Since last week's "Black Friday" I have been busy listing and shipping out comics and graphic novels. Plus blogging about the Special Black Friday Event we had at Facebook Comic Con,  and also blogging about "Cyber Monday" and other commercial aspects... Whew! 

Well, today I'm back to blogging about publications that were sent in to me for possible review here in my Blog.

Michele Witchipoo, of WitchesBrewPress, sent me a copy of her "Psycho Bunny" #3 and "Babalon Babes" #4.  I decided to blog about Psycho Bunny because the concept was one that was different to me as well as funny to read.

But first, for those of you that don't know who Michele Witchipoo is... Here is how Michael Netzer, Founder of Facebook Comic Con (FBCC), announced Michele to the FBCC as an exhibitor at her own table:  

Michele Witchipoo is an artist, cartoonist, illustrator and colorist. She self-publishes two titles under her WitchesBrewPress imprint. One is PSYCHO BUNNY, an ongoing story about an unemployed alcoholic rabbit with anger issues. He lives in urban chaos as he deals with a dysfunctional family, crazy neighbors and few friends. The other is BABALON BABES, a sketchbook featuring femme fatales, mixing erotica and occult/spiritual symbols.

In the past, Michele has promoted her comics in various NYC club parties (In 2005, M8 and in 2007 Oi! with DJ Bejay Rose) and comic cons. In addition, Michele has served on three comicbook panels.

In 2008, Michele was nominated by CAG (Comic Artists Guild) as Best Cartoonist.

Here is how Michele talked about herself on her one of her web site pages:

Where does one begin when introducing oneself? I can begin by family background. My background is that of English and Maltese. Mother had grown up during World War Two. In Liverpool she had the chance to see this local band who had called themselves The Beatles. My father, also a child during WWII, was a professional soccer player in Malta. My parents met in New York at the famous Roseland ballroom.As old fashioned as it sounds, it was love at first sight.

Since last week's "Black Friday Event" here at Make It So Marketing's Facebook Comic Con Exhibitor Table, I've been busy listing, selling, and shipping comics and graphic novels to our customers.  This included listing hundreds of more items in time for 'Cyber Monday'... 

That has been taking a toll on my 'free time' in blogging and contributing to the social media and comics forums that I am associated with.  I haven't been able to read and reply fully to the emails and messages that have come in to me.

However, a message sent last night to me made me want to stop and re-publish a series of blog posts that my wife Tina LoSasso had guest blogged two seasons ago.  Those blog posts are no longer visible, because they were in the eBay version of our Blog, which has been discontinued by eBay itself.

So when this eBayer friend of mine asked if I could re-post the blogs here I said yes.  So the following are all Five of the Tips that Tina posted two seasons ago.  I thought it would be timely as well as informative, because on my Facebook Network of Friends alone, there are many self-publishers that are probably wondering what to give to their business network of associates this year.  Plus there are a lot of creators that are holding down day jobs until their own creations are published!

Here is a brief intro and then the 5 tips from Tina LoSasso:

Anyone braving the shopping malls during the holiday season knows that finding the perfect gift for family or friends is not easy. Business gift giving can be even more challenging. "Choosing the right business gift actually requires more time and thoughtfulness," says Tina LoSasso, Managing Editor of SalesDog.com, in one of 80 sales lessons in the new business book, Top Dog Sales Secrets. LoSasso identifies five common business gift-giving gaffes:  

1) Quality trumps quantity. "A small box of exquisite, handmade truffles will be appreciated far more than a big box of run-of-the-mill chocolates," LoSasso advises. "If the head honcho at your biggest account is a wine connoisseur, remember, it's far better to send one bottle of the very best than several ordinary bottles he'll never uncork."

2) Reject run-of-the-mill. Shun the ho hum food baskets and opt for a more memorable gift. "Check your client notes," suggests LoSasso. "What are his hobbies? Does he golf, cook or play sports? If your client, the gourmet cook, is still raving about the meals he enjoyed during his vacation in Tuscany, send him a beautifully illustrated regional cookbook. Your gift, and you, will be remembered far longer than a generic tin of cookies."

