Posts Tagged ‘Gerry Giovinco’
Monday, July 4th, 2011
Can you believe it? Two years have gone by since we launched CO2 Comics hoping it would become a unique cooperative of comic talent featuring a collective of great comic features. Naturally we initially turned to our long time friends and allies that have had ties with us since our days as founding publishers of Comico the Comic Company.
Comico The Comic Company owners, Top: Dennis LaSorta, Phil Lasorda, Bottom: Gerry Giovinco, Bill Cucinotta
Chris Kalnick, Joe Williams, Andrew C. Murphy, Reggie Byers, Bernie Mirealut, Bill Anderson, Rich Rankin and Neil Vokes all contributed to the early success of the realization of our goals for CO2 Comics. The faith that they all had in our ability to present their work while respecting their rights as creators, supporting their complete ownership and actively promoting their features and services as artists was a complete and humbling honor.
It became our duty to surround their works with with other great features and talent. CO2 Comics was always intended to be a place where readers could come to enjoy one feature and discover other comic treasures that they may not have found if those works had stood by themselves.
In just two years the list of contributers has grown to include twenty-two talented creators and two dozen exciting comic features. The impressive list of talent yields a number of nominated and award winning creators along with brilliant new talent that will deserve recognition for their mastery of the medium.
Take a look at the roster of creators here at CO2 Comics and you are bound to be amazed at the comic book pedigree and variety that exists on our site:
Bill Anderson – Skrog
Kevin Atkinson – Eaten by Planet 29
Mike Baron – The World of Ginger Fox
Reggie Byers – Crescent
Bill Cucinotta – Death for a Dollar
- Skrog
Tina Garceau – Hot Topics
– Monkey and Bird
- There’s No Escape From A Deadline
Gerry Giovinco – Slaughterman
Robert Jackson, Jr. – The Amazing Liberteens
Chris Kalnick – Depth Charge
- Non
Onrie Kompan – Yi Soon Shin
Steve Lafler – Dog Boy
- El Vocho
Mike Leeke – The Amazing Liberteens
Liberteens Update
Don Lomax – Captain Obese
Bernie Mireault – Cable
- Death for a Dollar
- Isaac vs. Eli
- Of the Spheres
- To Get Her
- The Jam Lives (a motion comic)
Andrew C. Murphy – Pressed for Time
- Reflections
- Victor
Mitch O’Connell – The World of Ginger Fox
Rich Rankin – Gauntlet
Raine Szramski – Heaven and the Dead City
Frank Thorne – Ribit
Giovanni Paolo Timpano – Yi Soon Shin
Neil Vokes – Gauntlet
Joe Williams – Hot Topics
- Monkey and Bird
- There’s No Escape From A Deadline
Besides having published over 800 pages of comic art in the last two years we have also taken on the monumental task of publishing David Anthony Kraft’s COMICS INTERVIEW: The Complete Collection. The first of the eleven volume set had 680 pages that were painstakingly cleaned and reproduced in both paperback and hardback editions. Volume two is currently in the works. This project is the testimony to our love of the comics medium and its rich history.
COMICS INTERVIEW: The Complete Collection
Our commitment to the history of comics and the current state of the industry is also highlighted weekly on our CO2 Comics Blog where we feature a weekly article covering everything from our Comico history, production techniques, creator’s rights and frequent editorializing on the state of the market have drawn a lot of attention industry wide.
As if publishing a ton of great comic related material on the web and in print is not enough for two guys, we needed to create a new imprint, CO2 Publications so we could publish a 372 page literary book, FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF THE GOVERNMENT A Memoir of Veteran discharged from the Navy for being Gay written by George Richard Phillip Zimmerman, Jr. which was just released over Memorial Day Weekend.
For The Convenience Of The Government
Over our first two years we have published nearly 2,000 pages of material and maintained a rigorous schedule on an exciting site that has attracted over 4.6 million hits to date.
The best part is, WE ARE JUST GETTING STARTED! Last year, as we celebrated our first anniversary, we compared our accomplishments to our early publishing days with Comico and noted that we were far out front and we still are, thanks to the support of all the great talent that joins us and allows us to present new work daily.
We also need to thank our readers who continue to grow in numbers. Thanks for stopping by and for sharing with your friends. We became comic publishers nearly thirty years ago because we believed our comics were not finished works until they were experienced by the readers. We recognized early on that as publishers we played a significant role in the realization of a comic as a completed work and we intend to continue to be that conduit. CO2 Comic’s mission is to get great comics in front of as many eyes as possible. Please help us with your enthusiasm by continuing to share the comics you enjoy here with your friends and by returning often.
Finally, it is no mistake that we celebrate our anniversary over the Fourth of July weekend. As publishers we have always been motivated by the spirit of the Independent movement with our emphasis being on creator’s rights. Comics, for us, are a medium of freedom. Free thought, free speech, free enterprise.
We want to turn Independence Day into Independents Day for comic fans and make it a time to celebrate the diversity that all of the Independent comics publishers have brought to the world. There are a lot of great comics out there that are not brought to you by the usual pair of suspects and we hope hat you will continue to find some of the best of them right here at CO2 Comics.
