By Filip Sablik
As 2008 draws to a close and 2009 takes its first timid steps into the world, I’ve been seeing a lot of “best,” “worst,” and “what are you most looking forward to” lists online in the usual comic circles. I’ll indulge in that fun in a moment, but first I wanted to issue a call to action for all of my comic brethren. Not a resolution, mind you – they just get broken – rather, a call to action.
We all love comics, right? You must, otherwise you wouldn’t be ignoring that TPS report or homework assignment to cruise Blog @ Newsarama when you should be working. We all want comics to be around for a long, long time, right?
At the end of “Wanted,” the feature film (now available everywhere on DVD and Blu-Ray from our friends at Universal Pictures), Wesley Gibson asks, “What the &%*@ have you done lately?” So the question is: What will you do in 2009 to help create new fans for comics?
Are you giving a trade or graphic novel to a loved one for the holidays or a birthday? Can you give away old comics to libraries or to trick-or-treaters at Halloween? Start a comic book or graphic novel club at your school? Or here’s an easy one: If your local comic shop offers a subscription or pre-order service, have you considered pre-ordering your comics? Comic stores are run by small business owners, who each month have to guess what their customers will want to buy. In an economic climate like this one, many of them will have to order more conservatively to ensure they don’t end up in a bad financial situation. Why not help them out by telling them what you plan to buy?
One thing Top Cow will be doing in 2009 is launching “Let Us Win YOU Over,” a yearlong national campaign with direct market retailers, to give away 60,000 comics. We’ll be working with ComicsPRO and Diamond to garner mainstream press coverage and draw new customers into comic shops. You can read more about it HERE.
Okay, enough preaching. Let’s get into some fun end-of-the-year stuff!
Things I thought rocked in 2008:
· A slew of smart, well made movies based on comics like Iron Man, The Dark Knight, Wanted, and The Incredible Hulk
· The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite, one of the most original, smart series on the market. Plus My Chemical Romance rocks, too.
· Robert Kirkman being made an Image partner and Eric Stephenson stepping into the Publisher role.
· The Fables James Jean cover hardcover. It’s about time!
· I got married. To a lady that’s totally out of my league. I totally tricked her. Go me.
Things I’m looking forward to in 2009:
· Watchmen on the big screen.
· Sitting down and reading 100 Bullets in its entirety.
· Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer by Mark Waid and Kenneth Rocafort and Image United by Kirkman and the Image Founders hitting in July.
· Dead Irons from James Kuhoric, Jason Shawn Alexander and Jae Lee.
Happy New Year!
Take care,
Filip Sablik
Publisher Guy
Filip Sablik is the Publisher of Top Cow Productions, Inc. He’s been in the business for eight years and is turning 30 this month. Occasionally, he does a bit of writing and drawing. He loves comics. Top Cow Productions, Inc. was founded by Marc Silvestri, co-founder of Image Comics. Top Cow currently publishes its line of comic books in 21 languages in over 55 different countries. The company has launched 20 franchises (18 original and two licensed) in the industry’s Top 10, seven at #1, a feat accomplished by no other publisher in the last two decades.
December 29th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Hey, Filip, completely off-topic
what happened to Velocity and Cyblade? I’m hearing issue #2 of Cyblade may finally appear this week, but isn’t it late? And Velocity has been canceled, or postponed? Can you confirm for me if you have any info available (or send me to a link if I missed the answers already)?
Cheers,
B
December 29th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Hi Brian,
Cyblade #2 did fall a bit behind on the schedule but it should be in stores this week. Cyblade #3 is getting colored and lettered this week and should be off to the printer shortly. Cyblade #4 is being penciled currently by the talented Lee Ferguson, who replaced Rick Mays as of issue #3. So we are doing our best to catch the series up.
Velocity has been postponed for the time being for a variety of factors. We’re cancelling the solicitations for #1 and #2 through Diamond and will resolicit once we get the series to a place we’re happy with.
Take care,
Filip Sablik
Publisher, Top Cow Productions
Read a free issue of Witchblade at http://www.topcow.com/witchblade
December 29th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
I’ve been preordering my comics for years, so I guess that doesn’t count as “lately”. Although my shop has difficulty getting Diamond to ship some of those preorders (including the Ron Marz WITCHBLADE Vol. 1 trade).
In an effort to help sales on one of my favorite titles (MANHUNTER), I asked my retailer to increase his order by 5 copies and I’d buy any remaining issues after 5 weeks. Too soon to tell how well those additional issues sold. That’s only my latest effort to help that title.
I’ve also recently lent out my INVINCIBLE trades to 5-6 different people, at least 3 of whom were not comic readers… they’re certainly hooked on that book now.
