Tag Archives: retailers

Just a few days remain to Nominate a Shop for Image’s Comic Shop Retailer Appreciation Award for Winter 2026

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The nominations for Image Comics‘ Image Select Retailer Award for Winter 2026 is open, but ends Tuesday, February 17.

Image invites fans to nominate their local comic shops for this award based on criteria such as:

  • exemplary customer service
  • thoughtful and exciting handselling recommendations
  • efforts fostering a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere
  • easy-to-browse shelving
  • attractive and innovative displays
  • forward-thinking customer marketing and out-of-box consumer outreach
  • community engagement
  • robust inventory of & support for Image Comics and other creator-owned/indie comics

To nominate a shop, simply fill out this form with your local store’s name, location, and summarize some of the ways they store go the extra mile to create a great retail experience for you and other customers.

One winner will be announced on Thursday, February 19 in the evening at the ComicsPRO 2026 Annual meeting retailer event and will receive:

  • a commemorative medallion to display with pride
  • an Image Select Retailer Award window cling for their store’s window
  • a spotlight Q&A to be featured on Image Comics’ social media platforms and Website
  • the store’s choice of an exclusive variant, branded as an Image Select Retailer Award winner, with store logo (limited to 250 copies).

The Image Select Retailer Award is an initiative to galvanize recognition of members of the Comic Book Direct Market retail community that are going above and beyond to serve their customers, expand readership, and grow a healthier marketplace.

Kevin Bides is promoted to Brand Manager for Collector’s Paradise stores!

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Collector's Paradise

Collector’s Paradise, the long-standing Southern California comic book and collectibles retailer, has announced that Kevin Bides, a veteran member of the Collector’s Paradise team, has been promoted to Brand Manager, effective January 2026.

Kevin’s history with Collector’s Paradise spans multiple eras of the company’s growth. He previously served as Manager of the North Hollywood location, later leaving to work in the publishing industry before returning to become Collector’s Paradise’s Social Media Manager, where he helped define and expand the company’s online presence and voice.

As Brand Manager, Kevin will be responsible for brand standards across the company’s three locations, including interior presentation, signage, displays, messaging, and visual consistency, in addition to continuing to oversee social media and digital communications. The role is designed to ensure that every Collector’s Paradise location reflects a cohesive identity while preserving the unique, community-driven atmosphere the stores are known for.

Kevin’s appointment reflects Collector’s Paradise’s continued commitment to investing in long-time team members and maintaining consistent, high-quality experiences for collectors both in-store and online.

Comic Shoot: The one with Brian Hibbs talking Diamond’s Implosion and the changing Retail Landscape

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One the biggest, maybe the biggest, story of 2025 was the implosion of comic distributor Diamond and its affiliate companies. Declaring chapter 11 in January 2025, the company ended the year by moving into chapter 7.

We’ve covered the story closely but it felt appropriate to kick off Comic Shoot not by diving into details about the year long drama, but instead the impact of Diamond’s chapter 11/chapter 7 on comic retailers.

Joining us as our first guest is Brian Hibbs the founder of San Francisco’s Comix Experience. Brian opened Comix Experience at the ridiculously young age of 21, on April Fool’s Day, 1989. Closing in on 4 decades of retail experience, having been through so many changes in the industry, it felt like he was the perfect choice as our first guest.

Listen to the episode to hear what Brian has to say not just about Diamond’s implosion, but the rise of new distributors like Lunar and Universal, as well as Free Comic Book Day/Comic Giveaway Day!

Go support Comix Experience by joining their Graphic Novel Club and the Graphic Novel Club for Kids! Make sure to stop by and support them when in San Francisco.

You can also follow Comix Experience on Youtube, Facebook, and Instagram.

Collector’s Paradise Announces Retirement of Founding Partner Joseph Zelich and Promotion of Nicholas Ignacio to Partner

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Collector's Paradise

Collector’s Paradise, the celebrated Southern California comic book and collectibles destination with locations in West Valley, Pasadena, and North Hollywood, has announced a major leadership transition as founding partner Joseph Zelich retires and Nicholas Ignacio, long-time employee (since 2010) and General Manager, is promoted to partner in the business.

Founded in September 1994 when Joseph Zelich and Edward Greenberg took over an existing comic book store in the San Fernando Valley, Collector’s Paradise has grown into one of Los Angeles’s most beloved comic and pop culture retailers. Over nearly three decades, the company expanded from its original Winnetka store to additional locations in Old Town Pasadena in 2010 and the historic NoHo Arts District in 2019, all while building a reputation for deep inventory, superior customer service, and immersive in-store and online experiences.

Joseph’s passion and commitment to our business have been the cornerstone of Collector’s Paradise’s success. From humble beginnings to becoming a staple of the Los Angeles comic community, Joe’s behind the scenes management of our resources has kept us on track for over 30 years. On behalf of everyone at Collector’s Paradise, we thank him for his many years of dedication and wish him a fulfilling and joyous retirement.

