Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.

You know Andrew. You know GrayHaven Magazine.com. And now, you can get to know Joe Field. Thanks, Andrew, and take it away...

Joe Field: The GrayHaven Interview

by Andrew Goletz

Joe Field is the owner of Flying Color Comics & Other Cool Stuff, located in Concord, CA. He's also the man responsible for bringing Free Comic Book Day to life. Joe recently took the time to talk to GrayHaven about the May 4th event and shed some light on the questions surrounding the big day.

GHM: In a nutshell, what is Free Comic Book Day?

Joe: It's the first ever industry wide coordinated promotion designed to re-energize former readers and find new readers for comics. We're rolling with it on Saturday May 4, the day after the Spider-Man movie opens.

GHM: How did you come up with the idea for this?

Joe: I "borrowed" it after seeing Baskin-Robbins ice cream stores pull off another successful Free Scoop Night last spring. Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff, my store in Concord CA is right next door to a B-R store that drew more than 1200 visitors for the Free Scoop Night.

Admittedly, far more people eat ice cream than read comics. Ever the optimist, I think Free Comic Book Day is aimed at slightly evening the "ice cream to comics intake ratio". ;)

GHM: Take us from inspiration to execution. How do you go from saying, 'hey, this would be cool', to making this actually happen?

Joe: I first proposed the promotion in my regular column for Krause Publications' Comics & Games Retailer magazine. But I thought if I was going to propose something that called for Diamond to facilitate and co-sponsor a promotion, the least I could do was to let them know about the column before it was published, so we could get Diamond feedback in the same issue my original column was published.

Diamond's marketing honcho, Roger Fletcher got behind the idea from the start---leading us to where we are now.

GHM: Have you had a hand in the actual process since coming up with the idea or have you let Diamond take over?

Joe: Yes, I was at the first planning meeting, which took place during Diamond's retailer summit in Las Vegas last October. I've been involved with all of the conference calls that have fleshed out the plans and progress of FCBD.

GHM: What do you think of the choices so far?

Joe: I have confidence in the publishers knowing which titles have the best chance for outreach beyond current readership. The fact is, many retailers do some kinds of comic giveaways on a regular basis, but they haven't been with the cooperation of so many publishers. With FCBD, we're all working together for the first time. That's exciting to me and a most welcome change in the dynamics of the comic book market.

GHM: Are you pleased with the reaction you've seen so far in regards to FCBD?

Joe: More than 10,000 fans so far have signed up at www.freecomicbookday.com to get updates about the promotion. I think that's a great start. Have you signed up yet? My hope is that those fans will all bring their friends to the event on May 4. Can you imagine what a positive result it would be if each current fan did the same thing? The effect could be remarkable.

GHM: How many Free Comics will be available?

Joe: That is still to be determined by retailer orders that were just turned in last week, so I don't have those numbers.

GHM: Is it up to the store to preorder these like they always do or is there a different formula?

Joe: The initial participation buy-in for retailers, which costs $19, includes 50 copies of each of the comics from DC, Dark Horse, Image and Marvel. Retailers can also order the special edition comics from Oni, Keenspot and other publishers. On top of that, retailers have the option of accepting free comics from more than 25 other publishers. Retailers can also order as many of all the special edition comics as they'd like from DC, Dark Horse, Image, Marvel, and the other publishers above the 50 copy initial buy-in.

GHM: What is the difference in shipping one of the big 4 issues as opposed to one of the smaller companies?

Joe: The differences are this: most publishers are donating stock from their inventories. The big four publishers, along with Oni Press and Keenspot, are publishing special edition comics with the Free Comic Book Day logo.

GHM: If a fan walks into a local comic store on May 4, what is the guarantee that they will get free comics and how many should they end up with?

Joe: First, the hope is that fans will bring their friends to the event and not simply come alone. The idea with FCBD is to not only celebrate our current readers, but really to bring more readers to take the party bigger and better. Every participating store will be listed on www.freecomicbookday.com sometime in the next two weeks. Every one of those participating stores will have free comics books to give away.

As for how many each person will walk away with, that's up to the discretion of each retailer. I'd like retailers to consider giving more of the free comics away to the fans who bring more friends with them to the event, for instance. I do know some retailers will be putting together packages of the special edition comics to give away, other retailers will supplement the FCBD comics with more from their own store stock. With more than 30 publishers participating, there should be a fairly delicious smorgasbord of comics available on May 4.

GHM: What would you like to see happen on May 4th, 2002?

Joe: Peace all over the world and everyone in world reading a cool comic book that day. Look, I know that's not gonna happen, but I think we can make an impact with the non-comics' reading public. I strongly believe in the power of comics as entertainment ---so much so, that I know it's now time to tell the world about it.

GHM: If successful, would you like this to become an annual event?

Joe: I know we need to walk before we run, so to speak. Conceding that, I hope that the outcome of FCBD on May 4, 2002 will lead to more cooperation among publishers and retailers to continually find new readers for comics. I think an annual Free Comic Book Day could become a yearly national "holiday" for comic book readers.

GHM: What can comic fans do to help make FCBD a success?

