San Diego Reflections

Well, it's my last night in San Diego and I have to say it's pretty weird when it's not Comic Con. There were masses of people just like me and now, well, not so much.

I've learned a few things about SDCC. It's nothing like it's little sister, the NYCC. SDCC is about 3x the size of the NYCC and it's 10x crazier. People get in line for free stuff. Bags, posters, buttons, you name it. Warner Bros put out a different bag each day, big enough to carry your laundry in. Dark Horse did the same, but weren't as obnoxious. One day 1.5 (technically the first day) was the day they had the Red Lantern Hal Jordan figure. Limited to just 1,500, this was the exclusive to get (any color lantern to be exact). The hall opened at 9:30 and by 9:50 they had given out over 2/3 of the tickets (SDCC staff made Graphitti Designs hand out tickets after the preview night debacle, it was just crazy). They announced that the rest of the tickets would be handed out before noon. Fans started lining up to get their ticket at 11 and were told that the line had not started and that they could not stand in front of the booth. So what's a fanboy to do? Walk in circles of course! When it was discovered where the tickets would be handed out, a massive surge of people headed over to the booth. I was told 250-300 tickets would be handed out, so I left. Yup, I gave up. I had more improtant things to do. Needless to say, the only Hal figure I walked away with was the Green version. You needed a ticket if you wanted to purchase anything from Hasbro and/or Mattel. It's insane. Crazy. Nuts. I didn't get my Soundwave figure either. I was denied it during my childhood, so I'm feeling the same disapointment.

I also learned that many people don't want to wait to get their info off the interweb. Fans of the Venture Bros. denied my chance to see the Fables panel. I went an hour before the panel only to find Venture Bros. fans already in line (both were in the same hall, Fables first, VB second). Again, I gave up. They don't clear the halls between panels thus I had NO chance as the line went around the corner, down the hall, back and halfway up again. So, I waited to read about it online. Yeah, it would have been cool to hear the info from Bill, Mark and the gang, but oh well.

I did get to talk to some artists. Hopefully they'll be able to make it up to good old NH in 2010. I also met up with Patrick Gleason, Jamal Igle and Sean Murphy. All cool guys, all very busy.

All in all, I would like to return in 2010, but if I don't, I'll make it every other year. Oh, and I'll have a copy of the 40th anniversary book at the store. It's very cool to see how this mega event got it's very meager beginning.

7 years and San Diego

This past weekend Double Midnight Comics celebrated 7 wonderful years bring southern NH comic and game fans their fix. We celebrated with a in store sale and our good friend Kate labored into the wee hours of the morning making some Blackest Night themed cakes. Man, we're they sweet (pun intended!). Speaking of Blackest Night, I read a potential spoiler... if it's true, I'm going to be both excited and disappointed all at once.

I'm leaving this Tuesday for San Diego. My very first Comic-Con International. I'm really bummed that I'm not going with either of my Convention partners in crime, my brother Chris or my brother from another mother, Derek Stryder Bailey. Chris and I have been to many conventions together, from Wizard World East and Boston, my third New York Comic Con as well as various trade shows. Derek and I have been to every New York Comic Con and will when we're both old and gray (my money is on that happening to him first). I won't be hitting San Diego solo though. I'm meeting up with my college roommates little brother Jeff. Jeff is big into video games. When I was in college, Eric (his older bro) told me that Jeff would record video game music to listen to while he slept. Now that's hardcore.

I was looking at the programming for San Diego... wow. There's a lot of panels going on. Speaking of panels, I've been asked to reprise my role as a panel participant, reprising my role from the New York Comic Con. I'll be on hand with the general manager of Lone Star Comics in Texas, the guy who started Free Comic Book Day as well as having a hand in starting ComicsPRO and a guy who owns a store with Geoff Johns and is an Eisner Spirit of Retailing award winner (the Oscar of comic retailing). So their in great company!

Follow my exploits on Twitter throughout the whole show, DMComicsScott. It'll be fun, but stressful...

