CBO...To Continue Or Not?

Between 2004-2006 Comic Bits Online went from printed magazine to online format. Personally, I prefer print but what do my feelings matter?  Anyway, the previous CBO was on the notorious Freeservers system where there were LOTS of limitations and legally placed spam (unless you paid for non-advertising. I did once and I still got legit spam!).non-advertising. I did once and I still got legit spam!).


I tried a couple other servers but then stuck with Word Press which itself involves too many problems to go into.  So WP CBO is not seen as the prime site any more; that’s on Blogger these days - http://hoopercomicart.blogspot.co.uk/

News, reviews, interviews and previews aimed at the UK market but with international interest.  No DC or Marvel.  Just Small Press and Independent Comics whether English language or otherwise.  With hits amounting to 20,000+ a day I even tried to offer very cheap advertising to small publishers –and even a couple of bigger ones.  That was met with absolute disinterest.  Revenue would have helped to expand the site but, luckily, I was not pinning any hopes on this.

Best, I thought, to just concentrate on promoting British comics.  Every year, without fail and like scratched old records I’d talk to publishers at the comic expo and elsewhere and they all said the same things:

1.  “No one ever wants to review our books!”

2.  “We can’t get any publicity to promote our books!”

3.  “Shops will not touch pour books!”

And every single time I responded that CBO could take care of 1 and 2 and explain about hit counts and so on.  The immediate response was usually “Oh, we can sell you review copies!”  No. It does not work like that. Were these people contacting blogs saying they needed their new books publicised and it would only cost the blogger the cover price?

Seven years later the same moans but now I do not listen.

As for “3” –well, Excelsior! Comics in Bristol and another shop owner took some small press comics after deciding it worth selling these items.  Both gave up. They never heard a word from the publishers, never got new issues and in one case, Steve (the shop owner) found that publishers would not respond to emails.  Both dropped small press comics.

I have always made it clear that I will review every publication sent to me.  When I first got actively involved with the Small Press in 1983 I began reviewing and promoting –this ultimately leading to the setting up of Zine Zone Mail Order Service and the publication Zine Zone.  Publishers back then knew what they were doing. We reviewed and we sold.  There was Zine Zone or Fast Fiction and ads or reviews in comic fanzines.  No internet.

Amazing Heroes and the comics newspaper Comics FX credited me as being one of the lead influences in the UK small press invasion of the US.  Things seemed to be going great.

Come the internet come collapse.

Everyone set up their own web site or web comic and the “screw you” attitude to anyone wanting to help promote them was quite prevalent.  They were all “stars” –their mothers told them so! I saw some incredible web page designs for creators whose art was…well, just plain not good.  That didn’t really matter as long as the creator was having fun but there were some massive egos not matching the talent.

Which brings me to why some comic publishers say they will not send review books out: “I have my own site!”  That is one site lost amongst thousands of others globally. The chances of someone just happening across your site are very high –against.   It reminds me of the letter from AC publisher Bill Black: “There are over 300 publishers out there it just isn’t worth publicising” –it still doesn’t make sense after all these years.

Oh, I love the other excuse of publishers who do not send out review books/news –“I attend the comic conventions!”  Well, that’s worked.

No one can guarantee extra sales because of a review but it does let people know you are there and what you are publishing.  Getting that message across can be very important in today’s market.

But I’ve knocked myself out on this. I get 95% more review material from France/Germany than I do the UK (or US).  And this non-UK material has seen hits from comickers in France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands shoot up.

As for events in the UK.  I’ve given up.  I still get accused of black-listing or boycotting events that I have never heard from or from whom I have requested Press Releases or info but heard nothing.  I try three times with each event I hear of and then give up.  Then I hear that I’m not supporting their events.

Europe I can get as much info from on events as I want.

The UK just seems disorganised and not willing to support a site that supports and promotes it.  Think about it: thousands of Small Press/Indie comics are published each year in the UK and CBO sees maybe 4-5?

The thing that I find myself debating now is whether the UK side of things needs to be dropped in favour of going all-Euro?  It gets rid of all the hassle and flamers and no need for me to keep chasing up news, review copies, etc..  There was the option of actually pushing DC ands Marvel news but I keep kicking that back.

Go all-European or, the other alternative, close CBO?  I’m far more in favour of one rather than the other, especially when you consider UK publishers moan about my not publicising them (but who do not send news/books!).

In August you may click on and find CBO gone.  I’m not really sure whether that would even concern anyone since there are very very few comments actually left on CBO.  Would anyone miss it?   Comic fans? Publishers?  Who knows –certainly not me as I am not possessed of telepathic powers so I have no idea what you –yes, you reading this- thinks.  It doesn’t kill you to leave a comment but it would help me assess things.

So, apathy in the UK may well see CBO going and a lot of hard work vanishing from my desk top.

If you care…say so.