It isn’t always easy to succeed in the direct market of comics. The side of the industry defined by comic shops has always been a challenging one for original ideas that don’t have a connection to some sort of well-established property, and that may be even more true in this moment, as retailers grow increasingly … Continued

Every person is different, and because of that, every comic creator is different. And with those differences in individuals comes differences in how they do the actual work, from their workspaces and processes to the tools and entertainment that keep them company throughout. This kind of thing always fascinates me, as does getting an inside … Continued

Running a comic shop is a hard job in normal circumstances. Doing so when the strip ball you’re in is loaded with about half the water you’d find in an Olympic-sized swimming pool is even harder. Incredibly, unbelievably, that’s something retailers 1 Brandon Schatz and Danica LeBlanc now know, as they faced the unimaginable this … Continued

When I’ve mentioned the publisher Mad Cave Studios on the site or podcast in the past, it often comes with an admission: I don’t really understand them! I don’t mean that in a “I don’t understand what a comic publisher is” sort of way. I get that. It’s just that Mad Cave as a company … Continued

There’s something about Russell Dauterman. I’m not sure what it is, but ever since I first saw his art in 2014’s Thor #1, I knew there was something different about his work. It just felt right. Whether it was Odinson, Jane Foster Thor, or any version of Dario Agger you might come across, there was … Continued

Big news dropped last week, as perpetual newsmaker and superstar writer James Tynion IV revealed the next phase of his Tiny Onion empire. It isn’t just a newsletter anymore, but a production house designed to help creators with “the development, packaging, marketing and cross-platform promotion of new creator-owned work,” per the announcement of this new … Continued

For comic fans of some varieties, Silver Sprocket might be a new name to you, as they exist in a space that might be outside of your norm. That said, if you’re a fan of comics, they should be a draw for you, and that’s because of what they represent to those who are aware … Continued

Every comic shop is different. That’s something I noted in my recent feature on how 2023 was for retailers, and it’s an important note when considering the overall conversation about the direct market. There’s no such thing as a representative comic shop, with each standing out as a singular example relative to their peers. While … Continued

When I first heard of the idea that would eventually become Ram V, Evan Cagle, Dave Stewart, and Aditya Bidikar’s upcoming Dark Horse Comics miniseries Dawnrunner, I was all in. It was when Ram guested on Off Panel, and the writer suggested to me he was working on a new book that was effectively a … Continued

Crossovers aren’t new by any means. That’s been happening in comics for decades now, as two (or more) titles forming a single narrative is a tried and true method for comics of all varieties, even if they’re more notably connected to superhero stories. And yet, there are different ways you can handle that kind of … Continued