This "Big Picture" column was originally published in the June 2005 issue of Comics & Games Retailer magazine.

Watching the Tide

Interpreting an Immutable Law

A dozen years ago, I had some coffee mugs designed for sale and giveaway in my store. The mugs featured the Flying Colors’ logo on one side and big dark star on the other side that disappeared when heated liquid was added to the mugs, revealing the somewhat flippant message “Where Comics Don’t Have to Be ‘Hot’ to Be Cool.”

 

Our market was all about the ‘hot’ comics then, rather than being about creative content.

Sure, there were times when content and a product’s blistering popularity coincided, but mostly those days were about packaging collectibles, with foil covers here and limited edition holograms there. Few (if any) new titles introduced then continue to be published today, other than extensions of titles far longer in the tooth than 1993. Looking back on that time, very few of us retail survivors would look back fondly remembering the content of what we sold, but we could probably quote some startling stats about how many units we moved. 

 

Perhaps my favorite business-related book---and I’m making a strong recommendation for all to read it again, now!--- is “The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing” by Al Ries and Jack Trout (HarperBusiness, 1993). A quick read, to be sure, but the book has tremendous food for thought in the way we run our businesses, as local entrepreneurs and as members of the larger comics’ industry.

Retailers might wonder why they should give a hoot about branding, line extensions and media share-of-mind, but the reasons are all right there in the Ries and Trout paperback. For small business owners, it’s in between the lines of case histories about IBM and New Coke, but each and every law has applications for selling comics and making our individual businesses more distinct, whether that’s on a local level or worldwide.

 

What moves me to write this month is Immutable Law #21, “The Law of Acceleration.” The principle of this law is that success is not built on fads, but rather on trends. There’s much for the comics’ business to learn in the less than four pages of the book taken up explaining this particular law. Fads, by nature, burn hot and fast. They don’t last long, but they tend to scorch everything in their path.

In the last couple of decades, there have been fad-like cycles in the market, as retailers have surfed from one hot thing to another trying to stay ahead of the bill collectors. There was the black-and-white comics’ fad in the mid-‘80s, spawned by the mega-success of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

 

Other fads include the proliferation of instant collectible comics with holograms, variant covers and limited editions. Remember the publisher that made the promise not to print over 100,000 copies of any of their titles? I remember their serially numbered editions of such poor quality between the covers there was never any chance for sales over 100K, so that publisher, whose name I ironically fail to remember, kept to its promise. It also faded quickly out of business.

Many retailers surfed to products on the comics’ periphery attempting to gain quick profits, only to be holding the bag on stale inventory some time later, such as sportscards, ashcan editions, Pokemon stuff, Beanie Babies, Yo-yos, and POGs.

 

Ries and Trout posit the best thing to do when we see a fad is to dampen it, stretch it out and make it more like a trend. “One way to maintain a long-term demand for your product is to never totally satisfy the demand.” That makes me wonder about the continued onslaught of multiple printings, including all of DC’s “Infinite Crisis” printings and Marvel’s oddly named “limited variant covers”. While I’m all for trying to satisfy my customers’ want-lists, sometimes the best sales tool for popular products is an occasional and honest sell-out.

 

Fad-surfing may be the way to a few quick dollars, but it’s also the road to an unfocused business identity and an erosion of core consumer confidence. While trends are mostly indecipherable in the moment, they are profound over time. Identifying and riding emerging trends are the keys to longer-lasting profitability.

We’re in the midst of three potentially powerful trends:

1)    The ongoing love affair between Hollywood and comics

2)    The persistent growth and influence of Japanese culture in popular media

3)    The continued migration from a periodical-based collectibles’ business to a book-based readers’ market.

These trends present opportunities for those willing to learn, to invest in them and then to ride the trends to profit.

 

According to Ries and Trout, fads are akin to quickly breaking big waves while trends are consistent like the tide. In other immutable words, give me
cool over hot any old time.

 

(Joe Field still loves his job running Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff, 2980 Treat Blvd, Concord CA 94518. Comments and suggestions are welcome at Joe@FlyingColorsComics.com )

Look, Listen, Learn

 This column was originally published in Comics & Games Retailing magazine #137, June 2003.