3) Don't even think of advertising. "Sending gifts with your company's logo on them make you look stingier than Scrooge," says LoSasso. "Save the logo-imprinted pens, paperweights, mouse pads and calculators for your next trade show. Instead, send a gift from your region of the country: Ghirardelli chocolate from San Francisco, smoked salmon from the Northwest, citrus from Florida or California, or barbecue sauce from Texas."

4) Beware of booze. "Alcoholic beverages are usually risky business," warns LoSasso. "The one exception is when you know someone loves a certain brand of rare Scotch, a particular wine, or a regional microbrew. Never send a bottle of champagne to that key account in Salt Lake City, or for that matter, frozen steaks to your customer who is a vegetarian. Don't laugh -- it happens."

5) The gender trap. Gender differences present their own gift-giving dangers. While it is generally acceptable for a saleswoman to send her stressed-out women clients personal items, like lotions or a spa kit, salesmen should not be so familiar. "Sorry guys," says LoSasso. "You're not in the club."

LoSasso's advice is excerpted from the bestselling book, Top Dog Sales Secrets, authored by 50 renowned sales lecturers, consultants, and corporate trainers. Top Dog Sales Secrets is available from the publisher or from Amazon and other online retailers.

That ends the 5 Tips and the introductory info about Tina's contributions at SalesDog.com. BTW, SalesDog.com features advice from America's leading sales experts. Their free weekly newsletter has over 25,000 subscribers. You are invited to sign up there for that newsletter if advice on Sales can help you bring 2009 to a satisfying close!

My thanks to Tina for allowing me to re-publish those earlier five blog posts into one Blog here today!  

Silver Comics for the Holidays? 

That's no typo... I didn't mean 'Silver Age Comics' for the Holidays; I did mean 'Silver Comics' as shown in the above right top photo!  That's because I was asked by a potential customer what comic books I would recommend for a pre-teen son of theirs...

This question was asked in between the time we held a 'Black Friday Special Event' and then our 'Cyber Monday' listings.  This question is one of the HARDEST questions nowadays for me to answer, because most of the comic books being published today are definitely NOT for Kids!

And yes, I do read, and possibly review those other comics and also graphic novels here in my Blog!   But I do put warnings as to whom I think those comics / graphic novels are meant for.

So I mentioned the above 'Silver Comics' to the potential customer, and sent them to the Silver Comics web site to purchase them from since we don't currently have them in stock.  I also mentioned at the same time that I had grown up during the 'Silver Age of Comics' and really enjoyed this  9 issues series myself, and that others that grew up during that time period would more than likely also enjoy this series!

I've already blogged about issue #1 here before (click here)... and then jumped to Issue #3 that had covers by George Tuska, (who passed away recently), and Nick Cardy, (click here for that post).

However, I'll just backtrack for a moment and blog here about issue #2.  First, here is the press release info on the second issue, as to what stories it contains:

Cloud Buster: "The Bigger They Are -- The Harder They Fall!" Johnny Ortiz (story, penciller), Dan Beltran (writer), Alfredo Nunez (inker) Doctor Prime works with Tom (and his damaged Cloud Buster armor) in the lab. Tom remains a giant; he and the armor will not reduce back to normal size. General Holt's army attacks Ash Island. Dr. Ash transfers his mind into the body of a giant troll.

Sea-Bolt: "The Attack of Dr. Dark's Brain!" Johnny Ortiz (writer, penciller), Dan Beltran (co-writer), Tony Hamad (inker) Zarro's sub (with the captured Sea-Bolt inside) is attacked by another sub controlled by Dr. Dark's brain. An American destroyer drops a sonic charge at both subs. Sea-Bolt retrieves his helmet and tail section and fights Zarro. Both subs explode. Sea-Bolt survives, but is captured by a giant sea-serpent.

