comics, we have gotten a lot of
phone calls asking where they can get them. We tell them to find their
local comic book store. Most people that we say this too are surprised
that there is such thing as comic stores. I live in a smaller town outside
of Portland and we have 2 of them.
As much as I want Bluewater’s sales numbers to go up…I want the whole industries to go up. I am noticing the DC comics that I collect are not coming out as much. I am one of those people who go to a comic book store once a week. I used to get 5-7 comics a week from my pull list, now I am getting 1-3 of them. You would think with the top movies of last year (Iron Man and the Dark Knight), doing so well, kids would start asking for comics --- but there does not seem to be really any spike in single issue comics….sigh!
So go out on May 2nd and grab yourself a bunch of Free Comics, then go into your comic book stores at least once a month and support the industry!!
We will be having some big news for Bluewater coming in the next couple weeks. So check back!!
Until next week!
Darren