Making Comics Because We Want To
Bill Cucinotta and Gerry Giovinco
Tags: Andrew C. Murphy, Bill Anderson, Bill Cucinotta, Cable, CAPTAIN OBESE, Chris Kalnick, CO2 Publications, comico, comico the comic company, COMICS INTERVIEW: The Complete Collection, Crescent, David Anthony Kraft, David Anthony Kraft's COMICS INTERVIEW The Complete Collection, Death For A Dollar, Depth Charge, Dog Boy, Don Lomax, Eaten By Planet 29, El Vocho, For the Convenience of the Government, Frank Thorne, Gauntlet, George Richard Phillip Zimmerman Jr, Gerry Giovinco, Giovanni Paolo Timpano, Heaven And The Dead City, Hot Topics, Independent Comic Movement, Independent Comics, Isaac vs Eli, Joe Williams, Kevin Atkinson, Mike Baron, Mike Leeke, Mitch O'Connell, Monkey and Bird, Neil Vokes, NON, Of The Spheres, Onrie Kompan, Pressed For Time, Raine Szramsk, Reflections, Reggie Byers, Ribit, Rich Rankin, Robert Jackson Jr, Skrog, Slaughterman, Steve Lafler, The Amazing Liberteens, The Jam Lives, The World Of Ginger Fox, Theres No Escape From A DEADLINE, Tina Garceau, To Get Her, Victor, YI SOON SHIN
Posted in CO2 Comics | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, February 15th, 2011
KISS, my ass!
That had to be what Diamond was thinking when they began unveiling their plans for digital distribution through comic shops. The convoluted program that included plexiglass holders for weekly printouts, Avery labels, a cryptographically secure method to generate random codes along with multiple pricing variations between print and digital product was enough to make heads spin. And that was just the beginning.
Diamond’s obvious disdain for the tried and true KISS principal is either evidence that they are overthinking the concept of digital distribution as it relates to comic shops or they have absolutely no clue as to what they are doing.
“Keep It Simple, Stupid,” needs to be pounded, repeatedly in every discussion about digital distribution in comic shops or it is absolutely destined for failure. Digital downloads are simple, inexpensive, impulse products that scream convenience at every level. Complicating the process is just antithetical.
There is a very simple and proven way of giving the retailers the opportunity to cash in on digital downloads.
Gift Cards!
It is so glaringly obvious that when Bill Cucinotta and I first began researching it last year we emailed the idea to Steve Geppi himself because we figured that Diamond would have the best chance of implementing the program.
It must have gone to his SPAM file!
It was so obvious that Marvel had already issued a couple of gift cards for Marvel Digital that were available in regular stores!
Just a thought...
Nearly every major retailer in the country has gift card kiosks that feature a variety of cards for everything under the sun including downloads for video games and MP3 players. Raise your hand if you ever purchased an iTunes card for a gift or received one from a well meaning friend or relative that did not know what to get you.
Gift Cards are a multi-billion dollar business because they are simple, convenient and familiar.
Diamond should be partnering with one of the leading gift card program companies to distribute collectible gift cards that would function just like an iTunes card. The buyer can purchase a card in a $10, $20, $50 value all with an assortment of collectible images on them that would act as advertisements for various publishers. (Marvel would hope that if the card had Marvel characters the holder would download Marvel comics as would any other publisher) The card in reality would give the holder open access to the entire iBook Store or Android App Store and hopefully the holder will buy all kinds of comics.
Retailers would get a cut of every card sold, and God knows that speculators will cause the collectible cards to have inflated value over and above face value making them much more potentially profitable to retailers than initially intended.
Diamond could swing the cards into every gift card venue in the country promoting comics while creating a collector frenzy that could parallel Pokemon and Yugio.
It’s a simple idea. It is practiced over and over by every type of company. And it generates huge amounts of money.
Just imagine miniature comic book spinner racks with tiny plastic cards that feature comic covers sitting on a counter. It could be the most profitable square foot in the whole store and it is a POS impulse product.
Who wants to make some money?
Since Diamond has dropped the ball we are ready to run with it. We’ve already named the product Digital ComiCard™ and are looking financial partners to make it happen. If you are seriously interested contact Bill or me directly.
Diamond, we’d be happy to play with you but please, keep it simple!
Digital Comics do not have to leave the local comic shop behind. Let us
show you how.
Making comics because I want to.
Gerry Giovinco
Tags: Android, Bill Cucinotta, collectible cards, collectible gift card, collectible gift cards, Comic shops, Diamond, Digital Comic, Digital Comic Card, Digital Comic Cards, Digital ComiCard, Digital ComiCards, Digital Comics, digital distribution, digital downloads, Gerry Giovinco, gift card, iBook, iTunes, Keep It Simple, Marvel, Marvel Digital, Pokemon, Steve Geppi, Stupid, Yugio
Posted in CO2 Comics, Creationism, Making History, Reinvention, The Gutter | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, January 18th, 2011
Apps, apps, apps! That is all we hear about anymore, especially when the discussion is about digital comics. Maybe I’m dense, too old fashioned or just plain stupid but I have to admit that I just don’t get it.
I know that there are apps for just about everything. Apple boasts over 300,000 apps available just for the iPhone. There are thousands of apps for Droids, Smartphones and Blackberries too but, face it, apps are a brilliant marketing tool for “App”le more than anyone..