Dr. Monster: "The Origin of Dr. Monster, Part 2: When Titans Crumble!" Johnny Ortiz (story, penciller), Dan Beltran (writer), Lou Rodriguez (inker) Timo watches in shock as Man-Star, under arrest for murder, is led into a transport rocket. Timo hopes that Countess Kira can help Man-Star. Kira's father, set to take control of the Council, assures her that although Man-Star has been a hero to their world, the law must be upheld.

The Man Called Santa: "Jingle Hell! Jingle Hell!" Johnny Ortiz (writer, artist), Dan Beltran (co-writer) Santa fights back against Satan. Rudolph the Laser-Nosed Reindeer defeats the Martian commander Nodge. However, Satan has captured Santa's soul.

Here are my thoughts on those stories:

Cloud Buster:   This series continued to remind me of the early 1960's tales when the MoNSTer comics were evolving into Sci-Fi and then Superheroes comics.  Still kept my interest!

Sea Bolt:   In a previous blog I mentioned that this story reminded me of the Sub-Mariner stories in the 'Tales To Astonish' title.  Subby is NOT one of my favorite Marvel characters, I liked it mostly for the Adam Austin (Gene Colan) art, but this Sea Bolt storyline continued to remind me of why I liked the Subby series!

Dr. Monster:  The origin of Dr. Monster continues... like most 'origin stories' you kind of are waiting for the action to begin... but this origin has a good background going on.

The Man Called Santa:  Because of the 'cartoony' aspect of the artwork, I'm okay with still recommending this comic book title as a whole for pre-teens, even though Satan is involved in the storyline.

So I've presented you with what the 2nd issue contains and my thoughts on it.  Also I've provided you with links to my blog posts on the 1st and 3rd issues for my other reviews.  So you can see that I do enjoy this series, and do highly recommend it for those that are looking to get others interested into comics that are NOT ready for the 'grim n gritty' comics that you find so often out there at the LCBS in your area.  Plus, I truly believe that they make a great gift for someone who used to read comics during the 'Silver Age of Comics' and hasn't read a comic book in years!  And you know what...?  I'd even mention it to those that like the 'grim n gritty' comics of today just to expand their horizons in reading!

You can find out about their latest updates plus what you can purchase from the Silver Comics folks by going to their Facebook Fan Page by clicking here!

If you aren't a member of Facebook, then you can go directly to their web site at: http://www.silvercomics.org/

Thanks again to Johnny and Vince for taking the time to introduce me to this series when I met them at the recent Long Beach Comic Con (LBCC)! 

Last Friday, Tina and I held a 'Black Friday Special Event' at our exhibitor table at the Facebook Comic Con for ten hours...

Facebook Comic Con is a 'virtual comic convention', so having what is traditionally seen as a 'brick n mortar' event online on a Friday may seem a little strange.  However we were attempting to tie into the national event that according to CNN's Heidi Collins report that I just viewed while having breafast, had 195 million shoppers attend!  The average of what each shopper spent however was $343, which was down from last year.

Today's "Cyber Monday" is expected to have 100 million 'attendees' browsing on computers, especially at those attendees' places of work!  Tina commented while watching the CNN report with me about who doesn't have some sort of computer at home by now?  But I could see that several persons were too busy with guests over the long weekend, and otherwise occupied, so I could see several persons sneaking onto their 'work computers' to attend 'Cyber Monday'!

Anyways, I'm just posting a shorter blog post this morning, so I can get back to listing comics, graphic novels, toys, etc. in our own online store at: http://www.MakeItSoMarketing.com .  We had almost 6,000 listings posted as of last night, after selling quite a bit over the 'Black Friday Event / Weekend'.  So we'll see what happens today on 'Cyber Monday' saleswise.   

Thanks again to those that joined us during our 'Black Friday Event', and for those that stopped in at our online store over the weekend!  For those of you that are looking for inexpensive comics or back issues for yourself or your comics collector / reader friends, our store is always 'open' whether it's Cyber Monday or just a regular Tuesday!  We do have several thousand back issues of comics starting at only $1.95 plus shipping! 

