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Please consider supporting Comic Bits Online because it is a very rare thing in these days of company mouthpiece blogs that are only interested in selling publicity to you. With support CBO can continue its work to bring you real comics news and expand to produce the video content for this site. Money from sales of Black Tower Comics & Books helps so please consider checking out the online store.
Thank You

Terry Hooper-Scharf

Tuesday 31 July 2018

The Red Paper: CANIDS



Paperback,
202 Pages
 A4
maps, illustrations and photographs
Price: £20.00 (excl. VAT)
Prints in 3-5 business days

The Red Paper: Canids Up-dated  edition includes section on sarcoptic mange in foxes and treatment plus a list of wildlife sanctuaries and rescue centres in the UK.

By the 1700s the British fox was on the verge of extinction and about to follow the bear and wolf having been hunted for sport for centuries. The answer was to import thousands of foxes per year for sport. But foxes kept dying out so jackals were tried. Some were caught, some escaped. Even wolves and coyote were released for hunting.

The summation of over 30 years research reveals the damnable lie of "pest control" hunting but also reveals the cruelty the animals were subject to and how private menageries as well as travelling shows helped provide the British and Irish countryside with some incredible events.
















The Girt Dog of Ennerdale -Mystery SOLVED

A4
Paperback
B&W

Over 200 years ago, in 1810, sheep were being killed in the Ennerdale area of Cumbria. The sheep were allegedly hardly eaten yet their blood had been drained and the killer responsible thwarted the efforts of organised hunts and terrified hounds.

What was the “Girt Dog” of Ennerdale? Many theories abound from a paranormal creature called a “Mauler” to an escaped hyena , Tiger or even a Thylacine. Perhaps an unknown species of native British big cat?
The truth of what the “Girt Dog” was lies within the original accounts of the time. Documents that modern writers appear to have never consulted.
Noted British naturalist Terry Hooper-Scharf assesses the evidence.

After two months ....

After two months of solid posting, posting to social media like Twitter, FB, Google+ and so on, not one single book sale.  Not a single comment.

I'll post what I have when I feel like it.

Book deletions will continue.

Why knock myself out when there is no support of any kind?

Cinebook the 9th Art Newsletter 127 - July 2018

Dear Reader,
The lovely month of July is here, and whether you're looking for something to read on the beach, or something to read while you're hiding inside from the scorching heat … we have something for you!
Starting with a new Gomer Goof, where you'll discover that our calamitous friend somehow manages to be as dangerous while on holidays as he is at work. Also, they say that music soothes the wild beast – but what if the instrument IS the beast?
Next we have the return of Cedric, who's rather good at creating havoc around himself too, come to think of it. Of course he's not up to Gomer's standards yet, and most of it is because of his feelings for Chen, but there's a certain kinship in his constant efforts to avoid doing any work…
Then, for a bit of fresh air and the cooling breeze of the distant north, follow Trent in a new adventure. There are evil bandits, soft-hearted saloon ladies, a heartbroken hero and of course the courage and righteousness of the Canadian Mounties. All the best from a good old-fashioned Western, only with red coats!
Finally, our next catalogue is now available, with 20 new titles and 3 new series coming this summer and autumn. Something for everyone!
July with Cinebook – refreshing!
New titles, new catalogue … and new website! The old Cinebook page has been revamped, with improved functionalities, swanky new design … The works. Head on there and have a look!
http://www.cinebook.co.uk/


Cedric 6 
Laudec & Cauvin
Skating on Thin Ice
Cedric's life is a series of triumphs and disasters. If one day he manages to impress his sweetheart Chen, the next his own obsessive jealousy will earn him a mighty slap. He can surprise his parents with tender, generous gestures, then bring them to the verge of a heart attack with his calamitous school reports... Read more

Gomer Goof 3 
Franquin
Gone With the Goof!
Among all the things that make Gomer such a lovable rascal, there are two that are instantly recognisable: his car, and his goofophone. His old lemon, favourite target of the constabulary and every pedestrian's nightmare, is responsible for half the pollution in town.. Read more

Trent 3 
Leo & Rodolphe
When the Lamps are Lit
The life of a Mountie is a lonely one, always on the road while normal people go home to their loved ones. Time has passed since Trent met Agnes, and the sergeant finally decides to propose to her. But he's too late – his beloved is gone, already married to another... Read more
- Bear's Tooth 2
Hanna

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

Monday 30 July 2018

Ecco le date e il primo autore ospite di BilBOlbul 2018

Ed Piskor - Hip Hop Family Tree (Panini 9L, 2016-18)
5 motivi per leggere Hip Hop Family Tree
 

Monday 23 July 2018

The Immortal HULK #02

Space 1889: The Secret of Phobos - Releasetrailer

Please Read...IF You Care

Expanded from original post on the Black Tower Face Book page 21st July.