Now that the iPad is on the scene everyone and their sister can see the potential of comics flourishing on that brilliant 9.7 inch screen and of course the imitators are already popping out everywhere.
In the midst of all this commotion we have all been sold the idea that an app is needed to be able to read comics on these portable devices. An app! Quick run out and get one so you can read comics! Hurry, hurry, hurry!
If you are a creator or a publisher you especially better get a jump on it before you are left in the dust. Times-a-wasting! Lock into a deal, NOW! Tie up your rights and spread that wealth with Apple, the app developer, and the publisher leaving little for the creator before it’s too late!
Hurry, hurry, hurry!
What a bunch of sheep we are. Happy to be herded to a promised land by the carrot of new source of possible revenue.
WAKE UP!!
SMELL THE COFFEE!!
STOP BEING A PANSIE!!
Let me bring you back to Earth with a simple truth. You do not need an app to read tons of great digital comics on a computer, a net book, an e-reader or a cell phone.
You don’t need an app!
All you need is a browser.
If your device can read Flash files your options are even greater.
New devices are coming soon from Samsung and Blackberry that read Flash. Soon Apple will have to include it as well. Even if they don’t Flash created with HTML 5 is readable so eventually all web comics will be an easy read on any tablet or phone, app-free!
If you are a creator or a publisher, post your comics on the web, market a PDF download, or make your own app if you feel that you really have to and guess what?
You are in command!
You have control over your content, no censorship, no digital rights management that ties up your property indefinitely and, if you wish to sell your works, get paid directly from your readers without sharing any of the profits except your PayPal fees.
I know this all sounds like blasphemy!
The digital comic download is supposed to be the savior of comics and finally provide a source of revenue to creators while opening up the huge untapped market of the masses.
The magic bullet!
But it is not.
If we allow ourselves to be led down the narrow road of the app it is business as usual. In the comics industry we know who wins. Everyone else loses. Even the readers.
Look, as a publisher, I have gone toe-to-toe with Marvel and DC in the Direct market. I’ve waded into the dark and murky waters of the mass market. I was there championing the rise of creators’ rights and the proliferation of independent publishers from the beginning. I know what I’m talking about.
As a comic creator and publisher I sought the Holy Grail and it wasn’t profit. I’d be lying if I told you money wasn’t part of the motivation but the real prize was freedom.
CREATIVE FREEDOM!
The internet gives comic creators the opportunity to enjoy creative freedom like never before. Creators can reach a global audience with little expense and retain complete ownership of their works.
Creators don’t need to be confined to an app. They need to be creative and they need to discover creative ways to generate revenue.
When Bill Cucinotta and I conceived of CO2 Comics this was and continues to be our mission, to create a cooperative community of comic creators that support each other to reach a wider audience with diverse material and to maximize the profitability of our individual intellectual property by exploring product options of digital, print, merchandise, other media and licensing.
In a year and a half we have amassed nearly a thousand pages of comics from over twenty distinguished creators that attract about ten thousand hits a day. We have published a 680 page book that is the greatest collection of comic interviews in the history of comic books. Most importantly we have created a venue that supports the creators that share in our mission by helping them sell their print products, services and merchandise while maintaining complete ownership of their creations.
We are just getting started.
I know that I am coming down pretty hard on apps, but I am just trying to make an important point that I believe has to be made.
Apps can be part of a successful comic marketing strategy but I don’t think that they can be viewed as a panacea for the entire industry or surely the little guy will get crushed, unnoticed in the shadow of the usual giants and trampled by the rush of new readers herded by powerful marketing machines toward product they are already familiar with.
Comic creators need to take advantage of the internet while it is still inexpensively accessible. Maximize it as a resource while you still have a chance. Don’t be distracted by the temptations of a huge corporation whose sole motivation is profiting from the work of every creator possible.
That “app”le looked good to Eve, too and look where it got her.
Making comics because I want to.
Gerry Giovinco
Tags: app developer, Apple, Apps, Bill Cucinotta, Blackberries, Blackberry, CO2 Comics, comic creator, Comics, CREATIVE FREEDOM, Creator, creator's rights, David Anthony Kraft, DC, Digital Comics, Direct Market, Droid, Droids, Flash, Gerry Giovinco, greatest collection of comic interviews in the history of comic books, HTML 5, Independent Publishers, iPad, iPhone, Marvel, PayPal, portable devices, Publisher, Samsung, Smartphone, Smartphones, Web Comics, Webcomics
Posted in CO2 Comics | 11 Comments »
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010
OMG it is already Thanksgiving!
Where does the year go? 2011 is right around the corner and soon we will all be looking back examining this past year that has seen a lot of dramatic shifts in the comics industry.
Most folks think of Thanksgiving as Turkey Day, a chance for the whole family to gather and give thanks while feasting on the juicy bird packed with stuffing and served with a harvest banquet reminiscent a of a meal shared between the Pilgrims and Native Americans.
Believe it or not, turkeys and comics have a close connection for me. I actually think about it often when I peer out my window here in a very rural area of the the South Jersey Pinelands where I live. Besides being on the constant lookout for the Jersey Devil, and dodging deer that prance in my headlights, I experience wild turkey by the dozens as they flock through my yard on a daily basis.
The site of them always conjures back the memory of a giant print of an Arnold Roth illustration that was on display promoting a show of his work at the Philadelphia College of Art. He was an alumnus there, and it as were my Comico and CO2 Comics partner Bill Cucinotta and I attended college during the early 1980′s.