Look, Listen, Learn
The Intangible Art of Retailing

I’m sure there are a number of comic book retailers who secretly still long to be comic book artists or writers. Many of us got into this business to avoid more mundane professional pursuits, some after the realization that being a cartoonist is a lot more difficult than just slapping ink on paper.

We may have started out with written business plans, sketchy as some of them may have been, but the hope wasn’t necessarily that we’d make tons of money. Rather, it was that we’d make enough for a decent living while also enjoying a preferred lifestyle, dealing in products for which we already have a great deal of enthusiasm, if not outright fanaticism. Being a comic specialty retailer is partly an art, even as it is a business.

The Art of Listening

So much more can be learned by listening rather than talking. By listening to our customers and our staff members, we can get a feel for parts of business that may need our attention. When Flying Colors first opened, I thought I knew a lot about comics. This was particularly true when it came to independent comics. I came into this business as a naïve and unapologetic superhero fan. I was in for a rude awakening to be asked a thousand different questions about comic-related topics that were outside the range of my radar. 

By taking note of all customer requests and relying on the suggestions of my staff, I learned about areas of the business and art-form of comics of which I was previously unaware.  I knew I had to stock my store with more than just one flavor, so I listened and learned…and then read and enjoyed…and then sold!

Another valuable way to listen and learn is to go where other comic industry professionals gather. That means attending major conventions, the occasional distributor or publisher sponsored trade event, or going on-line to forums such as the Comic Book Industry Alliance. Listening leads to growth---first in knowledge, then in sales.

Financial Management

I have always watched expenses like a hawk because it’s essential for me to know my cash position at all times. Until I was certain I had a long-term handle on business income and expenses, I refused to ask for terms from my suppliers. This was my awkward way of making sure I never outspent what funds were currently reasonable. By regularly tracking income and expenses, and having a dependable history of both, retailers can stay on track, growing steadily while alleviating risk. 

Risk-Taking

Now here’s a tough segue--- talking about sound financial management, then advocating taking risks. There are times when your gut tells you to simply roll the dice. It can be as simple as taking a stronger inventory position on a new product or it can be a bigger step like investing thousands in a an advertising program, moving your store to a new and better location or opening additional stores. Taking risks is a fundamental element in keeping a business vital and growing. Keep in mind that it’s consistently sound financial management that allows for the occasional calculated risk. 

Time Management

The “art” of managing one’s time is the area that makes the biggest difference to small business retailers. In my previous career, I sold radio advertising. We were allotted a certain number of commercial minutes to sell per hour. If we didn’t sell the time, it would expire as unsold inventory, essentially a wasted opportunity. Nothing is as useless as unsold time! That was a valuable lesson to learn. Getting the most out of each day is critical to the small business owner. In the comics’ biz, there are so many distractions.  It’s truly an art to avoid the things that conspire to drain us of our valuable time.

Be Your Own Worst Critic

I always enjoy getting comments from customers and friends about how good my store looks. Behind every compliment, though, as a retailer who spends as much time in my store as I do anywhere else, I constantly try to look at my store with an objective eye. I can see the holes. I can see the product that’s looking a bit stale on the shelves. I can see whether everyone on staff is doing all they can to keep customers happy, while keeping the store looking good and functioning properly. 

Each week, I take time to walk around the store and make notes of what needs to change. I prioritize what changes need to happen by how important they are to generating sales and making the store experience more enjoyable for customers. Granted, some of the changes may come slower than I’d like, but that’s also a result of being my own worst critic.

Openness to Change

After 15 years as a comic book retailer, the comfort zone I’ve found cuts both ways. On the plus side, with everything I’ve experienced as a retailer, I’ve learned that most of what I thought were pressing concerns now seem relatively ephemeral. On the downside, however, I’ve found my comfort zone, as all my current systems seem to be working well. So why bother to change? Because being a small business owner is all about adapting to change. Personal and business growth comes from openness to change and willingness to continually look, listen and learn. 

 

(Joe Field can be found most days at Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff, 2980 Treat Blvd., Concord CA 94518. E-mail is joe@FlyingColorsComics.com.)  

A Tale of Two Hang-Outs

 (This Column was originally published in the October 2002 issue of Comics & Games Retailer magazine, published by Krause Publications.)

