A Bumpy Start

Are we up and running? Is anyone there? I suppose the answer to the first one is yes, but the second has yet to be revealed...

Well, I mentioned that we'd be sharing the trials and tribulations of getting a new comic book company up and running, and that's all it's been so far! We're learning some lessons.

We all waited with baited breath for our first book, Tiger & Crane, to drop on February 27 via Bluewater, and then the big day came... and it didn't. Co-writer Randy Zamcheck hit the local comic shops, excited, found nothing, and started calling us. But we didn't have any answers. Turns out there was a shipping delay (let's hope that's not fortuitous!) and our big debut would be put off a few weeks. Word came through that the new date would be March 19. Then the book turned up this past week, out of the blue! Maybe that's just on the West Coast, but it is out there, and it should definitely be in your local store, wherever you live, by this coming Wednesday. So go out and pick it up! The delay may have created some brief anxiety, but we're pretty damn happy with the way it came out.

So what other lessons have we been learning? Communication is key. I guess that probably goes for all small companies, but it's certainly true in the comic biz. We've got a fulltime staff of three right now, running the office, and several part-timers (including myself) with other fulltime jobs, and some very diligent interns who come in when they can. But since we don't all see each other that regularly, it's easy for lines to get crossed. Luckily, we're working on this one too, and like the delayed release date, it will soon be nothing more than a past mistake. The fact that this blog is now live (for real) is proof of that. Like we promised, we're sharing the highs and the lows.

And if this post focuses a little too heavily on the lows, stay tuned for the highs in the next post...