Have I ever mentioned that I hate numbers and stats? And what have I been doing?
Checking numbers and stats!

I don't like this but it helps show me whether people are reading my posts or not!
Looking at the All Time stats for CBO, AOP and BTCG blogs the total views are (27th July):

3, 974, 889

Almost 4 million.

If I look at just the number of views of all three blogs last month (remember for CBO something went wrong and views hit an all time low):

24, 212

Now, normally, CBO hits 35-50,000+ a month.

So I thought about adding in views from Google+ to the All time total then the All Month total:

Month

26,460

All Time

3, 976, 013

I cannot see how many people check out re-Tweets, nor Re-Pins on Pinterest or even Google+ shares. Same applies to how many read Shares on Face Book.

Of course, there are the views not registered by these and I am told some devices will not register at all because Google really will NOT accept or recognise them. Even so, those are quite good figures.

So why no good sales? Do people not want to buy online? It seems to be a trend that has grown to ignore buying things online. Increasing postal charges do not help.

But if all my posts and promotions have been seen by almost 4 million HOW do you turn those views and interest into sales?

If you know then tell me (but do NOT tell anyone else!).

Now that little post resulted in quite a conversation with others.  Some 99% of these people had “given up”. Many no longer check sales because “I know there are going to be no sales”.  Others have given up using any form of social media to promote or sell their books.
There were no exceptions –all felt that the business advice of “get online to achieve sales” was false.  As I have written previously, it is now looking as though businesses, not just publishing but most across a wide spectrum, as though they have come to the same conclusion.  Many invested heavily in promoting and building an online presence –and they have suffered financially and faced job losses.

It was interesting that some of those I heard from noted “anything” from DC or Marvel on their blogs or Face Book pages got a lot of likes. Not DC or Marvel “substantially fewer”views and likes.

Privately I was told “You have to be bull-shitting! You cannot be getting that many views and not selling books!”   Oh dear, they ‘caught me out’!  Yes, I have had sales over May to 19th July totalling….£30.00.

That is £10.00 per month.  Although the print on demand company I used is based in the US the printing and postal system in the UK is used.  However, come the time to pay me it depends on “the exchange rate” at the time.  They and not going to lose 1c but, yes, “their” publishers can get screwed.  So based on previous payments that final total will be around £25.00.

Yes, I am working like a maniac for free.  I am not even going to go into the amount of work a book takes –the prose books of 300-500+ pages feature over 40+ years of work hammered down over months. Everyone knows the amount of work going into a book but it’s convenient for some to act ignorant as with “Why do I have to pay £10 for one of your books –it’s just a graphic novel!”  Okay, produce a 250 pp graphic novel in a few months and then say it is “just” a graphic novel. 

No one takes me up on that challenge.

“I’ll download and if I like it I’ll buy a copy” is the greatest lie you will hear. The person saying that is a criminal.  A thief. An illegal downloader.  I have been robbed by these people of sells on books –a graphic novel I wrote was illegally downloaded over 3 million times –copies sold: zero. I know that the total illegal downloads of two books I wrote, drawn by two different artists, totalled…well…read this:


Over 2,000 people read that post over two days.  It made a great difference (I’m being sarcastic there).

If you download books or comics –or music- illegally you are a thief under every definition. My books are never offered as downloads because I could not stand being told how many illegal downloads there would be after that.

I once talked to a publisher (now out of business) who broke down. Someone told him “why should I buy your book when it is free online?”  He didn’t get it but someone gave him a link: almost a million illegal downloads. It broke him. A quarter of those who Illegally downloaded paying for a hard copy would have saved his business.
The people operating illegal download sites?  I find them now I get straight in touch with the FBI and other government agencies who take illegal downloading for what it is –a crime. I get near to someone who operates one of those sites I’ll take my “pound of flesh”.  Tell me you illegally download and you get a life ban from any group or site I run and you get publically named and shamed.