A Tale of Two Hang-Outs

Rheem Center, Moraga CA, 1960s

I grew up in Moraga, California, a small town suburb about 20 miles east of San Francisco. When my parents bought their home there in late 1956, the population consisted of more cows than people. By the time I was 12 in 1968, Moraga had grown to a community of more than 10,000 as the livestock ranches gave way to the steady building of new housing developments.

 

I had two favorite places to hang out in old Moraga. The first was Charles' Drug Store, an old-time place where the lab-coated Charles got to know everyone in town as he doled out prescriptions. In the late '50s, Charles' shop featured a soda fountain that was converted to a cosmetic counter by about 1963.

 

Charles Drugs, Moraga CA, 1970s

Charles decorated his store with the taxidermy of big game heads like bison, elk, gazelle and a rhino. Scared the heck out of me, to be honest. He only tolerated us kids hanging around his store because, as the only pharmacist in town, Charles knew our parents would have to spend money with him. He was friendly enough, I suppose, but only when there were adults present. If just kids were in his store, he'd stare, scowl and try to scoot us along. I often imagined if I wasn't polite enough in his store, I'd wind up like the poor gazelle on his wall. 

 

If it wasn't for the steady arrival of new comic books every Tuesday and Thursday, there's no way Charles would have ever seen me. As it was, the comics made Charles Drug Store my second favorite place to hang out. By about 1973, the comic spinner racks were replaced by pantyhose spinners, and soon after, Charles closed the store and retired.

 

Then there was Rheem Valley Billiards, my favorite place to visit. Those in the know called it "Ma and Len's Place", "Mom's" or simply "The Pool Hall." The proprietors, Aileen ('Ma') and Leonard Porter, operated a bright, fun business that ran counter to the stereotypical 'there's trouble right here in River City' kind of pool hall. I didn't play pool much at all, but I was one of the best pinball players in town, so much so that other kids often paid me to play and win for them.

 

Aileen & Len Porter, 1968

The Pool Hall became a second home for many, a place to belong comfortably and a place to leave the rest of the world behind. A strictly enforced code of conduct was in place, but more, there was camaraderie. Not only were the pinball games a fun challenge, not only was the candy and soda counter well stocked, but Ma and Len's was the only place that had something very special: Ma and Len.

 

Ma and Len's became my Fortress of Solitude in the late '60s. It was a place of escape and solace, a place where everyone knew and accepted everyone else, a place where new visitors were warmly welcomed into the pool hall family. Ma was small and feisty, protective and nurturing, funny and cute. Len was not a big man, but he cut an imposing presence. He wasn't chatty, but what he said always spoke volumes. Also important to me was that both of them were good listeners. I always knew that they cared for me, not just as a regular customer, but as a member of their extended family.

 

Nearly 35 years after first meeting them, I still feel their impact on me. Len passed away a few years ago after a brave fight against cancer. Ma continues to be a part of my family, well into her retirement, as she stays in touch with many of those she first met during her Rheem Valley Billiards' tenure.

 

I've tried to honor what I learned from the Porters in how I deal with my customers at Flying Colors. I'm reminded of Ma and Len every time my customers share a part of their lives with me, including marriages, births and yes, even deaths of loved ones. I believe our stores are more than just places for product and we are more than mere peddlers. It takes a lot to steer a business to profitability and keep it there. There's a daily set of challenges that all have effects on the bottom line. But in our field, very few of us made the choice to open our stores because there was some great pot of gold awaiting us. It's not always about money because we love what we do.

 

Mercenaries measure success in business strictly by profits, but it's something more--- something deeper and nearly missionary--- that helps to make our stores special. I believe an important part of our retailing success is how we integrate our businesses into the fabric of our communities and how we treat those with whom we come into contact, especially our customers. Our field is uncommon in that many come to us looking for escape and solace along with their bags of entertainment. Finally, I hope we can strive to make a positive impact in our stores by showering everyone we meet with honesty, good humor, respect and kindness.

 

"From what we get, we can make a living. What we give, however, makes a life."

 ---Arthur Ashe

 (PS: Leonard Porter passed away in the late '90s. Aileen "Ma" Porter passed away in 2005)

(Joe and Libby Field are trying to carry on the Ma and Len Porter tradition at Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff, 2980 Treat Blvd, Concord CA 94518. 925-825-5410)

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)