John "Bondo" Rondeau settles in front of a huge print that we had "aquired" from a show at PCA that featured a famous cartoonist alumnus, Anrnold Roth, who ironically had been expelled from the school when he was a student.
Bill and I were also instrumental in publishing a student newspaper, DUCKWORK, at PCA and managed to appropriate the photostat print that was mounted on foamcore after the show was over. We displayed it in proudly in the DUCKWORK office until it later migrated to the Comico Studio in Norristown where, unfortunately, it has since been lost.
Duckwork Covers 1 & 2
The image depicted two contrasting iconographies of America in passing. On one side was a valiant looking Madame Liberty with a stoic Bald Eagle by her heal. The other side depicted a more humble and much less arrogant interpretation of Americana, a haggard, pipe smoking, frump of a woman content in her baseness, accompanied by a lowly turkey.
Ben Franklin actually preferred the turkey over the bald eagle as the national symbol.
“For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America . . . He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage…”
(http://www.greatseal.com/symbols/turkey.html)
That turkey, as presented by Mr. Roth and described by Mr. Franklin, came to symbolize comics for me.
Colorful and defiant, native and common, comics find their strength of power in their ability to access the masses and deliver the purest presentation of the message of a sole creator simply using words and pictures.
Underestimated by other media, artists and literati, comics open a unique dialog between to the common folk and the creator who respectfully wishes to communicate directly to them.
As the year quickly comes to a close I am thankful to be reminded by the humble turkey why comics are so important to me. The gobbler primes me for all the comic related resolutions I have in mind for the New Year.
I still, however, have a lot of expectations left for 2010. With the Christmas season upon us, we at CO2 Comics are anticipating that many of you will deem our first print publication, David Anthony Kraft’s COMICS INTERVIEW: The Complete Collection Volume 1, a top pick on your list to Santa.
David Anthony Kraft's COMICS INTERVIEW: The Complete Collection Vol 1
We were surprised to discover that the beautiful Hard Cover edition of CI ranked #3 in Lulu’s Comics and Graphic Novel category this week!
David Anthony Kraft is still drooling over the book himself, exclaiming on facebook, “Knocked out by COMICS INTERVIEW HARDCOVER! Getting up from ground — it’s that good! Lays open flat, like a bible. Can’t BELIEVE how great it is!”
Of course, DAK is biased as are we but we have been thrilled and thankful for the generous response and collective appreciation of the book from people who have had the opportunity to hold one in their hands.
A quick reminder that the Premier editions of both the Hard Cover and the Paperback featuring the Platinum version of the classic, original COMICS INTERVIEW logo will be available only until midnight of New Year’s Eve 2010. So, if you are a collector and want to guarantee that you have this limited edition in your library, act soon!
Comics Interview Premier Edition
One last note regarding COMICS INTERVIEW: The Complete Collection. Lulu has been offering generous discounts of up to 20% off for books available on their site. These limited time offers are well worth benefitting from and we will do our best to keep you informed here on the blog and on the CO2 Comics facebook page.
Become a fan of the page and you will be sure to receive these promo updates and be the first to know what is going on here at CO2 Comics.
While we are on the subject of Christmas lists make sure you stop by and check out our newly released DEATH FATIGUE t-shirt line. If you are tired of watching your favorite heroes die the temporary super-death get your very own DEATH FATIGUE swag now!
Captain Obese
I hope that you all have had a chance to check out our latest addition to CO2 Comics, Don Lomax’s The Heavy Adventures of CAPTAIN OBESE. Don’s comic feature is sure to make a large impression on you and make you hungry for more.
Don’t worry! CO2 Comics won’t disappoint you! There will be at least one more big content announcement before 2010 becomes just another space odyssey.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Making comics because I like turkey,
Gerry Giovinco
Tags: Arnold Roth, Ben Franklin, Bill Cucinotta, CAPTAIN OBESE, comic books, Comics, comics industry, Comics Interview, Comics Interview Hardcover, COMICS INTERVIEW: The Complete Collection, David Anthony Kraft, David Anthony Kraft's Comics Interview, David Anthony Kraft's COMICS INTERVIEW The Complete Collection, Death Fatigue, Death Fatigue T-Shirts, Don Lomax, Don Lomax's The Heavy Adventures of CAPTAIN OBESE, duckwork, Gerry Giovinco, Graphic Novel, Jersey Devil, Lulu, PCA, Philadelphia College of Art, South Jersey, South Jersey Pinelands, Thanksgiving, The Heavy Adventures of CAPTAIN OBESE
Posted in The Gutter | 3 Comments »
Thursday, October 28th, 2010
CO2 Comics announces that David Anthony Kraft’s COMICS INTERVIEW: The Complete Collection Volume 1 is ON SALE NOW!
CO2 Comics has entered into an agreement with David Anthony Kraft and Fictioneer Books Ltd. to publish the complete collection of all 150 issues of David Anthony Kraft’s COMICS INTERVIEW. The collection will consist of eleven huge volumes each over 600 pages in length released one at a time on a regular schedule.
David Anthony Kraft’s COMICS INTERVIEW: The Complete Collection Volume 1 has been spontaneously released with this press announcement and is available exclusively at comicsinterview.com a website built and powered by CO2 Comics.