Here is the thing: there are people ‘working’in the UK comics scene who illegally download and really don’t care (though publically they will denounce it) if those people think I am wrong and it is okay –please comment on CBO and stop hiding behind that “nice guy” mask.

What change would it make if all of these creators and publishers actually came onto CBO or wrote on their own blogs about the situation?

Well, it would push the subject out into the open for one.  However, it would not make the slightest difference because 99% of those reading comics or comic blogs simply do not care –they want it all for free and “F--- the creators!”  That is the simple truth.

Another conversation that I wish people had the backbone to make more public is the monopoly of comic distribution in the UK and the problems it causes. It is suffocating trade, creativity and consumer choice.  Ten store owners told me that my last post “Hit the nail on the head” and agreed with everything written.  Would they mind commenting on CBO to that effect?  That got a reaction similar to a vampire being confronted by a beam of sunlight!


I’ve been here before.  I have written all of this so many times but it makes no difference.

A few years ago I set up a Patreon page so that CBO could continue and even produce comic related videos –zero reaction

I cut book prices on the store front so that I got nothing out of a sale just to promote things –zero reaction.

I offered books at cut price via CBO and my Yahoo groups –zero reaction.

I tried a Pay Pal donation link to keep CBO going –one person I know responded.

And being a publisher based in the UK you might expect more UK interest but the UK provides very few views on CBO –the majority are from outside the UK. I am very depressed to report that this is the situation I predicted back in the early 2000s on CBO. My British Comic Book Industry Reports released annually were 95% accurate on trends and future sales. My blog posts have been 100% accurate.

I’m off to look at my tomato plants.  If any comic shop owners or other creators get the balls to speak out openly  then CBO is here even if I am not.



Saturday 21 July 2018

Shazam! Comic-Con Teaser Trailer (2019) | Movieclips Trailers

Aquaman - Official Trailer 1

Ben R. Dilworth


Not heard from Ben Dilworth since October 2017.  Which is rather concerning. I know he was having some bad health problems.

He was working at the ICN English School in Osaka, Japan. If anyone knows if he is okay or his current situation please get in touch.

Thank You

TITANS Official Trailer (2018) DC Universe Series HD

Those who keep visiting CBO.....


Someone said that a couple items posted recently were "a couple days old". Well, suck my grape I am 'truly' devastated.

Here is the thing that UK readers of the blog need to remember. If I relied on just UK views then CBO would be looking at 15-20 views a day. Simple as that.  Even the views from the US only total a couple hundred a day (with a few occasional exceptions).  Today the United States has not appeared in the views list -

Vietnam

France

Russia

United Kingdom

Germany

Ukraine

South Korea

Canada

United Arab Emirates


Now that is odd in itself but it could just be more internet problems. As I've noted before, CBO has a global readership and I've even discovered a couple new countries over the past year -well, okay, I never "discovered" them but you know what I mean. Africa, South, Central and North America/Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia -it goes on and on.

All these countries have differing time zones so what I publish now at 1200 hrs (BST) will be read "first thing in the morning" by someone at 2100 hrs (BST) and even 0100 hrs tomorrow. So to some of them what they read will be new and there is another factor -language.  Not everyone speaks English so the translator button is handy. And apart from the occasional slip, I try to keep CBO family friendly and viewable by people in countries where laws may forbid certain images.

Basically (this will have the "He's got a Jesus complex" fanatics wetting themselves) I cater for the world. I wrap it all up in a great big box with a ribbon and bow....behave, Terry!

Most people visiting CBO are not looking for the usual Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse and IDW PR -there are hundreds of sites doing that. Here is an example: the Black Tower Comics blog has been getting a few hundred hits a day -yesterday well over 1000 views and I needed medical assistance as I got three sales.  No, honest I really did get three sales!  Don't believe me then :-P

But apart from that believe-it-or-not exclusive, I must be doing something right for CBO to attract readers from around the world.  I only expected to get a few regulars from the UK when I started out so looking at the views now I still can't get my head around it.

So I will keep on posting when I can and hope that the USA returns! 

And to those who keep visiting CBO -THANK YOU.

Friday 20 July 2018

Doctor Who Press Room SDCC 2018

Post Brexit is going to hit comic shops very hard.

