Diamond Reports Record High FCBD Orders

Greg

http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/04/18/free-comic-book-day-record-halloween-event/

I hope that this is a sign that readership is truly on the rise.

Zhurrie

I really hope so, but what I see are more stores buying this stuff and it either sits or the popular stuff gets picked through and the rest left. One LCS for me is in a mall and gets a lot of walk-ins and non-comic readers, the #1 thing I hear are comments on the price. From parents with kids in the all-ages section saying "you can pick *one* comic" or "I'm not spending $3-4 on a comic book!" or even teens and adults with friends saying how they remember comics being cheaper or how they can't afford to read X. Literally I hear at least one customer say something to that effect every Wednesday when I go in. I think FREE is more the draw than continued readership is unfortunately.

I do know that GNs have been doing stellar though and that seems very popular with the teen to early 20 crowd as well as adults and new readers grabbing stuff like Walking Dead Omnis.

Greg

I have to agree with you. Last year the store we went to still had the left overs from the previous two years. I don't see a lot of people leaving with more books other than what has that FCBD logo on it. I also see people grabbing muliples of what's perceived to be the hot offerings and little of anything else. This would be the right time to have sales and specials and I haven't seen that from the stores we've been to over the last few years.

Zhurrie

@Greg, it really kind of irks me that the stores have to buy this stuff at all. It should be free to the stores and then the stores could use the money they would have spent on these to offer discount and sales, etc. it just seems like a lot of onus on the LCS for very little payoff.

mguy1977

Well I know I preordered the FCBD Mouseguard HC & 4 other FCBD comics from DCBS. I need my Mouseguard fix while I am waiting for the MouseGuard Blaxe Axe collection to come out.

Matthew

Greg

The big two can easily foot the bill for their FCBD items and I'd wager that Image, IDW, Dynamite and Dark Horse could squeeze it out also.

EdChambers

I think this explains the record high order of FCBD books:
http://www.wildpigcomics.com/fcbd-info.html