I haven’t had a chance to play with this yet, but Isotope Comics recently highlighted what sounds like a fun and useful desktop gadget, esp. for comic fanatics like myself who live for the weekly “what’s shipping” list:
When it comes to finding out what comics are making their way onto the Isotope shelves each week you could always check the distributor’s site, but everyone knows that can be a chore. What if someone developed a handy tool to hunt that information down for you and present it right on your desktop in an easily browsable and searchable format each week? Well we don’t know what anyone else would say, but here at the Isotope we’d call those people who invented such a thing “genius.”
With that in mind let us introduce you to genius John Roberts who invented the very cool dashboard widget known as iCOS or “iComicsOnSale.” Providing weekly shipping updates beamed directly to the convenience of your desktop, this little morsel of brilliance gives you instant satisfaction and keeps you abreast of what comics are being released each week.
The next version of the software will do more than just give you this week’s list; it will also subdivide by imprint, keep an archive of previous lists and even let you create a pull list. You can download iCOS here.
September 1st, 2006 at 12:27 pm
I am happy now…
Thanks for putting this up guys!!!
September 1st, 2006 at 12:56 pm
Desktop widget? So it’s only for Mac users?
September 1st, 2006 at 1:34 pm
For both your Macs *and* PCs. Personally, I’m loving it!
September 1st, 2006 at 2:49 pm
Really, if DC and Marvel got their act together and collaborated on some sort of iTunes for Comics, they’d clean up.
Currently, they kinda get customers to pay for their comics - once as a floppy, then again for a trade. This would add a third potential dip into the fans’ pocket. Though that sounds resentful, it really isn’t. It’s just a potential new business model.
I realised this when I was waiting with great anticipation for ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #1. I woulda certainly paid the equivalent of 99 cents to receive a PDF of it while I waited the chance to get down to my LCS to pick it up. And I’ll definitely end up getting the Absolute edition in a couple of years, too.
September 1st, 2006 at 4:23 pm
Actually, I’ve been doing this for 3 years already. I’m currently working on a 2.0 version of my website, but you can access the old site at http://comicnet.net/oldsite/ (login with username “test” and password “user” to see the rudimentary pull list features). Take note of the “print preview” function, by the way…
The main ComicNet site will incorporate dynamic list filtering and pull list updating. There is also a PocketPC component to act as a portable and updatable checklist.
The best motivator to get to where I’m going is for people to comment on where I’ve been…
September 1st, 2006 at 6:36 pm
A fantastic idea, absolutely; but Diamond’s list is often wrong. The only reliable list is Midtown’s.
September 2nd, 2006 at 12:02 pm
I’ve never known Diamond’s shipping list to be wrong… They are the distributor and it is the list of comics that they are shipping that week. Sometimes their “next week” list is incorrect and often incomplete, ’cause shipping changes occur at the last minute and it doesn’t list the full slate of books to ship. As far as the Monday afternoon shipping list goes, though, it has always been correct.
(Of course, this doesn’t account for shipping errors, when boxes get lost or the order is incorrect, but you get the idea…)
September 5th, 2006 at 8:28 am
It depends on when you look at Diamond’s list. If you look at it before the final update two or three days before New Comics Day, then it’s usually the projected, incomplete, and somewhat tenuous listing. The final listing is always dead-on, although quirky things sometimes happen at the warehouse.
I’d bet Midtown’s list is just a reconfiguration of Diamond’s, the same way ComicList.com’s is. I use ComicList.com because it separates the titles out by every company, and not just the exclusive ones. But they also update a little later — Monday nights, usually, for a Wednesday shipment.
January 18th, 2007 at 8:39 am
Midtown’s list is based upon their invoice, which is why 1) it is published on Saturday, and 2) it is not complete. Since they order products from Diamond AND other distributors, they sometimes have products on their list that Diamond hasn’t released yet.