Described to the world in great detail by a leaked memo published by Eric Reynolds at Fantagraphics in The Comics Journal, news of Diamond Comic Distributors‘ exclusive deal with DC Comics was officially announced on Friday, April 28, 1995 — which brought reaction immediately from Diamond’s rival Capital City in the form of a lawsuit. … Read more
Twenty-five years ago today, shoplifters struck a comic shop. Spider-Man entered, foiling the crooks — and declaring, after it was all over, “This shopping thing is way too dangerous!” It was a silly bit of advertising copy, included in an eight-page catalog insert that appeared on March 7, 1994 (or March 8, in some stores) … Read more
My look back at Comics Retailer magazine issues I edited 25 years ago continues with my latest chapter, covering December 1993 events including the late-shipping crisis, Malibu’s TV ads, and rampant retailer worries that Blockbuster would get into comics. You can find the introductory chapter here. John Jackson MillerComichron founder John Jackson Miller has tracked … Read more
Twenty-five years ago Friday, my comic industry career began with my first day editing Comics Retailer magazine, the trade publication for the comics industry through the 1990s and 2000s. (It would later be known as Comics & Games Retailer, after the makeup of the readership changed.) Today, I begin a new article series on the … Read more
New on the Comichron YouTube channel, a video flashback! Twenty years ago this month, the Distribution Wars had been over for a year — but the business’s problems certainly weren’t. Travel back to the age of Battle Chasers and mutant chart domination. Check out the video — and then see the charts in question for … Read more
This slipped a lot of calendars, but Superman’s rise from the dead began 25 years ago today (that’s when Adventures of Superman #500 apparently left the warehouse; on-sale was both April 14 and April 15, as distributors were moving New Comic Book Day from Thursday to Wednesday). In observance of the event, I posted the … Read more