Elsewhere: Comic Industry Insiders w/ Brandon Schatz & Danica LeBlanc
Talking about how community can carry you through, and why Amazing Spider-Man is always the worst... and why it doesn't matter.
A few weeks ago, my partner Danica and I were guests of Adam Freeman’s new series called Comic Industry Insiders.
Many of you might not know who Adam is because much of his work has been done using the pseudonym Atom! Freeman - but I can guarantee you, if you’ve been around the comic industry for a while, you have felt the effects of his work. Not only has he won the Eisner Spirit of Retail award, but he’s been part of publishers such as Top Cow, Valiant (when it was excellent), and Bad Idea. The guy knows his way around the industry, but he’s always looking to dig in more, which I think is why he started a project where he’s talking to folks in all corners of the comic book industry.
And one week, he made the mistake of talking to us.
This is a long watch, but we cover a lot of ground, including…
How Danica and I met (it involved Doctor Who!)
How and why my time ended as the manager of another comic shop in the city
Surviving the closure of our business due to flooding
The importance of community and how ours have carried us through some very hard times
Our awesome point of sale system (that also provides our store’s website) and our subscription service
The joy of running graphic novel book fairs and connecting kids with comics
Fun projects like “Introverts Reading Night”
Why I spend effort doing industry commentary when it takes so much time
Why we find it important to push back against other comic retailers who consistently want to push backwards
A live “rough draft” on my thoughts on Amazing Spider-Man as a title and it constantly being called “the worst it has ever been”. And why that doesn’t matter.
More? Yeah, more.
Check it out, if you have the time. And if you don’t, just give it a share. We’re proud of what we put out there in this interview, and are quite happy to be a part of this series in general.
Thanks for sticking with me while I get the ol’ sea legs back. Later this week, I’m planning on bringing out a little more fire. There’s been a lot said about the state of the industry, and I’m here to tell you that the future has never been brighter.
We’re just gonna’ have to leave some folks behind in the era they refuse to let go.
Talk with you soon.
-B.