MIKEYSTMNT.COM

**4KidsTVTeam :

“Casey and April are getting married this Saturday, February 28 at 9:30 a.m. during the “TMNT: Back to the Sewer “ show on The CW4Kids. Don’t miss this historic event. Check your local listings. .. .. “

Dan B. :: Bruce Hatten sent in this image of Toyfare magazine’s April 2009 issue, wherein they list the “craziest Ninja Turtles toys ever!” Head down to your local newsstand and grab a copy!

( ..Thanks to Ryan Brown for the Scans ~ t )

- ** Finally posted the theme song for “Back to the Sewer.” The 2003 themes page was getting crazy big with all those screen captures, so I split all of the theme songs for the series onto their own page.

–>> An important Piece , excerpt from Steve Bissette i thought was too important not to cross-post.::

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S.R. Bissette ::    Given what’s happening in the Direct Sales market right now, and given that co-instructor Robyn Chapman and I will be covering this ground in class today at the Center for Cartoon Studies (with guest speaker and vet retailer Bill Townsend, who’s driving all the way from Electric City Comics in Schnectady, NY to join us today), it seemed timely to share once again this timeline of the mid-1990s Direct Sales market implosion.

I posted this a couple of years ago, and welcomed input. I’ve incorporated the suggested corrections and revisions, and offer this anew as an overview of what happened in the 1990s to ultimately drive self-publishers (like myself) out of the industry, and allow you to draw your own correlations to the present market implosion prompted not by a bubble, but by the collapse of the US and world economy at a time when (thanks to the following 1990s events) there remains only one major distributor standing. A monopoly suffering amid a genuine economic disaster may mean the end of the Direct Sales market as we’ve known it — or offer fertile soil for long-necessary alternatives and competitors to grow.

Time — and action — will tell.

__________________________________________

The 1990s Comics Crash! A Time Line…

1989:

January:

Billionaire, chairman of MacAndrews & Forbes and notorious Wall Street junkbond king Ronald O. Perelman buys Marvel Entertainment Group.

[Note: billionaire rival Carl C. Icahn fought Perelman’s reign throughout, repeatedly trying to acquire Marvel and/or organize shareholder revolts until he succeeded in June, 1997.]

1991:

Marvel Entertainment stock shares go public, yielding Perelman a $36 million cash dividend.

1993:

* March 1993:

Marvel’s “first junk bonds issued” (Comic Wars, pg. 242), yielding $288 million for Perelman; a second “tranche of junk bonds” yield $145 million in October 1993, a third set net $121 million in February 1994 (Ibid., pp. 241-243).

* Perelman’s restructuring of Marvel includes acquisition of Toy Biz (controlling shareholder: Isaac ‘Ike’ Perlmutter) via “shares-for-licensing rights deal” that makes Toy Biz a subsidiary of Marvel; Marvel also purchases Malibu Comics Entertainment Inc. (b&w indy launched 1986, combined with Aircel acquisition) for $15 million, primarily to acquire their innovative computer coloring operations, as well as the trading card companies Fleer and SkyBox, Italian sticker manufacturer Panini, more.

* Marvel Entertainment stock reaches highest value since going public.

[Note: Kitchen Sink Press, founded in 1969, “merges” with Tundra Publishing, moves offices from Wisconsin to Northampton, MA., with Tundra founder Kevin Eastman reportedly holding majority share of 51%.]

1994:

“Pearl Harbor”

Marvel Comics pulls out of all Direct Market distribution to purchase NJ-based Heroes World Distribution, thus instituting/owning its own exclusive Direct Market distributor.

[Note: Success of the feature film adaptation of James O’Barr’s THE CROW -- earning $50 million in theatrical release alone -- creates a windfall for Kitchen Sink sales of CROW comics, graphic novels, merchandizing, exceeding all expectations.

* May 1994, Los Angeles-based investment banker group Ocean Capital Corporation acquire Kitchen Sink Press]

1995:

DISTRIBUTOR WARS!

* DC Comics, Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics and others sign exclusive distribution contracts with Diamond Distribution, the Direct Market’s largest distributor.

* DC Comics, Image Comics and Dark Horse Comics report drops in sales “as much as 15%” after signing with Diamond, though the three Diamond major exclusive publishers combined still constitute about 75 percent of the market, sans Marvel.

* Kitchen Sink Press and self-publisher James A. Owen are the only publishers to sign a similar exclusive with Capital City Distribution. Initially, this boosts KSP sales, but this boost doesn’t last into 1996.

