Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, dynamite, entertainment, garth ennis, Groupees, Thomas Brooke

Thomas Brooke Talks New Garth Ennis Groupees Bundle And The Digital Influence On Entertainment

Published Thu, 29 Jun 2017 12:30:01 -0500

Dynamite has just announced a new Groupees bundle focused on Garth Ennis. The deal is a little different this time as you can build your own bundle out of a 170 (29 graphic novels) of Ennis' works from Dynamite. This offer includes The Boys, Battlefields, Jennifer Blood, The Ninjettes and Red Team. Each issue is priced between only $0.50 – $1.50 or you have the option to purchase all the issues (a $308 value) for only $15. This will be available for two weeks only, beginning Thursday, June 29th, and ending Wednesday, July 12th at 5 pm EST. You can gain access these tremendous savings and hit series by visiting: https://groupees.com/Ennis

I talked with Groupees founder, Thomas Brooke, about the new build-a-bundle option and the future of Groupees.

DAN WICKLINE: Let's start with Groupees itself. How long has Groupees been around now and in what ways has it grown and changed in that time? What has been the most successful Groupees bundle to date?

THOMAS BROOKE: Groupees launched in February 2011. Originally, Groupees was very music focused but over time has expanded to offer deals spanning digital media entertainment including games, comics, ebooks and video. Groupees also puts a great deal of emphasis on community features and will be launching some exciting new community features in the coming months so stay tune. The most successful Groupees to date was a mix media bundle featuring games, music and comics and sold over 50k units.

DW: The new offering with Dynamite changes things a bit from what I understand. It's still pay-what-you-want, but now it's build-your-own-bundle. How does that work and what do you see as the advantage over the regular way things have been done?

TB: Buyers can select from a collection of comics to create a custom bundle of their liking. As more comics are added, the minimum price increases but with progressive discounts so the more you buy, the better the deal you get.

DW: This new bundle is focused on Garth Ennis. What does it mean to Groupees to have such a marquee creator associated with a bundle? Do bundles with a creator as the focus do better than a more general themed one?

TB: We're honored to feature a creator like Garth Ennis. Not only is it a great opportunity to showcase an amazing talent and offer his works at a fantastic price, we also can bring together his fans during the promotion so that they can connect with each other.

DW: How does the charity aspect of the Groupees bundle work? I know it's geared towards the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, but how much of the money goes to them and what is the process like?

TB: Fans can elect to contribute a set percentage of their purchase to charity. For this purchase, users can elect to contribute upto 10% to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

DW: What is the future for Groupees? You have a very diverse mix of bundles between music, games, digital comics, etc. Is there an area of digital media / entertainment that you are looking to get into? How close do you see entertainment going all digital, ceasing to make physical products like printed comics and CD's?

TB: Digital has had a massive influence on the entertainment industry, just like every other industry. This trend will continue. That said, physical products will remain an important part of the industry and provide rights holders/merchandisers/retailers with opportunities to capitalize on fandom with exclusive collectibles.

Here are the titles being offered in the new bundle:

• The Boys Vol. 1: The Name of the Game ($1)
• The Boys Vol. 2: Get Some ($1.25)
• The Boys Vol. 3: Good for the Soul ($1.25)
• The Boys Vol. 4: We Gotta Go Now ($1.25)
• The Boys Vol. 5: Herogasm ($1)
• The Boys Vol. 6: The Self-Preservation Society ($1.25)
• The Boys Vol. 7: The Innocents ($1.25)
• The Boys Vol. 8: Highland Laddie ($1)
• The Boys Vol. 9: The Big Ride ($1.50)
• The Boys Vol. 10: Butcher, Baker, Candlestiickmaker ($1)
• The Boys Vol. 11: Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men ($1)
• The Boys Vol. 12: The Bloody Doors Off ($1)
• Battlefields Vol. 1: The Night of Witches ($0.50)
• Battlefields Vol. 2: Dear Billy ($0.50)
• Battlefields Vol. 3: The Tankies ($0.50)
• Battlefields Vol. 4: Happy Valley ($0.50)
• Battlefields Vol. 5: The Firefly and His Majesty ($0.50)
• Battlefields Vol. 6: Motherland ($0.50)
• Battlefields Vol. 7: The Green Fields Beyond ($0.50)
• Battlefields Vol. 8: The Fall and Rise of Anna Kharkova ($0.50)
• Jennifer Blood Vol. 1: A Woman's Work is Never Done ($1)
• Jennifer Blood Vol. 2: Beautiful People ($1)
• Jennifer Blood Vol. 3: Neither Tarnished Nor Afraid ($1)
• Jennifer Blood Vol. 4: The Trial of Jennifer Blood ($1)
• Jennifer Blood Vol. 5: Blood Legacy ($1)
• Jennifer Blood: First Blood ($1)
• Jennifer Blood: Born Again Vol. 1 ($1)
• The Ninjettes Vol. 1 ($1)
• Read Team Vol. 1 ($1)
A percentage of the proceeds will go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, to help continue their efforts of protecting first amendment rights in the comic book industry.