-Edward Greenberg, partner and co-founder

A fixture of the company for over 15 years, Nicholas Ignacio started as a kid buying comic books, went off to college, then started working at Collector’s Paradise in 2010 and has served as employee, store manager, and General Manager, helping oversee daily operations across multiple locations while shaping the company’s culture and service standards. His deep industry knowledge, strong community ties, and collecting culture make him an outstanding addition to the ownership team.

Nicholas has earned the trust and love of our team, our customers, and our many creator partners. He has been managing many aspects of our company for years, so it’s only fitting that he joins the business. With him in a full-time leadership position, Collector’s Paradise will continue to thrive and innovate in both retail and community engagement.

-Edward Greenberg, partner and co-founder

Under Ignacio’s leadership, the company will build on its legacy of hosting creator events, expanding online services including its state-of-the-art subscription management software, and enhancing the fan experience for comic book and pop culture enthusiasts.

Binc Offers Double the Scholarships to ComicsPRO Industry Meeting

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BINC

The Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation will provide four scholarships for comic store owners and their employees to attend the ComicsPRO industry meeting in Glendale, CA, February 18-21, 2026. The funds, up to $1,500 per scholarship, may be used for travel, lodging, and meals; ComicsPRO will cover the registration fee for the meeting. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, at 5 p.m. EST. 

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • The applicant’s store must be in the U.S. or U.S. territories and be either a retail bricks-and-mortar store owned by an entity, a substantial portion of whose revenue is derived from the bricks-and-mortar sale of books/comics, or mobile or pop-up store with an ongoing overhead investment that is open to the general public and maintains an annual average of 30 hours per week with an employee present.
  • The applicant must be a regular part-time or full-time employee or owner of a comic shop.
  • Applicants must be currently employed and have 90 days of continuous employment with the comic shop.
  • Applicants must discuss application and potential selection as scholarship recipient with store owner/manager prior to applying for the scholarship.

NYCC 2025: Acme Comics named the latest Image Comics Select Retailer Award Winner

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Acme Comics

Image Comics has announced that the Fall 2025 Image Select Retailer Award winner is: ACME Comics in Greensboro, North Carolina.

The Image Select Retailer Award is an initiative from Image to galvanize recognition of members of the Comic Book Direct Market retail community that are going above and beyond to serve their customers, expand readership, and grow a healthier marketplace. The previous winner of the award was Comics, Etc in Australia.

Comic shops were nominated by fans via a form submission and based on on criteria such as:

  • exemplary customer service
  • thoughtful and exciting hand-selling recommendations
  • efforts fostering a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere
  • easy-to-browse shelving
  • attractive and innovative displays
  • forward-thinking customer marketing and out-of-box consumer outreach
  • community engagement
  • robust inventory of & support for Image Comics and other creator-owned/indie comics

In 1992 I was a sophomore in high school and was pretty deep into comics thanks to ACME Comics. So I knew the names. Jim Lee. Rob Liefeld. Todd McFarlane. Erik Larsen. I had a few comics from publishers who were not Marvel, but had never been there at the start of anything like this new Image Comics thing. Totally new concepts from the big names of the day at the height of their corporate comics powers. I was right there for the start of Image Comics. Because ACME Comics carried them. And ACME Comics would support the Image brand from that time through to my time as an employee in 1996. I was behind the counter to carry and represent to the public, the single issue starts of groundbreaking series like Powers, Invincible, The Walking Dead, East of West, Saga, Chew, Nailbiter, Criminal, and the other series that are now evergreen best sellers in graphic novel form. Now, in 2025, as owner of ACME Comics, I continue to introduce new readers to the brand through series like The Moon Is Following Us, Exquisite Corpses, and gateway to Image Comics series like the Energon Universe. ACME Comics will always stand by the very best of the creator-owned aspect of the comics industry, the concepts, production value, and retail support that set Image Comics apart. Thank you to all ACME Comics staff who each have their own stories of when and how they connected to the Image Comics label and their enthusiasm in introducing that label to new people daily. Thank you to our outstanding clientele who took the leap into creator-owned material through ACME Comics and did so with Image Comics. Image Comics has transformed through the years, but remains the leader in creator-owned comic books and graphic novels. It’s still here and I am proud to represent that same brand that captivated me back in 1992 for brand new readers today. I’m probably doing it right now.

-Jermaine Exum, owner of ACME Comics, a shop which is frequently nominated for Eisner Awards and was first established in 1983

The Image team read and tallied thousands of glowing testimonials about stores in order to select the winner. As the winner, ACME Comics, will receive:

  • a commemorative medallion to display with pride
  • a spotlight Q&A to be featured on Image Comics’ social media platforms and Website
  • the store’s choice of a gold foil exclusive variant, branded as an Image Select Retailer Award winner, with store logo (limited to 250 copies).

The Local Comic Shop is the sales backbone of the comic book industry, and sadly, the least appreciated when it comes to award recognition. The Image Select Retailer Award is a way to reward and spotlight stores that have done exemplary work expanding the audience, and evangelizing the medium to new readers. Image Comics feels that there is not enough being done to point out stores that are raising the bar, changing the marketplace, and building readership, and this award is meant as a fun way to help repair that oversight.

