Not sure why I mention this -- unless it is to inspire the Byrne Bashers to run out and turn the first new issue in a huge best-seller, knowing I won't make a dime in royalties!

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Which is surprising, when you consider that Nathan Greno's real first name is Bethany.

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There are a lot more factors than the fan base. After all, we don't know at this point how many members of that fan base are going to walk into their LCS to order NEXT MEN only to be refused because "Byrne's stuff doesn't sell."

As much as I would like to say, "oh, come on," I know that that does happen.   Many, many LCS owners and employees are wholly ignorant to the concept of "the customer is always right."   My dollar for a Byrne comic is just as good as somebody else's for the latest "Bendis Masterpiece" or whatever crap they're shilling nowadays.   Can you imagine walking into a supermarket and asking for help finding something and having the employees tell you "that's not what you want, this other item is better because it's a hot seller!"

IDIOTS!   The marketplace should provide quality stories by beloved creators who have an audience to those who wish to plunk their hard-earned cash down for them.   But it doesn't, because the marketplace is controlled by too many short-sighted, tunnel-vision group-think yes-men who are ruled by their own tastes and preferences instead of customer demand. 

I actually went into what is still the LCS in the nearest "Urban" area probably 15 or so years ago as a potential "brand new regular customer."   Started looking around, the owner asked me what type of comics was I looking for.   I said something like, "I'm really looking for anything John Byrne has done."   He said to me, I kid you not, "What's the matter?   Don't you like Bendis?"

I had probably been out of the loop for a while.   I didn't even know who Bendis WAS.   Still, to this date, to my knowledge, I have never read a comic by this Mr. Bendis.   Nor do I feel much motivation for checking out his vast volume of awesome comics stories.   But I just wonder, if you were going to try to sell me something else, why did you bother asking me what I was really interested, what I was looking for?  

About this particular LCS, oh, I could tell you tales . . .

It seems like just about every time I have gone there, the owner or an employee (got to create a consistent culture for the business) manage to go OUT OF THEIR WAY to infuriate me.   I don't go there that often.   But when I do, the only reason I am there is to spend some of my money on buying books.  Why do they have such a problem with that?