BAWLS Guarana -Official Energy Drink of 24HCD!

August 28, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Atom Freeman
Amanda Emmert

ComicsPRO is pleased to announce BAWLS Guarana as the Exclusive Energy Drink Sponsor of 24 Hour Comics Day.

24-Hour Comics Day hosts near a BAWLS distribution point will be able to pick up BAWLS energy drinks (http://www.bawls.com/) to keep their cartoonists' minds humming and hands drawing through their 24 hours of comic-book creating.

"As the drink of choice for comic book fans, gamers and geeks alike, BAWLS Guarana is thrilled to be fueling 24 Hour Comics Day!" said Marie Navarro, Marketing Manager. "Our refreshing taste and caffeinated kick is just what these comic fiends need to keep working through the wee hours."

Registered 24HCD venues will be emailed details about picking up their free drinks.

24 Hour Comics Day is an annual challenge for cartoonists to produce a 24-page comic book written, drawn, and completed in 24 consecutive hours.

ComicsPRO, the comic book specialty retailer trade organization, recently assumed the organizational reins for 24HCD with the enthusiastic endorsement of the event's founder, Nat Gertler, publisher of About Comics.

Register to host a 24 Hour Comics Day event here.

ComicsPRO will continue to add resources to the 24 Hour Comics Day website. Participating artists, host sites, and all other interested parties are asked to bookmark the site and check it regularly!

For more information, please continue to check the 24 Hour Comics Day site. For further inquiries and to inquire about how your company can sponsor this worldwide creative event please contact ComicsPRO's Communications Coordinator Amanda Emmert.

DC Comics at the ComicsPRO 2009 Annual Meeting

Contact:
Joe Field
Amanda Emmert


ComicsPRO 2009 Meeting Heads East to Memphis
DC Comics to Sponsor Full Day of Programming


The third annual meeting of ComicsPRO, the Comics Professional Retail Organization, heads east to Memphis, Tennessee, on March 19-21, 2009 at the Hilton Memphis. Additionally, DC Comics will sponsor a full day of DC-centric programming that will give attendees a view of upcoming projects and products. All retailers, including ComicsPRO members and non-members, are invited and encouraged to attend.

"ComicsPRO is very pleased to offer this meeting in Memphis. There's obviously the proximity to Diamond Comic Distributors' main shipping hub, and the meeting will also give many retailers in the eastern region a better opportunity to attend," said Joe Field, ComicsPRO's President and owner of Flying Colors Comics in Concord CA. "We're confident retailers will get tremendous value by attending, especially with a key supplier, DC Comics, sponsoring a full day of DC-oriented events and programs."

Bob Wayne, DC's Vice President of Sales, added, "The whole DC team looks forward to this event. It's a wonderful opportunity to showcase our upcoming publishing schedule and new products while also being able to solicit direct feedback from ComicsPRO's progressive retailer membership."

The schedule includes a "Meet & Greet" for early arriving attendees on the evening of Wednesday March 18, with full days of ComicsPRO presentations and organization business on Thursday March 19 and Saturday March 21, along with DC Comics sponsored day of programming on Friday March 20.

Hotel reservations at group rates are available online through this special ComicsPRO link.


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Comic Book Stores vs. The Big Box stores

ComicsPRO members Mimi Cruz (Night Flight Comics) and Nancy McCann (Comics Unlimited) explain the benefit of buying your comics at your local comic book store!



Watch the video made at Comic Con International - San Diego.

ComicsPRO in Baltimore & Las Vegas!

See us in Las Vegas:
Stop by our booth at the Diamond/Alliance Retailer Summit in Las Vegas, NV, September 7-9. You can pick up must-have books on retail and marketing at great discounts. We'll be bringing some cool giveaways, as well!

Meet us in Baltimore:
ComicsPRO Members get in FREE to Baltimore Comic-Con, September 27-28! Let us know if you’ll be attending and would like your free pass.

Retailers, publishers and creators are all invited to breakfast Sunday morning, hosted by ComicsPRO and the Baltimore Comic-Con. Start your convention day off right! Contact us for details!


