Atomic Comics closes its doors

[Designer Toast]

Sorry to hear about the close of the business and the owner's problems. Please take my posts as nothing more than inquisitiveness.

[sd2416]

whoa

[Prince Namor]

Larry Doherty: hit nail on has nails in the head

 

Fixed that for you.

[AK Comics]

When something like this happens to a 4 store chain it makes me very nervous. I'm only one store in a small city, and like quite a few stores, the business can pay it's own bills, but not much besides.

 

Possibly one accident causes you to have to close?? That sucks. I'm under-insured myself (because of the cost)...fingers crossed on continued good luck

[thehumantorch]

 

 

No store insurance?

 

Seems strange that the automobile insurance wouldn't cover the damage. Obviously,

the store wasn't at fault, it doesn't even have a gas pedal.

[synch]

 

 

No store insurance?

 

Seems strange that the automobile insurance wouldn't cover the damage. Obviously,

the store wasn't at fault, it doesn't even have a gas pedal.

 

when a 16 year old uninsured driver,

 

 

[Legion HQ]

If the cited employee for Atomic is truthful, and the IRS is involved and taking all of Atomic's inventory, then there was a HUGE tax problem that the owner had gotten himself into. That's far from any kind of implication of the industry itself. It's just bad business.

[adamstrange]

 

 

No store insurance?

 

Seems strange that the automobile insurance wouldn't cover the damage. Obviously,

the store wasn't at fault, it doesn't even have a gas pedal.

 

I doubt you have to have more than $20,000 coverage on your policy in AZ, assuming she was covered at all. There will be all sorts of limitations on what the policy covers and plenty to dispute over between the auto insurer and the store.

 

The store can have coverage but even that can be tricky. MrBedrock can speak to the difficulties he had when the hurricane in Houston took out his main store.

[COI]

Rob Liefeld: Heard from 2 former employees that confirmed Atomic Comics is outta business.

 

Rob is clearly inconsolable.

[sterlingcomics]

The sales numbers across the board are what scare me. If the best selling book is barely breaking 100,000 copies a month, I don't see how that could be considered thriving. Though I'm personally glad to hear that your stores ( or any stores for that matter ) are doing well. I don't want the industry to die..I want it to grow and flourish.

 

You have places like Borders closing down too. Not sure if their business model wasn't good, or if people just want their content electronically now. Comics will survive, one way or another...but I agree it's painful to watch.

[Point Five]

I don't mean to be a negative nelly here, but one of the first things I thought of are all of the members who're pollyannaish when it comes to the health of the comicbook marketplace. 1/3 of the stores open compared to 10-15 years ago, new issue sales at all time lows and the largest distributor ( Diamond ) having financial trouble. I wish I had the answers, but I don't see comics on the web "saving" the industry like the introduction of the direct market did over 30 years ago. It's painful to watch

 

The interesting thing is that it is NOT industry wide. There are retail stores doing very well. There are new issues floppy monthly comics that are selling well to the general public. The industry, as a whole, is not dying. But a story like this, regardless of the cause, will set tongues a wagging as proof of the upcoming demise of the retail comic book as we know it. That is what scares me. That I am going to have to spend so much of my time assuring my customers that since Mike Malve shut Atomic Comics doors yesterday I am not going to shut my doors tomorrow. Certainly the economy as a whole, and some factors in particular, will have a negative effect on the retail sector. And some stores will choose to throw in the towel. And Diamond may get caught up in a numbers game. But as long as each retailer diversifies, stridently guards their bottom line, and takes advantage of the incredible advertising opportunities which the medium has to offer, then every individual store not only should survive but succeed.

Good post.

 

 

[PeasOfCrap]

Rob Liefeld: Heard from 2 former employees that confirmed Atomic Comics is outta business.

 

Rob is clearly inconsolable.

 

[lizards2]

I don't mean to be a negative nelly here, but one of the first things I thought of are all of the members who're pollyannaish when it comes to the health of the comicbook marketplace. 1/3 of the stores open compared to 10-15 years ago, new issue sales at all time lows and the largest distributor ( Diamond ) having financial trouble. I wish I had the answers, but I don't see comics on the web "saving" the industry like the introduction of the direct market did over 30 years ago. It's painful to watch

 

The interesting thing is that it is NOT industry wide. There are retail stores doing very well. There are new issues floppy monthly comics that are selling well to the general public. The industry, as a whole, is not dying. But a story like this, regardless of the cause, will set tongues a wagging as proof of the upcoming demise of the retail comic book as we know it. That is what scares me. That I am going to have to spend so much of my time assuring my customers that since Mike Malve shut Atomic Comics doors yesterday I am not going to shut my doors tomorrow. Certainly the economy as a whole, and some factors in particular, will have a negative effect on the retail sector. And some stores will choose to throw in the towel. And Diamond may get caught up in a numbers game. But as long as each retailer diversifies, stridently guards their bottom line, and takes advantage of the incredible advertising opportunities which the medium has to offer, then every individual store not only should survive but succeed.

