LGBT Section in Your Shop?
Feedback for the CBLDF

// November 1st, 2011 // // Misc

So I had a lovely dinner with Charles Brownstein from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund when I was in San Francisco for APE last month, and agreed to work on an article about creating LGBT sections in comic book stores. I’ve been trying to do retailer outreach over the past year on that very same subject, and it seemed like a natural fit.

I have a background in marketing and advertising and have some ideas already, but I’m sure there are a lot of pressures and concerns that retailers have that I’m unaware of, or underestimate. I’d love to create an article that can really be a good resource for retailers and help them reach out to new audiences in a constructive way, and maybe avoid some pitfalls that you’ve experienced.

If you’re a retailer and want to share your thoughts on the subject, I would be really interested to hear. Or, if you’re a customer at a shop that could benefit from an LGBT section and have some ideas on how they might implement it, that would be great, too.

Here’s some questions to get your gears turning; if any of these strike a chord with you, please post Facebook comments in reply, or email me directly with your thoughts.

  • Do you have any success stories to share about creating a section in your store?
  • What works, and what really hasn’t?
  • Do you have an “unofficial” section (perhaps adjacent to the indies), or do you do a seasonal PRIDE display?
  • Have any customers had issues with your implementation? Had any issues with parents?
  • Has the section increased business? Changed your customer demographic?
  • Has the fact that you have an LGBT section gotten you any press?
  • Do you have customers who might be well-served by an LGBT section? or who have asked for one?
  • Are you interested in reaching LGBT audiences but aren’t sure how to do it? afraid of doing it wrong and offending people?

Any and all responses would be appreciated, even if you haven’t created an LGBT section and have limited experience on the subject. I would welcome your concerns and ideas, as a retailer, on how you might go about it if you did.

Thank you!

Northwest Press Goes International!

// October 29th, 2011 // // A Waste of Time, Glamazonia, Rainy Day Recess, Teleny and Camille

What do these countries have in common: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom?

Why, you can buy Northwest Press graphic novels on iTunes in all of these countries, of course! Click the links below to visit iTunes and download previews of these fine books for your iPad (or for your iPhone, if you’ve got excellent eyesight and don’t mind a lot of zooming…):

A Waste of Time: The Reviews Start Coming in…

// October 29th, 2011 // // A Waste of Time

Reviews are starting to come in for Rick Worley’s new book from Northwest Press, A Waste of Time, and we’re pleased as punch with the reception the book is getting.

Andy Speed over at cxPulp: — ”I found this book riveting and hard to put down. It’s very relatable whether you’re gay, straight, or an anthropomorphized rabbit. It’s a little ironic that a comic with so many animal proxies is so very human.”

Joe Palmer at GayLeague.com: — ”…while he cites the auto bio comics work of R. Crumb and Jeffrey Brown for thematic inspiration, Worley has his own voice. Oh dear, the die hard spandex crowd just had a collective wide-eyed stare at those names. Don’t you worry! You can enjoy this book without danger of your superhero-lover card being revoked.”

Rubber Justice at Pink Kryptonite: — ”Take the authenticity of Pekar’s American Splendor, and blend it with classicist artcomix values, and you get an idea of the beauty behind Rick’s book. He even goes so far as to invite all his readers so moved by his work to contact him and be his groupies. Literally fucking with your audience. It’s genius.”

At Starving for Ink: — ”Ultimately, A Waste of Time is just the opposite. Worley has given us a refreshing dose of reality that I believe people will relate to, whether they’re gay, straight, or in between.”

You can pick up A Waste of Time now at your local comic shop! And if you want to join in the reviewing fun, why not post a review to iTunes? or post a review on Amazon?

New York Comic Con 2011

// October 13th, 2011 // // Events, Misc

Northwest Press will be partnering with Prism Comics and Charles “Zan” Christensen will be appearing at New York Comic Con, along with Kris Dresen, Tony Breed, Dylan “NDR” Edwards and Jeff Krell, as well as super-awesome Fanboys of the Universe. Prism has been to NYCC before, but never pulled out all the stops. It’s going to be memorable!

Dirty Comics: An Exhibition of Erotic Comic Art

// October 10th, 2011 // // Events, Teleny and Camille

Erotic comics are as old as comics themselves. While comics were thought of as the medium of adolescents for much of the twentieth century, erotic work has always permeated the form. Jon Macy has curated a show featuring the work of over thirty contemporary artists. Some are known for their erotic work and others are known for more mainstream work and their erotic work is rarely seen. Both art and artists span a wide array of genders, orientations, races and ages. A broad spectrum of tastes and styles are sure to provide something for any viewer.

