Highway 62

A little background. Comickaze was one of the first stores that I went to when I started getting back into comics a little over a year ago. It’s a relatively small, cramped place (though Robert is doing a lot of work on it right now to alleviate that), but I was blown away by the diversity of work that I could find on his shelves. Mostly by the stuff that I’d never seen before and didn’t know even existed.

Now, to be fair, there are other good shops in San Diego, but none of them quite match the breadth of Robert’s wares. Sure, they can order them, I suppose, but if you want to go impulse shopping, it’s hard to do better than Comickaze.

I’ve typed enough. My hands feel like they’ve been mummified, as has my brain. Just read.

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself, and why you’re anything but a typical retailer?

I'm not sure how atypical I am. I got into this business because of my love for the comic medium which is probably true for most, if not all comic retailers. I guess the difference is that I'm looking beyond the four walls of my shop, at the industry as a whole, for ways to improve its viability.

This means that I actively work with my retail peers, publishers, creators, distributors... basically every facet of the industry, in order to get us all pulling more in the same direction, instead of playing tug-of-war. Most of this communication is facilitated through the Comic Book Industry Alliance (CBIA), an on-line industry trade forum I founded six years ago and includes in its membership ~10% of all Direct Market Comic Retailers, dozens of publishers (including DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, CrossGen, Oni and IDW among others), top comic creators, all major distributors and many other ancillary businesses that the industry benefits from.

I also participate directly in DC's Retailer Representative, a similar program with IDW and recently joined the team developing the Las Vegas Comic Con to not only develop an awareness and appreciation for the medium but to also establish a venue that I hope will be host to a dedicated industry trade show in the near future.

You’re based in San Diego (not unlike me). How is the location working out for you? Are there any characteristics that mark your clientele apart from the crowd?

San Diego is great and Clairemont in particular has been a wonderful home to Comickaze for over ten years now. I have customers from 4 to 80 and many families who come in to shop together. I also have the good fortune to be in close proximity to a great bookstore, Mysterious Galaxy, which specializes in prose work that parallels my comic offerings fairly well and even sees some creator crossover. As such we've been able to share customers and introduce each other's customers to some exciting new work.

San Diego is also home to Comic Con International and a handful of dynamic publishers like Wildstorm, IDW, Neko Press and Exhibit A Press among others as well as extremely high profile creators who all do quite a bit to help me promote their work.

What does Comickaze offer that other stores in the area don’t?

The most important thing, ME! I am in the store at least five days a week and have the good fortune to have the assistance of people who hold the same passion for comics that I do. Together we make it very clear to all who visit the store that our #1 goal is getting the books they want to read, into their hands. Even though we have the greatest selection of comics and graphic novels in San Diego, we don't always have what folks want in stock but we will make every attempt to get it.

We also actively work with local schools and libraries and are always looking for ways to promote literacy both through the store as well as out in the community.

Finally, you will never hear anyone at Comickaze promote comics as an investment. We sell entertainment, the same as Borders, Blockbuster and Tower. Comics are meant to be read and shared, just like a favorite CD, video or book. By not exploiting our customers for a quick buck like happened in the early '90s with comics or more recently with things like sport cards, beanie babies or Pokemon cards, we have seen our sales grow every year. This is because our customers are happy and excited about what they buy and return over and over again. Many stores have taken advantage of their customers and you can only get away with that for so long before it comes back to bite you.

In our eleven years I have seen many "successful" stores fall by the wayside, some were even multi store chains.

How much of your business is backlist material versus current material?

Current material probably accounts for about 60% of my comic sales, the other 40% being made up of back issues and trade collections.

How much non-comic/book material do you sell?

We do well with action figures, statues and busts, clothing, posters and other items that fall within the comic/pop culture arena. The big difference today is that these are now sidelines rather than a focus of the store. Sales of comics, graphic novels and TPBs are now at a level that they have earned the majority of my floor space and I see nothing that will change that.

I know that you’re active on various Delphi forums (and have had a long history of involvement with them). Anything you want to talk about with regard to that?

Well I've been active in many online forums, from CompuServe to the Rec.Arts.Comics.Misc Newsgroup to Comicon.com to the Game Industry Forum, ComicsPro and the Comic Book Industry Alliance the last three of which are invitation only professional forums hosted on Delphi. Speaking only for myself, without the CBIA, I would probably have left this business. Being able to tap into the collected wisdom of the members has given me the courage, determination and desire to push the envelope.

I also take a little pride in being the first Comic related board on Delphi as well as seeing others appreciate what we've accomplished in the CBIA enough to start their own forums.

Do you find the forums a useful tool in doing your business on a daily basis? What would happen if they all went kaboom (besides more comics folks getting more work done every day?)

One of our members described the CBIA as a 24/7 trade show and another, a fairly high profile creator said their isn't a better insight to the industry than the CBIA. I agree as instantly we can share info, get answers to pressing questions, trade stock, bitch...all with a highly motivated group who genuinely want to see each other to succeed. I think our favorite quote is, "A rising tide raises all ships.

As for them all going kaboom, it's highly unlikely and there are always alternatives, although I have yet to see a better interface than Delphi. Not to long ago, Delphi appeared to be having difficulties and two industry players offered to host the CBIA if it became necessary. If it ever comes to that, I'm sure we'll see the same support.

What’s your perception of the comics market in general? Do you feel that things are on an up or down trend?

