Here’s some minor insight on how the sausage is made. Back in July, the marketing folks at Dynamite Entertainment asked me to write up a little something to send to the retailers in order to try and get them onboard the JONNY QUEST train (a series I’m currently writing, if you didn’t already know). Who knows if it actually worked, but it was a smart move on their part, and I was definitely psyched to try and talk directly to the retailers and make more explicit a relationship that is often glossed over, but is extremely important in our happy little industry: the comicbook creator and the true face of our business, the comicbook sales representative.
This is what I wrote…
07-10-2024
Retailers --
I think it’s safe to say that we’re all in this business because we love comicbooks. That’s definitely why I’m still here… and have been for the last twenty-seven years.
But, let’s be honest, there’s another reason we’re all here… we want people reading comicbooks. And the more, the merrier. We want to spread the word far and wide -- with a practically evangelical fervor -- that comicbooks are the greatest storytelling medium that has ever been invented. In some ways, it’s like a war we’re fighting -- against other media, against divisive opinion, against apathy -- and we fight it together every day.
And as such, I tend to view retailers in a very specific light. Because ours is a symbiotic relationship. We’re partners. I make comicbooks. You sell comicbooks. Neither one of us can effectively do what we do without the other operating at the highest level imaginable. In other words, in order for you to sell as many comicbooks as possible, it’s up to folks like me to provide the absolute best comics we’re capable of.
That’s where JONNY QUEST comes in.
Jonny Quest is a lot older than I am, and it comes with stellar creative pedigree (I’m talking about legends like Doug Wildey and Alex Toth and William Messner-Loebs, to name just a few). So I come to this series with all of the reverence and excitement that I would bring to any legendary characters… be it Superman, the Avengers, Batman or the X-Men (all of which I’ve written in the past). Not to mention, artist Sebastian Piriz has gone above and beyond to provide a visual style that perfectly evokes the classic cartoon series while still forging his own artistic path. And he’s just getting better with each issue. Along with the rest of the creative team, we’re telling action-packed, globe-hopping and emotionally-charged stories every month that will hopefully remind everyone who buys JONNY QUEST exactly why they love comicbooks as much as we do. Speaking of which…
If you’ve got customers that are already longtime fans of Jonny Quest, this is the comicbook for them.
If you’ve got customers that have never heard of Jonny Quest, this is the comicbook that’ll make them fans.
And trust me when I tell you… what hits in August is only the beginning. It only gets bigger and better from here…!
Thanks for listening. See you on the front lines.
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Eloquent, huh…? I’m not sure how well it actually worked, but there you go.
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ON SALE THIS WEEK: The latest entry in the ongoing Blood Squad Seven saga… the aptly (and nostalgically) titled BLOOD SQUAD SEVEN STRIKEFILE #1. Thirty pages of white hot story by myself and artist, Paul Fry. Guest-starring Erik Larsen’s classic creation, SuperPatriot! Published by Image Comics.
Joe Casey
USA
Picked up JQ#1 this weekend. I'm hooked!