Comics Interview Standard Edition
Four editions of the volume are available; The Standard Edition featuring an updated platinum version of the traditional COMICS INTERVIEW logo is available in paperback and hardcover. A Premier Edition that is available only for a limited time features a platinum version of the original classic COMICS INTERVIEW logo that was constructed of type from various popular comic logos is also published in both paperback and hardcover. The Premier Edition will be pulled from the market at midnight on New Years Eve 2010. Each of the eleven volumes of David Anthony Kraft’s COMICS INTERVIEW: The Complete Collection will be released with a Premier Edition that will have limited availability. Paperback editions are now available and will list for $34.99 and Hardcovers will list for $54.99. Paperback editions are available now. The release of Hardcover editions will be announced soon.
Comics Interview Premier Edition
Gerry Giovinco of CO2 Comics exclaims. “Bill Cucinotta and I are extremely excited and honored to be able to publish this collection of David Anthony Kraft’s COMICS INTERVIEW. We believe that Dave’s work is the most significant gathering of interviews of the greatest comic minds of the 20th century.” This work will be the greatest collection of interviews in the history of comic books”.
Dick Giordano Interview
“David Anthony Kraft’s COMICS INTERVIEW, which was published from 1983 to 1995 featured interviews with creators, publishers, distributors, marketeers, fans and more. The timing of the original publications is significant because it allowed for interviews with comic legends from the dawn of comic books as well as interviews with young creators who are legends today. COMICS INTERVIEW effectively examined the mindset of the greatest talents responsible for the comics that we have come to revere over the last seventy years.”
Alan Moore Interview
“Because David Anthony Kraft is a writer editor himself he had the unique ability to interview creators from the position of a respected peer. This perspective is relevant throughout COMICS INTERVIEW where the subjects share their thoughts openly and frankly. “
Dave was an editor at Marvel and writer on such features as The Defenders, She-Hulk, Captain America, and Creatures on the Loose. He has the distinction of scripting the very first story drawn by John Byrne for Marvel Comics: “Dark Asylum,” published in Giant-Size Dracula #5 and of being the editor of FOOM, Marvel’s popular, self-produced fan Magazine.
Bill Griffith Interview
CO2 Comics is a web based comics publisher developed by former Comico publishers Gerry Giovinco and Bill Cucinotta. CO2 Comics has been growing in popularity since it first appeared on the web in the summer of 2009. About 700 pages of comics from twenty creators populates the site which is designed and maintained by Bill Cucinotta and features a popular blog by Gerry Giovinco that has been examining the history of Comico and comic book production.
Comico was the 1980′s Independent juggernaught that published such memorable titles as Grendel, Mage, The Jam, Elementals, Rocketeer, Robotech, Starblazers, Gumby, Space Ghost and Jonny Quest along with many other significant comics and graphic novels.
“David Anthony Kraft’s COMICS INTERVIEW: The Complete Collection Volume 1 will be our first work in print as CO2 Comics,” says Bill Cucinotta. “It’s publication as a POD (Print On Demand) product provided by Lulu.com will define our commitment to marketing direct to the customer through our web site with high quality productions that have always been our legacy. We plan to redefine how print comics are delivered to readers. We couldn’t have picked a better project than this one, that through its content outlines the history of the comics industry as we know it, to usher in what we expect to be the beginning of a new and successful model for the future.”
Comics Interview #5
Giovinco reminisces, “Dave was there for us as a mentor when we began publishing as Comico, offering moral support, insight and inspiration. His willingness to trade ad space with us as fledgeling publishers allowed us to grow and establish a significant presence in the dawning days of the direct market.
His interview with us as Comico in issue #5 of COMICS INTERVIEW was a moment that signified to us that we had arrived as publishers of comics. It is only fitting that we come together again at the forefront of a new era for the comics market and the continual development of the foundation for CO2 Comics, the hottest new place to read comics on the web and, now, in print.
Tags: Bill Cucinotta, Captain America, comico, Comics, comics publisher, comicsinterview.com, Creatures on the Loose, Dark Asylum, David Anthony Kraft, David Anthony Kraft's Comics Interview, David Anthony Kraft's COMICS INTERVIEW The Complete Collection, Direct Market, Elementals, Fictioneer Books, Fictioneer Books Ltd, FOOM, Gerry Giovinco, Giant-Size Dracula #5, graphic novels, Grendel, Gumby, John Byrne, Jonny Quest, Lulu.com, Mage, Marvel, Robotech, Rocketeer, She-Hulk, Space Ghost, Starblazers, The JAM
Posted in Announcements, CO2 Comics, Making History, The Comic Company | 6 Comments »
Tuesday, October 19th, 2010
What a powerful motivator anticipation is.
When I think of our motto here at CO2 Comics, “Making Comics Because We Want To,” it dawns on me that it is the anticipation of the finished product that excites me the most and stimulates my desire to create comics.
I find that anticipation exists through the entire creative process and is later passed on to the reader. I even thrive on the anticipation of the reader’s reaction to the final work.
A single idea can initiate the anticipation process. The conception of a character or a story line launches the desire to create a comic that allows the character or story to come alive.
Comico Covers
Whether the comic is created by a single person or a production team, the anticipation of the finished product is not complete until the comic is published and enjoyed.
