The Power of Free!

This was written by Joe Field and originally published in his "Big Picture" column in the August 2001 issue of Comics & Games Retailer. 

The Power of Free
Every good idea is worth stealing --- er, adapting


In December of 1997, I was asked to contribute to the "Year In Review" issue of Diamond’s Dialogue magazine. Here’s a bit of what I suggested then:

"We need a concerted effort by all facets of the industry to grow the market for comics. What I’d like to

see is the industry agree to set aside a month in 1998 to create an "open house" for comics, inviting everyone who has ever read a comic book (or comic strip, for that matter) into our stores --- asking as many people as we can to give comics a new look. Perhaps we can tie a media-genic hook on it, such as polling the public on everyone’s all-time favorite comics."

Dialogue’s editor noted after my suggestion:  "Diamond thinks the idea of an industry-wide open house public relations campaign has definite merit, and we look forward to feedback from retailers and suppliers on this idea."

I suppose the silence then was deafening, since nothing happened and not a word was heard from other retailers or publishers.  I admit that nothing else was heard from me, either, until now. What reminded me to bring this up for discussion and hopefully some action is the recent promotion by Baskin-Robbins, the ice cream franchiser with 31 flavors and lots of stores.

On Wednesday May 2, from 6pm-10pm, Baskin-Robbins had its annual "Free
Scoop Night." Here’s the short blurb from the B-R web-site:
 
"Free Scoop Night is an opportunity for Baskin-Robbins to say THANK
YOU to our loyal patrons and communities that have supported us for 55 years, and raise awareness for children's literacy.  For every scoop given away, Baskin-Robbins will make a donation to First Book to provide new books for underprivileged kids.”

Baskin-Robbins has 2500 franchised stores in the United States to go with 2100 international stores. But the store that had my attention on May 2 was the one that’s right next door to Flying Colors. I hadn’t been given advance warning the promotion was going to happen, but apparently everyone else in this neighborhood had gotten the news and had it tattooed on his or her brains. Everyone was there, or so it seemed.

I asked my friendly neighbor and B-R franchisee Mila Azevedo just how successful the night was for her. She was thrilled to report that in four hours, her store gave away just under 1300 free scoops. Her second store, some ten miles away, scooped out another 900 or so. That’s 2200 people to visit her two stores in one four-hour period. That’s a powerful promotion.

OK, enough about ice cream.

Isn’t this an idea that we can tailor to the comics’ market?
Can’t we borrow this wonderful premise and run with it?
Can’t we do something impressive for literacy or some other worthy cause, as well?

And, honestly, wouldn’t you as a retailer be willing to pay a little real money to get that kind of new and concentrated traffic coming to your store?

I’d like to take the original "Open House" idea, couple it with the strong allure of the word "free", then add some elements to it to make a truly sizzling event for our market. Bear with me as I plan in this public forum… (not necessarily the final name) Free Comic Night! A specific time-block on an evening during which retailers would give a free comic book to everyone who attends the promotion.

Without a strong industry trade group, there needs to be a central point of origination for the event. With approximately 90% of the domestic comic book business, I suggest Diamond should coordinate this promotion. When I was in radio, I regularly dealt with distributors that would coordinate promotions for particular brands. Having regular contact with every solvent, operating comics’ retailer in North America, Diamond is the only viable choice to be the clearinghouse for a promotion of this scope. I strongly believe this is an idea that needs to involve publishers, retailers and creators, as well. Here’s how everyone can be involved---

Publishers could:
1) Create sampler comics for their different lines that would be sold at a bundled cost to retailers. Just as Baskin-Robbins has 31 flavors ofice cream, the comics’ market has lines that appeal to different tastes. A selection of samplers available from different publishers would allow stores to better cover the disparate tastes of those who’ll show up on the night of the promotion. Ideally, it would be great to have samplers directed at kids, at general readers, at super-hero fans, at mature readers, at alternative buyers, etc.
2) Allocate some promotional space in ad pages and letters’ columns and on web-sites to spread the word of the event.

Retailers could participate by:
1) Subscribing to the Comic Shop Locator Service, and that could serve as the way for customers to find participating stores. Heck, this could be the event that finally makes the Comic Shop Locator Service work toward its full potential.
2) Committing to buy bundles of the publishers’ samplers that would be given away at the event.
3) Adding their own over-stock to give visitors even more freebies on the day of the event.
4) Work in advance to make our stores as clean, organized and as accessible as possible to make a solid first impression on so many potential new customers.
5) Gathering names for a mailing list by having a prize drawing for those who attend.
6) Creating window and in-store signage for the event.

Creative professionals could:
1) Talk up the event on their web-sites.
2) Participate by signing and/or sketching during the event at their local shop.