Comic Store Management

After a few months, we're finally getting the hang of our new POS (Point of Service) program at the store. As you may or may not have seen, we have a better system to manage customer pulls. We enter subscriber forms each month to make sure that you are getting what you asked for. This new system shows what you are getting pulled for the week (as opposed to the old system that was for the month!) so if you have a series that been delayed, such as... hmmm.... I don't know, let's say Kick Ass, well, when it does come in, it'll be on your pull form because the computer knows that no matter how long it's been, that you've ordered it! Again, the old system would have required us to A) hold onto older forms and B) go through those forms to see if someone did check it off. And in the case of Kick Ass, well, we'd have to go back pretty far! Imagine how yellowed the paper would have been for those of you who checked off Ult. Wolverine vs. Hulk! This new system, MOBY, let's us see what's in a subscriber's folder and what's on the shelf. So if ya take something off the shelf and add it to your folder, please let us know so we can make the change. Same goes if you no longer want a book that was previously in your folder.

As of July 1st, Double Midnight Comics is 7 years old. Personally, I've met and made some very good friends through the store as I know Chris and Brett have as well. Everyday I thank God that I get to sell comics! While I love teaching as well, there is something about introducing someone to a new series or chatting about what's cool in comics. Speaking of what's cool, Wednesday Comics is my new favorite! It's such a different take on storytelling and it forces creators to be, well, creative in telling their weekly part of the story in just one, albeit oversized, page.

July 18th we're officially celebrating our 7th anniversary with some very cool specials and events! Select Marvel tradepaperbacks and hardcovers for just $7!?! Back issues on sale, give aways all day and cool (and colorful) cake(s). be sure to come down to see what we have cooked up.

Oh, and Blackest Night #1 drops on Wednesday. The 1st 200 people to pick it up will also get a FREE Black Lantern ring that actually fits adults! We have a sample at the store, some come drool in admiration!

I love comic books!

It's been a crazy week at the store. We've switched to a new inventory and transaction system this past week. For the past 6+ years we've been using a program called Quickbooks POS (Point of Sale) and switching to a new program meant we had our work cut out for us. The new system is designed by a comic book retailer and after various testimonials and word of mouth we decided to make the switch (we were going to have to update the Quickbooks POS anyway). We were planing on making the switch on Weds. April 1st but for some reason Quickbooks made the decision for us. Last Saturday I got the call (I'm the default IT guy) that Quickbooks POS wasn't opening up. Saturday is the 2nd busiest (if not 1st) of the week so I had to rush down to figure it out. We didn't have much time to figure it out so I decided to go live with MOBY, our new POS system. This meant that I had to teach everyone how to process credit cards (MOBY doesn't do that so we had to get a separate system, which now allows us to accept Discover and Amex) as well as make transactions. This was all before we finally got the chance to input the inventory. Ugh.

The plus side to this new system is it allows us to track what a pull customer (aka subscriber) has in their folder, how long it's been in there as well as easy to use sales tracking. This system is amazing!

On top of the craziness of inputting our inventory we had the Boston Comic-Con to get ready for. While it didn't take the preparation on the New York Comic Con, it did entail what to bring, getting and packing a van and various other house keeping. I drove the van down Saturday morning and set the tables up. When the doors opened at 10am, the people flooded in... to look. There were various dealers set up, from Silver Age comics, to new and used toy dealers to comic store owners selling trades for dirt cheap (more on the later). We had some hot books that had moved quickly at NYCC that people at the Boston Comic-con just looked at, pointed to and kept on walking. This is the BCC's first 2 day show, hopefully the 2nd day is better.

At the past few shows we've been to I've seen more and more comic dealers selling stuff dirt cheap, trades less than 1/2 price were the thing that stuck out the most for me. There have been deals out there for retailers and these retailers are blowing them out dirt cheap. I'm a little insulted by this. I feel it lessens the value of the books, publishers set the value of the books for a reason. I brought down our overstock (books we don't have room for or already have 2 of in the back issue bins) and I was selling them for $1 each (if they aren't moving in the back issues, hopefully I can move them to someone to get some of the money back, that's the business man in me) and within an hour of the show it was suggested by one of the organizers that I sell the books for $.50. 50 cents! Back in the day shows would showcase hot books, silver age, golden age books you couldn't find at your local store. Now it seems like local shows have become dumping grounds for books no one wants. I feel guilty selling my comics for $1, but $.50? Wow.

