Keeping Comics Afloat

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Comics are on the ropes, and we need to do what it takes to help.

Tag Team GIFs | Tenor

I did this same sort of list on my Podcast, Cover B, but I just wanted to get it down somewhere else because I feel like it’s an incredibly important set of ideas in these absolutely strange times.

For those unaware, Diamond Comics, the only distributor for comic books, has decided to shut down shipping out new titles starting this past week and continuing for an undetermined amount of time as a response to the spread of Covid-19. It’s honestly a very beneficial choice that puts the safety of their workers ahead of their bottom line, and they should be commended. However, it puts comics in a very strange place, namely on two fronts: the local comic shops and small comic publishers. For the former, they will have no new titles to draw in customers and will be forced to survive off product they already have on shelves, if they are even allowed to stay open and do business at all. For the latter, pushing release dates of books for potentially a month or more means they have no new orders coming in from retailers for new titles, and thus have to continue pushing back when they will see new income. Things are tough, but we are not without ways we can still interact with the industry to try and keep things a float.

That said, while we should still support bigger companies like Marvel and DC, they aren’t as high of a priority, as they have other revenue strains and a heftier safety net in these trying times. I would like to give them a shout out for not releasing new books digitally until physical copies are once again being shipped out. That is a huge move that shows a lot of love for comic shops and should absolutely be recognized on their behalf.

Let’s get into the 5 ways we can help comics stay afloat:

1: Contact your Local Comic Shop directly

One of the most simple strategies is to just contact your shop directly. Just about everyone has a social media platform these days, and reaching out to your store’s email or Facebook page is a decent step one. Find out what they think on how to continue supporting them. Maybe they can organize sending you a handful of trades for that series you never got around to reading. Maybe the have access to a gift card or certificate program and you can go ahead and pay down for your regular comic purchases once they come back, kind of like a preorder or some sort of comic book loan. There are plenty of options and it is ultimately going to boil down to what resources the owner/managers have available to them and how shut down your community is. If they have other avenues of selling you things, consider working out a PayPal invoice for some trades or back issues. Going directly to the source can be helpful and at the very least, starting that dialogue will give the team behind the shop reassurance that times will get better.

2: Buy from your LCS online

Many shops already have an eBay presence or specific online stores available. Find out if your shop does and consider picking up some things from there. I’m not necessarily saying buy some frivolous graded key issue, but it might be worth picking up something collectible that you’ve always wanted or some comics you never got around to reading. Every little bit helps and most states that have shut down make way for businesses that run specifically online to still run that business, so the owners of said shops should have no problem fulfilling these orders (though depending on the climate of the area, please be patient if there are shipping delays).

3: Buy directly from small publishers

Many publishers have websites of their own that come with a store where you can direct buy old issues of their comics. Consider buying directly from these small publishers that are currently having to differ orders for new books while they wait for Diamond to begin shipping again. Here are a handful of publishers that have available webstores. If your favorite small publisher wasn’t mentioned, it doesn’t mean they don’t have stuff available Give them a quick google and go to town. (side note: As of typing this, Aftershock’s store page appears to be down and that makes me incredibly sad because they are my absolute favorite publisher)

4: Support a Kickstarter

Kickstarter is a dicey world for a lot of people. Most people I’ve talked to either feel like it’s a world for die-hards only or that it’s simply too risky. However, while risk was definitely there in the early days, much of that risk has been worked out as time has gone by, and now just about the biggest risk you can find on Kickstarter is a campaign failing to meet its goal. There are tons of comic projects out there just waiting to be funded and in a time when publishing companies are facing major delays and possible cancellations, supporting some artists and writers directly who are making the next wave of new and awesome content is a solid way to make sure there is still fresh content once things calm down. Hop on and explore and just support to the extent you want to. Nobody is asking you to throw down the $1000 support tier and get a vile of the creator’s blood or anything. Even just buying a $5 digital copy or tossing $1 into the support ring helps if enough people show their love. I have supported a few kickstarters, for everything from comics and games to a Cat Cafe, and it’s been a fun rewarding experience whenever I’m able to show something I believe in some love.

5: Organize your community

Finally, the most vague option of the bunch is to organize your community. As I said earlier, many shops have their own Facebook page where the community can interact. Many towns or areas also already have Facebook groups of like-minded individuals. If your town doesn’t have one, consider starting one. Or hop on Twitter or Reddit or any other social media platform and just get the conversation rolling. Rope you LCS into the mix and see what sort of aid you can provide as a unit. It may be that your LCS has never considered online sales, and maybe somebody in the community would be willing to build them a website. Maybe you can organize a go fund me to keep a shop alive or promote others to buy back issues or gift cards. Someone might even have ideas I never considered here. Multiple people working together as one is the only way we get to the other side of this and find a world unchanged or changed little. If you don’t community, make one. If you have one already in place, nurture it and see what sort of things come from it. We have to work together to protect what matters to us.