A Few More Thoughts
* As mentioned, this event could also benefit a charity. As to which specific organization and how the funds are raised, that’s up for discussion. But the cause of literacy is one that I’m sure we can all agree on.

* There’s a strong element of public/press relations needed to make this promotion a success. Part of that could be Diamond generating releases with blanks that retailers could fill in then forward to local media. Diamond and most major publishers also deal with firms that could be called on to help in this regard.

* I’d like to suggest that we should plan to have the event in the spring, perhaps on a Tuesday in April 2002. The spring is a good time to deal with a promotion like this, as weather issues are minimized and it’s a time of year when publishers have started to gear up for the stronger summer months. It’s also a natural time to lead into convention season, which serves as another potentially strong introduction to comics for many people. And why a Tuesday? It’s the day closest to new product in our stores. Tuesday is a manageable day right before the onslaught of new merchandise that Wednesday brings. If we can introduce potentially thousands to our stores with a hook to bring many of them back the next day, we might just find a way to make a lot of new customers.

* As I’ve been researching this column and then letting it gestate, I’ve realized that we’re at a turning point in a new cycle for comics. There’s a strong sense among many retailers I’ve spoken with that we’re definitely experiencing a resurgence in sales and customers. A promotion like this could be the calling card we need to give our market some strong forward momentum.

This is a promotion we can use to focus on re-building our market in reasonable ways. Away from the sickness of speculation and gimmickry, with a better breadth of material in our market than ever before, we should be looking at inviting as many as we can to join us in the enjoyment of comics as amazing entertainment.

I’d like to suggest that this promotion idea, stolen or borrowed as it is, would give everyone in the field something to aim for, something to aspire to, and a real goal or two to achieve. Perhaps the promotion won’t come off just as I’ve outlined. There’s room here for plenty of details, discussion and fine-tuning.

Can we re-energize thousands of former readers and find many more new readers by using the power of something free? Can we shake the dust off our operations and move collectively in a positive direction?

I think we can and I think we must.
But let’s do something big --- and let’s start planning it now.

(Joe Field can be reached at Flying Colors at 2980 Treat Blvd, Concord CA 94518 or at joe@flyingcolorscomics.com. As always, ideas and other thoughts are encouraged.) 

The article as it originally appeared in Comics & Games Retailer magazine in 2001

Introducing Stan Lee at the Cartoon Art Museum's "Sparky" Awards

(This is the speech Joe gave introducing Stan Lee at the "Sparky" Awards, given by San Francisco's Cartoon Art Museum on May 13, 2001. The awards are named in honor of Charles "Sparky" Schulz, the creator of Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the "Peanuts" gang.)  

It was early June 1967. For this 11 year-old, that meant a full summer of playing little league baseball, swimming, and bike-riding. Lots of fun in the sun. But one day, as I was trying to teach a younger kid on the block how to climb trees, I broke my right arm in three spots by falling twenty feet out of one. That fall should have taken the fun right out of summer. That was until my pal Steve from down the street introduced me to comic books, particularly Stan Lee's Marvel Comics. In short order, I was a titanic true believer.

Twenty years later, while working at KJOY Radio in Stockton, I had the crazy idea to start a campaign to have Marvel Comics name Stockton the official home of the Fantastic Four. It was just the sort of story the media loves--- that perfect one-minute kicker for the end of newscasts, the kind of light and goofy story to balance the dreadful stuff we see on the front page every day.

The editors and creators then working on the Fantastic Four didn't much care for the idea.  It was too intrusive to their story plans. A well-respected reporter for the Los Angeles Times called Stan Lee in Hollywood to get his opinion. Sensing the spotlight, Stan said,  "We've been through the destruction of universes. I'm sure we can handle this one." That's when the wild ride started. For the next few months, the media came calling almost every day.

Then there was the ceremony attended by an enthusiastic crowd----

Stan was named Stockton's honorary Mayor----

a 30 foot banner was unveiled on the steps of City Hall welcoming Stan Lee and Marvel Comics----

he was given a key to the city----

and he was even smooched by a provocatively clad young woman who also delivered a fairly tuneless singing telegram.

That was the first time I ever met Stan in person. Impressed enough by my public relations' prowess, he gave me a call some months later to help him line up media interviews to promote the publication of the first novel written by his lovely wife Joan. Working with both Stan and Joan Lee was a fabulous experience I'll always treasure. Shortly after that, I moved into comics professionally.

Besides being a creative powerhouse, Stan has also been a pioneer in many ways. His storytelling style completely revitalized the super-hero comic in the early sixties, but there's so much more to his career. Reciting a list of the thousands of characters he has created and co-created, or recounting the endless awards he's received over the years are merely indexes on a brilliant career.

