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Post by Defiant1 on Dec 7, 2010 22:47:47 GMT -5
Drifted into the Gemstone site for an unrelated reason. I discovered that they are selling a lot of the Fan magazine comics from the late 90's including a few Gold, Platinum & signed versions. The valiant fans may be interested in the fan edition of X-O Manowar for $6. www.gemstonepub.com/item.asp?ItemNo=77228Shi collectors have an interesting selection. Overall they don't mean anything to me, but they struck me as odd offerings some 13 years after the original publication date. Now... If they only have the old Overstreet Magazines with the Glory story pages... Defiant1 |
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Post by Defiant1 on Dec 7, 2010 22:50:52 GMT -5
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Post by Defiant1 on Dec 7, 2010 23:38:41 GMT -5
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Post by Defiant1 on Dec 7, 2010 23:47:23 GMT -5
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Post by Defiant1 on Dec 7, 2010 23:51:28 GMT -5
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Post by Defiant1 on Dec 7, 2010 23:54:11 GMT -5
Are the price increases this past year to help the publishers? Or Diamond?
Seriously.
Defiant1
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Post by Defiant1 on Dec 8, 2010 0:01:24 GMT -5
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Post by VaultKeeper on Dec 8, 2010 15:09:46 GMT -5
I saw as far back as #5...
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Post by Defiant1 on Dec 8, 2010 17:19:15 GMT -5
You are probanly correct. I was just in shock these were for sale. It looks like they pulled out their stash and started selling everything.
I am pretty sure the leather editions were never offered to the general public in the past. I could be wrong though.
Defiant1
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Post by Defiant1 on Jun 24, 2011 20:49:42 GMT -5
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Quato
Level 14
a.k.a. Defiant1
Quato a.k.a. Defiant1
Posts: 1,669 
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Post by Quato on Jul 4, 2011 11:50:46 GMT -5
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Post by Defiant1 on Jan 15, 2012 15:59:38 GMT -5
Diamond Appoints Chris Powell Of MyComicShop.com As Executive Director Of Business Development bit.ly/yAIe1mWe all know how inept I felt management was at Lonestar. This guy might not have had anything to do with customer service, but I'm not convinced this new hire will solve ANY of Diamond's problems. Someone says this: -If retailers were making money, expansion would be a goal that excited them. It isn't. Comic shops expanding prematurely tends to make the whole company fail if it is not executed properly. It adds a whole extra layer of headaches. It burns out owners faster than anything if they can't hire employees they trust. The profit margin on comics is so low that individual shop owners are doing it more as a labor of love. - There is no demand for comics, so there are no "under-served" markets. Comics have priced themselves into the realm of irrelevance. -Comic shops are not in higher traffic areas because it costs more and they don't have enough profit margin to justify it. Starlog tried a mall store in Atlanta with their national brand name. It lasted maybe a year at most. Comics are NOT impulse buys to anyone except COLLECTORS. Malls increase the odds of walk-in traffic. The are actually an INCONVENIENCE if you just want to rush to the comic shops once a week and pick up a list of pulled comics. - I don't think this guy will have to worry about helping new accounts. Hopefully, no one is stupid enough to think they can run a business on selling $4 comics that no one can afford. - Maximizing product mix? Does that mean filling up their store with comics people don't want? Comic orders are based upon preorders. Anything not presold hurts their profit margin and is worthless in 6 months. I mean worthless. - Hmm! Work with publishers. That'll be the only area where he can do anything, but publishers aren't going to listen. Defiant1 |
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Post by VaultKeeper on Jan 16, 2012 9:55:52 GMT -5
I agree with you on all points. Having a brick and motar store is useless these days, unless you have an established business with established customers. New comics are on life support. If heroes weren't kept in the public eye through films, they would have been gone by now.
