Friday, July 22, 2022

Comics & Games Retailer columns

A number of times over the years, I've been asked by different people to write a book about my experiences inside and outside of the comics world. Doubtful that will ever happen.

I did write columns in industry trade publications, starting in the mid 1980s with the late and missed fan-oriented Comics Buyer's Guide newspaper, then in retailer-focused trade magazines in the '90s and early 2000s with Comic Book Business for a year or so and then with Comics & Games Retailer for eight years or so.

Maybe because it's summer rerun season, I've decided to share several of the columns I wrote all those years ago.

For those interested in looking back to cheer me on where I was right and looking away to ignore where I was wrong, please hit these links:

1) From early 1998, with a thought about how comics retailers choose to position our shops, read
"Aesop vs Barnum."

2) From the summer of 1999...be prepared. This one gets heavy.
"Freedom vs Responsibility"

3) From the fall of 1999, columnists were asked to gaze into the future and look to
"The Strange World Beyond 2000."

4) Not a column! Here's the May 2001 text of my speech inducting Stan Lee into the Cartoon Art Museum's Hall of Fame!

5) Probably the one that made the most difference in the comics biz... my column spinning the original idea for Free Comic Book Day. Here's
"The Power of Free." 

6) One of my columns about the Zen of Retailing:
"Look, Listen and Learn"

7) Lessons learned from my Dad resonate in the comics world:
"Retailer: Son of Hero"

8) My Fortress of Solitude was a Pool Hall:
"A Tale of Two Hang-Outs"

As always, I'm ready to accept any comments and feedback.
Maybe, just maybe, there will be a time when I can do some long-form writing and please the literally dozens of people who might be interested in reading more of my stuff.
Thanks for reading!

Joe "FlyCoJoe" Field

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