I’ve only gotten a few more responses from retailers on the BOOM!/MySpace promo I posted about on Friday, one via email and two in the comments section of my original post.
You can read the response from Collector’s Paradise here and from Gary’s Comics here.
I’ve included the email response after the jump, from Marcus King of Titan Games & Music in Battle Creek, Mich., who ordered the book after he heard about the MySpace promotion. Thanks again to all the retailers who took the time to respond.
The main site posted the latest BOOM! press release this morning, on a second printing of North Wind #1. This was my favorite part:
… Said Mike Malve, owner of the Atomic Comics chain, a chain that includes four retail stores, including a mobile store housed in a van, all located in and around the greater Phoenix, Arizona area.
After reading that, I got this picture in my head of the comics van driving down the street like the ice cream man, with the Spider-Man theme music playing and a bunch of kids running after it.
Marcus King, owner of Titan Games & Music in Battle Creek, Mich., which sells games, music and comics:
JK: In general, what are your thoughts on companies putting their comics out on the Web for free like this? Do you think it helps bring people to your store or does it give them a reason not to come in?
Marcus: I believe that most companies putting out free comics may increase public awareness of, and interest in comics, but will not directly translate into sales. However, this is not that. BOOM! has put the comic for free on their MySpace page. MySpace is a HUGE community of social networks — and as such may have a far different impact that just putting up a web page with a comic strip to read.
JK: From your perspective, are there any additional positives and negatives about how this particular promotion was carried out?
Marcus: Yes. The MySpace promotion, and the subsequent discussion of it on comics retailers forums, was the ONLY reason I ordered this comic at all. In fact, when it was solicited, I didn’t even take notice. Not until I had heard of the online MySpace promotion did I jump in. And, though my comics business is small, I ordered strongly (for me, 12 copies). The first DAY we had the comic, we sold Nine copies. Two of those sales were to new customers who had heard of this comic online, on MySpace.
I sold out in short order and had to find another 20 copies, which I have also sold out of. If this promotion had occured in 2007, this would be my second best-selling comic of the year, behind ONLY the Death of Captain America.
From what I understand, BOOM! may have not informed retailers of the freebie promotion before thier orders were due. If so, that was a mistake.
JK: Did you order North Wind #1? If so, how has it done?
Marcus: As I said, we ordered strongly once we heard of the online promotion, and it has done GANGBUSTERS for us.
JK: Has the MySpace promo affected how you plan to order future copies of North Wind?
Marcus: Yes, I plan to order strongly.
