Percy Carey: The Future Of The Comic Book Economy

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Complex Original

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[Each week, Complex columnist Percy Carey a.k.a. MF Grimm dives into the world of comic books with industry interviews, reviews and more. All MF Grimm music can be purchased on Itunes]

I was hanging out with my friend the Mayor of Los Angeles Anthony Villaraigosa (pictured above) the other day talking about the economic situation in L.A., and as we discussed how to implement incentives to encourage entrepreneurs (confidentially), we were pinpointing what industries would embrace it; although we compiled a nice list, it made me ask myself a question... I said, "What industry would resist it?" My answer: you guessed it, the comic book industry!

I thought about all of the comic book publishers who would rather go out of business than make some money. I'm not one to disrespect a few who decide to remain micropreneurs, but it feels like 90% of comic book publishers are afraid to allow their companies to grow, and refuse to think outside of their industry.

Most comic book companies also view ways to generate additional revenue as "selling out". How long can they last just preaching to the choir? Especially when the choir is out for the intermission (nobody is listening) some companies are acting like we're not in a digital age, and continuing to resist about digital comics. Comic book publishers get upset when high profiled celebrities create comic books, but want them to star in their favorite comic book movie or be on the soundtrack. I must admit some of you guys see the light and are now pushing the envelope to stay afloat don't worry about your so called peers who laughing because you're making the proper adjustment with your company. Remember what happen to those who laughed at Noah for building an ark; who's laughing now?

Stay tuned for the first annual Percy Carey's Comic Book Corner Power Player's List. Percy's Power Player List will be a compiled list of influential people in the comic book, film, television industries; but just to keep it fair I'm going to create two other lists, the second of which will be named "The House Award." That will consist of companies that are in comas and are now on life support and no one knows what the fuck is wrong with them?

Like Doctor Gregory House, we will figure it out how to save them; but unlike the television show, it can go either way for these companies it just depends on how bad they want to stay alive. The House Award will be a solid gold asthma pump; and the third of the three is The SVU award (Special Victims Unit) for companies that were brutally murdered by their industry (you can be nominated through acts of stubbornness, stupidity, or for just being the sacrificial lamb). We will highlight what went wrong with these companies and hope it brings closure to their grieving families. The award will be a tombstone that states "We're Closed". I will give you an official date of the awards next week.

Last but not least I would like to thank Vertigo/DC Comics for including me in the 2009 Vertigo Encyclopedia. I have my own page (pg 162, pictured below). By the way everyone you can talk to me direct on Twitter @percycarey.

CLICK NEXT TO SEE PERCY'S NEW RELEASE PICKS OF THE WEEK!

 

DROP IT LIKE IT'S HOT...
Percy Carey picks the hottest releases from the week of 4/8/09
[Assisted by comicbookpage.com]

DOCTOR WHO: FORGOTTEN

By Tony Lee

Stranded in a strange Museum that's dedicated to him-and with no TARDIS in sight, The Doctor and Martha must make sense of their surroundings, hindered by one small fact-The Doctor has lost his memories of every one of his previous incarnations! Tony Lee and Eisner-winner Pia Guerra present a tale that spans generations of Doctors!
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GREEN LANTERN #39 (ORIGINS)

Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Philip Tan; Jonathan Glapion
Cover by Ivan Reis; Oclair Albert
Variant cover by Rodolfo Migliari

'Agent Orange' Part 1 and featuring an 'Origins and Omens' backup tale! As the orange light of avarice erupts in violence within the Vega System, the secrets of the Guardians' pact with the criminals of the universe that has kept the Vega System off limits is revealed. Hal Jordan comes face to face with the mysterious and immensely powerful Agent Orange in a bizarre confrontation. Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. For every 25 copies of the Standard Edition (with a cover by Ivan Reis & Oclair Albert), retailers may order one copy of the Variant Edition (with a cover by Rodolfo Migliari ).
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IGNITION CITY #1 (OF 5)

Written By Warren Ellis
Art By Gianluca Pagliarani

Where did the space heroes go to die? A major new series by Warren Ellis, the writer who reinvented Science fiction in comics, in the alternate-world style of the award-winning Ministry Of Space and Aetheric Mechanics - a retro-punk 'future of the past' where spaceships still belched smoke and arguments were still settled with laser pistols. 1956. Personal space flight is becoming illegal all over the world. Grounded space pilot Mary Raven has to journey to Earth's last spaceport, the island of Ignition City, to recover her dead father's effects - and discovers, there in the lawless interzone of the ramshackle settlement raised inside the ring of launch pads, that her father died on the wrong end of a ray-gun. She's not going to leave until she finds out who killed Rock Raven, but there's a lot of people who'd rather feed her to the recycling chipper first! Ignition City is an on-going color epic told in five issue series featuring the art of Aetheric Mechanics' Gianluca Pagliarani and launching with a Regular and Wraparound cover by Pagliarani, a painted cover by Felipe Massafera, and a rare Design Sketch cover by Pagliarani!
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MARVEL ZOMBIES 4 #1 (OF 4)

Written by FRED VAN LENTE
Penciled by KEV WALKER
Cover by GREG LAND
Variant Cover by ARTHUR SUYDAM

The acclaimed creative team behind MARVEL ZOMBIES 3 returns...with another adventure that takes place in the Marvel U! The vampire. The witch. The werewolf. The muck-monster. The devil. They're nobody's idea of heroes, but they're all that stands between our world and an unstoppable apocalypse! They're the new Midnight Sons, and their quest to track down the undead who escaped from A.R.M.O.R. will lead them around the globe-and right to a cruise ship overrun with undead undersea-dwelling cannibals! Can this monstrous team stop the 'red tide' before it unleashes untold horror upon the mainland? Not if the Merc With Only a Mouth has anything to say about it! Yes, writer Fred Van Lente and artist Kev Walker-the guys who made IGN.com say 'MARVEL ZOMBIES 3 may actually rank as the best in the series'-are back again, unleashing the flesh-eaters for another roller coaster ride of gore, action, gore, thrills, gore and gore!
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WATCHMEN BLACK FREIGHTER DVD

Chronicling a castaway's increasingly desperate attempts to return home to warn his family of the impending arrival of the Black Freighter - a phantom pirate ship which houses the souls of the damned - the Zack Snyder-directed 'Tales of the Black Freighter' animated story-within-a-story narrated by Gerard Butler (300) provides a gripping commentary of the events introduced in the Watchmen graphic novel and feature film, and includes the documentary-style film, 'Under the Hood,' that delves into the characters' backstories.
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WOLVERINE WEAPON X #1

Written by JASON AARON
Pencils & Cover by RON GARNEY
50/50 Variant Cover by ADAM KUBERT

'THE ADAMANTIUM MEN' Part 1 (of 5)-In the jungles of Colombia, people are turning up dead, whole villages brutally slaughtered by a team of soldiers who move through the shadows like ghosts. On the streets of San Francisco, Logan learns that the files from the old Weapon X program, the blueprints for building Adamantium-laced super soldiers like himself, have fallen into the hands of the evil corporation, Roxxon. Once again, it seems, someone is looking to build the perfect killing machine. That means it's time for Wolverine to step in, and remind them that someone already did. Plus 8 pages of Director's Cut Extras!

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