I want to point out some of Stan's lesser-known achievements in comics.  His subtle legacies to the comics' world are the times when he has gone off the beaten path, plunging into the new and unknown in imaginative ways. A few examples:

* In the late forties, Stan created and published "Secrets Behind The Comics", one of the first books to give fans a look at how comics were produced and to give credit to the pros who made them.

* In the late fifties, away from the constraints of Timely/Atlas or whatever Marvel was being called at the time, Stan self-published books of fumetti, photo-comics with titles like "Blushin' Blurbs" and "Golfer's Anonymous." He wrote and produced these books, then marketed them through classified ads in sports and men's magazines, selling ten thousand copies each of some of them. I think this qualifies Stan as being the comic industry's first successful self-publisher.

* In the late sixties, while at Marvel, Stan pioneered a new format for comic books when the Spectacular Spider-Man debuted in a traditional magazine size. This was a precursor to original graphic novels and other more upscale formats, and was a heck of a value at 35 cents a copy.

* In the late seventies, Stan teamed with Jack Kirby for an original Silver Surfer graphic novel, intended not for comic shops, but for mass-market bookstores.

Now Stan is pioneering again with Stan Lee Media--- that's S-L-E-E on the NASDAQ---

Publishing original comics' "Webisodes" on the Internet, exciting another new comics audience.  Innovation and imagination have been the keys to his sixty years of success.

It is truly awesome trying to measure the scope of Stan's profound influence on American popular culture. Great comic strip artists like Alex Raymond, Milton Caniff, Hal Foster, Sparky Schulz and others endowed newspaper comic strips with museum-worthy depth and originality. It can be said that Stan was among the first with the vision, talent and promotional skill to position comic books in that same light.

I may have lucked into this gig, but I feel I'm here representing so many professionals in the comic book business, retailers, writers and cartoonists who owe a debt of gratitude to Stan for being the most vocal and inventive cheerleader for comic books over the last 40 years.

Stan has literally millions of fans from his long and illustrious career, impressing generations of readers who have been scintillated by his sensational stories, cheered by his crazy creations and have been fervent fans of his fantastic fables.

For all the Titanic True Believers you have entertained, educated and enlightened---

We thank you, Stan---- for allowing us to always be awestruck eleven year-olds at heart. 

It's now my deep delight and high honor to introduce---
the Storyteller Supreme----

the Sultan of Super-Heroes---

the Wild-eyed Wonder of the World Wide Web---

Spider-Man's Dad---

Nuff Said and Excelsior!

Please welcome Sparky Award winner----

Stan "the Man" Lee

 

The Strange World Beyond 2000

This was originally published in the November 1999 issue of Comics & Games Retailer magazine.

The Strange World Beyond 2000

The Future Is More Questions Than Answers
by Joe Field

"A hundred times a day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depends on

the labors of others, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give

in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving."

Albert Einstein, 1931

 

Do you save your copies of Comics Retailer for future reference? If you don't,

this may be one for the time capsule. The assignment given to your dedicated

*CR* columnists for this special issue is to address the prospects of independent

retail stores as they head into the 21st century.  Sounds to me like an invitation to

delayed laughter.

 

I've always gotten a real kick out of reading comics like *Mystery In Space* and

*Tales To Astonish*, with sci-fi stories of the "future", especially the old comics I've

run into over the last decade or so with story titles such as "The Strange World of

1980" . But the future? I sure don't know how this whole gig is going to shake out.

With history and experience as our primary guides, the possibilities of that

nebulous time ahead are very intriguing. Heck, I'm still mildly excited by Marvel's

and DC's advance copy programs allowing me to see some of next week's

comics this week, so I suppose I'm an easy mark when the topic is the future.

 

Let's start, though, with a few of the more serious challenges comics retailers face
on the brink of the 21st century:

 

An Onslaught of New Competition

The whole on-line phenomenon seems to be leading to an increasingly isolationist society in which consumers may never have to leave their homes. As the growth of internet retailing continues, the challenge for retailers, in addition to having the products consumers will want, is having the kind of stores that will motivate people to come out of their future caves and actually socialize with others who share their comics fanaticism.

 

A curious recent trend has on-line retailers starting to enter the world of "brick and mortar" retailing, as a way to get in front of the public. Many professional web-watchers agree that even though traditional retailers not adopting an on-line strategy may get killed in the new economy, the reverse may also be true. E-retailing is expected to reach close to $30 billion in 1999, but that's still less than 3% of the traditional retail market.

