Nico Esq

I've not read Skullkickers but people rave about it on these boards. I remember one boardie talking about his son reading the TPB and how much he enjoyed it. I don't know that it will ever move as a highly sought after collectible, but it's got a solid fan following. I imagine that if the creators would promote it on World of Warcraft the title would pick up a lot of readers in a very short amount of time.

Does seem like Image is turning out the best stuff. The examples seem to be over speculated image flops. Saga, Manhattan Projects, & Fatale are going to suceed as titles. Hell Yeah has a lot of potential. I'm not certain that Glory, Prophet or Supreme will go anywhere but they have strong creators working on the books and a number of people whose opinions I respect are excited about these titles. I think No Place Like Home could take off. I don't know that Peter Panzerfaust will go anywhere, but I enjoyed it enough to keep reading. Thief of Thieves and Invincible are written by my favorite writer in comics and I'll support them. I didn't buy Rebel Blood and there weren't any copies at my LCS so I'll wait to hear more about it before I pick it up. Image is enjoying a renaisance or sorts, and I'm happy about it. It's nice to see Image matching good writers with good artists. The relatively low print runs are making the books more excited than they would be if they were available in large numbers like Marvel and DC books. I think its short sighted to describe them as flops. I imagine that your description was more hyperbole than anything else, but I'm interested in hearing why you think they are or will inevitably flop. Again a Thief of Thieves 1 CGC 9.8 sold for $80 and it was one of the worst written issues of the bunch (although I will say that issue 2 was considerably better).

any word on the hottness of Skullkickers #1? I'm not sure which is more entertaining. Watching the large influx of people determined to watch their money go up in smoke or watching you be ignored while you warn them. I'm still in shock that Thief of Thieves 1 CGC 9.8 sold for $80 ... I can't believe I didn't send my small stack to CGC ... I was convinced that I wouldn't even get my money back w/ two variants and an awful first issue. Did you check out the Image exec trying to blame retailers and consumers for the sell outs and trying to convince people that the sell outs were bad for the publisher? I don't know what shocked me more that press release or the Thief of Thieves sale.

any word on the hottness of Skullkickers #1? Not Hot ... someone has been selling a 9.8 CCG for 29.99 for 19 days on ebay. I've not read the title, but plenty of people have said they enjoy it. For whatever reason it just hasn't took off.

Image Comics Publisher on Sell Outs Posted on 03/28/12 at 8:11 PM in Articles, Items by Ron Richards 7 Comments One of the things that causes us comics media to roll our eyes the most is the never ending press releases about comics titles selling out. It seems that many of the comic book publishers are constantly selling out their titles, which of course is a great PR message, but when we see the sales numbers declining across the most of the entire comics industry (with a few exceptions) month after month, it becomes fishy. Image Comics is no stranger to this tactic, with many of it’s titles (especially recently) selling out at the distributor level. We’ve heard lots of criticism about this in and around the industry and today Image Comics publisher Eric Stephenson spoke out on the topic, and it’s not what you’d think. In a blog post on his personal blog, Stephenson made the following comments about selling out: Selling out – it’s great PR, but ultimately, it’s not exactly great business. It creates a roadblock between between readers and the material they want to read, and between retailers and the books they want to sell. In short, it does more harm than good. Addressing retailer complaints about selling out Saga #1: A couple retailers have made what I consider to be a fair comment: We should have known a new series by Brian K. Vaughan would do well and could have printed way more than we did. But using that exact same logic, here’s the thing: They also could have ordered more. Shedding light on Image’s publishing strategy: There’s not a single title we currently publish that is part of some event-oriented marketing scheme. We are not out to create short-term spikes. We lived through that war, and we’ve learnt our lessons well. That’s why we’re committed to publishing the absolute best comics we can, with an eye not just to selling them month-to-month, but over the long haul – as trades and hardcovers that grow sales and keep readers coming back for more. Bottom line: We all lose when we sell out. Sure, it gets Image some nice PR, and there’s a lucrative secondary market for sold out books with high demand, but that stuff is fleeting. We’ve all got the same goal – and that is to get books in the hands of readers. So let’s do more of that. For those interested in the behind the scenes/business side of the comics industry, this is a must read as Stephenson shares details of ordering strategies and what the challenge is in terms of being a publisher and meeting demand. If you’ve ever gone to the comic shop and was disappointed because they didn’t have a book you wanted, this could be part of the reason why. It’s no shock that it’s a tough market out there these days, but it’s clear that somewhere along the lines, the system is broke, be it at the publisher level and/or the distributor level and/or the retailer level. It’s refreshing to see behind the curtain though to see how these things work and you can’t help but wonder if the other publishers (Marvel and DC) are having the same frustrations. Think about it. If Image is having a hard time meeting demand, that’s because the retailers and Diamond aren’t accurately communicating to them what that demand is. Every time someone goes to a store and the store doesn’t have the book they came looking for, there’s a better than good chance that that store lost a potential, long term customer. Especially if they’re a Brian K. Vaughan fan. They’re in it for the long haul. Imagine if everyone who went to the comic shop could get what they wanted. Would it be such a rough marketplace then? http://ifanboy.com/articles/image-comics-publisher-on-sell-outs/

