Give out Comic Books for Halloween

Squashua

Hey guys,

I'm trying to publicize a movement to get people to give Comic Books to Kids for Halloween.



I have no other agenda, hidden, secret or otherwise.

http://www.comicspace.com/comics4halloween/

I just want fans to
1 - Give comic books instead of candy on Halloween.
Raid the quarter bins of your local comic store.
Negotiate a discount with your retailer for buying books in bulk with the intention to give them away for free on Halloween.

2 - Print out the flyer and give it to their local comic shop (with the reasons outlined on the website below).

3 - Tell everyone they know to also give out comic books.

4 - Post information about this movement to your blog.

What this does

Helps your local comic store
- new potential customers
- sales from quarter bin
- essentially free promotion

Helps kids
- no tooth decay
- promotes reading
- safe Halloween

Helps fans
- adds new future fans to the fanbase
- influences future writers / artists

- -

I get nothing from doing this; I make nothing from doing this.
I simply want people to give out comic books to their trick-or-treaters.

Mods gave me permission to site-whore.

DouglasDanger

This is a cool idea. Sadly, I am so broke I can hardly buy comics for myself.

KVW

Ya, it's a great idea, but at about $3 bucks a pop, it's almost impossible to have enough for the 50-100 kids that come around on Halloween to my neighbourhood. Too bad Free Comic Book Day wasnt around this time of the year or some random 10 or 25 cent comic promotion wasn't happening. Those would make excellent and economical books to give out.

Squashua

KVW wrote: »

Ya, it's a great idea, but at about $3 bucks a pop...

If you went through to the link, you'd see that the emphasis is to raid the Comic Store "quarter bins" and to negotiate a discount for buying in bulk.

Hooraydiation

But I like my children obese and illiterate!

wwtMask

Sounds cool, but none of the shops in my town have quarter bins. I certainly can't be spending $1 per issue per kid.

Squashua

wwtMask wrote: »

Sounds cool, but none of the shops in my town have quarter bins. I certainly can't be spending $1 per issue per kid.

Squashua wrote: »

KVW wrote: »

Ya, it's a great idea, but at about $3 bucks a pop...

If you went through to the link, you'd see that the emphasis is to raid the Comic Store "quarter bins" and to negotiate a discount for buying in bulk.

Emphasis on "negotiate". Tell them you want to buy a bunch to hand out at Halloween, and that you will name-drop the store and/or hand out thier business cards with each comic.

See if they will give you a discount for buying in bulk.

It all boils down to advertising and negotiation.

Tell the retailer the benefits from promoting this movement:

- You will have more sales from the quarter bin.
- More of your overstock/backstock inventory will move.
- Bulk sales to comic givers will make room for new inventory.
- You will have new potential customers (kids!)
- Free advertisement from customers who refer your store to parents.
- There is no cost to you.
- There is no other agenda, hidden or otherwise.
- It is only to your own benefit for you to do this.

Squashua

DraXXXen

I plan to do this as well, but rather then just raiding the cheap bin from my local comics store, i'll also give away my own comics and paper clip the comic stores business card to them

In fact, i'll be sure to toss out a few gems just for fun, since i've already read the issues (and if they are not part of my iron man or green lantern collection) then it would do more good elsewhere. Some kid is totally getting my Ultimate Spider Man #1 and Wolverine Origin #1 just for the potential awesomeness this will spread.


edit: ah nice, just found a small pile of silver age spider man issues that I got cheap (worn condition, but still readable). Spiderman #46! 1st Shocker! haha oh yes...keep that one aside for any kid I think may already be into comics, just to give him a wicked night.

Squashua

Here are some links to articles that contain tips for giving comics:

Top Ten Reasons to Give Comics

Hey Kids, Halloween! - Tips for Giving Comics on Halloween

Give Comics, Not Candy
Comics: Sugar-Free
Post-Halloween
Pre-Halloween
Do Kids Like Comics?
Candy, Comics and Halloween

KalTorak

Hmmm sounds like a good idea. Just watch out when you're grabbing stacks of bargain bins that they're relatively child-appropriate - the bargain bin at my comic store is full of stuff like Lucifer and other "for mature readers" - don't want to piss off the kids' parents.

Hooraydiation

KalTorak wrote: »

Hmmm sounds like a good idea. Just watch out when you're grabbing stacks of bargain bins that they're relatively child-appropriate - the bargain bin at my comic store is full of stuff like Lucifer and other "for mature readers" - don't want to piss off the kids' parents.

Indeed, isn't someone fighting off charges of distributing pornography to minors for this very reason?

Squashua

Hooraydiation wrote: »

KalTorak wrote: »

Hmmm sounds like a good idea. Just watch out when you're grabbing stacks of bargain bins that they're relatively child-appropriate - the bargain bin at my comic store is full of stuff like Lucifer and other "for mature readers" - don't want to piss off the kids' parents.

Indeed, isn't someone fighting off charges of distributing pornography to minors for this very reason?

Gordon Lee, mentioned in every article about the topic I've written.
The story with that is "Alternative Comics" created a book for Free Comic Book Day. Gordon's store gave out all the Free Comic Book Day books for halloween. The Alternative Comics book had a singular factual panel of Pablo Picasso being nude.

Which, in my opinion, was stupid of Alternative Comics to put in a book for Free Comic Book Day b/c the day is expressly for kids.

Some kid picked up the book, mom saw this, and the owner of the store got in trouble.

In addition, recently there was a teacher who gave a teenager a copy of "Eightball" comic, but that was thrown out of court or something for being 100% stupid.

DraXXXen

So i guess giving out copies of 'Preacher' and perhaps 'Empowered' isn't gonna earn me any cool points with the neighbours? oh Poot! Be that way, i'll be nice

Mr Pink

Just as a side note, Gordon Lee is the owner of the shop I used to go to every week. He has a huge following of support in that area, you can't buy a pack of smokes without running into nine guys who think he's getting fucked.

I wish I had the finances to do this, though, it sounds so much cooler than candy.