The reader is in a state of anticipation through the whole story. Word-to-word, panel-to-panel, the reader anticipates the development, climax and resolution of the comic’s story.
Satisfied readers continue the anticipation process by immediately desiring the next issue.
When Bill Cucinotta and I were publishers of Comico comics in the 1980′s every new product and innovation was approached with great anticipation on our part.
Primer #1
We couldn’t wait to see our first comic, Primer #1, in print. I remember the excitement of the day it was first delivered in boxes to our studio. It was a proud moment for us but it was only the beginning.
At the time, we were not prepared to anticipate Comico’s future accomplishments like color comics, graphic novels, licensing deals, and the relationships we built with creators and readers.
CO2 Comics has given us a new reason to be in a state of anticipation. Every week we deliver new content to new readers and the popularity of our site is continually growing.
Very soon we will be announcing CO2 Comics’ first print project and the thrill of the anticipation is KILLING us!
Coming Soon
This project will be the single, biggest print project that we have ever attempted. It has been in the works for nearly thirty years and we promise that it will be both huge and historic.
Our anticipation is, that if you love comics as much as we do, you will love what we have in store for you.
So, please, anticipate a big announcement soon, and don’t worry. You will be able to get your copy in plenty of time for Christmas… if you can wait that long.
Making Comics Because I Want To
Gerry Giovinco
Tags: Bill Cucinotta, CO2 Comics, comico, comico the comic company, Comics, Gerry Giovinco, Primer #1
Posted in The Comic Company | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
“Location, location, location!” This is the mantra of of real estate investors worldwide and was a dilemma we faced as we planned a promotion strategy for our first full-color comic book publications, Matt Wagner’s Mage and Judith Hunt and Charles Dixon’s Evangeline.
Our first 2 color publications
Comico had proven itself as an aggressive marketer of its black-and-white line by advertising in all of the major fan magazines at the time. Bill Cucinotta made sure that full-page ads were regularly seen in the Comics Buyers Guide, Amazing Heroes, The Comics Journal, and David Anthony Kraft’s Comics Interview.
Our decision to begin publishing in color raised the bar significantly. We could no longer survive if our titles sold just a few thousand copies each. We knew that publishing in color would automatically cause our sales figures to rise dramatically but we had to sell around 30,000 of each title to see black ink on our ledger sheets.
30,000 seems like a good number when looking at the monthly sales figures of comics today but in 1984 when Marvel and DC were still selling comics for 75¢ we could not compete with a $3-4 cover price. At $1.50, our profit margin was a lot slimmer than it is for books in the current market.
We had great faith in the product and rightfully so. Creators of each comic have gone on to become industry giants but at the time they were all virtual unknowns.
We felt that in order to succeed we needed to promote our product at the point of purchase; in the comic shops themselves.
Bill, who had worked many years in retail at Fat Jack’s Comic Crypt in Philadelphia, knew first-hand how valuable the real estate was in comic shops which were usually quite small.
When he, Phil LaSorda, and I discussed the possibility of posters in the stores to promote our comics the question was, “Where would the retailers hang them if they hung them at all?”
Retail walls were usually covered, floor-to-ceiling, by shelves displaying hundreds of new comics. Valuable older comics in mylar bags were displayed on walls also.
If a poster were to go up on any of the limited wall space that might be left, you could bet that it would be reserved for a Marvel or DC product.
We talked about post cards and rack cards but agreed that counter space and rack space was as much a premium as wall space in the tiny comic shops.
Hell, the only space left was the ceiling and how would we convince retailers to staple our poster on their ceiling?
Inspiration from above
Maybe it was from years of kite flying, model rocketry, and hanging plastic airplanes in my room. Maybe it was from marveling at Alexander Calder’s masterpieces in art school. The idea of creating a mobile that the retailers could hang from a single tack or hook soon gave rise.
We would command a virgin, uncharted territory smack in the center of the ceiling in virtually every comic shop. We would boldly go where no man had gone before!
Mobile Ad
The Comico Mobile, which was promoted as “The First in a series of Promotional Mobiles,” was a simple elegant design though it would be the first and only one of the intended series. It was a cardboard disc that was 18 inches in diameter printed in full color on both sides, Mage on one side, Evangeline on the other. At the top was drilled a tiny hole from which it could be hung.
There was a limited number of 100 that were signed and numbered by the creators and the rest were sent to distributors where retailers would place an order to get theirs for free with their shipment of Comico comics. Just in case they missed the offer we ran ads in the trades to make sure no one was left out.
The Comico line of color comics was off the ground. The proof was on the ceiling!
A Comico Mobile still hangs in my studio today right next to my inspiration for the Comico Blimp, a toy airship hanging from a string.
CO2 Mobile Command Centre
On the wall behind my desk, however, is a new banner proclaiming CO2 Comics, our exciting new foray into the digital world of comics.
Today’s digital environment adds a completely different meaning when speaking the term “mobile.” Computers and mobile devices like smart phones, iPads, and e-readers are quickly changing the landscape of all publishing including comics.
CO2 Comics will give Bill and I the chance to pioneer again but we will still look back to the term “Location, location, location,” only this time we will be looking for a good Wi-Fi connection.
