Month: August 2018

Cinebook the 9th Art: Newsletter 128 – August 2018
Dear Reader,
We’re debuting a new series this month with the first volume of IAN. If you like I, Robot, Westworld or Humans … if you have questions about the nature of humanity and the soul … or if you like a solid adventure story with plenty of futuristic action, then this series is definitely for you. Ralph Meyer’s gorgeous art is a nice bonus, too!
For the kids of Alone, the future is … well, nebulous, and full of things from the past, like castles and spears and torture racks … Their ‘life’ is getting more and more complicated, but the time has come for a big reveal that’ll change everything.
Lucky Luke, on the other hand, remains his usual stalwart, unflappable self as he lends a hand to the Earp brothers during one of the most famous kerfuffles in US history – the famous gunfight at The O.K. Corral!
Finally, volume 6 of The Complete Valerian will soon grace your bookshelves with more gorgeous content in hardback format. Only one more to go after that!
August with Cinebook – laughs, deep thoughts and plenty of thrills!


Alone 9 
Gazzotti & Vehlmann
Before the Midnight Child

In the arena, the Campton kids have won their ‘citizenship’ of the In-Between-World’s strange society. Now free to come and go as they please, they’ve left town for the mountains, following Dodzi without really knowing why … Read more

IAN 1 
Meyer & Vehlmann
An Electric Monkey

Intelligent Artificial Neuromechanoid… Ian. It’s the name of the newest recruit in Team 21 of the SRS — the ‘Special Rescue Section’. Ian is an android, impossible to tell from a human being with the naked eye, and his creators claim that he’s controlled by a true artificial intelligence.. Read more

Lucky Luke 70 
Morris & Fauche and Adam
The O.K. Corral

Everyone’s heard of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral: the most famous shootout of the Old West, between the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday on the side of law and order, and the Clanton brothers and their gang. A legend told many times in books and films, in sometimes contradictory versions … Read more

Valerian 
Mézières & Christin
The Complete Collection 6

With volumes 16 to 18 collected here, we find Valerian and Laureline suddenly rich beyond their wildest dreams, and this new situation brings the differences in their personalities in stark contrast: where Laureline remains true to herself and her love of life, Valerian finds himself idle and disoriented … Read more

Distant Worlds 1
Episode 1

Largo Winch 17
Morning Star

Lucky Luke 71
A Cowboy in Paris

Valerian
The Complete Collection 7

North-American readers, to locate a comic book shop near you that stocks or can order these titles and many more, us this handy Read more  

Or, if you’re a retailer yourself, please go to: Read more

22 and 23 September, 2018: Cinebook will exhibit at Thought Bubble, Leeds City Centre, Leeds, UK
https://www.thoughtbubblefestival.com

Book Imprint Launch 1st September, 2018

After re-organising the online store it was decided that Black Tower Comics & Graphic Novels would be treated as a separate imprint from the company.

The re-organisation has led to the following imprints being created and which will launch on 1st September, 2018:

Nature Series -Wildlife related books

World Mysteries -encompassing everything from the paranormal, cryptozoology, ufology and more.

Technical Study Books -the first is UFO Contact? and would be considered far more in depth (at 500+pp) on subject matter.

All of the books –Some Things Strange & Sinister   Some MORE Things Strange & Sinister   Pursuing The Strange and Weird   The Truth About Spring Heeled Jack and Mysterious Beasts & Creatures – have had re-writes to some degree and extra photographs and other images added and all carry the “World Mysteries” logo.

More information on 1st September.

They never even tried half the things I did.

I say that I have given this comic business everything -and I have tried everything to promote Black Tower.  There is, of course, the online store and all the prose books, comic albums and graphic novels.

Since 2010 I have offered the books at 50%   cover price off to promote them (losing me money)….not a single sale.

I then  reduced prices on the larger books like Return of the Gods….not a single sale.

I offered the books for sale (again reduced cover prices) direct from CBO (5 times)…not a single sale.

Twitter, Google+, Face Book and so many other anti  social media networks….not a single sale.

I’ve gone into this before but until I moved a rather large package this afternoon I had forgotten the number of special offers made.

Break Out!  and Black Tower Block Buster -two comics offered at £1 each…promoted as much as possible. Not a single sale and you are not going to find cheaper comics.

How about the £1.20 Black Tower comic?  Offered on CBO and via all the usual places.  £1.20…not a single sale.

remember Come On! Action Comic at £2.00?  The Bristol Comic Book at £1.00?  Black Tower Block Buster -Roar!….not ring any bells?

There are others put together with Ben Dilworth.  We tried everything. Even…get this…even as give aways at a Small Press event Black Tower Block Buster could not get rid of any copies.  No one even looked at them when offered.

I have three big cardboard boxes full of stock and I’ve had those full boxes since 2013.

I had two phone calls last Saturday (long phone calls, to!) each from a publisher now giving up. They asked why comics as an industry and fandom in particular had “become so toxic”?  Why is no one buying comics now even after special offers?  I could not answer those questions though we know comics in the UK died after the fan boys got into running them.  Same thing in the United States but they JUST managed to survive.

As for the toxicity of comics and fandom…the internet and millennials.  It is as simple as that. Before the internet we had fanzines and the odd spat (via letters of comment) snuck in but that was it.  Now all the lazy little bastards don’t even have to write on paper and post their turds. Rather than read and enjoy comics you have every little shit head wanting to attack some aspect of it.

It is NOT the fault of the internet.  It is the people using it.

There are real comic fans out there but their lack of support means the internet asses win the day.

Those two publishers who spoke to me were breaking down -you could hear that.  The truth is that in the UK there are no comic fans nor is there an industry of any kind (apart from the one that has people blatantly ripping of project submissions I made in the 1990s).

I am shocked that American comic buyers and those in Europe appear to0 have no interest. I guess the same applies there.  Further afield, in other parts of the world it might be that there is no local printer working with the Print On Demand company I use.  I just do not know because absolutely no one out of the 3+ millions who have visited CBO even leaves a comment.

I need to plan for 2019 and that will not include the UK.

For now, for my own enjoyment, I am putting together a big 50th Anniversary D-Gruppe book.  guess what? The first D-Gruppe book (in new format) was published in 2010.  German super heroes and the posts on them get very high views (especially from Germany) and I have sold….not one single copy.

I feel very sorry for all the small publishers who went out of business in 2017/2018.

They never even tried half the things I did.