 

I was at the Atomic Comics store near a mall in Phoenix about four years ago - I think it was Metrocenter. It was not a nice place, had way over-priced back issues that were difficult to access, and in a nutshell, I found nothing of interest to buy. I remember wondering at the time what kept it in business.

[gcstomp]

Seems strange that some hold the view that a 16 yr old uninsured drivers non insurance would cover a 1+ mill dollar damage chain of events that would steamroll a chain into oblivion.

 

Maybe in canada the store owner would be able to draw from a common vast non insured insurance pool. I hear rainbows are sold in little paper cups on every corner there as well.

 

Also, not surprising that the store itself did not have insurance to cover such a massive loss, as most stores prepare for forseeable + plausible events, not for B52 bombing raids.

[sd2416]

 

 

EDIT nevermind. See it was posted before.

[Mike's Rack]

I don't mean to be a negative nelly here, but one of the first things I thought of are all of the members who're pollyannaish when it comes to the health of the comicbook marketplace. 1/3 of the stores open compared to 10-15 years ago, new issue sales at all time lows and the largest distributor ( Diamond ) having financial trouble. I wish I had the answers, but I don't see comics on the web "saving" the industry like the introduction of the direct market did over 30 years ago. It's painful to watch

 

The interesting thing is that it is NOT industry wide. There are retail stores doing very well. There are new issues floppy monthly comics that are selling well to the general public. The industry, as a whole, is not dying. But a story like this, regardless of the cause, will set tongues a wagging as proof of the upcoming demise of the retail comic book as we know it. That is what scares me. That I am going to have to spend so much of my time assuring my customers that since Mike Malve shut Atomic Comics doors yesterday I am not going to shut my doors tomorrow. Certainly the economy as a whole, and some factors in particular, will have a negative effect on the retail sector. And some stores will choose to throw in the towel. And Diamond may get caught up in a numbers game. But as long as each retailer diversifies, stridently guards their bottom line, and takes advantage of the incredible advertising opportunities which the medium has to offer, then every individual store not only should survive but succeed.

 

I was at the Atomic Comics store near a mall in Phoenix about four years ago - I think it was Metrocenter. It was not a nice place, had way over-priced back issues that were difficult to access, and in a nutshell, I found nothing of interest to buy. I remember wondering at the time what kept it in business.

 

 

 

 

That's the Atomic I remember

[the blob]

I don't mean to be a negative nelly here, but one of the first things I thought of are all of the members who're pollyannaish when it comes to the health of the comicbook marketplace. 1/3 of the stores open compared to 10-15 years ago, new issue sales at all time lows and the largest distributor ( Diamond ) having financial trouble. I wish I had the answers, but I don't see comics on the web "saving" the industry like the introduction of the direct market did over 30 years ago. It's painful to watch

 

The interesting thing is that it is NOT industry wide. There are retail stores doing very well. There are new issues floppy monthly comics that are selling well to the general public. The industry, as a whole, is not dying. But a story like this, regardless of the cause, will set tongues a wagging as proof of the upcoming demise of the retail comic book as we know it. That is what scares me. That I am going to have to spend so much of my time assuring my customers that since Mike Malve shut Atomic Comics doors yesterday I am not going to shut my doors tomorrow. Certainly the economy as a whole, and some factors in particular, will have a negative effect on the retail sector. And some stores will choose to throw in the towel. And Diamond may get caught up in a numbers game. But as long as each retailer diversifies, stridently guards their bottom line, and takes advantage of the incredible advertising opportunities which the medium has to offer, then every individual store not only should survive but succeed.

 

 

The sales numbers across the board are what scare me. If the best selling book is barely breaking 100,000 copies a month, I don't see how that could be considered thriving. Though I'm personally glad to hear that your stores ( or any stores for that matter ) are doing well. I don't want the industry to die..I want it to grow and flourish.