Making comics because I want to
Gerry Giovinco
Tags: Alexander Calder, Amazing Heroes, Bill Cucinotta, Charles Dixon, CO2 Comics, comico, Comico Blimp, Comico Mobile, comico the comic company, Comics, Comics Buyers Guide, Comics Interview, David Anthony Kraft, David Anthony Kraft's Comics Interview, DC, Digital Comics, Evangeline, Fat Jack's Comic Crypt, Gerry Giovinco, Judith Hunt, Mage, Marvel, matt wagner, phil lasorda, Philadelphia, The Comics Journal, Webcomics
Posted in The Comic Company | 5 Comments »
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
Comico was always intended to be launched in an anthology format. The first planned publication was Comico Presents which was to feature Phil LaSorda’s AZ, Vince Argondezzi’s Mr. Justice and my own Slaughterman.
Unpublished Cover
By the spring of 1982, however, the dynamics of the original group had changed.
Vince Argondezzi was moving on and Bill Cucinotta had joined our ranks bringing with him his creation, Skrog. Other talented comic artists, Matt Wagner and the very young Andrew Murphy, lurked in the wings.
It occurred to me that the anthology format had greater potential for us than we had originally planned. Rather than be merely a vehicle to introduce our own feature characters into the Direct Market, the format gave us a venue to feature the works of the many undiscovered talents that we were becoming acquainted with on the convention circuit.
I saw this publication as the foundation for which all future projects would emerge. It was the first coat of paint on which we could embellish illustrious careers as comic creators. This anthology would be our Primer.
PRIMER #1, Cover pencils by Andrew Murphy. inks Gerry Giovinco
Surprisingly, I do not remember it being difficult to sell the concept and especially the name, Primer, to Phil and Bill. We all knew that, in a market with titles full of Action, Adventure, and other Epic names, Primer was as dynamic sounding as white bread but to us it perfectly described the product and what we expected to accomplish with it.
PRIMER #2, Cover by Matt Wagner, 1st appearance of GRENDEL
We had hoped that by naming our comic book Primer, readers would expect something different, that the product would lay a foundation for what was to come and, most importantly, it would ignite an interest in our budding comic company. Primer would survive six issues and be our longest running black-and-white title. It did launch Comico and prime the industry for a unique independent company that blazed trails in creative and production quality, pioneered licensing for alternative publishers, championed creator’s rights and gave Marvel and DC a serious run for their money.
PRIMER #3, Cover by Jim Dever, featuring an early William Messner-Loebs story
The impact of Primer is still felt in the comics industry today.
- PRIMER #4, Cover by Barb Ramata, first of three to be edited by Matt Wagner
The ACT-I-VATE PRIMER
I can tell you that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Bill and I were both caught blushing when IDW announced that it would be publishing The ACT-I-VATE Primer.
ACT-I-VATE has been among our greatest inspirations while developing CO2 Comics. The presumption that our Primer may have had any influence on Dean Haspiel and friends was quite humbling to us (Guys, don’t tell us if it didn’t, it might ruin the moment!). Marvel’s Marvelman Classic Primer and Alan Moore’s Americas Best Comics Primer also find use of the Primer name which I like to believe would have never been used when associated with comics before the advent of the Comico Primer.
- PRIMER #5, Cover by Will Brown, featuring Sam Kieth’s Max the Hare
How-to Comic Primers pepper the internet and we at CO2 Comics have tapped the old Comico Primer for our own World Wide Web purposes.
PRIMER #6, Cover by Judith Hunt, the introduction of Chuck Dixon and Judith Hunt's Evangeline. Assistant editor CO2 Comics contributor Reggie Byers.
My Slaughterman, Bill Cucinotta’s Skrog, Andrew Murphy’s Victor, and Rich Rankin and Neil Vokes’ Gauntlet, features that all ran in Primer, are now featured right here on CO2 Comics.
They have all helped us launch this new and exciting web comics collective. CO2 Comics contributor Bill Anderson also graced the pages of Primer. Primer alumni, Matt Wagner, Sam Kieth, William Messner-Loebs, and Chuck Dixon have had stellar careers as comic creators. Their earliest published works can be found in those seemingly innocuous six issues of Primer making a few of them quite valuable as collectibles.
Other talents that were featured in Primer: Phil LaSorda, Vince Argondezzi, Jim Alderman, Rick McCollum, Bill Bryan, Jim Dever, Larry Nadolsky, Francis Mao, Barb and Bernie Armata, Ron Kasman, Will Brown, Chris Windle, Ajay Mclaughlin, Mark Lantz, Michael Lail, Grass Green, Judith Hunt and Al Wiesner. Primer was, unfortunately, discontinued along with the rest of the black-and-white line when Comico made its transition to color in 1984.
Pain
Works that were planned to be published in Primer that I am sorry we missed out on were Pain by Bill Cucinotta, Panda Khan by Dave Garcia and a little pre-turtle story by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird.
I have quite a few interesting stories that I can share about experiences publishing Primer that will have to wait for another time.
Next week I will pick things up a bit with a look at one of my favorite “Pie in the Sky” ideas from the early days of The Comic Company.
Making comics because I want to!