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Post by Defiant1 on Jan 16, 2012 18:15:05 GMT -5
I agree with you on all points. Having a brick and motar store is useless these days, unless you have an established business with established customers. New comics are on life support. If heroes weren't kept in the public eye through films, they would have been gone by now. I don't think any stores in my area are healthy and capable of expanding. It's only a matter of time before they close. Stores flagged as "healthy" in the Northeast won't be healthy when all of Diamond's other accounts are out of business. As stores close, publishers will have to downsize and quit offering a product mix at all. There will be a few core titles that won't be enough able to sustain those "healthy" stores. Defiant1 |
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Post by vikingspawn on Jan 17, 2012 19:56:08 GMT -5
I was rolling my eyes when I read the "Lonestar" connection. The store that prides itself with thier "bullet proof" packaging that damages books.  How is that store still around? Lately i've been getting new comic books from Barnes & Noble. That's been my go-to spot when my local shops under order books I collect.  |
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Post by Defiant1 on Jan 17, 2012 20:56:30 GMT -5
I was rolling my eyes when I read the "Lonestar" connection. The store that prides itself with thier "bullet proof" packaging that damages books. How is that store still around? Lately i've been getting new comic books from Barnes & Noble. That's been my go-to spot when my local shops under order books I collect. Are they newsstand versions? If so they might up being rare and more collectible. Defiant1 |
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Post by VaultKeeper on Jan 18, 2012 11:28:34 GMT -5
Have you seen any of the preview pages from X-O #1 yet? The art looks pretty good!
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Post by Defiant1 on Jan 18, 2012 17:51:53 GMT -5
Have you seen any of the preview pages from X-O #1 yet? The art looks pretty good! No. Not yet. I'm not really interested in anything VEI ever releases. If I see a link, I'll go ahead and click it. I don't intend on actually looking for the images. Defiant1 |
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Post by vikingspawn on Jan 18, 2012 23:45:39 GMT -5
I was rolling my eyes when I read the "Lonestar" connection. The store that prides itself with thier "bullet proof" packaging that damages books. How is that store still around? Lately i've been getting new comic books from Barnes & Noble. That's been my go-to spot when my local shops under order books I collect. Are they newsstand versions? If so they might up being rare and more collectible. Defiant1 The comics I got from there look the same as the direct stores but I didn't really pay a close attention to the others on the shelves. I'll take a closer look next time. The DC stuff looked the same. Nothing stood out though. I sometimes check for random variants in between but never see any. They did have some U.K. comic magazines too. I was surprised at the volume of books they order like the Bongo line they would have 20 copies per title where my local comic shops would only put 2 copies max on the racks. Not sure if Barnes & Noble works through Diamond but the new release books come out the same week as the comic shops. Usually by the weekend they put them up instead of Wednesday. |
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Post by Defiant1 on Jan 19, 2012 5:50:14 GMT -5
Are they newsstand versions? If so they might up being rare and more collectible. Defiant1 The comics I got from there look the same as the direct stores but I didn't really pay a close attention to the others on the shelves. I'll take a closer look next time. The DC stuff looked the same. Nothing stood out though. I sometimes check for random variants in between but never see any. They did have some U.K. comic magazines too. I was surprised at the volume of books they order like the Bongo line they would have 20 copies per title where my local comic shops would only put 2 copies max on the racks. Not sure if Barnes & Noble works through Diamond but the new release books come out the same week as the comic shops. Usually by the weekend they put them up instead of Wednesday. I think B&N was getting normal direct market copies from Diamond. I think Books-A-Million which has a store in the Atlanta area was getting newsstand copies which are pretty rare. I've noticed the grocery stores have cut back on their Archie comics. Defiant1 |
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Post by vikingspawn on Jan 19, 2012 20:40:04 GMT -5