I'm taking each show I go to and using what I see to make the Granite State Comic Con a better show. We try to get unique guests and dealers as well as cool programs and events people want to see. We want to make the 5 bucks you spend at the door the best spent $5 you've spent in a while. If you have ideas or suggestions, please email me, scott@dmcomics.com!

Stay Tuned for some other updates...

What being a comic retailer means to me

This past weekend Brett was in Memphis for a ComicsPRO annual get together. Chris couldn't go because his wife is expecting any minute now and I was stuck with school, so Brett got to go all by his lonesome. Brett tortured us with constant text messages and get to hang with Geoff Johns and some high ups at DC, Vertigo, Dark Hose, Image and Marvel. I was so psyched to hear that Geoff Johns reported that Ethan Van Sciver (2 time GraniteCon guest) had very good things to say about the show. The big publishers have some cool things planned and even handed out some exclusive preview books (I got to read the FCBD Green Lantern Blackest Night book... WOW! Can't wait for BN!).

We're also working on some cool stuff for Free Comic Book Day as well as GraniteCon, more on that in the coming weeks.

I saw Wanted this past week (while donating Blood Platlets, I figured if I'm going to watch a 2 hour movie I might as well do something rewarding/productive). Not a bad flick, really only uses the plot of the comic. I preferred the comic myself, it was more superhero-y and less of the same power/different character. It's a good movie on it's on. I'd say 3.5 out of 5 stars.

There's nothing much new that I can report on this week. I'll have more info next week as well as some comic reviews for ya! Stay tuned...

What a week...

I started this week still on a Watchmen high. It's started to wear off, but there have been other things to fill the void.

This past Saturday we hosted a kick ass World of Warcraft minis tournament. The main prize was a Spectral Tiger mount which is going for big bucks in game and on eBay. There were some other cool prizes such as a bear mount (called the Red Bearon, clever, no?). Those of you who know me know I don't play WOW and when people come into the store talking about it, well, let's just say my eyes glaze over. We had 28 people in the store to play and I was impressed and disappointed at the same time, here's why:

28 people. Most drove over an hour from Mass. Some came from CT and as far from Albany, NY. There were 0 (that's ZERO) Double Midnighters there. We were one of 47 venues IN THE WORLD to run this event, we promoted it in store to anyone who bought or talked WOW. The bear mount was a door prize (won by 12 year old TJ from Mass.) so anyone who entered had a chance to win. Half the players there had just learned to play that week, so there was no excuse. All the players were very, very cool, there were no prize sharks. Oh well, their loss!

On to more cheery things... DC announced that they'll start having backup stories in Booster Gold and Teen Titans. The prices will go up to $3.99 but we're getting more story. The story page count for BG and TT won't change and we'll get more stories of Blue Beetle and Ravager respectively as BB is getting canned. Marvel's raising their prices for a lot of their books without adding anything. Way to step up DC!

On to some year 2 stories... 2003 was the year we started the Granite State Comic Con, aka GraniteCon. That year there was a small comic/anime/gaming convention at Memorial High School and it hit us... there hadn't been a comic show in Manchester in years. There were times where Chris and I went to the Bedford Mall for a comic show and we were inspired. We put the show together in a few months and we blew the doors off it! It's been getting bigger ever since thanks to New England comics fans!

Finally, Brett's leaving for a few days to attend a comic retailer's get together in Memphis. I want to go sooooo bad. Just thinking of all the BBQ drives me nuts. And it doesn't help that Geoff Johns is going to be there!

We're planning GraniteCon Manchester for May 31st. We're getting ready to announce the GOod guest(s) very soON. Stay tuned...

Watchedmen?

So it's been a few days and I've finally digested The Watchmen. I loved it when I left and I still love it now. There's been a lot of negative reviews/comments on the movie and I've had a lot of people questioning me as to if it's good or not. I think a lot of people (non-comic people) went into it thinking it would be another superhero movie (even thought the trailers said "You've Never Seen Superheores Like These"). Watchmen is a very cerebral movie. You have to pay attention, especially the first half.

