I'm on board. Archie is not a big company; they're still privately owned by the families that founded the company way back in the day. So they certainly don't have the capital that Disney and Time Warner have.

Frankly, though, if they're going to do a new Jughead title, I don't care where the money comes from. They can get it by selling crack outside of schools for all I care. Whatever it takes.

I signed up at the $50 level, which gets you a Kickstarter exclusive variant cover for Archie #1 by Fiona Staples.

I think anyone wiling to pay enough to write a story is probably a competent enough writer trying to get a comic credit to their name. It could just be a superfan of course, but likely it will be a short story and turn out okay. They'll probably provide a little help to those that need it.

A couple of Direct Market retailers weigh in with their thoughts.

WARNING: some of you will need to take your blood pressure pills before reading


link

I've read that article, and I don't understand the vitriolic reaction from the retailers. I mean, I'm confused. To my eye, the Kickstarter campaign doesn't affect retailers much at all except possibly creating three new titles for them to sell. Yes, some of the rewards for donating include copies of the various #1 issues. And there are a couple Kickstarter exclusive variant covers. But is that really such a huge deal? I don't get it. If someone with more knowledge about the direct market can explain why these people are so upset, I'd appreciate it, because I feel like I must be missing something.

Some retailers treat the whole thing as a zero sum game-if a sale goes elsewhere it's a sale they lose so any potential sale elsewhere is a threat to them. Same reason retailers were upset at Marvel when hey first introduced the Barnes and Noble exclusive paperback masterworks volumes a decade ago (before paperbacks were available in the general market), or were upset at Marvel for putting $5 trades in Wal Mart a year ago, etc. etc. They have no clue how to grow their own business so their insecurity leads them to feel threatened whenever someone looks to grow the market outside the traditional scope, not realizing a larger market and more people reaidng comics in general means more potential sales for them. They only see the fact they may lose a handful of sale son #1 and how dare the publisher bypass me so I will show them I won't sell their product-even if customers want it. And if customers do want it and you don't carry it, they go elsewhere to buy it, and may take all of their business there too, to a shop that meets the customers needs not one that makes business decisions based on their insecure egos. Both of the retailers in that article (Barger and James) are always mouthing off about this that or the other thing trying to get publicity and spotlight for themselves and their shops not realizing they make themselves look like tools in the process. If you are  retailer worth your salt yo seize the opportunity and find a way to inspire your customers to buy from you not spite your customers because you feel threatened by someone else's potential success. 

-M

Not a huge fan of Walmart but first of all, the direct market is dying, and of their own doing, and they completely deserve it. Second, they mostly didn't carry Archie anyway, from my experience. Not much of a boycott. And finally, doesn't Marvel have some kind of deal with Walmart too? Why not boycott them too? Oh yeah, that's right, because it's 90% of what your store sells...

Jon Goldwater, Archie's Publisher has responded to some of the kickstarter criticisms in an interview/article here

I wonder if the same comic shops are upset with Marvel and DC for offering subscriptions to sell their comics directly to readers and cutting out the comic shops...as they have been doing it for years without the benefit of kickstarter and in Marvel's case often at up to 45% off the cover price, which is close to what shops pay per issue, yes no one is decrying Marvel for selling their comics directly to readers at basically wholesale cost....

-M