* Marvel Entertainment suffers major losses, stocks value begin freefall.

1996:

THE IMPLOSION

Spring 1996:

Final Diamond Comics and Capital City Distribution trade shows. Capital City co-founders John Davis and Milton Griepp appeal to retail community; reportedly, Capital’s 1996 revenue was already half of 1995’s revenue.

July 26, 1996:

Capital City Distribution — the second largest Direct Market distributor — sells its assets to Diamond Comics to avoid bankruptcy. This provides Capital with a means of paying the approx. $7.4 million due to suppliers over a two-year period of incremental payments.

* The Direct Market shrank by at least 50% in the wake of the events of 1996. According to Capital City co-founder John Davis (subsequently employed by Diamond), “about half of the approximately 4500 retailers in business during 1996 dealt only with Diamond in the wake of the ‘distributor wars’…”

* Marvel Entertainment suffers further losses and stock collapse — from $13.25 early in ‘96 to $4.50 per share and less — down 85 percent from their high in 1993.

* Marvel fans launch a “reader rebellion,” boycotting Marvel product for almost a full year. Note that Marvel’s market share had slid throughout their ill-fated exclusivity upset: “from around 70 percent of American sales [in 1990-92] to 35 percent in 1995, then 25 percent to 1996” (Comic Wars, pg. 71).

[Note: Kitchen Sink Press returns to Diamond, suffering many lost orders, revenues, etc. in the transition. Labor Day 1996 opening of THE CROW movie sequel THE CROW: CITY OF ANGELS enjoys $9 million opening weekend boxoffice, then fades; Kitchen Sink merchandizing fails, a fiscal disaster for KSP on heels of Capital City’s demise and delayed payments.]

1997-98:

AFTERMATH

January, 1997:

Marvel Comics files for Chapter 11 corporate bankruptcy

February, 1997:

Marvel and Malibu (former indy publisher purchased by Marvel) sign exclusivity contract with Diamond as its sole distributor to the Direct Market.

June, 1997:

Ronald O. Perelman departs ownership of Marvel Entertainment Group; it is estimated that “Perelman’s net gain from eight years of running Marvel could be put at $280 million — plus the tax advantages for his wider empire” (Comic Wars, pg. 243).

Rival billionaire and corporate-raider Carl C. Icahn, purchasing Marvel bonds thorughout the 1996 company crisis, becomes Marvel’s chairman June 1997, appoints former Marvel executive Joseph Calamari the new CEO of Marvel.

[Note: Due to Marvel’s bankruptcy filing, prospective Kitchen Sink investors withdraw, deciding the comics business as a whole is too risky. Kevin Eastman and others had already departed KSP’s board; Denis Kitchen is fired by board of directors; Kitchen Sink closes shop later in 1997.]

1998:

Marvel Comics emerges from corporate Chapter 11 bankruptcy, after a period of time during which it was “for sale.”

October 1998:

Marvel Entertainment is restructered by bankruptcy court order with Toy Biz partners Isaac ‘Ike’ Perlmutter and Avi Arad in charge. Perlmutter and Arad placed Peter Cuneo, “a turnaround specialist, at the helm” as CEO, who restored Marvel’s fortunes via the aggressive licensing of Marvel characters and concepts to movies, TV, videogame and toy manufacturers, reversing the Perelman management strategies of 1989-1997 (Fortune, June 27, 2005, pg. 194). Carl Icahn departs “with a relatively paltry $3.5 million” (Comic Wars, pg. 252); Marvel stock ceases to exist, replaced by Toy Biz shares, which start at $7 per share. Note Icahn continued to fight, but soon abandoned the struggle.

[Note: By 2005, Marvel Enterprises was producing its own films with great initial success, launched by 1997 breakthrough of Aircel/Malibu acquisition Men in Black.]

Sources: The Comics Journal, various issues, 1993-97; COMIC WARS by Dan Raviv (2002, Broadway Books, NY); Fortune, June 27, 2005, pg. 194.

** UPDATE & SRC **

Oldmanwinters :: "Make sure you check out the actual Russian website for the full comic:
@ ** www.veles-va.ru/comics/content/coms/mishka1/m 1p01.html

There is a "next page" link in Russian underneath the page to the right. .. .. "

**SRC

♦ ♦
–>> ..very thanks to ***Sean

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I found this linked off of "Pappy’s Golden Age Comic Reader" & knew you had to see it, hopefully you haven’t already.