Two Weeks ago I started blogging a series about "The State Of Comics Retailing In 2009 Metro San Diego", as told by Jamie Newbold  of Southern California Comics in San Diego, (click here for Part I) and (click here for Part II)...

Southern California Comics, a.k.a. SoCal Comics, is owned by Jamie Newbold and is one of the major places in Metro San Diego area that I stop in at for comic book supplies and new comics for myself. 

When I stopped there the previous week for the FACTION comic book signing, (click here for that blog), Jamie and I went over what's been going on in San Diego sales wise for comics. 

Part I of this series was an introduction to the Store, Store Sales, and New Comics. Part II was on individual Comic Book Publishers' titles sales at his store. The following is from Jamie's own words about his activities at Southern California comic book conventions:

"CONVENTION SALES:  On a convention level, my main show presence is at the San Diego Comic Con International. I also attend one or two other shows during the year. I gather gossip and stories from other dealers (including other Overstreet advisors).

Patterns develop each year and I’m privy to the information that explains those patterns. One pattern that escaped my best prediction was the lack of sales at the 2009 San Diego Con.

2008 was a banner year for us in that the convention was just a good, easy show all the way around. However, in 2009, the show was set squarely in the second year of our country’s economic recession. In contrast to the previous show, I felt the reluctance of buyer’s spending money this year. Factors included an overcrowded dealer’s room, freebie frenzy by attendees, a lack of back-issue buyers (the common feeling was that many held off until Sunday to make their purchases) and the Hollywood distraction.

I commiserated with many fellow dealers and learned it wasn’t just me who experienced low sales. No one changed seller styles or offered different products...which generally stay the same each year. The fact is that we didn’t change--the Con changed. One major difference that many have seen is that the Gold and Silver Age sellers have reduced in numbers but attendance has increased.

Where and why have all the buyers gone? One dire consequence of dealer placement and large crowds are the throngs of people blocking access to one booth to get freebies or signings at another. Small press and publishers have been crammed into the same, tight area we occupy. They run promotions that generate huge lines of people and block aisles.

Back issue guys don’t draw large crowds so we can’t fight back. The Con managers do little or nothing to alleviate the stress. What a zoo. The sheer volume of people at our end of the room makes access to our booths a struggle. I’d like to see the show authorities fix that.

One irksome, logistical nightmare that Comic Con presents is their feedback period. Dealers with issues relating to convention problems are welcome to present them on the last day of the show. As a veteran of many Cons, I’ve gathered plenty of complaints, but I never get to air them.

Why? The main reason is that the forum is held for one hour late in the afternoon on the last day when business and theft are especially heavy. When we are all busy standing in long pre-registration lines for next year’s show. When the crush to leave the dealer’s room is at its greatest I’m stuck at my booth working. In fifteen years I’ve never had a problem-free show and never been able to make it to the forum. COME ON!

I give kudos to the fledgling Long Beach Comic Con. Wizard World LA left a gap when it disappeared. The Long Beach people happily filled that gap. I thought the little show had heart. Now, go see it and spend some money when it returns!

Terry’s Comics runs its own annual show in Orange County. It’s dominated by Terry’s desire to honor the traditions of shows of yesteryear where back issues were the draw. Support Terry and all of us Gold/Silver/Bronze guys and show up."  (Michael's Note: Show is called the CalComicCon)

Jamie went on to talk about his Web Site Sales / and eBay & other Auction Site Sales, which I will be posting in Part IV to follow soon... 

Thanks again to Jamie Newbold for sharing the above with me and giving me permission to post it in my Blog!

For those of you that are looking at visiting the San Diego area soon, be sure to visit Jamie's SoCal Comics store.  There is much more to comics in San Diego than just the once a year Comic Con International: San Diego (CCI / SDCC) that over 125,000 people attend!

Here's the direct link to Jamie's store:  http://www.socalcomics.com/!