The comics I got from there look the same as the direct stores but I didn't really pay a close attention to the others on the shelves. I'll take a closer look next time. The DC stuff looked the same. Nothing stood out though. I sometimes check for random variants in between but never see any. They did have some U.K. comic magazines too. I was surprised at the volume of books they order like the Bongo line they would have 20 copies per title where my local comic shops would only put 2 copies max on the racks. Not sure if Barnes & Noble works through Diamond but the new release books come out the same week as the comic shops. Usually by the weekend they put them up instead of Wednesday. I think B&N was getting normal direct market copies from Diamond. I think Books-A-Million which has a store in the Atlanta area was getting newsstand copies which are pretty rare. I've noticed the grocery stores have cut back on their Archie comics. Defiant1 I noticed a kid in front of me buying a "Betty & Veronica" digest with her mother while in line at the grocery this weekend. It was the one lone comic digest on the racks with the Star Magazines, In Touch and the other gossip mags. I heard Hastings sells comics but they don't have any stores down here. I'd like to see comics sold at movie theaters if they're trying to make an effort and branch out. |
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Post by Defiant1 on Jan 19, 2012 21:20:15 GMT -5
I think B&N was getting normal direct market copies from Diamond. I think Books-A-Million which has a store in the Atlanta area was getting newsstand copies which are pretty rare. I've noticed the grocery stores have cut back on their Archie comics. Defiant1 I noticed a kid in front of me buying a "Betty & Veronica" digest with her mother while in line at the grocery this weekend. It was the one lone comic digest on the racks with the Star Magazines, In Touch and the other gossip mags. I heard Hastings sells comics but they don't have any stores down here. I'd like to see comics sold at movie theaters if they're trying to make an effort and branch out. It seems odd that theaters don't have a movie themed gift shop. Defiant1 |
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Post by vikingspawn on Feb 6, 2012 17:34:15 GMT -5
Here's what the comic section of my Barnes & Noble looks like right next to my main movie theater:  I usually go for the Bongos on the lower shelf from Futurama going to the right. And some of the Star Wars titles at the other end. The display looks bigger in person and the books are barely handled. It's been a good spot to pick fresh unread copies from the middle of the stack. ;D They pretty much put them on the shelves on the same new release week as comic shops. This time I noticed the new titles on Saturday. The discounts are way better if you're in the B&N member club. Beats my comic shops easily. |
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Post by Defiant1 on Feb 6, 2012 17:45:31 GMT -5
How much is the membership?  Defiant1 |
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Post by vikingspawn on Feb 7, 2012 19:56:52 GMT -5
How much is the membership? Defiant1 It's at $25 per year now. It's like Amazon Prime with the free online shipping but with more in-store discounts. They send out a bunch of coupons 20-50% in the mail that work on comics and magazines. Those can get added on to the regular 10% off on everything. It makes a nice dent on the $3.50-4.00 comics nowadays. |
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Post by Defiant1 on Feb 7, 2012 20:32:02 GMT -5
Well. You haven't saved anything until you get your $25 back. Clerks at places like that tend to mishandle comics. One spine crease and it loses all resale value. I was getting 40% off in the 90's, so it's still overpriced in my opinion.
Defiant1
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Post by vikingspawn on Feb 8, 2012 16:52:47 GMT -5
Well. You haven't saved anything until you get your $25 back. Clerks at places like that tend to mishandle comics. One spine crease and it loses all resale value. I was getting 40% off in the 90's, so it's still overpriced in my opinion. Defiant1 I've been using my sister's membership on the b&n so i didn;'t have to pay this year. ;D I just go to the register and giver her number and I get the discounts. She knows I like going there alot so she gives my all her coupons. I used to be a member before when it was 9.99 but let it lapse a couple years back since Amazon distracted me. But if the comics stay mint i'll keep going there. And i'll just use my comic shops for bags/boards and long boxes. I think the volume of books they order for each title actually help in avoiding giving the books any spine cracks or corner dents. At least in this store location the copies are real nice. Even on the U.K. mags. I hope no other fans discover this location because I want to keep buying them from here because they're close to mint as possible as i've seen. My other Barnes & Noble 2 miles west looks like total warzone at the comics sections. The comics are half bent and peeling over on the shelves with crackage all over the spines. No fan is gonna buy any of those. I'm picky for nice copies and avoid the damage ones. The plus side to buying from B&N for me is the titles I get from the comic shop are literally just one copy or 2 and they give them to me damaged cuz it's all they ordered for my pull box (like Usagi Yojimbo) so i'm stuck with it as a subscriber. At this B&N I have a better shot at cleaner copies. And I can't rely on the shop owners to re-order because they always forget. Don't think they'd take the trouble to re-order just one copy of a 3 dollar book. They're kind of the typical "comic book guys" shop owners here. |
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Post by Defiant1 on Oct 31, 2013 0:32:22 GMT -5
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