As always, I’m available if you need anything. Hit me up.

~C

Mo’ Power, Mo’ Problems

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A world with superheroes might seem like a fantasy, but it is actually a bleak nightmare.

Image result for superman gif"

We’ve all at points wished superheroes were real. Whether it be through childhood whimsy or a casual thought while watching an Avengers movie, it’s graced our minds before: “Man, it’d be so dope if superheroes were real.” We picture the thought of walking around New York and seeing Spider-Man swinging around or possibly turning on the news to hear about the exploits of Wonder Woman. Granted, more often than not we have this imagination with a caveat of “and I also had super powers,” but occasionally we just want to live in a world where super people are possible. Where billionaires spend their money on saving the world, not just squeezing more and more money from it. Where the little guy can go on to do amazing things, like punching a world-shattering dictator in the groin. On the outside, it feels like a world of hope. A world of justice. A world of HEROES! *Cue Stan Lee cameo*
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You Too Can Shoot First!

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The Mandalorian GIF by Star Wars

The Mandalorian is great, but if you want more than what the show provides, it can be yours in Edge of the Empire!

Unless you’ve been living in a dark, secluded cave for the past few months, you’ve probably heard about Disney+ and all the wonderful content it provides. From various new and exciting Marvel projects to all the Disney Channel Original Movies one person can handle (binge responsibly), Disney+ is a veritable nerd Mecca for those young at heart or generally in the mood for some fun. As the months and years roll on, Disney will be rolling out various original shows that will only be found on the platform, which has the internet teeming with excitement. However, we got our first taste of this fresh new content right at launch with a brand new Star Wars IP, the Mandalorian.

The Mandalorian introduces us to the titular character as he tries to make a name for himself among his people and continue to be the best there is at what he does. He’s a rootin’, tootin’ just about anybody shootin’ merc who gets a particularly well paying job from some less than desirable fellows. As he reaches his target, things begin to be a bit unclear, and our Mando is left with some serious choices and a COMPLETELY ADORABLE little burden. Many people have reviewed this show by calling it “Cowboys in Space,” but that just feels too simplistic, so I’m going to say it’s like Cowboys in the Outer Rim of a Galaxy Far Far Away. Nailed it. Checkmate.
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Breaking Coverage: Bagley’s Binder of Mutants

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Image result for labels not make you happy gif

“Every Mutant Ever” drawn across six comics might not fly on Krakoa.

WARNING
 Post contains mild spoilers for House of X and Powers of X.
Post also contains gluten.

Early last month, Marvel officially relaunched their line of X-Men books with X-Men #1. These books are spinning out of the super exciting and critically-acclaimed (and sometimes kind of culty) House of X and Powers of X combo mini series. Under the banner of “Dawn of X,” Marvel is kicking off the new generation of X-Men books with six titles released over a month and a half: X-Men, Marauders, Exclaibur, New Mutants, X-Force and Fallen Angels. If you happen to be curious about how I feel about each of these, you can find out on my podcast, Cover B, where I talk about each of these. Today, however, I’m not going to be discussing the titles themselves. Instead, I want to talk about the connecting covers by Mark Bagley.
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Spooky Tunes

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Halloween doesn’t have nearly the amount of music it deserves.

Image result for david pumpkins gif

I had a realization the other day that Halloween really got the short end of the stick when it comes to music. I think it’s safe to say that Halloween is easily the #3 Holiday here in the US right behind Christmas and 4th of July in terms of a) people who give a crap that its coming, b) celebrations held and c) decorations put out. Don’t get me wrong, the other holidays are great. Personally, Halloween should be #2, but it is really tough to get around how much Red, White and Blue gets scattered all over right when June rolls around and Halloween doesn’t feature thousands (millions?) of people literally launching explosives into the sky to celebrate. And thus, Independence Day probably earns that #2 spot.

“What about Thanksgiving,” you might be asking. Oh, you mean pre-Christmas? The truth about Thanksgiving is that for quite some time (much longer than the twitter armies think) it has really just been this launching point for the “Holiday Season,” that wintery zone of various Holidays that actually mean something beyond “people with buckles on their shoes ate turkey and we don’t talk about the rest of the colonization stuff.” It’s the starting gun for a season of caring and sharing; a season of love and peace. Granted, that season for most people is more selfish and Capitalism-hungry than any other month of the year, but that’s not the season’s fault. Anyway, I LOVE Thanksgiving, don’t get me wrong, but as a Holiday it’s always felt more like a turning point than a big day to eagerly anticipate. People don’t go to football games specifically for the initial kick-off and then say “oh man, that was the best one yet.” Just saying. Don’t @ me, Thanksgiving people (or do, I need more interaction for my Google metrics).
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Jaded Unafraid

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Have I reached my maximum spoop capacity with horror movies?