 

Competition isn't limited to computers, though. All media will be aggressively vying for consumer attention. If we wonder what the next ten years might mean for new competition, we need only look back at the last ten, which brought us an array of technological advancements in entertainment such as virtual reality, HDTV and DVD, in addition to the ubiquitous Internet. Expect new media competition to be even more fierce. The explosion of on-line, downloadable entertainment could drastically cut into our relatively antiquated, printed medium.

 

The World Is Shrinking

As living, working and selling space become more and more expensive, will consumers still want to stockpile large collections of paper? This society is more consumeristic and acquisitive than ever, but will "he who dies with the most toys" really win? I'd expect the number of comic book *collectors* to further decrease, even as I expect the number of readers to increase. The print medium has been down for the count for quite some time, but still seems resilient enough for the long term. Print-on-demand technology will definitely play a large role in the traditional

book market, but it's doubtful to have much of an impact in our market.

 

Adapting to Change

In addition to new technology, retailers will need to constantly roll with the punches to meet the changing demands of our customers, as well as shifting demographics and lifestyles. The "aughties" will see a boomlet for kids in the 8-18 age group. The challenge is to prepare now to serve them with new products and services.

 

I'm also hoping that new formats will allow an expansion of the kinds of products we'll be able to sell in the future remnants of the direct market. As an example, I'd love to see DVDs loaded with classic comics and interviews with the creators of those comics, but the quick obsolescence of formats may mean the inevitable home for such an archival project will be the Internet.

 

Capitalist or Huckster?

Any retailer who came into this business prior to 1990 and was able to turn a profit through the years of upheaval ('92-'95) and is still thriving on the brink of the 21st century, is someone showing a resilient ability to survive. Still, the challenge is for us to show that we're in a vital, above-board business and that we're not scam artists.

 

As retailers, will we try to sell consumable products fairly, representing those products for their intended purpose of entertainment? Or are we mercenaries who will continue to flit from fad to fad, burning bridges to customers with every unconscionable price gouge?

 

Levelling the Playing Field

Comics retailers need to prove we deserve equal say in charting the course of this industry. Obviously, we vote with our orders every month, but I'd like to see retailers become more a part of the whole process, along the lines of DC's progressive Retailer Representative Program. I'm certain other publishers and suppliers would benefit from the solid ideas and street-level experience retailers can bring to the discussion of charting the future course of this business.

 

There are far more challenges ahead than those I've laid out, and they all make our mere survival seem precarious. There is a positive flip-side, though. As independent business owners/managers, we have some empowering and distinct advantages over larger corporate retail operations.

 

They See It Here First

Most mass market character phenomena, from Superman to Star Wars to Batman to Pokemon (yes, even frustrating Pokemon), got their initial boosts from our specialty market. At our street level, we're first to find out what consumers want.  If we listen to our customers, we usually can get a jumpstart of at least several months before the chains react. On first blush, this may seem counter to my frequent tirades against fad-surfing, but the constant here is that each of these phenomena have strong ties to our core comics product.

 

You Are Your Own Boss

As independents, we don't have to deal with the frustrations of big business red tape. Many corporations with centralized operations can't react locally in a quick and effective way. Also, chain store managers come and go, but dedicated small business owners can build long-term relationships and be more active and visible in their communities.

 

Critics-R Us

Most independent specialty retailers know the holes in their operations. As I look at my store, I try to make some improvement every week, whether it's adding a new dimension to our special order service or making the displays work more efficiently to sell more product. As self-critics, we can take the up-close look at operations, quickly making the necessary adjustments that managers of 30,000 square foot, 100 store chains can't.

 

No Suits, No Ties, No Screaming Bosses

With every week that passes, we should be learning what it takes to make it in this business. Or not. Maybe the main allure of having your own business is just wanting to get by and forget the grand notions that go with growth and progress. Maybe you're in this business to be low-key and to cut the stress in your life, and that's OK, too.

 

Most of us chose this line of work because we like what we sell. As this industry's average customer seems to keep getting older, I feel like I'm aging at an even faster rate. I personally feel more like a nostalgist every day. Sure, I still love what I do. I love to nurture new readers, guiding them to buy only what they like while teaching them about the great talents of the past.

 

We can carve our businesses to suit our personal interests. Our enthusiasm may ultimately prove to be our primary asset, as we help to build a more positive future for the art and commerce of comics. And while that may be the most daunting challenge, I'd like to think we're up to it. After all, I don't want to look back at this column years from now and discover I was wrong about everything.