ComicsPRO members: Join us on Sunday for an east-coast member meeting. Take this opportunity to meet with our industry partners and discuss member interests. Look for a schedule and other meeting details on the ComicsPRO forum in September.


Comic book retailers: meet with us and discover the benefits of membership in your trade association. Sign up at a convention this year and you can save $50 on your membership dues!

ComicsPRO Road Show Flips Philly!

PHILADELPHIA, PA--- ComicsPRO President Joe Field reports that last night's Philadelphia area meeting of comic specialty retailers brought three new ComicsPRO members into the organization.

ComicsPRO proudly welcomes:
* Mike Clark of Showcase Comics(standing center in white shirt), with stores in Media and Bryn Mar PA.
* Daryll L. Jones of Atomic City Comics (standing 2nd from right), Philadelphia PA
* Wade Shaw of Wade's Comic Madness (seated 2nd from right), Levittown PA

In addition to these three new members, ComicsPRO member and retailer George Stasky of Brave New Worlds (Philly and Willow Grove PA), who did the advance planning for last night's meeting, also took the first steps to organize a regional retailer group that will meet on a quarterly basis, share ideas and trade stock. There is a strong possibility more retailers from this area will join ComicsPRO in the near future. Nice work, George!

Good things can happen when we all work together!

Join ComicsPRO now by filling out the application found HERE!

Joe Field
ComicsPRO President

ComicsPRO Members sponsor Steve Dillon tour

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Amanda Emmert
Info@ComicsPRO.org
Rick Lowell
Rick@casablancacomics.com


ComicsPRO and Hero Initiative Team Up for Steve Dillon Store Tour


ComicsPRO, the trade association for comics specialty retailers, is announcing that artist Steve Dillon (Preacher, Wolverine, Punisher) will be hosted by a number of ComicsPRO member stores from September 22 – October 1, 2008.

The tour coincides with the artist’s visit to the United States for the Baltimore Comic-Con on September 27 & 28. Dillon constantly works on high-profile projects and rarely visits the United States from his native England. He has agreed to extend his visit by doing store appearances that will benefit The Hero Initiative, a publicly supported not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. “It's very nice to meet the fans in the United States, and I know that when I'm hosted by ComicsPRO stores, it's a first-class affair the whole way,” said Steve Dillon. “Raising funds for The Hero Initiative is also a top priority, so this should be a pleasure all the way around.”

ComicsPRO retailers hosting signing events for Steve Dillon during this tour have all agreed to support Dillon’s effort to raise funds and awareness for The Hero Initiative. Check with individual stores for their fundraising details.

“ComicsPRO retailers represent the leading edge of progressive retailers, working with all facets of the comic book business for a brighter future for all concerned,” said Joe Field, owner of Flying Colors Comics in Concord CA and ComicsPRO’s president. “This tour exemplifies the manner in which our members are willing to step up and do good things together.”

Tour schedule:

Monday, September 22nd 4PM-7PM
MAIN STREET COMICS
157 Dolson Ave
Middletown, NY
http://www.mainstreetcomics.com/

Tuesday, September 23rd 6PM-9PM
BRAVE NEW WORLDS
45 N. 2nd St
Philadelphia, PA
http://www.bravenewworldscomics.com/

Wednesday, September 24th 4PM-7PM
CAPTAIN BLUE HEN COMICS
280 E Main Street Ste 101 Newark, DE
http://www.captainbluehen.com/

Thursday, September 25th 6PM-9PM
BEYOND COMICS
5632 Buckeystown Pike
Frederick, MD
http://www.beyondcomics.com/

Wednesday, October 1st 6PM-8PM
JIM HANLEY’S UNIVERSE
4 West 33rd St
New York, NY
http://www.jhuniverse.com/

ComicsPRO and The Hero Initiative will be hosting another fundraising tour with Jimmy Palmiotti and Darwyn Cooke in the first quarter of 2009. Exact schedule to be announced.

Since its inception, The Hero Initiative has had the good fortune to grant over $300,000 to the comic book veterans who have paved the way for those in the industry today.

The Hero Initiative aims to create a financial safety net for yesterday’s creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. The Hero Initiative is online at HeroInitiative.org.