As for 2009, it’s too soon to know what’s in store, but I plan to support Top Cow’s 2009 Price Guarantee with at least THE TWILIGHT GUARDIAN. And, hopefully, one other title.
Shame to hear about VELOCITY’s delay, but sounds like the right decision was made.
December 29th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Uh…I think perhaps the comic industry should be asking ITSELF what it’s done to create new fans.
December 30th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Hey Mr.Sablik
I’m 23 years old and I’m a member of the military. I’ve always been a Top Cow fan and always swill be. Reason? Top Cow sparked my imagination as a kid, I saw Witchblade, Ascension and the Darkness for the first time and it blew my mind.And look! spandex was no longer law!Woohoo!But let me not trail too much into nostalgia and ask you something. Why aren’t there any characters from the Caribbean in comics? Like, there are one or two here and there, but they’re either Jamaican or Haitian. But trust me Jamaica isn’t the only island in the Caribbean. For some reason..maybe Bob Marley and Reggae, people hear Caribbean and think Jamaica sits there by itself in the middle of the Caribbean sea.Haha.Take for instance my country of Trinidad and Tobago (aka T&T, trust me look us up on wikipedia or google us whatever)Barbados,Bahamas, Grenada, St.Lucia, so many to choose from! There are a wealth of stories to be told with characters outside the norm of North and South America or Europe. As far as the rest of the world goes,we’re forgotten A LOT.I pose this to you guys because I know you’ve always had an eye outside the box.
Create new fans in 2009 this way, just a thought.
Thanks for listening
Keep up the SPECTACULAR work.And don’t lose that Stejpan Sejic guy,he’s a keeper.haha
Respect
KS
December 30th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Hi Everyone,
Thanks for the comments!
@BriGuy03: What you are doing for MANHUNTER is great! It’d be great if more readers did things like that. Some years back I did the same thing you’ve done with INVINCIBLE with BATTLE POPE, LIBERTY MEADOWS, and KABUKI. You’re right, with a good book it really works!
Also, feel free to have your retailer drop me a line at fsablik@topcowent.com if he’s having trouble getting copies of Witchblade Volume 1 TP. It’s definitely in stock at Diamond.
@Matt: I think the industry does numerous things to attract new readers. I mentioned one thing above that Top Cow is doing in 2009 (Let Us Win YOU Over). Free Comic Book Day is a national, industry wide event focused on bringing in new readers. Larger companies like Marvel and DC are getting regular mainstream coverage in the news for their larger events. On a smaller level, I know many retailers who do outreach programs with movie theaters, schools, libraries, and other organizations in their communities. There’s plenty more we can and should do, but the industry isn’t resting on its laurels.
@Kern: Thanks for reading! One of my closest friends is from T&T:) Your question is a good one and I can only respond from a Top Cow perspective. For the most part the characters in our books are generated by our creators and their interests. We don’t really have any editorial mandates along the lines of, “Okay, we need a character from Brazil to appeal to our Brazilian fans now.” So the characters that evolve in WITCHBLADE and THE DARKNESS are based out of the interests, knowledge, and ideas of guys like Ron Marz and Phil Hester. We’re always keeping an eye out for ways to introduce new character archtypes though!
And have no fear, we have no plans to let Stjepan go anywhere;)
Take care,
Filip Sablik
Publisher, Top Cow Productions
Read a 2 free issues of The Darkness at http://www.topcow.com/darkness
December 30th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Hi, Filip, my school is preK-8, so I’d say most of your Top Cow comics wouldn’t be appropriate for them. However, I have donated LOTS of graphic novels to the school’s collection, as well as to the local public library. And I teamed up with the two local comics shops to get Free Comic Book Day comics into my school and the public library. I also ordered the Halloween special comics (Archie, Peanuts, Bone, and Cowa) for my school kids - one of the local shops actually donated those. So this is what I’m doing - working to create more comics readers!
Oh, and congrats on the marriage - probably your wisest decision! ^_^
December 30th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Filip, thanks! I’ll pass that information to my retailer. I’m hoping the same thing doesn’t happen with the DARKNESS trade!
January 2nd, 2009 at 8:25 pm
@Kat Kan: I’d have to agree with you! Our books are definitely PG-13 and R for the most part. I think Dragon Prince by Ron Marz and Lee Moder is our only truly ALL AGES book. But kudos on hooking the kids on comics, it’s key!
And my wife agrees with you on my smartest move of 2008!
Filip Sablik
Publisher, Top Cow Productions
Read a 2 free issues of The Darkness at http://www.topcow.com/darkness