As you're probably not even slightly not aware of whatsoever, Diamond is in the process of moving their main warehouse from Memphis to Olive Branch. What this has meant is that there have basically been no reorders available for the last couple of weeks, as they make the move. Reorders aren't expected to start flowing in earnest until next week's shipment (and maybe not really until the week after)
Of course, as with this kind of thing, mistakes have been made. In my case, for instance, I placed an order for roughly 3 weeks worth of "critical" backstock before the cut-off date for the move. The IDEA was I'd stock up up front to tide me over while Diamond made the move (generally, I'm trying to only have enough inventory on hand for a single week's sales, using "Just in Time" ordering)
Buuuut, Diamond biffed my order. About a third of it came back as "confirmed/canceled" which means that Diamond is pretty sure they have inventory, but they couldn't find it when it came time to pick it. In the world I want to live in (and, in the world I USUALLY live in) you usually only get 1-2 C/C books any given week. Heck, typically Diamond is really good at their business, so I might only get 1-2 a MONTH. But that week, that CRITICAL week, we got about 30-40 lines canceled out.
Of course, when the shipment ACTUALLY arrived... well, another 40% or so of it wasn't in the box at all. Maybe it got shipped to another store, maybe they just lost them... there's no way to know for certain. Missing were such slow sellers as, say, WATCHMEN, which means I'm out of that book a month before the movie hits, yay!
I'm not exactly blaming Diamond here -- that kind of major move is a really big hard deal, but it is really screwing with both cash flow and consumer confidence.
I bring this up to you to observe that YOUR local comic shop may also be feeling this particular pinch: chances are their inventory is probably at the nadir for the year. If it is a well run, well stocked store, YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO VISUALLY TELL -- I'm out of a lot of key material right now, but I STILL HAVE thousands of other books to sell... just not (some) of my best-sellers.
A pretty large number of stores don't have terms -- they're on COD and have to pay when UPS shows up, or else UPS takes those comics back away from them.
So, the upshot of this is that if you love your LCS (and hopefully both you do, and they've done things to earn that), the best thing you could do this week is buy an extra comic or TP this week. Is there something you've been vaguely eying, but have been holding off on? THIS is the week to buy it, because next week (before the new books are on their shelves) they're going to have this frighteningly massive bill as three weeks worth of reorders come pouring in at one time, and you'll REALLY help them if they have a few extra dollars in their war chest before that UPS truck shows up.
I don't usually write this kind of pitch, but this is a structural mechanical issue that is going to ding quite a few stores -- especially if they're financially "on the cusp"
(We're not, we have 30 days terms, and I've been building my war chest for a while now, but I know a lot of stores that might be in hot water come next week, so...)
Meanwhile, here's the list of stuff rolling in this week -- pretty much my smallest invoice in 15 years or more...
2000 AD #1620
2000 AD #1621
A G SUPER EROTIC ANTHOLOGY #98 (A) (C: 1-0-0)
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #587
AMBER ATOMS #1
ANGEL SMILE TIME #2
ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #196
BETTY & VERONICA #240
BIRDS OF PREY #127 (ORIGINS)
BLACK LIGHTNING YEAR ONE #4 (OF 6)
BRAVE AND THE BOLD #22
DARK AVENGERS #2 DKR
DEATH DEFYING DEVIL #3
DYNAMO 5 #0
FIREBREATHER SERIES #4
GHOST RIDER #32
GHOST WHISPERER THE MUSE #3
GI JOE ORIGINS #1
GODLAND #26
GOLLY #4
GREAT UNKNOWN #1 (OF 5)
GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #10
HELLBLAZER #252
INVINCIBLE #59
JUNGLE GIRL SEASON 2 #3
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #30 (ORIGINS)
KABUKI REFLECTIONS #12
MARVEL ADVENTURES AVENGERS #33
MOON KNIGHT #27
MYSTERIUS THE UNFATHOMABLE #2 (OF 6)
NEW EXILES #18
NYX NO WAY HOME #6 (OF 6)
OUTSIDERS #15 (ORIGINS)
POPBOT #8 (RES)
PUNISHER FRANK CASTLE MAX #67
RED SONJA SHE DEVIL WITH A SWORD ANNUAL #2
REX MUNDI DH ED #16
ROBIN #183 (ORIGINS)
SCOOBY DOO #141
SHRAPNEL #2 (OF 5) A CVR SUYDAM (NOTE PRICE)
SIMPSONS COMICS #151
SOLOMON KANE #5 (OF 5)
SPIDER-MAN NOIR #3 (OF 4)
SQUADRON SUPREME 2 #8
STAR TREK LAST GENERATION #4
STAR WARS KNIGHTS OF OLD REPUBLIC #38 FAITHFUL EXECUTION
STORMWATCH PHD #19
SUPERGIRL #38 (ORIGINS)
SUPERMAN BATMAN #55
TANGENT SUPERMANS REIGN #12 (OF 12)
TINY TITANS #13
TRINITY #38
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #60
UNCANNY X-MEN #506
VIGILANTE #3
WARRIORS OFFICIAL MOVIE ADAPTATION #1 (OF 5) REG CVR
WHATMEN (ONE SHOT)
WORLD OF WARCRAFT #16
X-FACTOR #40
X-FILES #4 (OF 6)
X-MEN KINGBREAKER #3 (OF 4)
X-MEN LEGACY #221
YOUNG X-MEN #11
ZOMBIE TALES #11
ZOMBIES THAT ATE THE WORLD #1 DAVIS CVR A
Books / Mags / Stuff
CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI 13 TP VOL 01 SECRET INVASION
CLASSIC MARVEL FIGURINE COLL MAG #84 SABERTOOTH
CLASSIC MARVEL FIGURINE COLL MAG #85 WINTER SOLDIER
COMIC FOUNDRY MAGAZINE WINTER 2008
COMPLETE TERRY & THE PIRATES HC VOL 06 1945-1945
DC SUPERHERO FIGURINE COLL MAG #03 JOKER
DC SUPERHERO FIGURINE COLL MAG SPECIAL DARKSEID
DIANA PRINCE WONDER WOMAN TP VOL 04
EDEN TP VOL 11 ITS AN ENDLESS WORLD
ESSENTIAL CLASSIC X-MEN TP VOL 03
FALL OF CTHULHU GODWAR TP
GARTH ENNIS BATTLEFIELDS TP VOL 01 NIGHT WITCHES
GEEK MONTHLY MAR 2009
GRENDEL DEVILS REIGN TP
HEAVY METAL SPRING 2009 #122
HIGH ROLLERS TP
JOHNNY BOO HC VOL 02 TWINKLE POWER
JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE #281
MARVEL ADVENTURES AVENGERS TP VOL 08 DIGEST
MOON KNIGHT PREM HC VOL 04 DEATH OF MARC SPECTOR
NAOKI URASAWA 20TH CENTURY BOYS GN VOL 01
PANTOMIME TP SCAD SEQUENTIAL ART ANTHOLOGY
PLUTO URASAWA X TEZUKA GN VOL 01
SECRET INVASION TP FRONT LINE
SECRET INVASION TP INCREDIBLE HERCULES
SECRET INVASION TP THUNDERBOLTS
SPARROW JIM MAHFOOD HC
SUPERMAN CHRONICLES TP VOL 06
TEENAGERS FROM THE FUTURE SC
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN HC VOL 10
What looks good to YOU?
-B