Joe: Invite your non-comic book reading friends to visit your local comic book stores. The more friends get introduced to comics on FCBD, the better the chances are for the continued health of the entire comics' business/art-form.

Free Comic Book Day is a day when fans can loudly and proudly proclaim to the world that comics are cool. In advance of the event, I hope fans will light up message boards everywhere with excitement about the event. Fans can put the Free Comic Book Day link into every e-mail. I want every fan to become a guerilla missionary for the cause of comics.

I hope fans will ask their retailers now to take part in the official celebration of Free Comic Book Day. The word is getting out about the special edition comics and brand new fans and long-time fans alike will be asking for them.

I want fans to ask their retailers how to spread the good news about FCBD in their local areas. Some retailers will be doing something more than giving comics away in their shops. Some may want to take the FCBD comics out to hospitals, for instance, to reach those who can't get out on May 4. Some fans may want to help their retailers with getting comics to local libraries.

GHM: What can publishers do to make it a success?

Joe: More than 30 publishers are getting behind the event, from producing the special-edition FCBD comics to donating stock from their inventories for retailers to give away. Many publishers will also be advertising the event outside the comics' market. For instance, Archie Comics has perhaps the best reach of any publisher into grocery stores and other traditional magazine outlets. Archie will be advertising the event in its comics in an effort to bring more Archie readers to comic book specialty stores. Very cool.

GHM: And Comic sites?

Joe: Download the FCBD logo and link from www.freecomicbookday.com and post it prominently on your site. Talk it up. Support this groundbreaking effort by encouraging attendance May 4 at FCBD participating stores.

GHM: What about the retailers, like yourself?

Joe: Retailers of any size can afford the minimum buy-in for participation which is only $19. Past that, make the day a party in your store. If your store is in need of some cosmetic dress-up before May 4, pull out the broom and say good-bye to the dust bunnies. Make your store an attractive destination for the general public.

GHM: How long have you been in the business?

Joe: My entry into the comic biz was with the first year of WonderCon. I was in radio at the time and the organizers of WonderCon asked me to run press relations and advertising for them. Within two years, I became one of the owners of WonderCon and on October 3, 1988 opened Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff at 2980 Treaty Boulevard in Concord, California.

GHM: What's the store like?

Joe: From the start my store has been a bit different from most comic shops. My research team to get the business started was my family: wonderful wife Libby and three young (at the time) daughters, Michelle, Jenny and Cindy. Not too many comic book stores were researched by girls ranging in age from four to eight, along with their parents. But it worked. Flying Colors is as attractive to non-comic shoppers as it is to long-time fans. We insist on excellent customer service, fair prices and to represent comics for the amazing entertainment they are.

GHM: The industry appears to be moving towards another golden period with sales climbing back up. What have you noticed about this from a retailer perspective?

Joe: What I've noticed is that 2002 feels a lot like 1989 all over again---but with a clear vision we have a chance to do things right this time. 1989 saw the release of the first Batman movie, this year we have Spider-Man, in addition to Star Wars Episode Two. Those movies are reasons why well stocked comic book shops can expect to see more potential customers this year.

But in the early 90s, marketing took the front seat away from good, entertaining comics. It became a constant parade of chasing so-called "hot" books, thousands of which still languish in basements and landfills because nothing "hot" stays hot. Now, in 2002, we have the chance to prove to the world how "cool" comics can be. "Cool" stays cool because it means something is intrinsically pleasing to the consumer.

There is more diversity in publisher offerings than ever before and there are more different types of comics to appeal to all kinds of readers. I hope that we can avoid the mistakes of the early 90s and instead grow the market for comics by growing the interest in actually reading them.

GHM: What do you think has been the biggest (or several) event in turning things around?

Joe: It's hard to quantify events. Instead what I think is the turning point is that publishers got back to being concerned about the contents of their comics rather than how shiny the covers could be. There has been a quiet renaissance in comics over the past few years. There are many high profile projects that have brought former readers back to comic shops, like Batman:Dark Knight Strikes Again and Marvel's benefit magazine called Heroes. I think having an editorially strong Marvel for the first time in several years has been positive, as well as having publishers like DC and Dark Horse focus on the strong and ever-green trade paperback market. The encouraging growth of trade paperbacks in comic shops is one very clear indicator that comics are all about reading pleasure.

We hope Free Comic Book Day brings more readers looking for good entertainment into comic book shops all over the world.

GHM: After Free Comic Book Day is over, what would you like the industry to do to help make people aware of comics?

Joe: Keep working together. Free Comic Book Day is the first time so many publishers have gotten together in an effort to grow the whole market for comics, and I'd like to see that fresh spirit of cooperation continue.

I also think it's vitally important to keep reaching out to readers of all kinds, in efforts to introduce them to the sublime experience of words and pictures together.

GHM: Anything else you'd like to add?

Joe: I really hope that anyone who has been able to make it through this interview all the way 'til the end will do everything they can to make Free Comic Book Day a rousing success. Everyone, please do your part.

For more information on Free Comic Book Day, please CLICK HERE!!

FLYING COLORS COMICS & Other Cool Stuff is located at:

2980 Treat Blvd (at Oak Grove Rd)

Concord CA 94518

925-825-5410

or go to their website.