I think the DVD edition is going to be huge. Through in deleted scenes (and we know there will be a lot), a director's cut ending, as well as the animated Black Freighter story and you have a huge DVD campaign. But that's a while away.

I'd like to check it out in IMAX. I haven't seen an IMAX movie in years (I think the last one I saw was Polar Express...). Like the book I've heard that you get more out of a second viewing, so I'll post my thoughts on the second viewing as soon as I see it again.

On actual comics news, Walking Dead drops today. Man, I love that book. Writer/Creator Robert Kirkman has promised that his books (WD, Invincible and Wolf-Man) will ship on time in 2009. Walking Dead has been plagued by serious delays but was able to catch up towards the end of 2008. I highly recommend this book if you are not already reading it. There are few books that appeal to everyone. This is one that I can safely push to anyone who loves comics (and, well, are over 18 as it is pretty gruesome sometimes, but not as gruesome as Garth Ennis' Crossed series from Avatar, WOW!).

Check back this weekend for some Double Midnight Comics Year 2 ramblings. Stay tuned...

Watching the Watchmen

Ok, that phrase has been beaten to death, but I couldn't think of a better title. This past weekend I re-read The Watchmen in anticipation of the film. Wow. I read the book almost 10 years ago and was a little lazy, skipping over the prose sections and getting to the meat of the book. Now that I'm a little more mature (emphasis on little more) I have a better understanding of it. I also grabbed the soundtrack and after re-reading the book and listening to the soundtrack I am ready. There are a lot of classic songs, Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable", KC & The Sunshine Band's "I'm Your Boogie Man" to Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence", Janis Joplin's "Me and Bobby McGee" and of course Jimi Hendrick's "All Along the Watchtower", but the one song that grabbed my attention most was the rendition of "Ride of the Valkyries" by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra.

"Ride of the Valkyries" was mentioned in Hollis Mason's book Under the Hood (shown in excerpts in The Watchmen) and for Zach Snyder to include that on the soundtrack earns serious bonus points for me. The song wasn't part (or integral) of the main story and gives me hope that this will be a great adaptation.

Given that celebrity comic fans like Kevin Smith had seen preliminary edits of the film months ago and praised the film, I am ready. The countdown to The Watchmen film is on (hours now). The most anticipated comic film of all time is upon us. I'll be watching The Watchmen with my fellow Double Midnighters at the O'Neil Theaters in Londonderry at, yup, midnight. I'll have a write up on Friday!

Double Midnight Year 1

The next few blogs I'm going to go over the first few years of Double Midnight Comics.

Back in 2002 there was a void. Voids need to be filled, so that's what 3 guys did. After a meeting at the Backroom (for chicken tenders of course) Chris, Brett and myself decided we needed to open a comic store that suited our needs. There were a few stores selling comics, but nothing that we would willing bring our significant others to. There were a few major things we needed to decide, what to name it and where to open it. We had tossed around Double Midnight Presents (based on Double Midnight Productions which was founded by Chris & Brett). We shortened it so the comics and collectibles part would be more prevalent and people would know what we sold. We had looked at a few places until we decided on the Maple Valley plaza.

The next hurdle we faced was funding. Where was the money going to come from? That's a long story I'll tell you in person... the only thing I will tell you is that friends do not always make good business partners.

We researched a little and found places that sold used fixtures and took advantage of some businesses that were closing and grabbed some good deals. My good friend Eric and his brother built the cash wrap for us and it's still standing after 7 years! I love traveling and seeing other stores to see what they've done, there's always something new to do at the store.

Looking back I realize I didn't know what I was getting into. I've learned a lot over the last 7 years. I had no idea what went into ordering comics, how to order games and what will sell and what won't (there's no magical formula). It's been great learning from other retailers (and I got to actually give my advice to others recently!).

It's interesting looking back and seeing the people that have come through our doors. Many friendships have been forged.

I still remember seeing the long boxes on the floor while we entered them into the computer, meeting our first customer (he was passing by and told us we'd see him every day, which didn't last the week), watching Linh, Carlton, Justin and Joe ransack out back issues (and continue to do so to this day) and sitting around trying to figure out who was going to close the store each day.

Stay tuned for year 2...