 

(Joe Field owns Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff, 2980 Treat Blvd., Concord CA 94518.  E-mail your comments to Joe@flyingcolorscomics.com. The opening quote is from "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Understanding Einstein"  by Gary F. Moring, Alpha Books, and is highly recommended. I asked the author what he could tell me about Einstein that would personally interest me. He responded that he felt Einstein would have been a big comics' fan.  The way Al's mind worked allowed him to engage the black-and-white of mathematical principles with the amazing concepts that guided him to his best work, much the same way comic fans use cognitive and interpretive skills simultaneously.) 

Freedom vs Responsibility

This column was originally published in Comics & Games Retailing magazine issue #89, August 1999. 

Freedom vs. Responsibility

 

"Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it."

 - - - George Bernard Shaw

(The following incident is true. It's previously been discussed on Compuserve's Comics and Animation forum and at Comic-Con in San Diego. The issues raised are still relevant, particularly in light of articles appearing recently which attempt to blame comics, role-playing games and other entertainment media for various acts of violence.)

A guy of about 30 entered my store. He was scraggly-looking, constantly running

his jittery fingers through his obviously unwashed, slightly graying hair. Wearing a tattered Mickey Mouse T-shirt, he also sported at least ten tattoos. His glazed expression gave me the impression that he just came back from a bad trip that didn't take him out of town, but out of his head.

"Do you sell Faust here?," he asked. I told him no, that we don't stock any "adults only" comics. He asked why, and I replied that it was my choice, my landlord also asked it to be part of our lease, etc.

"Well," he then asked,  "do you have anything pornographic?"
I repeated that we don't stock any adults only stuff, at which point he decided to look over our "mature readers" section. He seemed frustrated as he said "There's gotta be somethin' here that's got what *Faust* has. I need something pornographic, man."

Scan of the original article, Aug 1999

When I then told him we didn't have what he was looking for, he said something to me that stopped me *cold*. In all my years of comics' retailing, I've never had anyone say anything like the request he then muttered.

"What I'm looking for is pictures of murder during sex..."

I'm not making this up. He said:

"What I'm looking for is pictures of murder during sex..."

I don't shock easily, but I was stunned. "Murder" and "sex" are two words that never belong in the same thought, as far as I'm concerned.

Over twenty years ago, I lost a sister to a serial rapist/murderer. She was abducted, tortured, raped and stabbed over 40 times. She was smart and beautiful, fun to be with, and she was only 19 at the time. My memory of her is as clear today as if it was still 1972. So when this person asked for "pictures of murder during sex", I couldn't help but immediately think of my sister Maureen.

Maureen Field, 1971

This incident prompted me to think about our roles as retailers and other professionals in the comics' community:

* Why would anyone come into a comic book store expecting to find these kinds of images?

* Where does the free market end and social responsibility begin?

* Retailers, would you have gladly searched your racks to find this "comics

consumer" what he wanted? And would you feel good to know that with a three-

dollar sale, you would have given that ogre what he wanted..."pictures of murder

during sex"?

* For cartoonists and writers: Are you willing to accept any de-humanizing assignment just to make a buck?

Three years have passed since that sour incident and still it haunts me.

It's particularly poignant since the general news media, in response to school shooting tragedies, have sensationally come down hard on comics and role-playing games as contributing factors that easily fit the confines of a thirty-second report.

I don't have answers here for some of the devastating things that happen in this world, but there's continuing negative press from ill-informed media that still peg comics and RPGs as exclusively dark, dreary media for disenfranchised mental juveniles. While I vehemently disagree that comics, movies, video games or role-playing games can be the cause of these tragedies, I do believe that a constant feeding of bleak and ultra-violent images could have an effect on an already-unstable psyche.

But what have we done as retailers, publishers and creative pros to show that the truly morbid stuff is only an inconsequentially small part of what's actually available in this market? When will our industry get pro-active and do something positive rather than simply react to the next negative news story?

 

While I strongly oppose regulated labeling on comics' product as a viable answer, more and better information is certainly a part of the solution. 

We need better sales information in the solicitation process, such as target demographics and planned sales promotions. When I look through Diamond Previews,  I need to trust that the sales copy I read will be followed up with a product to match. Every mistake I've made in ordering something sight unseen that doesn't live up to the hype, makes me more cautious the next time. I still believe that any strictly adults-only material needs to be exclusively relegated to the Previews adult supplement, as the main catalogue should serve as an accessible calling card to the widest possible audience. While I do think Previews has improved somewhat, it's but one small part of the larger equation of how the general public perceives our business.

 

Since opening my store, I've tried to make it as friendly and open to everyone as

possible. Yes, I've tried to make my store "family-oriented".

My concept of a full-service, well-stocked comic book store is one in which a whole family can walk in, and each member of that family can fan out to find something entertaining. I'm gratified to see that happen regularly at Flying Colors. I've set up my store this way because that's the positive future I believe comics can have, but it also reflects who I am, and I know it honors my family and the memory of my late sister.