Jon Macy is a local erotic comic artist known for his work in several gay porn magazines, as well as his series Fearful Hunter and his recent Lambda Literary Award winning graphic novel Teleny and Camille.

When Pictures Speak Louder Than Words

// October 10th, 2011 // // Events, Teleny and Camille

Call them what you will—graphic novels, illustrated books, comics—there’s no denying the growing popularity of this storytelling medium. A select group of artists who cover all the varieties of illustrated works come together in this presentation and panel discussion. Artists will be presenting their stories via slides and PowerPoint. Q&A will follow, moderated by Scott Hewicker. Audience members are encouraged to bring a lunch.

Jon Macy will be on hand reading from his Northwest Press graphic novel Teleny and Camille. Also featured: Sean Chiki, Jory John, Dorian Katz, MariNaomi, Roman Muradov, Leland Myrick, Thien Pham, Christine Shields, Dan V, and Gene Luen Yang.

Lit Crawl: Phase 2 @ Mission: Comics and Art

// October 10th, 2011 // // A Waste of Time, Events, Glamazonia

Two Northwest Press authors will be appearing Saturday, October 15th at Mission: Comics & Art, as part of Lit Crawl San Francisco, to read from their recent graphic novels. Mission has created a Facebook event for the evening.

Justin Hall is an award-winning cartoonist known for Glamazonia: The Uncanny Super-Tranny, True Travel Tales, and Hard to Swallow, plus contributions to Best American Comics.

Rick Worley is the creator of A Waste of Time, autobiographical comics in which, for obtuse reasons, he draws himself as a rabbit.

There will also be readings by Kane Lynch, an East Bay cartoonist and filmmaker and author of the graphic novels The Relics and Aerial Structures, and MariNaomi, the author/illustrator of Kiss & Tell: A Romantic Resume, Ages 0 to 22 (Harper Perennial) and Estrus Comics (self-published).

The San Francisco Lit Crawl takes place as part of Litquake, San Francisco’s Literary Festival, which has been taking place since 2002. You can check out the full schedule for the Lit Crawl at the Litquake website.

APE was a Glorious “Waste of Time”

// October 5th, 2011 // // A Waste of Time, Glamazonia, Teleny and Camille

Northwest Press made its first solo appearance at San Francisco’s Alternative Press Expo over this past weekend, and introduced con-goers to the latest addition to the NWP lineup: Rick Worley’s delightfully inappropriate A Waste of Time.

Rick was on hand to sign copies of the book, do sketches and chat with fans. The response to the book was overwhelmingly positive, and I think it’s bound to get gift-wrapped and put under a lot of Christmas trees later this year.

The Waste of Time release party at Mission: Comics and Art on Saturday night was a lot of fun, too with beer and wine and comic books galore.

In addition, Northwest’s APE table hosted Lambda-Award-winning artist Jon Macy—who signed copies of Teleny and Camille and his new fantasy series Fearful Hunter. We occasionally got visits from neighboring Justin Hall, author of Glamazonia: The Uncanny Super-Tranny, who was tabling across the aisle from us.

Northwest Press publisher Charles “Zan” Christensen was featured on Justin’s Queer Cartoonists panel on Saturday, and engaged in a lively discussion about sex, reaching the right audience, and how to make it all work on a shoestring budget.

Next up, Northwest Press will be making appearances at this weekend’s Geek Girl Con in Seattle—including a panel discussion about how our sexual, gender and race identity influence our comics reading and creation—and the next weekend we will be joining Prism Comics for New York Comic Con!

Alternative Press Expo 2011

// October 1st, 2011 // // A Waste of Time, Events, Glamazonia, Teleny and Camille, The Mark of Aeacus, The Power Within

Northwest Press is proud to be exhibiting at Alternative Press Expo this year, and debuting a brand-new book by Rick Worley called A Waste of Time! Come by the booth, meet Rick and pick up his hilarious, snarky and sweet collection, and meet Jon Macy (Teleny and Camille), Justin Hall (Glamazonia: The Uncanny Super-Tranny) and Charles “Zan” Christensen (The Power Within, The Mark of Aeacus).

Jet City Comic Show

// September 24th, 2011 // // Events, Rainy Day Recess, The Mark of Aeacus, The Power Within

Northwest Press will be exhibiting for the first time at the Jet City Comic Show, with special guests David Kelly (Rainy Day Recess: The Complete Steven’s Comics) and Mark Brill (The Power Within, The Mark of Aeacus).

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