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Free Comic Book Day recommends no anthologies for 2017

Started by Steve Green, 23 August, 2016, 04:07:59 PM

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Steve Green

Just waiting on the conditions for 2018, 'all art must be done while hopping, panels taking no longer than 10 seconds each...'

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/08/23/free-comic-book-day-recommends-no-anthologies-for-2017/

Dandontdare

Also:

QuoteAnd of course, no flip-cover book/images, as per usual!

If they mean those back-back comics with half printed upside down so they can be flippeded over and read from both ends, there seem to always be plenty of these on FCBD

Tjm86

I have to be honest, I find myself a little baffled by the attitude of the organisers of FCBD.  IIRC retailers have to pay for these, publishers have to subsidise them and the only benefit either see is potential increased footfall which is normally regular customers anyway.  What exactly is to stop Rebellion, or any publisher, going down the 'annual freebie' edition and producing it in whatever size, format or structure they choose?  I mean seriously, can someone explain it to me like I'm a three year old!

IndigoPrime

Most of them are anthologies of sorts, so this doesn't affect just 2000 AD but also Dark Horse and the like. What do they want? Just standard US comics with a single story? Idiots.

Professor Bear

This would disproportionately affect smaller publishers and/or those with no huge franchise cash cows, so I assume it's Diamond moving the goalposts so as to squeeze out the indies to favor their big earners.

dweezil2

These restrictions seem ridiculously draconian!

Isn't the whole point to attract more readers and increase comic book store attendance?

The 2000AD FCBD is pretty much the only one worth reading anyway so bang goes FCBD 2018 for me if there's no Prog!  :thumbsdown:
Savalas Seed Bandcamp: https://savalasseed1.bandcamp.com/releases

"He's The Law 45th anniversary music video"
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dweezil2

Savalas Seed Bandcamp: https://savalasseed1.bandcamp.com/releases

"He's The Law 45th anniversary music video"
https://youtu.be/qllbagBOIAo

Colin YNWA

The article does seem to suggest that 2000ad won't be as affected as others they are recommendations and

QuoteDiamond representatives tell me the likes of 2000AD have less to fear, rather publishers with different titles to promote all in one book, or too many licenses to placate by including them in FCBD – 2000AD, the Attack On Titan Anthology, even the CBLDF comic, that's just thing being promoted each time rather than the whole publisher line.

Though this is just Bleeding Cool speculation (the above quote) at this time.

What is a little more worrying for me is the fact they seem to be switching the goal posts to make it harder for smaller publishers to promote their lines. Its all well and good suggesting the recommendations are there to promote the better value books and I get that. However for some giving a little of lot is the only way they can participlate I'd image. I must admit some of the publications this year did have very  little actual content but this seems a clumsy tool to solve that problem. Being an anthology isn't the problem in my mind, rather the amount of original content and if it is an anthology making sure the tales at least in part are stand alone short stories to give readers a complete tale or two. Mind I suspect this would have its own problems.

Magnetica

This was the first year I actually went up to town to FCBD. What struck me about a lot of the comics I picked up was with 2000AD you got complete tales,  similar to what you might see in a Summer Special. (There were some others with complete tales as well).

With most of the others what you got was the first part as a lead into a longer story which just ended abruptly with the tagline "to be continued in <insert name> issue "xyz". There was then one or two back up stories which similarly ended abruptly with the "to be continued in..." tag line.

So I found those with complete stories to be on the whole good (if memory serves the other one I liked was Serenity). The other sort just came across as  a blatant plug for whatever comic, but there weren't really a good read of themselves, more a taster to see if you liked it and would the then buy the series. (BTW the total number I went onto buy currently stands at zero).



BPP

I'd imagine 2000AD could simply put one reprint or all new Dredd tale in under '2000AD: Judge Dredd'. It might actually boost sales to those usually reluctant to buy an anthology.

It does seem pandering to the two companies who make least effort with FCBD - whose efforts are usually reprinted dross that even their fanboys note is sub-par. Companies like BOOM! and Fanatgraphics are going to be hit more by the 'no anthologies' rather than Rebellion with is one big 'draw'.
If I'd known it was harmless I would have killed it myself.

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sheridan

Rare mention of recent circulation there: 60,000 units in 2014 - I wonder how that translates into progs/megs sold each week/month?

IndigoPrime

I imagine that's the circulation for FCBD, not 2000 AD/The Meg in general.

sheridan

Quote from: IndigoPrime on 24 August, 2016, 01:10:08 PM
I imagine that's the circulation for FCBD, not 2000 AD/The Meg in general.
It is - that's why I was wondering what the orders are like for progs and megs.

Theblazeuk

That'd be a real shame. Boom's output (and Fantagraphics) have been things of beauty in the past.

Still, wouldn't be something I liked if it didn't utterly undermine itself with stupid decisions.

Richard

They tried to stop 2000AD from participating in 2016. Maybe this is a pretext for doing it again but more successfully next year.