The new Previews catalog comes out next week, and Free Comic Book Day is just around the corner too, and since there's a number of new Robocop, Stargate, and other fans here at the site these days it's time to take a bit of a look at how the comic book industry works and some of the important dates looming in our immediate future for those of you who are new to comics.  Please feel free to copy and paste this information to wherever you think fans will need to know.  Over the next few weeks, it will be of special importance to support and spread the word about the coming Robocop comics far and wide.  Here's how the dates break down:

• Wednesday, April 23 - the new Previews catalog ships to comic shops nationwide:  What is Previews?  It's a large catalog that contains artwork and info for essentially all of the comic books that are scheduled to come out in 2 months time.  So the Previews that will be in stores April 23 contains information on comics scheduled to be released beginning in July.  Previews is an advance order tool for all comic book retailers and many of their customers.  Many if not most comic shops accept preorders, and though you typically won't be required to buy a copy of the catalog for yourself to place an order, be aware that it is the scheduling, ordering, and informational mechanism on which much of the comic book industry turns.  You'll see it mentioned alot on this site and many other comic-related sites that talk about upcoming projects.  It is very important, particularly for an independent publisher like Avatar, for our readership to place preorders or otherwise let the local retailers know that you want these books so they have some gauge as to the demand for them and can order from our distributor accordingly.  This is not to say that the book will only be available via preorder, we hope some retailers order extra copies for their shelves, but it is often difficult for them to know how to order a new series, so you can't always count enough extra copies being available in your local area.  That's why getting as many people to preorder the book as possible is so extremely important, that point can't be overemphasized. The key information here is:  Most local stores will start accepting orders for Frank Miller's Robocop #1 on Wednesday, April 23.
• Saturday, May 3 - Free Comic Book Day:  Participating retailers around the country will have free copies of Frank Miller's Robocop / Stargate SG-1 FCBD Edition available.  All of you Robocop, Stargate, and Species fans who might not normally stop by your local comic book store are exactly the kinds of people Free Comic Book Day was created for.  This is one of the highest profile events for our industry annually, and this year, you Robocop, Stargate, and Species fans will have a strong voice during it.  If at all possible, stop by your local store, ask if they have the free Robo / Stargate book, and be sure to let the retailer know that you intend to support these upcoming comics.  In many if not most cases, you would even be able to preorder or reserve your Frank Miller's Robocop #1 right then and there.
• Saturday, May 10 - orders due, this order cycle ends:  On May 10 (consult your local retailer on this date, it may vary for your local shop), orders for July-shipping comics (which include Frank Miller's Robocop #1) will officially come to a close.  Your retailer will have to have your orders in hand by that time so he can place his own order to our distributor.  And then later that month, the order cylce will begin anew with Frank Miller's Robocop #2 and the rest of our August releases.  And so on.

So:  There is about a three week window between April 23 and May 10 when showing your support with your local retailer for Robocop and the rest of our July releases is of paramount importance.  Again, this is not to say that it's not important the rest of the time, but that three week period supporting the launch of the series is very key.  Please let you fellow fans know about this if you can.  And by the way, thanks for all the comments, feedback, and support on all the boards and sites out there.  The feedback is important to us and appreciated -- the Future of Law Enforcement is Here!  You can send feedback directly to the editor of our upcoming Robocop comics, William Christensen, at robocop@avatarpress.net.  Here is a permanent link to the information in this post.
[ posted Wednesday, April 16, 2003 8:07:10 PM  |  permanent link to this item ]