I've been wanting to expand, rebuild, and rebrand Bull City Comics (BCC) for a while. BCC started around 2000. I was working on LongBox.com and was buying enough new comic books monthly that it was easier to just buy direct from Diamond Comics. I set up BCC to take pre-orders and sell through comics I no longer needed. It was designed to integrate with the LongBox.com database for information and covers. It was a show piece more than a business.

Shortly after LongBox.com went down. I converted BCC over to osCommerce. osCommerce is a PHP store package. Being an ASP web developer, I was able to make some small changes to osCommerce, but between work and an every growing family, my time was better off spent finding something that was easier for me to edit. It was then that I discovered CandyPress.

 

CandyPress was then in version 3, so I used it and upgraded it and then everything was fine. I'd finally gotten everything where I was happy with it and then... I sold most of my comic books and started making my own.

 

BCC had lost it's point by then and just languished around. I managed to find a job as an ASP web developer with JLS Media and one of the main pieces of software used was CandyPress. having already edited and played with the insides of CandyPress  was a huge advantage with my new job. However, my new job also made me less likely to continue to mess around with BCC.

 

The next step for BCC came when I decided to self-publish Warmageddon. Then I opened up the Warmageddon store using CandyPress 4. This allowed me to sell Warmageddon stuff online, biut was a bit short sighted as there were many more projects that I was working on and/or wanted to work on. Soon the Warmageddon store expanded into the new BCC which carried Warmageddon projects as well as my other projects.

 

What's next for BCC? Enter Jamie Roberts!

Jamie is an illustrator that I've worked with on several projects over that last few years. He has a unique flair for vector based illustrations and I thought he'd be perfect to design the new BCC logo for the new BCC site. Below is his first pass at the new logo graphic.

 

I've pretty much decided that I'll be using 360 (see previous blog) for all my book printing. However, occasionally, I want to print other books or just want to print something with less than 1 month turnaround. For those order, I would like to use Ka-Blam and/or ComixPress. I haven't decided which one because they both offer something different.

 

Comixpress is the first comic book specific POD service. I've spoken with Logan on several occasions and overall, I've been satisfied with ComixPress's product. What I didn't like was the service. However, ComixPress is the cheapest of the comic book specific services.

 

With ComixPress this time, I'm printing 2 saddle-stitched books. One is 48 pages 8" x 10.5". The order is 24 pages 8"x8". Being in a hurry, I rushed through the order and made several mistakes.

 

Mistake #1 : I supplied the wrong address. I had them shipping to me at home, but I really want them shipped to to the con. I sent a note via the contact page to let them know about the address change.  I sent the note immediately on 21 March 2010. So far I haven't heard from them about the order at all.

 

Mistake #2: I supplied the wrong file location. I didn't notice until I was checking the order status tonight, and so I sent another message to them via the contact page tonight (23 March 2010). Additionally, I sent the right address for shipping again.

 

For both notes, I received confirmation of receipt of the note, but thus far no action has been taken on the notes.

 

 

Ka-Blam is the first service NOT to charge a service fee. I don't think the product quality at Ka-Blam is the same as ComixPress, but it's very close. The prices are a little bit more. However, Ka-Blam has Strathmore covers. I'm planning on using Ka-Blam to do a series of sketch covers for the books, so I placed orders with them.

I'd decided to do 2 books instead of one, so my orders were placed 5 days apart. I sent a note to Ka-Blam asking them to expedite the second order, so that it shipped with the first order, and to charge me expedited order. My fault, so I should bear the brunt of the mistake. I sent that message via there message system right after placing the second order on 21 March 2010. 

 

So far there's been no response AND no request for money from either (they both send invoices via PayPal.com). I also want to get a couple quotes from 360 for the ComixPress books as those will be the ones that I go back to print with, so I want to get the best pricing.

 

I'll keep you updated as I get more information.

 

This covers everything else in Previews.

 

 

 

Terry Moore has announced that Echo is ending with issue 30. I love it when series had a planned course and finish. Moore will be back doing something else and we still have a year's worth of Echo. The story? Basically, it's a story about becoming a walking nuclear weapon. Not superheroes, but a good action adventure story.

 

 

 

The premise isn't new. It's a series of  short stories about the Mouse Guard characters told by characters in a bar. We've seen it in Conan and Sandman and many other series over the years. The creators chosen will make or break this project and as they were "handpicked " by David Peterson, I have confidence in this project. I just hope they are lettered better than the other Mouse Guard series.

 

They can say what they want, but Female Force, Fame, and Political Power are just ploys to get media attention. None of the books are particularly well put together. None of the books are even noteworthy beyond being non-authorized biographical comics. It seems to be selling better than their other books, so I suspect Bluewater will continue to make them. This is the last time that I will mention them, unless something spectacular (and none pandering) comes along.

 

 

 

I remember reading the Talisman about 20 years ago. I don't remember the plot in any detail, but I remember enjoying it. I'll be picking up this hardcover so that I can experience the story again. I just might go out and purchase the prose books as well.

 

 

 

 

It's been 40 years since the original Overstreet and of course, it's back again. I don't pay much attention to price guides since I don't buy comics as investments and I don't really have too much desire to sell the comics that I do own. However, in 40 years Overstreet has lasted much longer than most comics.

 

and that's it for this month.

Join me next month when I do this all over again.