I believe we need to accept the responsibility for positively showing that our industry is much better than it has been portrayed in the news media.

As far as what changes we might need to make, it's never a bad time to do what we know is right.

(Joe Field owns Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff, 2980 Treat Blvd., Concord, 

CA 94518. Comments are also welcome by e-mail  at joe@flyingcolorscomics.com)

 

Retailer: Son of Hero

The following column was originally published in Comics & Games Retailer Magazine, an industry trade publication, in the summer of 1998. The column was directed at my fellow comic book retailers while also being a tribute to my father. He passed away in November 1998. I was pleased to be able to share this with him when he could still appreciate it. It's a love letter to my Dad for Father's Day.

Retailer: Son of Hero
The lessons learned from Dad
resonate in the comics' world

Heroes. In the comics, they're usually colorful, spandex-clad, rock-jawed impossibilities who bravely face danger and boldly buck the odds. This month's column is about my first and still favorite hero. He's never been featured in comics, but I've learned more from this hero than from any other in my more than 30 years as a comic book fan/retailer.

This hero is my dad, Joseph Aloysius Field. My parents recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. The family threw them a nice party, with a few tears and lots of laughter. I took the liberty of taking one of their wedding pictures and a short release about their anniversary to the area newspaper. After the paper ran the picture and story, my parents received some congratulatory phone calls and I got some feedback from regular shoppers in my store. One, a very talented cartoonist by the name of Jeff Bonivert, asked if I was aware that my dad looked a lot like Clark Kent. I said "No, but I've always known that he is a Super-man."

As you read this, Father's Day should be lurking sometime near. As I write this, it's early May, spring seems to finally have vanquished El Nino, and my 70-something dad has just been released from the hospital yet again, this time after recovering from pneumonia. In the last ten years, Dad has been in and out of the hospital, treated for such maladies as clogged arteries, heart attacks, kidney problems, bad reactions to multiple medications, congestive heart failure, etc.

He was the first recipient in this area of a very high tech combination pacemaker/ defibrillator, a gadget to shock the heart into working again at the first sign of an attack. He's been through a lot. Fact is, with the exception of having the insidious habit of smoking for more than 40 years (he quit years ago, but the damage was already done, apparently), no one deserves an enjoyable retirement more than Dad. I guess I feel somewhat spoiled by my father, knowing that his dad passed away when my father was about 12, so I've had the benefit of 30+ more years with my father than he had with his own.

Dad's always been a philatelic fanatic who became a mail-order stamp dealer, allowing him to finance his own hobby. He tried to get me and my brother into stamp collecting when I was about nine, and he taught us both quite a bit about world history and geography in his stamp collecting lessons. Neither of us really stuck with the stamps, but I know I learned the joy of having a fun hobby from him. To this day, he spends hours of his retirement escaping to the serenity of his collection, corresponding with other stamp fans, trading to make his collection better all the time.

In 1967, my dad was roughly the age that I am now. That's also when I first became a totally immersed fan of comics after years as a casual reader. I have many fond memories of that era, not just from comics, but also the playful times with Dad going to ballgames, playing catch and summer vacations at the Russian River, just a couple of hours from our home in
Moraga CA.

Mostly I remember my dad always working to support his family, including my mother (oh, I could write many an inspirational column about this wonderful lady), five older sisters and a younger brother. He was employed by the Walter G. Legge Company, manufacturers of floor maintenance materials ("You're Always Safe With A Legge To Stand On"). Dad was the company's Northern California sales rep, a territory that included most of Nevada, and California from Bakersfield to the Oregon border, though my memory may be faulty. In any case, he covered a lot of ground, selling to hospitals and other large institutions.

He labored long hours every week, including product demonstrations that often lasted into the weekend. This wide-eyed kid accompanied him on a scant few of those many Saturday jobs. I remember him always doing the very best he could, keeping his customers happy with his great sense of humor while the sweat poured from his brow. He worked hard and took great pride in his work, hoping to get ahead, working to land that huge sale or two that would somehow make things easier for the whole family.

His was an example he may have had doubts I would ever follow. I'll never be able to say I've worked as hard as he did, and only occasionally do my hours match the time he regularly put in, even though 50+ hours a week is fairly standard for me. But I am definitely my father's son and I've learned a lot from him. Perhaps we all can...

Health: Take Care of Yourself!

I remember one of Cliff Biggers' and Ward Batty's editorial cartoons (was it Everett True?) in the Comics Buyer's Guide from years ago. Paraphrasing here, it said: "If you put all the bearded over-weight men who are comic shop operators end-to-end, you'd have a kick-line that would circle the Equator."