I understand that Image Comics titles America’s Got Powers #1, Danger Club #1, Secret #1, Hell Yeah #2, Bloodstrike #26, Supreme #63, Darkness #101, Saga #2, Thief Of Thieves #3 and Manhattan Projects #2 have all sold out before publication, and will see second prints running through April and May. They join other recently announced sell outs and second and third prints for the likes of Invincible #89, Fatale #3, Peter Panzerfaust #2, Prophet #23, Glory #24, Thief Of Thieves #2, Hell Yeah #1, Rebel Blood #1, The Manhattan Projects #1 and Saga #1 – the latter two have gone to third print, with Saga #1 second print being significantly allocated as a result if increasing demand

There are a couple of 9.8 services (not sure how many are still in business, but I'm not familiar w/ a SS 9.8 service.

Don't be shocked if Rick, Carl, Glenn, Maggie or Andrea dies during the Something to Fear story arc. Kirkman always says that no one is safe in the Walking Dead when he gives interviews about the series. The only reason I don't think Abraham dies is because he hasn't been around long enough. If Abraham does die during Something to Fear, I imagine that another character will also go or there will be other big surprises for readers. I also don't believe that issue 100 is necessarily the issue where we'll see the big development. Remember what Kirkman did when we approached other milestone issues. One of the things I appreciate most about Kirkman is how well he tricks readers by hyping traditional milestone issues and springs big plot developments other issues. JMHO.

past present future Tates Cool. I know PPF has a bunch too I'm shocked that no one has gone to those stores and bought all the copies ... are they limiting them to one per customer or are they in poor condition? You can't even buy a copy of Saga 1 for cover price on ebay and I picked up a Chew 1 on amazon for $50.00 when raw copies were selling for two to three hundred dollars (at the peek of the books speculator frenzy). Since Fiona Staples does her art digitally, is there any plans for her to sell prints or other original art to fill the void created because there is no opportunity to purchase original pages? Any info that anyone has learned is appreciated. Thanks!

Saga and Manhattan Projects 1 are both blazing hot right now. The 2nd prints sold out before they hit the shelves and 3rd prints are on the way. I'm shocked that Image continues to put out hot tiles with reasonably small print runs. It's going to be very interesting to see how many of the titles solicited as mini-series turn into ongoing titles and how long the Image heat continues into the future. 7 out of 10 (or more) new image books immediately sell for 2-4 times cover within a few days or weeks of their release. I'm shocked that the new Vertigo books haven't had the same collector appeal (particularly Saucer Country which was very well written). Any thoughts about whether any of these Vertigo titles will get some heat in the next couple months or predictions about when the Image hot titles will cool down?

That's some crazy behavior ... this is what happens when celebrities decide to collect comics.

Exactly! +1 (2?) I think we've moved beyond the Valiant comparisons. This has become something else altogether with its multi-media presence and popularity. That's why it's more like the TMNT phenomenon than the Valiant craze at this point. How long before they announce a Walking Dead movie to expand the audience even further? The prices will stabilize and correct themselves from their highs. But I wouldn't expect a steep drop. Heck, 1 may climb up to $3-4k before peaking and correcting itself. Which means today's prices may become the average for 9.8 down the line post-frenzy. Again, I just say, don't simply dismiss this as just another bubble. Okay, how about X-Files.....great TV show, had a movie, too. Maybe there's no "great" comparison, but my main point was/is that this cannot last forever. The latest and greatest always dies off and is replaced by something else. Will this title eventually slow down and correct, in terms of pricing? 100% guaranteed. The X-Files TV show preceded the comic - if the TV series arose from a sucessful comic then it would be analogous. I'm not trying to be rude or dismissive, but the X-Files comparison isn't even close.

A book about turtles and a rat or a character story? Easy choice for me. well said ... I just want to be able to have the choice ... I think we both know how we would decide

Exactly!

I'm looking forward to a time in the near future when the new TMNT movie flops b/c Bay tells some dumb story about aliens and the WD is still going strong and I will have to decide whether I should sell my WD 1 and buy a TMNT 1.

I would imagine that the 2nd print is proportional to the first print and the fact that the 2nd print sold out is a good sign that the 1st print is smaller than many of us thought. It would only make sense for the second print to be about a 1/3 or a 1/4 of the 1st print. If they sold out the 2nd print before it hit the shelf, I can only assume that the second print was a small number and that the 3rd print is comparable to the 2nd prinf. I may be way off, but that's my gut feeling.

THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS the newest Image Comics series by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra also has a first issue that is receiving a third printing after orders for its second printing surpassed the print run. A story in the print and online versions of USA Today and rave reviews accompanied the series debut on March 7. "The Manhattan Projects is off to a tremendous start, one of the big concept author’s strongest, most inventive opening chapters," wrote Paul Montgomery in his review at iFanboy. THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS creates an alternate reality where the real-life project to develop the atomic bomb is just a front to hide far more bizarre government programs. The creative team of Hickman and Pitarra previously collaborated on THE RED WING, also published by Image Comics. THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS #1's second printing will be on sale on April 4, with the third printing (FEB128156) following on April 18. THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS #2 will be in stores on April 11.

SAGA #1, the first issue of the new Image Comics series by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, sold out a week before its March 14 in-store date. It got near-universal rave reviews. And yet even Image was caught by surprise when the orders for the issue's second printing were double the print run. The issue has immediately gone back to press once again, and the third printing (FEB128166) will be in stores on April 25. The reprint print run for SAGA #1 was more than twice the usual quantity for second printings, but orders from retailers eager to get the critically-acclaimed first issue in the hands of customers kept rolling in, making a third printing necessary before the second printing is even in stores. "Saga is the kind of comic that you get when truly talented superstar creators are given the freedom to produce their dream comic," wrote Entertainment Weekly's Jeff Jensen in his review of the issue. SAGA tells the story of a young family, caught between two sides in a galactic war, striving to find safety for their newborn daughter. It is a monthly full-color comic book. The second printing of SAGA #1 will be in stores on the same day as #2, April 11, and the third printing will be on sale on April 25.

If you ordered x copies then they were fully returnable. This is the reason that there was such a large print run. I don't know if image did the same thing with Sage #1.

I thought it was an awesome book. The art was perfect for the subject matter. I really liked their grown infant narrating the story. The bounty hunter is the coolest bounty hunter since boba fett. The TV heads sex scene accomplished what I think it was intended to do (i.e., illustrate that the prince and princess are trashy and show their maek you disgusted by their conduct). I thought the story had layers of complexity. I also imagine that the statement by Hazel that she is not the person who ended the war will turn out to be nothing more than BKV lookind to surprise readers at the end of the series. BKV is a great story teller and that comment if true differentiates the plot from traditional, cliche narratives that we are all used to reading. I'm not a fantasy or science fiction junkie (although I enjoy Star Wars IV-VI, Start Treck, Game of Thrones, and other classic fantasy and sci-fi stories). Never the less, I can say without reservation that this book has my attention and I'll keep reading it for at least a year regardless of whether or not Saga enjoys critical acclaim, growth in collectible value, etc. believe in BVK's work, Safa's plot is rich with layers of material and my understanding is that he intends to write this book for the next 15 years. It was a stand up move on BVK's part to give readers twice the material we generally receive for $2.99. My lord, Kick 2 No. 7 which was released this week was 4.99 and more and more marvel comics are demanding $3.99 an issue. I'm imagine that we will see this title get better and better as BKV's work ultimately does. I have a feeling that most collectors who are sitting on a couple issues will be kicking themselves for not picking up a few extra copies and slabbing them once we learn that the print run was 25K - 30K. Who knows what kind of price tag a CGC SS #1 will demand, but it is well understood that BVK is one of the hardes signatures to secure in comics. I have a good feeling about this book and expect that we're going to see it continue to heat up in the secondary market each and every time another issue is released. . I'm still waiting for someone to post a copy of this book that doesn't have the production error (the small rip in the bottom left hand corner. If there are issues floating around without that defect, those books are going to demand a significant premium. So far (including the 200 books Branget examined) people I know have counted over 500 copies with that small tear. Finally, can someone look and see if Image offered anysort of incentive like the one offered for Fatale #1. Your information, thoughts and analys are sincerely appreciated.

Is there a link you can share?

Saga is still selling strong on ebay with sales coming in at $8.00 to $10.00 before shipping and handling. I imagine that this book was under ordered because of false comparisons to Ex Machina. I think people assumed that other retailers would be ordering in larger quantities than they did and that the title wouldn't enjoy the sucess it has in the secondary market. Anyone want to revise their predictions regarding the print run. I still think that orders were between 25K-30K but won't be surprised if the print run was even slightly lower than 25K. I do not think that there is any way that there are 200K copies of this title. Also, has anyone seen what the second print cover image looks like? Last, but not least, has anyone heard of any convention variant cover(s)? Thanks for any insight you are willing to share.

The Walking Dead has put the Vengeance of Bane on ice. It's Walking Dead mania on ebay!

I hope a board member in attendance will ask him for an update on the Showtime series. A couple people have told me that they are working on it, but all my information has been third hand. Thanks for the info.

T-Dog has always been a Tyrone alternative in my mind which is a shame because Tyrone is such a strong character. I don't like the way T-Dog is written at all (e.g., him trying to abandon the group in the season finale).