Go, Read: Chris Butcher on Dark Horse

The reason it's worth reading retailer and commentator Chris Butcher's criticism of Dark Horse promoting books that the publisher either hasn't printed or can't keep in print isn't to enjoy a second-hand raspberry in the direction of Milwaukie, Oregon. Rather, it's because Butcher's criticism hits at a real core issue for comics retail: intermittent but frequent baseline dysfunction in sensible publishing practices.

As long as they're working with people instead of robots, all publishers are going to have the occasional delayed book or hitch in their ability to put out their books on a sustained, rational schedule. And in fact, many of the worst offenders from 10-15 years go are smaller companies that are now more disciplined than ever because of demands from book distributors or as a result of better ensuring economic survival. But it does seem to me there's a conscious choice, particularly among the top publishers, to sacrifice maximizing the way books are releases in a way that benefits their retail partners for the sake of having some wiggle room when it comes to working with talent. If it doesn't change, we'll never know how well certain systems can perform.
 
posted 3:14 am PST | Permalink
 

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