Gerry Giovinco
Tags: ACT-I-VATE, ACT-I-VATE Primer, Ajay Mclaughlin, Al Wiesner, Alan Moore, Alan Moore's Americas Best Comics Primer, Andrew Murphy, Az, Barb and Bernie Armata, Bill Anderson, Bill Bryan, Bill Cucinotta, Chris Windle, Chuck Dixon, CO2 Comics, Comic Primers, comico, Comico Presents, Comico Primer, comico the comic company, Comics, DC, Dean Haspiel, Direct Market, Francis Mao, Gerry Giovinco, Grass Green, Jim Alderman, Jim Dever, Judith Hunt, Kevin Eastman, Larry Nadolsky, Mark Lantz, Marvel, Marvelman, Marvelman Classic Primer, Michael Lail, Mr. Justice, Neil Vokes, Pain, Panda Khan, Peter Laird, phil lasorda, Primer, Rich Rankin, Rick McCullom, Ron Kasman, Sam Kieth, Skrog, Slaughterman, Victor, Vince Argondezzi, Webcomics, Weekly Update, Will Brown, William Messner-Loebs
Posted in The Comic Company | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010
Business Card Side 1
When we finally became serious about publishing comic books under the Comico imprint we realized that we were going to have to actually sell our comics and generate substantial revenue.
Business card Side 2
We had always sold our handmade, photocopied comics directly to the customer and were never really in a situation where we actually had to profit from the comics we made.
The issues of DUCKWORK that were produced were distributed freely on campus at PCA, supported by student council and meager funds generated by advertisements that we solicited.
Comico, however, was a real business and we had to get our comics sold to as many readers as possible in order to stay alive.
In the old days that meant Newsstand Distribution and its dreaded return policy, but in the early 1980′s the Direct Comic Market was young and growing. It offered an opportunity for an upstart company like Comico to solicit to retailers through several distributors.
Product was solicited three months in advance. The orders gave publishers a solid idea of what their print run needed to be and there were no returns to fret about. This made it easy to borrow money since you could show actual sales ahead of time. It also let you know if you should pack your bags and quit before you absorbed the expenses of production and printing.
Publishers just had to convince the distributors that their product was worth the time to solicit. This generally meant that if one distributor would take a chance on your product the others had to as well so they would not have to explain to their retailers why the guy down the street has a particular title and they don’t.
Our first comic book was a black and white comic titled Primer #1. Historically the reviews on the comic have sucked but it was our first product and at the time we were very proud of our work.
PRIMER #1
Today, I believe that it is highly underrated as a collectible since so few were made and it is significant for having launched a company that discovered many great talents, produced great product and established a business model that other great Independent publishers would follow.
Back in 1982 we had to find someone to solicit Primer #1 before it was even complete. We had very little to show except photocopies of of pencils and a proposed cover.
We wanted to make a great first impression so we put our efforts into a nice presentation package and focused on our business card because we thought it would be the one thing the distributers might keep in their rolodex (who still has one of those dinosaurs?)
The original Comico logo was designed by Phil LaSorda and was as unique as it was cumbersome but it lent itself well to the unusual business card that I would design around it.
The logo was designed to bracket the corner of the covers of our comics and it only survived the black and white comics that we originally published. It repeated the name Comico twice, hinged by a shared letter “C” that would eventually provide the basis for several other designs that would represent the future color line.
The card I designed was also hinged, die cut and folded so the Comico logo would read on both sides. When it opened our information was displayed inside. It was black and white, innovative and elegant, just the impression we wanted to create for our line.
The card could stand on a desk where others could only lay and it encouraged the holder to manipulate and study it. Let’s just say it was hard not to notice and easy to remember.
Above all, it was a conversation piece which came in handy when we did follow-up calls to the distributors. In those days, when you made the call, you spoke to the head guy, himself: Steve Geppi, Bud Plant, Milton Griepp, Walter Wang, and so on.
All of these guys were friendly, and were more than happy to offer advice and honest criticisms of the product. There was a lot of criticism and we listened and learned.
Just when it looked like we were going to have to go back to the drawing board with Primer #1 we got our first order. I’ll never forget the moment. I was away from the studio for a rare weekend trip when Phil called to tell me that Bud Plant had ordered one hundred books. You would have thought that I won the lottery!
Bill Cucinotta taking initial PRIMER 1 orders
That week Phil, Bill Cucinotta and I worked the phones to let every distributor know that Bud Plant had given us an order. As we expected they all followed suit, not to be outdone.
We sold less than two thousand books but it was enough to cover the printing costs and generate enough interest for Primer #2 which enjoys it’s place in comics history for the first appearance of Matt Wagner’s Grendel.
PRIMER #2
Today the card of CO2 Comics is simple. It bears our logo and a lone piece of contact information, co2comics.com. Follow that link and everything you need to know about CO2 Comics is at your fingertips!
We hope we still know how to make a great first impression.
Making comics because I want to,
Gerry Giovinco
Tags: Bill Cucinotta, Bud Plant, Business Card, CO2 Comics, Comic Distributors, Comic Publishers, comico, Comico Logo, Comico Primer, Comico Primer #1, Comico Primer #2, comico the comic book company, comico the comic company, Direct Comic Market, duckwork, Gerry Giovinco, Grendel, matt wagner, Milton Griepp, Newsstand Distribution, PCA, phil lasorda, Rolodex, Steve Geppi, Walter Wang
Posted in The Comic Company | 12 Comments »
