BLACK TOWER COMICS & BOOKS: Time To Just Make A "Thank You" And A Comment

Wednesday, 20 July 2016

Time To Just Make A "Thank You" And A Comment

It seems odd considering how Black Tower Comics and books has been in the UK comic scene since the early 1980s, but as I've noted before, UK comic events, blogs and so on have never supported us the way we've supported them.

Even sales come from outside the UK. Below is just a snap shot of where the views for this blog are coming from right now. See the UK anywhere?

Graph of most popular countries among blog viewers

Entry	Pageviews
United States	29
Russia	22
France	6
Germany	5
Ukraine	5
South Korea	2
Latvia	2
New Zealand	2
Portugal	2
Australia	1

The UK is rarely noted as providing views to this blog.

One of the reasons I gave up on the UK for 2016/17 is because EVERY UK comic event was 'fully booked' as soon as they announced bookings for tables were open. Yes, Black Tower never even got onto the 'bidding lists' -Ebay applied to comic events is a very bad thing.

Not to worry, though, the same traders and guests get on to every event list and have tables. Not fixed? Work out the odds of this EVERY event. EVERY year. For TEN YEARS. Fixed.

Couldn't even get a table at the up-coming Bristol Expo -not even a guest pass. That's life.

So sales and views of this blog (as well as CBO) are mainly from non-UK sources. My plan was to try to attend at least two German comic events in 2017, however, following the moronically stupid "Brexit" vote, it appears that even someone with German family and as pro-Europe as you can get has been tarred with the same "English rats running off" attitude. Not heard anything back from the German conventions despite emails sent.

Where does this leave BTCG and me, as a publisher?

Really, in limbo. Unless I can get out and sell books and meet people I have to rely solely on people buying from the online store and I've always been honest in stating sales from that are not enough to live on (and the US now hits me for taxes on sales!).

So I really, really do appreciate it that you visit this blog or buy a book. Because this is a very lonely place to be right now.

THANKS

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Black Tower Super Heroes 4

the fourth issue of BTSH is here and it is so crammed full of eye boggling action that we had to use adamantium staples to keep it all together! Kotar, Sabuta along with Tarot and Lady Silvana face the werewolf while the Zero Heroes are in a church surrounded by zombies and what happens to "the other guy" at the end...I'm asking -what happened? Jack finds that he could have had a fatal dose, while The Trial continues and the mystery deepens. There is more -much much more! Blue Saviour is the cover star and a tribute to creator David A. Johnson who brightened up Bath comic marts with his Blue Saviour, Madame Mystery and Enigma comics! COMICS ARE FUN!

Comic Bits 2!

The second issue of the magazine celebrating creators, titles and characters of the British Platinum, Golden and Silver Ages of comics. In this issue William A. Ward finally gets some long deserved recognition for his contribution to comics John McCail gets "bigged up" something rotten! We look at comedian and actor Bob Monkhouse's comic creation career Steve Dowling -Father of the Garth newspaper strip speaks to Denis Gifford (the ONLY interview he ever gave) There is a look at Dennis M. Reader and his comics work that spawned some of the UKs first super heroes. There is also a look at William Fletcher Thomas, Ernest Wilkinson, Jos Walker, Mary Byfield and William H A Chasemore... oh, and LOTS of lovely art and stripwork!

UFO CONTACT

Since 1947 it has been claimed that UFOs/flying saucers are evidence of aliens visiting the Earth. Since the 1950s claims of encounters with landed craft and alien beings were talked about but not taken seriously. In the 1960s the subject of UFO abduction was a "slow-burner" until the whole "Grey" abduction phenomenon and claims made by researchers. But is there evidence to back up any of the claims -and what about those encountering Alien Entities but who were not abducted? 2017 is the time to assess the past evidence and look at the faults within Ufology. Not everyone is going to be happy -debunkers or ufologists.

Strange & Mysterious Beasts

Humans have always been fascinated by reports of strange and mysterious beasts prowling the Earth. But are they fact or fantasy? What were the mystery beasts that killed people in France during thec 17th and 18th centuries? Are there Bigfoot-like creatures in the UK? What about the reports of werewolves? Are humanoid bat-like creatures flying around the United States and UK? Others included in this book are the Vampire of Niali, the Devil's foot-prints of Gatagon; The Supernatural Invasion: Slender-man and Black Eyed Kids Mystery Creature of the Bay of Flamanville,Things Caught on Camera –Fact and Fiction,The Bat Creatures, The Owl-man The British Pig-man and Snake-man, The Pictish Beast Shunka Warak'in –A Hyena Too Far? and many others.

The Bat Triumphant!

In 1941,The Bat sets about modernising the backward Duchy of Stahl,over which his dynasty has ruled since 1410 A.D.. The Bat is soon involved in experiments with the infamous Count Cogliostro. One of these experiments involves suspended animation;The Bat deciding he will be the test subject. When he wakes,The Bat finds that not days have gone by but 51 years! Worse,his kingdom is in ruins and an enclave of Kamora. The Bat tries politics to win back his homeland and when that fails he decides to fight for it! However,he is unaware that some old,and new,enemies are lying in wait to stop him and all of them want one thing:The Bat dead! Originally a back up strip in Black Tower Adventure in 1994,The Bat proved very popular as an anti-hero. The story was never completed. It is now.

Krakos:Sands of Terror!

Created by William A. Ward for Swan Comics in the 1940s,Krakos was one of Ward’s supernatural anti-hero types. Used,with Swan’s permission,in Black Tower Adventure strips in the 1980s/1990s,this is the character’s first solo outing. But will Krakos fulfill the Goddess Isis’ dream and become the new pharoah of a New Egyptian Kingdom that will encompass all of the Middle East? Did anyone actually ask Krakos? The book contains information on Ward and his work plus sample pages rescued after 60 years of neglect!