I believe the industry is trending upward and is poised for something very big, if all involved are willing to work together and make decisions based on long term health, not the quick buck.

Comics are making huge inroads in the book market and Neil Gaiman's new Sandman offering became the first comic published by a comic publisher to make the New York Times Best Seller List. This is huge and hopefully will lead to more recognition and respect for the medium but we've also seen highly acclaimed publishers Fantagraphics and Top Shelf as well as some smaller publishers seriously damaged making short term decisions chasing the book market money.

What books have done really well for you? Anything outstanding?

Without a doubt, Neil Gaiman's Sandman Endless Nights has just blown everything away. We've already sold more copies of this than any other GN/TPB in the last 3 years. Craig Thompson's Blankets, Warren Ellis' Orbiter and Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen have all done very well on the book side.

On the comic side, Loeb and Lee have really raised the bar with their run on Batman, Gaiman's Marvel title 1602 is blowing up, Moore's second volume of League is outselling the first and Babylon 5's Joe Straczynski has been driving fans through the doors for Spider-Man and Supreme Powers. I'm also really curious to see David Brin's new GN, Life Eaters as well as seeing how well high quality series from other novelists R.A. Salvatore (Demon Wars) and George R.R. Martin (The Hedge Knight) continue to do.

What books have done more poorly than expected?

I hate kicking folks when they're down, let's focus on the folks who are getting it done.

Do you see a lot of brand/character loyalty, or is it primarily creator loyalty these days?

I think that creator loyalty is probably the biggest motivator but brand and character loyalty still play a part and in the odd instance they can be combined like with 1602 or Batman, all kinds of barriers are broken.

If you could change one thing about the way comics are sold, what would it be?

One thing? That's tough, there's no one thing that I think would make much of a difference on it's own but I guess if I had to choose one, it would be the elimination of exclusive distribution deals, which would also preclude publishers from forming new exclusive relation ships. There may have been a need for this at one point and Diamond overall has handled this pretty well. It will be difficult for the Direct Market to grow if there is no incentive for Diamond to address retailer needs, which they don't have to when there is no danger of us moving to a more responsive distributor.

Do comics cost too much? Or is it a matter of the quality between the covers that gets people so worked up?

Do cars, TVs, homes... cost too much? Some do and some are bargains, it all has to be filtered through the content between the covers as well as the consumers expectations and experience. Frank Miller's Sin City at $2.99 or Moore's League at $3.50, never elicit price complaints from my customers yet I have had people complain about comics costing $1.50. My recommendation to anyone who says a comic costs too much is, "don't buy it and let me help you find something that is worth your $3.00."

What can you tell me about the Las Vegas Comic-Con that’s coming up this Halloween? How did you get involved in that?

This was totally out of the blue and was a great compliment paid by a long-time customer who has become a friend. Basically a group involved with the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas attended the San Diego show last year and decided they wanted something similar in Vegas. My customer was approached by a friend to help with the show and immediately suggested they contact me?

After listening to their plans, I knew I wanted to be part of it and the fact that they were willing to work with me and allow me to use the convention platform as a way to promote my ideas on rebuilding the industry clinched my participation.

What are you hoping to accomplish with this convention?

This year is primarily to establish the show. I think that is the most important thing to do if it is to be viable. However there are some things in place that will facilitate a the Comic Book Industry Alliance Fund, a not-for-profit organization I've started to aid in future industry outreach efforts. I'd also like to explore the possibilities of creating a true industry trade show which would greatly benefit from a partnership with the Las Vegas Show.

Any warnings you want to pass along to potential convention organizers?

Start planning as early as possible and always expect the unexpected. Also try to establish an identity and stick to it. Just like comics, there are many shows out there, if you want to throw your hat in the ring, make sure you have a way to distinguish yourself from the rest.

What’s the biggest misconception that most customers have about the comics business?

That it's easy and we just sit around reading comics all day! Nothing could be further from the truth. I have probably never worked harder in my life than I do now but I have also never had more fun and the only reason I work so hard is because I love what I do.

What’s one thing that the publishers could do to make your job easier?

I'm gonna cheat and give you two.

One is to help us meet demand for their product. Selling out is easy when you print to order but it is very rare that sales on subsequent issues will exceed the sold out issue, so if you aren't going to gamble on an overprint and a book sells out within a week of shipping, reprint it! Let us maximize sales and satisfy customer demand while the demand still exists.

The other is probably just as important and that is, ship your books on time. Your readers may say they are willing to wait but history shows that isn't so. On top of that, if you tell me you're going to ship 12 books in a year and you only ship 10, you've immediately reduced my potential sales on that title by at least 15%. Multiply that by the total # of titles you're late on and add in the late books from other publishers and we're talking thousands of dollars that could be used to upgrade stores, hire more help, increase inventory, allow the retailer to take his family on a vacation...

Selling out robs us of potential earnings, shipping late robs us of actual earnings. The first is unfortunate, the second inexcusable.

Big round of applause for Mr. Scott for taking time out of his busy day to answer these questions and give us a glimpse into the retailing side of comics (which is critically important and sadly, overlooked by most comics readers.)

And if you’re in San Diego, be sure to drop by Comickaze and check out the mist diverse selection of comics that you’re likely to find in town. Sure, there are people who might have more of the mainstream stuff, but where else are you guaranteed to walk in and find copies of just about everything that AiT/PlanetLar prints, or find comics that come from Europe. Europe! That’s thousands of miles away. And they aren’t hot like manga!