.. .. I can’t figure it out, but it’s insane. Keep up the good fight. TRTLPAUR. — Sean Goblinko.

♦ ♦

" .. teenage mutant turtles are lead by the giant Russian bear with balalaika-gun. "

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–>> O_o ~~ **

..
..

..>v<

*Dan B. ::

"Daniel sent in the following info:

**’BigBadToyStore.com has listed the NECA Wave 2 figures for preorder – ETA 2nd quarter 2009. That’s far better than the "maybe never" I’ve been hearing.’ .. ..

☻ ☺

‘This set is to include the following:

1x April O’Neil
1x Shredder
1x Foot Soldier
1x Foot Ninja ( Shredder’s Elite Gaurd ..~t )
Product Number: NEC11135
Shipping Weight: 2.80 pounds .. ‘

PREORDER
Estimated to Arrive
2nd Quarter 2009
Our Price: $54.99

List Price $67.99

- More from Daniel ..

.. **And possibly even more exciting (to fans in my region); Nashville’s historic Belcourt Theatre has listed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as part of its Midnight Movies series. Friday & Saturday, March 27-28 @ midnight.

- “Peter Laird did a sketch to benefit the Inkwell Awards that’s currently being auctioned on eBay.com – ***click here to check it out.”

..>v<

–>>.. originally posted last month on my personal t2z blog, fuggit’   ..i’ll post it here on Mike’s as well for snappy – prosperity ..

☻ ☺

666

..a diabolical little tail of tOkKa from the classic Turtle Soup TMNT anthology series.

 

..>v<

Stan Sakai :: “The first 7 pages of Usagi Yojimbo #118 are up on MySpace. This is part 2 of the 3 part Traitors of the Earth story, featuring zombie samurai.”

**http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=92159514

***http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=92159514&blogID=471548184

“I have finished toning, and just started lettering, issue #30 of TMNT Volume 4. I expect that it it will take at least a couple of weeks to finish.

If anyone wants to write a letter to the Editor for possible inclusion in this issue, the deadline for such is probably about three weeks from today — let’s say March 15.”  — <i>PL</i>

☻ ☺

–>> ..send your letters to  :: fanmail@ninjaturtles.com   ..

<img src=”http://www.mikeystmnt.com/uploads/images/news/newsbreaker.gif”>

Official Site bits from Danny B. ::

- .. “Tales” #56 is uploading to the printer now! Wacky story – we mailed the book to the printer yesterday, but I missed some corrections that needed to be made that eagle-eyed Tristan Jones, the writer of the book, caught this morning. I hurriedly e-mailed Brenner Printing to put the brakes on the book so we could replace the bad interior PDF with a new, corrected version… only to discover from Brenner that the disc we sent had been broken in half during transit. I’ve sent at least 75 discs to Brenner over the years, and this has never happened before… so the Fates got involved to make sure the right version of the book would go to press. Gotta love dem Fates! Oh – be sure to grab a copy of this issue – Tristan and artist Paul Harmon really knocked one outta the park this time (keeping their slugging percentage at 4.000)!

- Mike sent in the following info about Archie Comics’ TMNT trade paperback (scroll down to January 30 for a cover shot) that’s scheduled to ship in April:

Hey! Just wanted to give everyone another heads up that Books-a-million.com is now taking **pre-orders for the TMNT: Heroes in a Half-Shell” graphic novel, due in May ‘09.

The MSRP is $11.94 for the 104-page graphic novel, but BAM Club members only pay $10.75.

- Nathan sent in this info about the Blu-Ray releases of the TMNT flicks:

I have more information on the August release of the original Ninja Turtles than what the site you provided. Click on ***this link and you can see that the exact release date is on August 4th, 2009.

- You can now ****read TMNT #14 on the site!

- Updated the *****Books of the Future page with info about “Tales of the TMNT” #59 – featuring the return of creators Tristan Jones and Paul Harmon!

The ever-diligent and stalwart Neil sent in a whole buncha links of video that he shot at the NY Comic Con – check ‘em out!

Mirage Studios Panel Part 1

Mirage Studios Panel Part 2

Mirage Studios Panel Part 3

Mirage Studios Panel Part 4

Mirage Studios Panel Part 5

Casey Jones Meets Peter Laird

Playmates Toys and Ubisoft Booths

4Kids TV Panel Part 1

4Kids TV Panel Part 2

4Kids TV Panel Part 3

4Kids TV Panel Part 4

4Kids TV Panel Part 5

4Kids TV Panel Part 6

..>v<