Tales From the Database

by Chuck Rozanski

I've begun a weekly column about the comics industry, called TALES FROM THE DATABASE, which is currently being published in COMICS BUYER'S GUIDE. My agreement with them is that they have exclusive rights to my articles for three weeks, and then I'm free to post them to our website. The time has now passed for the first and second columns. From this point forward, a new TALES FROM THE DATABASE column will be added every Tuesday. So you know, the topics I cover will be quite broad, ranging from the current mania to have comics slabbed by CGC, to strategies for investing in comics, to analysis of our sales of lower-grade Silver Age, to observations about Marvel's policy of limiting overprinting of their new issues. I'm even planning a few historical pieces, including the story of both the Mile High/Edgar Church collection (view Edgar Church Artwork), and the Mile High II collection. I'm having a great deal of fun writing these columns, and I want to be sure and share them with as many of you as possible. They will, without a doubt, give you some perspectives on the comics industry that are different from much of the conventional wisdom. Enjoy!

Introduction to Comics - December 2001
CGC Comics, Part I
Marvel's Limited Print Runs
Marvel's Limited Print Runs Part II
Slabbed" Books Are Here To Stay.... - January 2002
Low-Grade Silver Age
How To Invest In Comics
Buying Comics In Bulk
How to Sell Your Comics - February 2002
Selling Your Comics at Conventions
Your First Comic Convention
Discovery of the Original Mile High Collection
The Original Mile High Collection Part II - March 2002
The Original Mile High Collection Part III
The Original Mile High Collection Part IV
The Original Mile High Collection Part V
The Original Mile High Collection Part VI - April 2002
The Original Mile High Collection Part VII
The Original Mile High Collection Part VIII
The Original Mile High Collection Part IX
The Original Mile High Collection Part X - May 2002
The Original Mile High Collection Part XI
The Original Mile High Collection Part XII
The Original Mile High Collection Part XIII
The Original Mile High Collection Part XIV - June 2002
The Original Mile High Collection Part XV
The Original Mile High Collection Part XVI
The Original Mile High Collection Part XVII (final)
Eight Conventions in Twelve Weeks - July 2002
Changing the Rules of the Grading Game
Very Fine: The Fourth Primary Grading Condition
Finding a "Middle Ground" Between Overstreet and CGC
Definition of "Mint" - August 2002
A Discussion of Grading Standards - Near Mint/9.1-9.7
Grading Standards Inflation
The Vicious Downward Spiral of the 1990's
How Ronald O. Perelman Caused Harm to the Comics Industry - September 2002
Perelman's Team Nearly Destroyed the Entire World of Comics
The Comics World is Dictated by the Success of Marvel Comics
How Could We Possibly Make a Bid for Marvel?
Our Bid for Marvel Was Never Placed - October 2002
The World of Comics is a Context Which We All Share
My Theory of Being a Counterculture Capitalist
In Reality, Most Comics Retailers Barely Get By
How to Open Your Own Comics Retail Store Part I - November 2002
How to Open Your Own Comics Retail Store Part II
How to Open Your Own Comics Retail Store Part III
How to Open Your Own Comics Retail Store Part IV
How to Open Your Own Comics Retail Store Part V - December 2002
How to Open Your Own Comics Retail Store Part VI
How to Open Your Own Comics Retail Store Part VII
How to Open Your Own Comics Retail Store Part VIII
How to Open Your Own Comics Retail Store Part IX - January 2003
Comics and the Internet
DC Retailer Roundtable Program (RRP) 2002
Freedom of Speech is an Oxymoron
The Internet has Totally Changed My Life - February 2003
Building a New Audience for Comics
CrossGen - Comics on the Web
How Do We Get Kids to Start Reading Comics
The Year 2003 Can Be the Turning Point for Comics - March 2003
Back Against the Wall
Brand-New Official Overstreet Grading Guide
I Salute both Mark Alessi and Steve Geppi
The Mile High II Collection Part I - April 2003
The Mile High II Collection Part II
The Mile High II Collection Part III
The Mile High II Collection Part IV
The Mile High II Collection Part V - May 2003
The Mile High II Collection Part VI
The Mile High II Collection Part VII
The Mile High II Collection Part VIII
The Mile High II Collection Part IX - June 2003
The Mile High II Collection Part X
The Mile High II Collection Part XI
The Mile High II Collection Part XII
The Mile High II Collection Part XIII - July 2003
Review the 2003 Overstreet Price Guide
The Chaos of Upper End Grading Standards
Corruption & Manipulation Creep into the Back Issue Comics Markets
Fooling Bob Overstreet, and Other Fun Games - August 2003
I Live in the Chaotic Zone
Pricing Recent Back Issues is so Difficult
Pulling Back the Magic Curtain
The Economics of Back Issue Comics Retailing - September 2003
I Both Respect and Loath Wal-Mart
Everything is About Price, Price, Price
The Summer of 1973 - Part I: Detroit Triple Fan Fair I
The Summer of 1973 - Part II: Detroit Triple Fan Fair II - October 2003
