ABP.

A = Always
B = Be
P = Pitching

Always, and I do mean always, be pitching.

Boy, I just love that movie Glengarry Glen Ross.

And I love that Franka is trying to break into the business and I also really love that her girlfriend Barbara is going to help her. But it is a weird and a very tough business to be in as you know from the conversation we had.

Distribution is wonky and you can’t find comics all over the place. You might think that is good for me since I can potentially act as a monopoly if I am the only local comic book store in town. But that is not the case because having comics widely available allows us to hook new readers in. Then when said readers want more, perhaps some back issues, or other comics related to what they just discovered they love, they can come to me and other stores and spend money. That is how it sort of worked when I started this business but it does not work so today.

Are we, as an industry, in jeopardy of losing a fan-base because younger readers just cannot find out where they can buy comics? I remember Barbara telling a story that when her mother took her to the supermarket every weekend, she would plop her in front of the spinner rack while she did her shopping. Then Barbara would read a comic or two (depending on how long the shopping took) before her mother would come back. Then the asking and sometimes begging would ensue–could she please take home what she just read, usually a Wonder Woman or an Archie comic. There was a lot of power there and it was a great way to get younger readers hooked.

I am not using this space to announce the death of the industry. It does seem that this declaration is made every year. I am just acknowledging that getting into comics can be quite complicated. And it should not be.

Food for thought.

-Marv