ComicsPRO is a non-profit organization, comprising more than 120 retailer members in the U.S. and abroad. The goals of ComicsPRO are for retailers to speak with a united voice on important industry issues, to mentor new retailers in an effort to grow the comics specialty market and to supply group benefits to dedicated retailers to save money on shared common costs. ComicsPRO is online at ComicsPRO.org.

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Retailer Meeting in Philadelphia, PA

PHILLY AREA COMICS RETAILER MEETING

THURSDAY EVENING, AUGUST 21ST @ 9:00 PM
SHOWCASE COMICS, GRANITE RUN MALL
1067 W. Baltimore Pike ∙ Media, PA 19063 ∙ 610-891-9229

Dear Fellow Comic Book Retailer,

You are cordially invited to a Philadelphia area comic book retailer-only meeting to meet new folks and renew old acquaintances over pizza and beer. All store owners and store managers are welcome! Trade war stories with grizzled veterans from the business and get great ideas from someone with a different approach.

Mike Clark of Showcase Comics will host the event on Thursday evening August 21 at 9:00 pm in his Granite Run Mall location. The pizza and beer are compliments of ComicsPRO, the comic book retailer trade association.

Joe Field, current president of ComicsPRO and the creator of Free Comic Book Day will be talking about ComicsPRO and how it can benefit you and your store. Joe is flying all the way in from his shop in California to meet and chat with his Philly area retailing colleagues!

OVERSTOCK TRADING SESSION

Bring a long box of your overstock so you can trade your excess comics and TPBs for stuff that you need.

This is a great opportunity to meet your fellow specialty retailers, so I hope you'll make the effort to come out. You'll be surprised how much we can learn from one another.

George Stasky
Brave New Worlds
ComicsPRO Member

24 Hour Comics Day Host Sites

After a few snafus with the 24HCD Host Site web application, it's up and running. Getting ready for the 24HCD event on October 18th? Don't forget to register your location as a host site!

If you have already registered for this year and don't see your location listed, yet, don't worry! We're in the process of adding many locations to the list.

24 Hour Comics Day FAQs:

When is 24 Hour Comics Day this year?
October 18, 2008.

Who can host an official 24 Hour Comics Day event?
Events can be hosted by any comic book shop, educational institution, museum, or comics club in the world.

What is required of me to host an official 24 Hour Comics Day event?

Before we can list you as a participating 24 Hour Comics Day event store, you must commit to hosting the event and all that it entails. This means that you can provide:

· A room to draw in, including chairs and tables.

· A sleeping area: a quiet separate area with cots or sleeping bags for those who feel they will they'll be able to keep working after a nap. This should be open for the same period as the drawing room.

· A bathroom.

· Refreshments. We recommend having snacks on hand and providing plenty of water, coffee and maybe other energy drinks.

· Supervision. Someone who is not participating in the challenge should be on hand at all times to supervise the event. Consider doing this in shifts so that the supervisor is always alert.

· Drawing supplies. While the participants should bring their own drawing materials, it's still good idea to have a supply of drawing paper on hand. You don't need full-size comic book drawing paper; because folks doing 24 hour comics generally draw smaller. If it's convenient, have some other drawing supplies as well.

· Copying and shipping. After the event, Ohio State University Library will be collecting and housing all of the comics created by the 24 Hour Comics Day participants. We will be sending out a cover page for each comic and information about where to send the copies. Host sites will need to make a copy of each participant's comic and then mail them all to the Ohio State Library.

What do the 24 Hour Comics Day participants need to have?

· Art Supplies. Your artists should bring their own pencils, pens and paper, unless you advertise that you'll provide all of the drawing materials.

· Transportation. Please make sure that the participants have a ride home after being awake all night making comics!

· Comfortable attire. Your artists will be working for 24 hours--remind them to dress comfortably!

· Enthusiasm! They will be exploring the limits of their imagination--and their endurance!--by taking part of this creative event.

How do I register as a 24 Hour Comics Day host site?

If you are able to provide the above materials for your cartoonists, sign up at with the 24 Hour Comics Day host registration form, and we'll list you as a host site for this year's 24 Hour Comics Day event!