The Summer of 1973 - Part III: Dallas Convention I
The Summer of 1973 - Part IV: Dallas Convention II
The Summer of 1973 - Part V: San Diego Comic Con Part I
The Summer of 1973 - Part VI: San Diego Comic Con Part II - November 2003
The Summer of 1973 - Part VII: San Diego Comic Con Part III
Evolution of the Direct Market Part I
Evolution of the Direct Market Part II
Evolution of the Direct Market Part III - December 2003
Evolution of the Direct Market Part IV
Evolution of the Direct Market Part V
Evolution of the Direct Market Part VI
Evolution of the Direct Market Part VII - January 2004
Evolution of the Direct Market Part VIII
Evolution of the Direct Market Part IX
Chuck Goes to New York Part I
Chuck Goes to New York Part II - February 2004
Meeting with Jim Shooter in May of 1979
Becoming a Marvel Distributor
Heading Up the New Marvel Direct Sales Department...It was Like a Dream Come True
Modifications to the Distribution System - March 2004
Destroying the Entry Point of Most New Readers
Returning to the Topic of My 1979 Visit to the Marvel Offices
Phil Seuling
First-Ever Meeting Between Comics Retailers and the Executives at Marvel Comics - April 2004
Jim Shooter, Barry Kaplan, and Ed Shukin
Origins of the Distribution System
Gaining a Firm Control on the Direct Market
World of Regional Distribution of Comics - May 2004
Steve Geppi's Diamond Comic Distributors
Dear Julie (Tribute to Julie Schwartz)
Advantages of Scale
The International Association of Direct Distributors - June 2004
Evolution of the Direct Market Distribution Part I
Evolution of the Direct Market Distribution Part II
Evolution of the Direct Market Distribution Part III
Evolution of the Direct Market Distribution Part IV - July 2004
Evolution of the Direct Market Distribution Part V
"Death of Superman" Promotion of 1992
Beginning of the Downward Spiral in New Comics Sales
Marvel Comics to Self-Distribute - Heroes World
DC Comics Took Advantage of Marvel's Strategic Blunder - May 2004
Diamond Ended Up With 50% of the Comics Market
History of New Comics Distribution Conclusion
Final Weekly Tabloid Edition of Comics Buyer's Guide
Establishing Back Issue Pricing Trends - July 2004
San Diego Comic-Con International 2004 - August 2004
Incentive Covers Designed to Encourage Retailers - September 2004
Overwhelming Enthusiasm for Popular Culture - October 2004
30 Years Since the Very First Mile High Comics Retail Store - November 2004
1974 Turnaround In Sales - December 2004
1974 San Diego Comic-Con - January 2005
At Long Last, I Was Going to Open My First Comics Shop - February 2005
What It was Like to be a Comics Retailer during the Early 1970's - March 2005
Happily Ever After...? - April 2005
Hollywood and Comics - May 2005
Life-Altering Trip to the 1975 San Diego Comic-Con - June 2005
Macroeconomic and Microeconomic Underpinnings of the Entire Comics World - July 2005
Comics Retailing as a Career - August 2005
Rights of Free Expression - September 2005
Wading Into Dangerous Waters - October 2005
I Never Gave Up On Marvel - November 2005
Growing Older - December 2005
Current State of the Comics World - January 2006
Rights of Freedom of Speech - February 2006
...you never become truly old, until you let your dreams die... - March 2006
The Concept of Product Placement in Comics - April 2006
Greed, Envy, Malice, and Evil - May 2006
"two steps forward, one step back" - June 2006
Do Not Ever Concede Your Market Share to Anyone - July 2006
San Diego Comic-Con International 2006 Part 1 - August 2006
San Diego Comic-Con International 2006 Part 2 - September 2006
World Book Fair 2006, in Frankfurt, Germany - October 2006
Abandonment of Passion - November 2006
Relationships - December 2006
Where Do We Get the Next Generation of Readers? - January 2007
Revisiting Edgar Church as an Artist - February 2007
The Impacts of Globalization on the US Economy - March 2007
Never Ignore Anomalies - April 2007
Would You Willingly Sacrifice All of Your Creature Comforts? - May 2007
Mutually Beneficial Arrangements - June 2007
How to Get Out of the Comics Business - July 2007
Do Whatever You Can to Get Health Insurance - August 2007
You Do Have a Will, Don't You? - September 2007
Happy 85th Birthday Stan Lee - October 2007
Roger Price's Wonderful Mid-Ohio-Con - December 2007
Reasonably Easy Transitions - January 2008
Fear and Failure - February 2008
An Alternative Source for Comics - March 2008
Chris Jackson's Wonderful Planet Comicon - April 2008
eBay has Become the 800-lb. Gorilla of the Comics World - May 2008
I Have Finally Reached My Breaking Point - July 2008
San Diego Comic-Con 2008 - August 2008
Feeling Both Comfortable and Confident - October 2008
"It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time..." - December 2008
The Possibility of a Potential Economic Apocalypse - February 2009
Good Things Happen in This World Because Good People
Do Not Sit on Their Hands in Times of Difficulty - June 2009
Entrepreneurship is a Continual Exercise in Avoiding Doom - July 2009

View Edgar Church Artwork

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