My dad was always a pretty good athlete, but he only started a regular exercise program after he started having heart problems. Over the last few years, I've watched as one trip to the hospital has melted into another. Finally, I'm getting the message.

The wake-up call for me was the day I took Dad to his follow-up appointment after the pacemaker/defibrillator installation. He invited me into the exam room as the doctor gave him instructions for rehabilitation and care following the surgery. In one sense, I think he wanted me to be there with him, not only for me to see the scars and bruises from his heart operations, but to show me the importance of taking care of myself now so I wouldn't repeat his mistakes later. 

In the last two years, my wife and I have made it a point to get to the gym 3-5 times a week, if only for 40 minutes to an hour at a time, and the difference in our lives is very positive. I've got a lot of friends and colleagues I care about in the comics' biz who need to hear this: We need you around a lot longer than you're allowing your body to keep you healthy! Let me strongly encourage everyone reading this to please take care of yourself. You'll be amazed at what a better outlook you'll have on business when you feel good about yourself.

Honesty and Integrity

My dad set a good example here, by treating everyone fairly and always striving to do the right thing. I know he went out of his way to help others, whether it was assisting acquaintances with job searches, simply lending an ear or giving some needed advice. He conducted his business in an honest and honorable manner, treating others with respect and dignity.

A few years ago, when comic shops were sprouting on seemingly every corner and speculation was rampant, consumers couldn't know into what kind of store they'd be stepping. Would it be a store that fairly represented the product it sold as entertainment or did it trade in the half-truths of price guides and full-lies of promised investments? We should all resolve to dazzle our remaining customers with spectacular service and an honest effort every day. Then maybe word-of-mouth will take off and allow us to see more new customers.

The Good Humor Man

Dad's always been quick with a wide smile and sharp wit. His sly sense of humor put his personality in his work. Now, mind you, he did this while selling something as thoroughly unexciting as floor maintenance materials. We, as retailers of comics, games and the like, have the world's coolest products to sell and people eagerly come to us to have fun ...and yet, sometimes a smile is more rare in a comics' shop than an original copy of Action Comics #1!

Habits: Where Do You Go When You Hit The Wall?

There's frustration and stagnation in every business. Sometimes Dad came home after a long day's effort with no sales to show for it. But he knew his good work habits would always lead to a better day tomorrow. When the going gets tough in any kind of sales, it's best to go back to square one and start over. Dad did this with good organization, constantly following leads to new business, while continuing to service his existing customers.

As comics’ retailers, do you use those quiet Tuesday afternoons as a day to sulk or a day to plan? Do you remember what you first did to jump-start your store? Part of the problem in the comics' business recently is that everyone seems to be in the mode of sitting and waiting for some magic signal that people will want more of what he have to sell. If you feel stagnation setting in, stir things up. Re-organize and re-energize. Change the displays in your store. Have a party in your store and invite everyone! Do something different to shake the collective dust off your operation. But work at it...and don't wait.

The bitter truth is, my retailing compatriots, once the product is in the store, you own it...so you better find creative ways to move it out. One of the reasons I'm a big supporter of the Comic Shop Locator Service is that it is perhaps the strongest sign yet from publishers that consumers, and not retailers, are the actual end-users of the products we have in our stores. Prior to the CSLS, most marketing and advertising of comic related product was designed strictly for sell-in and much less was directed at sell-through to consumers.

Happiness Is Success

Success can be measured in many ways. To the heartless, it's only money. But for every miserable millionaire, there are thousands of happy, uncomplicated people who have found their own ways to succeed. I've found my way, following in my father's footsteps. Primarily, as a husband and father of three wonderful daughters; then, as a comics retailer, realizing I can make a positive difference in the lives of everyone who comes into my store. Success for me is finding some happiness in whatever I'm doing every day in life and having a good night's sleep at the end of every day.

Happy Father's Day and thank you, Dad!

(Joe Field, the proud son of Joe Field, is the owner of Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff , 2980 Treat Blvd., Concord, CA 94518. E-mail him with your comments at Joe@flyingcolorscomics.com)

Aesop vs Barnum

This column originally ran in the May 1998 edition of Comics & Games Retailer magazine.

 

Aesop vs Barnum

What do you want your business to be?

Aesop was right. Slow and steady does win the race, even if it’s not as exhilarating as the hares would have us believe.

P.T. Barnum was also right, there is a veritable population explosion of suckers being born every minute.

We’ve seen it time and again in the comics industry over the last ten years. Quick buck schemes and “hot” products lead to a customer base that burns out and turns over quickly.