I have to say that I was far from surprised when I got emails from three different comic shop owners after yesterday's look at the ever increasing number of book sales in the UK and Brexit.

One shop owner told me that he would "NEVER" -yes he used caps to emphasise the point to me- stock a book that did not come from one of the Big 5. After a brief exchange I discovered that he only gets a very selective few comic titles in because his customers (I won't repeat what he called them) were not just happy enough to take what was on the shelves.  Apparently, his sales were down due to customer "ignorance" and basically not being willing to spend on things they did not want to keep him in business. I made a few polite points but (despite sales falling) he told me he would stick with the Big 5 "DC or Marvel will pull something out of the hat to save our stores again!"

oh dear.

The other two  shop owners agreed with what I had written but explained they could do nothing.  There was one distributor and they would jump to another as neither was happy with Diamond -one kept referring to them as "the Mafia"- but "What can I do?"

Again, I politely made suggestions but all received negative reactions.  Why? It was all reasonable and common sense. Oh.."If Diamond found out I was taking books from Indie publishers they were not offering they might get awkward"...same from the other shop owner.

Really?  "I am going to go out of business and I can do several things to save my business but I don't want to upset Diamond"  Well, there are three businesses that may vanish next year.

You do not have to be publically identified just send a letter to the Business Secretary or/and Monopolies Commission and explain the situation. Personally, I really do not care.  These people seem to think I need to sort this all out for them.  No -not my business and I lost my patience with comic shop owners after the big CBO (WordPress) debate on this matter where a bunch of them bitched but when told what to do...skulked off.

Post Brexit is going to hit comic shops very hard...but the owners will not act.

Doctor Who: Series 11 Trailer

Thursday 19 July 2018

up-date: UK Book Sales Boom...authors see no financial increase


Interesting article if you are in publishing.  60% of UK book exports are to the EU which raises some very serious questions.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jul/19/book-sales-skyrocket-but-authors-report-shrinking-incomes

Ebook sales have dropped by over a third while the printed book, sales wise, has increased in sales for the third year running.  More and more people -all ages- are stating that they prefer a book in hand rather than some screen text.

The online comics in the UK are so small that they are not even measured but more people are, if other data is correct, prefer real, hands on, turn a page comics.

British book sales in Australasia continue to grow as they do in the United States.  Come the actual leaving of the EU there are going to be problems (in almost every walk of life) because there will be new taxes, export costs.  Basically a mess.

But here is the thing: online sales are not great (I can talk about that!).  People want to see, check and then buy (there are previews of all books on the online store!) and then buy. But those who pay more for a book on Amazon or even Ebay do not walk into comic shops. Those that do find their choice limited to an extent because it is Marvel, DC, IDW, Image and Dark Horse and there are no real Independent books. 

Considering the mess Brexit is going to bring to comic stores you might think that they would start looking around for Independent titles but there are problems.

Stores in the UK only tend to buy via Diamond which operates an illegal monopoly.  Store owners quite literally mess their pants at the thought of buying books from an Independent publisher.  Now, that Indie publisher's books are not in Previews because Diamond is only interested in the Big 5 -if you could order half of what you see in Previews...it would be a completely different, healthier industry. But you can't.

Diamond's job is to supply the shop OWNER with books that his/her CUSTOMERS want. Not to be told by Diamond, which is a supplier and NOT the store owner, what he/she CAN or is ALLOWED to order.  I've gone over this before. Diamond 'accidentally' botches up your order then don't buy from them. Seriously, it hurts a shop owner not getting books customers want but Diamond see orders falling -THEM losing money- they will play ball or someone else will move in.

Here is the biggest truth and shop owners have told me this: they do not want to rock the boat or cause problems and some are not interested in anything other than the Big 5 so will take damaged copies, delays and even (as I heard in one shop when the owner complained about a box of comics from Diamond being damaged -and I was a witness the damage could only have been done during packing) told "We're too busy to mess around. Return the books and we'll see IF we can replace them in the next two weeks" -when the books would then be "old" stock.  I was told "You can't argue"

Growing a set of balls might help.

Diamond is NOT going to help shop owners when the post Brexit crap hits. I'll predict now that even more comic shops in the UK will go because they just are not providing what British customers want. Ask why none of this is really affecting the US (theirs is another problem) or the European countries?

Get your business in order because unless you really want to fail in being a comic store no one else will help you.