With the debut of the first Stargate SG-1 mini-series in January, it's time once again 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.  It's very important for Stargate SG-1 fans to let local comic retailers know that they want to get these comics, and here is some information to help you do that.  Please feel free to copy and paste this information wherever you think it will be useful.

• Comic Stores worldwide are taking orders for Stargate SG-1: POW beginning now:  Though Stargate SG-1: POW #1 is scheduled to be released in January, retailers are compiling their orders for January releases beginning now.  So it's very important that Stargate SG-1 fans let retailers know as soon as possible that they want this release.
• Wednesday, October 29 - the order cycle begins as the new Previews catalog begins to ship to comic shops worldwide:  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 October 29 contains information on comics scheduled to be released beginning in January.  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 the Stargate SG-1: OW #1 beginning on Wednesday, October 29.
• Saturday, November 15 - orders due, this order cycle ends:  On November 15 (consult your local retailer on this date, it may vary for your local shop), orders for January-shipping comics (which include the Stargate SG-1 POW #1 and the rest of our January 04-shipping releases) 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. 

So:  There is about a two week window between October 29 and November 15 when showing your support with your local retailer for Stargate SG-1 and the rest of our January releases is of paramount importance.  Again, this is not to say that it's not important the rest of the time, but during that period, supporting the release of our first Stargate SG-1 comic is very key.  Please let you fellow fans know about this if you can.  Thanks again for all the comments, feedback, and support on all the boards and sites out there.  You can send feedback directly to the editor of our upcoming Stargate SG-1 comics, William Christensen, at stargate@avatarpress.net.
[ posted Saturday, November 01, 2003 8:03:14 AM  |  permanent link to this item ]