 

From the publisher's perspective though, double those sales numbers and then you get what print runs would have to typically be (roughly) 35 years ago to sell 100,000 copies. Yes, some titles had newstand return rates below 50%, but some others had higher rates. granted, of course, I guess they were in financial trouble 35 years ago and got propped up by the direct market.

 

Of course, the comic cos just don't care. Why is it that neither DC nor Marvel can each get let's say their 8 most popular titles in the 8,000 or so 7-11s around the country? Averaging 5 copies sold per title per store (not a big accomplishment) would have a huge impact on sales and exposure. Marvel did the Captain America promotion with Dunkin Donuts, why can't they do a cross-promotion with 7-11 and get a lousy 2 feet of magazine rack space in the process?

[the blob]

Seems strange that some hold the view that a 16 yr old uninsured drivers non insurance would cover a 1+ mill dollar damage chain of events that would steamroll a chain into oblivion.

 

Maybe in canada the store owner would be able to draw from a common vast non insured insurance pool. I hear rainbows are sold in little paper cups on every corner there as well.

 

Also, not surprising that the store itself did not have insurance to cover such a massive loss, as most stores prepare for forseeable + plausible events, not for B52 bombing raids.

 

Wouldn't they have fire/flood insurance to cover the loss of inventory/lost business for some period? True, the insurance co. might not cover under these circumstances.

[hesdeadjim]

I don't mean to be a negative nelly here, but one of the first things I thought of are all of the members who're pollyannaish when it comes to the health of the comicbook marketplace. 1/3 of the stores open compared to 10-15 years ago, new issue sales at all time lows and the largest distributor ( Diamond ) having financial trouble. I wish I had the answers, but I don't see comics on the web "saving" the industry like the introduction of the direct market did over 30 years ago. It's painful to watch

 

The interesting thing is that it is NOT industry wide. There are retail stores doing very well. There are new issues floppy monthly comics that are selling well to the general public. The industry, as a whole, is not dying. But a story like this, regardless of the cause, will set tongues a wagging as proof of the upcoming demise of the retail comic book as we know it. That is what scares me. That I am going to have to spend so much of my time assuring my customers that since Mike Malve shut Atomic Comics doors yesterday I am not going to shut my doors tomorrow. Certainly the economy as a whole, and some factors in particular, will have a negative effect on the retail sector. And some stores will choose to throw in the towel. And Diamond may get caught up in a numbers game. But as long as each retailer diversifies, stridently guards their bottom line, and takes advantage of the incredible advertising opportunities which the medium has to offer, then every individual store not only should survive but succeed.

 

I was at the Atomic Comics store near a mall in Phoenix about four years ago - I think it was Metrocenter. It was not a nice place, had way over-priced back issues that were difficult to access, and in a nutshell, I found nothing of interest to buy. I remember wondering at the time what kept it in business.

 

 

 

 

That's the Atomic I remember

 

The one at Chandler Fashion Square had valet parking

[Mike's Rack]

I don't mean to be a negative nelly here, but one of the first things I thought of are all of the members who're pollyannaish when it comes to the health of the comicbook marketplace. 1/3 of the stores open compared to 10-15 years ago, new issue sales at all time lows and the largest distributor ( Diamond ) having financial trouble. I wish I had the answers, but I don't see comics on the web "saving" the industry like the introduction of the direct market did over 30 years ago. It's painful to watch

 

The interesting thing is that it is NOT industry wide. There are retail stores doing very well. There are new issues floppy monthly comics that are selling well to the general public. The industry, as a whole, is not dying. But a story like this, regardless of the cause, will set tongues a wagging as proof of the upcoming demise of the retail comic book as we know it. That is what scares me. That I am going to have to spend so much of my time assuring my customers that since Mike Malve shut Atomic Comics doors yesterday I am not going to shut my doors tomorrow. Certainly the economy as a whole, and some factors in particular, will have a negative effect on the retail sector. And some stores will choose to throw in the towel. And Diamond may get caught up in a numbers game. But as long as each retailer diversifies, stridently guards their bottom line, and takes advantage of the incredible advertising opportunities which the medium has to offer, then every individual store not only should survive but succeed.

 

I was at the Atomic Comics store near a mall in Phoenix about four years ago - I think it was Metrocenter. It was not a nice place, had way over-priced back issues that were difficult to access, and in a nutshell, I found nothing of interest to buy. I remember wondering at the time what kept it in business.

 

 

 

 

That's the Atomic I remember

 

The one at Chandler Fashion Square had valet parking

 

Perhaps if the Mesa location had valet parking...