Image result for 2 spooky 4 me gif

Come with me now on a journey back to 2009. Barack Obama had been inaugurated as president, shit was going down in Sudan and Darfur, and the airy love-ballad “Tik Tok” by Ke$ha (₭€$₴؋ on the international market) was all over the airwaves. As autumn loomed in the distance, TV audiences were graced with a trailer for an upcoming horror flick. However, instead of laying out every detail of the plot and spoiling every twist like trailers today, this trailer mainly focused on movie audiences. It showed them jumping and screaming. It showed their moments of vulnerable terror as the reeled in fright at the events happening on the screen. It was an exciting trailer and one that made horror fans, like myself, absolutely salivate.

That movie, of course, was Paranormal Activity.
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READ THIS: Coffin Bound

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Coffin Bound from Image Comics deserves a place at the absolute top of everyone’s reading list.

Let’s chat about my new favorite book. I’ll just go ahead and say it outright: if you have any interest in comics, Coffin Bound needs to be on your radar. This book is INCREDIBLE, and while only two issues in at this point, it has absolutely blown me away. I absolutely cannot express enough how much love I have for this book. Stop reading this. THIS IS TIME YOU COULD BE USING TO GO BUY COFFIN BOUND AND READ THAT INSTEAD. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GO GO GO!

~C

*Record Scratch*

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…..Okay maybe I should elaborate a bit more.

On the surface, Coffin Bound doesn’t seem like anything that hasn’t been done in the scope of neo-noir before. Our protagonist, Izzy Tyburn, is targeted by a notorious killer and hits the road as the killer pursues. Along the way we meet various criminal groups, crime bosses, down-on-their-luck people just trying to get by, and various forms of sex, drugs and violence we’d expect from the derelict landscapes surrounding the story, populated by dilapidated buildings and absolutely covered in litter and graffiti. However, the surface is where familiarity stops, and as we dig deeper the true surreal nature of Coffin Bound blasts its way into our brains.
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IT’S LIKE READING FOR YOUR EARS

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Audiobooks, man.

I recently signed on for Audible at the suggestion of a friend. Now, I should start by saying this is not an add for Audible. I like it fine and the library is good, but you could legitimately use whatever audiobook service you prefer for all I care. Who am I to tell you what to do? Live your life. Jerk.

Anyway, to return to my original statement: Audiobooks, man. They’re great. I was always hung up on the idea of like listening to a book. In my mind it always felt like more of an achievement if I actually read the book instead. Also, I never really saw an opportunity to just pop on a book and press play. It’s definitely not something I can do for background noise, since that really defeats the purpose. However, I never really traveled long distances by myself nor have I had much of a commute, both of which are when a lot of people engage audiobooks. When I do go out of town, it’s typically with someone else, often my wife, and I’m a talker. I never really felt motivated to listen to audiobooks while cleaning as I typically need a peppy upbeat soundtrack to get me going. All in all, I just didn’t see when I’d have the time to let someone read a book for me aside from time that I could use to just read a book myself.
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GM Pitfalls: Master of Puppets

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As a Gamemaster, sometimes it’s more important to just pull the strings.

Image result for no strings on me gif

In the right hands, an NPC can be a brilliant addition to a campaign’s narrative. Interactive, fully fleshed out and generally dynamic – NPCs represent the world the PCs are murdering their way through adventuring in and are their best method of interacting with this world in ways not provided by the set pieces and enemies they commonly experience. A good NPC can give the party a trusted ally, a daunting nemesis or even just an adorable Goblin they can claim as a mascot. Whatever the purpose or goal of the NPC, it’s important to remember that important NPCs need to feel alive. The GM needs to play the role of the NPC, not just control it. Good NPCs have no strings and are as alive and organic as the players themselves. It should feel as though a new player dropped their way into the campaign, complete with their own unique goals, talents and flaws.

However, it’s also important to remember that some NPCs are allowed to be fairly inconsequential.

Too often a GM will try to fully flesh out every. single. NPC. This is incredibly dangerous, especially in Urban campaigns where PCs may encounter a LOT of NPCs. I find this especially taxing when the party needs to interact with merchants. One member of the party needs weapons, so here comes a blacksmith. Another member needs potions, so I better come up with a potion seller. Oh hey, this guy needs some provisions, better whip up a different general merchant. Oh look, the Paladin is off to the temple…. time to slap together some monks. Oh hey, the person at the blacksmith is now asking about anyone who might know the value of stolen jewelry, better concoct myself a fence. And so on.

And so on.

AnD sO oN.
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