Another Day in Paradise

I'm finally getting back into my routine after being home from the NYCC. Yeah, it does take that much out of you. Prepping before you go is tough. Looking at what to bring, what not to bring, displays, getting the van packed, making sure you have the proper directions (thanks Tom Tom!) and then driving 5-6 hours to unload the van (in a hurry) and get yourself set up before the convention even begins is exhausting! I am seriously looking forward to the 2010 show. It's so weird saying 2010. I'll be closer to 33 and will have had my 15 year high school reunion (we skipped the 10 year)...

For another run down of the NYCC check out warp9gaming.com.

We've finished the major renovations at the store. We still have a few minor things to take care of (mostly cosmetic and behind the scenes). The biggest change (yeah, bigger than moving the register and adding a wall) will be our new POS system. You'll hardly notice the difference (just in the way the receipts look and how credit/debit cards are handled), but it'll be a great step for Double Midnight Comics. We'll be pulling subs better, you'll see the books you want stocked better and more! We are really, really excited about this!

GraniteCon is May 31st. We're waiting for a publisher to give us the ok to announce our guest. But we can tell you it'll be worth it!

How do you like the newest section of dmcomics.com? We've joined forces with our good friends at Comixology to bring the week's shipping list to you in full color! Peruse the covers, get a synopsis on what's happening and see how many Comixology users have added books to their pull list. Speaking of dmcomics.com, keep your eyes peeled and stay tuned...

New York Comic Con Thoughts

So the 2009 New York Comic Con is done. We're still unpacking and thinking about the rest of our Con plans for the year. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hi! Makes me wonder if we should plan a mass Double Midnight trip to the Oct. 2010 show! Scott Wegener and Mike Lilly stopped by to sign and sketch and they were a hit! They caused small crowds to gather and watch. Thanks again guys!

I got to catch up with a few artists. Khoi Pham stopped by in the brief seconds he had, Jamal Igle was smiling while he was sketching and Mitch Breitweiser was making his way through the halls. Art Baltazar was so busy with his crayons that many happy kids had their Tiny Titans sketches!

Pat was fun to watch. He's a noob to the whole comic scene and had to call me to tell me he was 3 yards away from Brian Michael Bendis. I didn't get to see Pat as he walked through Artist Alley...

Speaking of Pat, watch for the Pat-isms either this afternoon or tomorrow.

One of the big sellers of the weekend were trade paperbacks. We moved lots of Ultimate and Civil War titles. People were asking for World War Hulk and Green Lantern. Why? Because they are fun books to read and everyone wants in on the upcoming GL line. Speaking of Green Lantern, there was lots of people walking around in the new Lantern shirts, the Blue, Indigo, Orange and even Black Lantern shirts. Graphitti Designs were selling them early, look for them in store in the next week. Back to the trades, the weirdest story was a guy who was buying trades to read in the shower. Yes, the shower! He said he has ADD and it's the only way he can finish a storyline. The books don't last long, but he gets through them. Yeah, everyone's made the obligatory reading on the can line, so let's move on.

I know Walking Dead is huge, but I didn't expect people to ask every half-hour is we had issues 1-5. The Spider-Man Obama covers were still going strong. 1st prints were moving at some booths between $75 and $150!! Second Prints were moving around $15 and the 3rd and 4th prints were moving at cover price. David Gabriel (VP at Marvel) said they are approaching 1 million copies. That hasn't been seen in decades!!

On Saturday I got to take part in a panel titled "So You Wanna be a Comics Retailer" sponsored by ComicsPRO (a retailer organization that we are a part of). It was lots of fun and it was nice to be up there with guys that managed 7 stores, one that owned 3 and another who helped run Jim Hanley's 2 stores. I agreed to be on the panel so I could learn a few things myself.

It amazes me the lengths people will go to for their costumes. The Emma Frost/White Queen was my favorite. Very detailed. Ask Derek and Pat. Then there was Scooby Doo, the Watchmen Banana (Peanut Butter Jelly Hrrm).

All in all we learned quite a bit (like don't leave the van key at the Convention Center). This was only our 3 major con setting up in and we know what changes to make. We'll be looking for help at upcoming shows. Stay tuned...