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Chip Zdarsky on ZCN and the Struggle of Polyamory at ComicsPRO

Chip Zdarsky on Zdarsky Comics News - ZCN - and the Struggle of Polyamory at ComicsPRO last week.

UPDATE: Chip posted the video. The original article continues: Getting over his mock-nerves, comic book writer, artist and publisher Chip Zdarsky took to the stage at ComicsPRO last week. The gathering of hundreds of comic book retailers in Glendale, California hadn't seen anything quite like it. Not even Mike Kelly cosplaying as Josh Hayes. He began…

"One minute warning already, what the f…? Hello everyone, Zdarski Comic News is the premier publication about me, Chip Zdarski, and about comics and, I guess, about news. It's a monthly physical newsletter only available in comic shops with the goal of promoting comics and incentivizing sales within your shops in an entertaining package. I created this because, as you know, the internet is f—ing horrible, wildly negative… That last one is a real Twitter message. When you get a message saying I'm going to cut off your head, you're just like, this is common. So wildly negative, the internet's almost an anti-marketing tool at this point, creating cynicism and readers that pick apart every college book announcement."

"Also, the internet is where Amazon is, so simply put, online is broken. So I ask myself, how did I get comic news before the internet? Marvel Age, Comic Buyers Guide, Wizard Magazine—publications geared toward comic readers. These create a genuine excitement, andanticipation for books, but with those gone, there's a void. I want to fill that void with hot editorials, easy recipes, fashion tips, and so much more. ZCN is frankly essential to the survival of the industry. Thank you."

"Every issue of ZCN so far has been written, illustrated, and designed by me. Since starting this project back in August. A lot of people have asked me, how? Chip, you're a B-list comic writer and a C-list artist in moderate demand, how are you finding the time to do this? Well, late last year, my wife and I decided to open up our marriage. I read an article in the New Yorker about these kinds of situations, and it sounded like a thing we needed, you know, just to like kind of break up some of the monotony of our relationship, our day today. It's called polyamory, and it takes a lot of hard work and communication, which I thought we had. Turns out I was wrong."

"ZCN also has profiles, top names in the industry talking about their books to me, Chip Zdarski. This may be called Zdarski Comic News, but my aim is to expose your customers to the work of many creators beyond those interviews. We also have Chip Picks for highlight books that deserve a large spotlight."

"I'm sure you're all thinking, this is very Chip, you're great, but what about the numbers? I'm a retailer, give me those numbers."

"Well, as of issue eight, our circulation is at 15,000 copies, up from 8,000 where we started. Our first issue has four pages, while issue eight is 16, and we've kept the price for you the same—a buck and twenty… twelve cents an issue. For those on the fence, we do not mark these as free. If you're a struggling retailer and you don't want to spend two or three bucks a month on this, we get it. You can charge customers for it. I don't mind. I don't mind. The goal is to get these in the hands of your shoppers so that they buy more books from you. Because 87% of comic buyers only research their purchases when in the comic shop, ZCN is fun and entertaining and exposes them to more potential purchases while in your shop. It just makes sense."

"Customers make decisions in your shop. My wife makes decisions using apps. Very quickly, one of those apps matched her with Marcus, a very fit and charming electrician from downtown Toronto.  It came really easy to her, I was surprised, she was, you know, reluctant at first, insisting I was the only man for her, but Marcus quickly became another only man for her. But for me, nothing, you know. I'm swiping, just swipe things, swiping all over the place, and no one's biting. I've never felt this old, you know. I can't quite get the hang of it, which, you know, a lot more time for Zdarski Comic News."

"But at one point, I said, you know what f— it, screw the apps. So I went to an old-fashioned bar and struck up a conversation with a woman. It was wild, and I had butterflies, as I do now. No, I don't really have a lot going for me physically, unlike Marcus. I'm almost ashamed to admit this, but I told her I write— or I used to write Batman. I know it's a little gross, trying to impress everybody, you know, right? So I told her this, and she said, well, like, you mean you draw the pictures? And I was like, well, no, someone else draws the pictures—please don't Google him. I just, you know, I write, I write the words. Pow, bam, all that stuff. She looked confused, and she got real quiet and said, oh, weird, that's a job."

"We also have crosswords and games. Making ZCN even more interactive. Plus, I use my background as an infographic artist to break down comic information in a fun and engaging way. It's just fun, with ZCN that's the goal: to bring some fun back into the comic shops and the industry. Life is less hard, isn't it nice just to have comics to turn to? The real world is just so tremendous when things just feel out of your control. Comics can be fun. Help me make them fun. Help me. Thank you, everybody."

Hope this is of help, Chip! Just thought it was worthy of a wider audience…. And you can catch up with all our ComicsPRO coverage using this link if you want… ComicsPRO is a trade association for comic book retailers, a volunteer non-profit organization that states it is dedicated to improving the comic book specialty market. Since the decline of Diamond, ComicsPRO Summit has become the central annual comic book retailer meet-up occasion.

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