The next Image Select Retailer Appreciation Award nomination window will be announced soon via the official Image website, social media, and via Lunar Distribution communication, to retailers and the public for those interested in nominating their store.

Image Opens the Fall 2025 Comic Shop Retailer Appreciation Award Nominations

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Image Select Retailer Award

Image Comics has announced that the Image Select Retailer Award for Fall 2025 is now open for nominations. The deadline to nominate a store is Monday, October 6.

Starting today, Image invites fans to nominate their local comic shops for this award based on criteria such as:

  • exemplary customer service
  • thoughtful and exciting handselling recommendations
  • efforts fostering a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere
  • easy-to-browse shelving
  • attractive and innovative displays
  • forward-thinking customer marketing and out-of-box consumer outreach
  • community engagement
  • robust inventory of & support for Image Comics and other creator-owned/indie comics

To nominate a shop, simply fill out this form with your local store’s name, location, and summarize some of the ways they store go the extra mile to create a great retail experience for you and other customers.

One winner will be announced on Wednesday, October 8 in the evening at the Lunar retailer event at New York Comic Con and will receive:

  • a commemorative medallion to display with pride
  • an Image Select Retailer Award window cling for their store’s window
  • a spotlight Q&A to be featured on Image Comics’ social media platforms and Website
  • the store’s choice of a gold foil exclusive variant, branded as an Image Select Retailer Award winner, with store logo (limited to 250 copies).

The Image Select Retailer Award is an initiative to galvanize recognition of members of the Comic Book Direct Market retail community that are going above and beyond to serve their customers, expand readership, and grow a healthier marketplace.

Applications Open September 1 for Carla Gray Memorial Scholarship for Emerging Bookseller-Activists

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Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation

The Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation is accepting applications for the Carla Gray Memorial Scholarship for Emerging Bookseller-Activists Sept. 1-20, 2025. The winning bookseller will be awarded a year-long scholarship for professional development, which includes travel and hotel to attend Winter Institute 2026, travel and hotel to attend their 2026 regional fall tradeshow and a $1,000 stipend to fund a community outreach project. Eligibility requirements and the application can be found here. 

The goal of the community outreach project is to find new readers and ensure access to books that improve readers’ lives while integrating bookstores even more fully into their communities. Meet past winners and learn about their projects.

This year’s scholarship will be the seventh awarded by the Friends of Carla Gray Committee and the Binc Foundation. It is intended to help a bookseller with at least one, but fewer than 10 years of experience connect with other booksellers, publishers and authors, and establish the long-term relationships needed to keep the book industry thriving.

SDCC 2025: Image Announces its latest Comic Shop Retailer Appreciation Winner: Comics Etc.

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Comics Etc.

Image Comics has announced that the Summer 2025 Image Select Retailer Award winner is: Comics Etc. in Australia.

The Image Select Retailer Award is a new initiative from Image to galvanize recognition of members of the Comic Book Direct Market retail community that are going above and beyond to serve their customers, expand readership, and grow a healthier marketplace. The previous winner of the award was Peebles Comics & Games in Scotland.

Comic shops were nominated by fans via a form submission and based on on criteria such as:

  • exemplary customer service
  • thoughtful and exciting hand-selling recommendations
  • efforts fostering a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere
  • easy-to-browse shelving
  • attractive and innovative displays
  • forward-thinking customer marketing and out-of-box consumer outreach
  • community engagement
  • robust inventory of & support for Image Comics and other creator-owned/indie comics

The Image team read and tallied thousands of glowing testimonials about stores in order to select the winner. As the winner, Comics Etc. in Australia will receive:

  • a commemorative medallion to display with pride
  • a spotlight Q&A to be featured on Image Comics’ social media platforms and Website
  • the store’s choice of a gold foil exclusive variant, branded as an Image Select Retailer Award winner, with store logo (limited to 250 copies).

The Local Comic Shop is the sales backbone of the comic book industry, and sadly, the least appreciated when it comes to award recognition. The Image Select Retailer Award is a way to reward and spotlight stores that have done exemplary work expanding the audience, and evangelizing the medium to new readers. Image Comics feels that there is not enough being done to point out stores that are raising the bar, changing the marketplace, and building readership, and this award is meant as a fun way to help repair that oversight.

The next Image Select Retailer Appreciation Award nomination window will be announced soon via the official Image website, social media, and via Lunar Distribution communication, to retailers and the public for those interested in nominating their store.

Exclusive: Matt Bors whips up a variant cover for The Toxic Avenger Comics #1 for Bat City

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The Toxic Avenger Comics #1 from writer Matt Bors, artist Fred Harper, and published by Ahoy Comics is out in shops today. It kicks off a new ongoing series featuring the movies’ grossest hero.

In this issue’s self-contained horror story, kids are disappearing from Toxie’s hometown of Tromaville, NJ. Did they simply run away from the chemically polluted town? Or is the real explanation even more frightening?

You have a choice of multiple covers but Bat City Comic Professionals has an awesome variant cover from Matt Bors you can order now!

The Toxic Avenger Comics #1 Bat City variant cover
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