I was reminded of all this when I read today’s local paper. There was an ad for an upscale gift store, the type at which brides-to-be traditionally register. But the ad didn’t feature elegant kitchenware or expensive crystal today... nor have ads for this store for the last few months.

Today the store’s ad was dedicated to the daily “opening” prices for Beanie Babies. Prices that may change during the course of the day. Prices ranging from seven dollars on the low end to a high of $995...for items with an original wholesale cost of less than three bucks. This once upscale gift store has become a commodities exchange.

As a comic retailer, you may have jumped on the Beanie Baby bandwagon, the newest collectibles’ fad to infest the world. Some comic retailers have used the Beanies as a successful sideline product to attract new and different people into their stores. Others, though, have pushed their core products further into the background, so that Beanies can take the spotlight.

By the time you read this, the fad may be over. Who knows? On the front page of that same newspaper today was a story detailing the plight of small gift retailers who’ve recently been cut off by Ty Inc., the Oakbrook, Illinois company that makes and wholesales Beanies.

Many retailers have recently received letters from Ty Inc. saying, “Please be informed that Ty Inc. has decided to discontinue sale of its merchandise to your company...” Retailers are not being cut off due to bad credit, but rather because Ty Inc. wants to regulate the flow of its product. Only Ty Inc. people know when certain Beanies will be retired or how many of each were ever made.

All this is blatant market manipulation by a manufacturer that recognizes that collectability is the main attraction of its product. The product is secondary to its perceived potential value by collectors. It’s as if Ty Inc. was really saying “Dear Retailer, we don’t need you anymore. Besides, if we produce enough for everyone, then no one will want them anymore.”

Beanie Babies have gone from being a cute kids’ toy to being a “hot” collectible. Adults have once again absconded with kids’ fun in the name of the almighty buck. We should all be familiar with this ugly scenario.  In the last ten years, we’ve seen this happen with sportscards, comics and action figures, among other things. This time, the manufacturer is leading the way, trying to control its own market in a desperate attempt to elongate the burn-out cycle.

Does this in a small way remind anyone of Marvel’s Heroes World debacle?

But we can learn from this.

n First, it bears repeating that fad-surfing often means that a business has no real, solid identity in the marketplace. If today you’re one thing and tomorrow you’re another, chances are pretty good that the day after, you’ll be nothing.

I know of a store that started as “(Billy Bob’s) Coins & Stamps” in the mid-‘80s. By 1988, it was “...Stamps & Cards.” By 1990, it was “...Stamps, Cards & Comics.” In 1992: “... Comics & Cards”. By 1995, it was “... Comics & Toys.” Now that the store has Beanies up front, who knows what the next name change will be? It sounds more like desperation than evolution to me.

A key reason for failure is that the public is never able to interpret the identity of a constantly morphing business. Diversification is one thing, but what’s happening to many stores is a real loss of focus that is confusing to customers. * Manufactured collectibles simply are a liar’s game.

* How will you know when to stop buying more before the bottom falls out of the falsely-built market (Hello, Deathmate.)?
* Will you only charge a reasonable mark-up, or will you test the ceiling for how high prices can climb (Hello, Harbinger #4)?
* How do you feel about immediately charging $50 for something that cost you $2 (Hello, Death of Superman.)?
* Are you as happy selling five copies of the same comic to a person as you are five different comics (Hello, Variants.)?

Better to try to grow your business and store identity in a slow, progressive, organic manner than to scorch the earth for a few short months with the greater risk of business obsolescence a few months later. There are several thousand ex-comic retailers who’d likely back me up on this.

Grow best with what you know best.
Surfing from one thing to the next is one sure way to always stay behind the learning curve. But knowledge is power, and knowing as much as we can about the products we carry is a major first step toward business stability.

Perhaps this is one failing of retailers of comics in the last few years. As sales have fallen, retailer interest has fallen or shifted to other product areas. When the customer service of product knowledge is lost or neglected, that’s when the specialty is taken out of the specialty store.

James Taylor sang “the secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.” I got into comics’ retailing because of my love for the medium, and hopefully, I’ll never stop learning more about the rich history and fascinating business of comics. Even with imperfections (and there are a bunch!), I enjoy my work as a comics’ retailer.

Diverse though we may be, we need to face the harsh reality that there aren’t any huge pay-offs for retailers in this industry. Well-run, profitable comic specialty or pop culture stores just aren’t a quick ticket to a luxurious retirement.  But there is value in being in a business in which we provide fun and entertainment for others. There’s solace in knowing that we can have a positive influence on those who come through our doors every week

So Aesop and Barnum both had it right.
You can take the race on a steady course... or you can stop to shake down every sucker along the way.

The choice is yours.