It’s a Pushcart Business

Some of you may be wondering about that title above…
But it’s really a valid statement, especially about the comics business. Comics are really a very direct form of communication, it’s a creator or a few creators talking directly to their audience. It’s the creators responsibility to make sure they are clear and concise. Sort of how you’d expect a street vendor with a pushcart to have their wares on display and labeled.

People walk by, and if something catches their attention you have them for a few moments. There is no comfortable waiting room, no air-conditioned conference room with a huge Plasma display. No sports magazines or beauty magazines laying about to idle their time away. It’s a cart with different tastes, different colors, and a friendly vendor to have a snippet of conversation with. A good pushcart? That vendor is silky smooth, likes his customers, and they make it a destination in their daily journeys.

So why is the comics industry like that pushcart?
Why they are all about repeat customers. People that happened to see those wares on display and gave it a try. They liked the color, or the taste..a tiny morsel of something more. And like that pushcart, if we aren’t there day-in or day-out you walk on by not giving it a second thought. So the vendor has to pick up that pushcart everyday, clean off his wares and come to his favored spot regularly. If we’re doing our jobs right, you’ll notice us, our wares and spend a few minutes talking with us. Or maybe even sample the books and merchandise we have presented for you.

We’re hoping to do just that.
We’ll be at NYCC on October 13th-16th, 2011 with our new books, and merchandise at booth 3052 facing into Artists Alley. Additionally, we’re the show-runner and premium sponsor for the Indy After Party for the 3rd year in a row. Last year’s event was very well attended with our outstanding entertainment guests, Gordon Gano and the Ryans rocking the house with music from their recent album. Gordon as most of you know is the lead singer / song-writer from the Violent Femmes. They really made the event feel like the Cannes Film Festival for our independent-minded NYC crowd, and we were honored by their performance.

All the work that we put into the event was well received by our co-sponsors, which ranged from an art-book and art-supply company, to an apparel company, to a media news agency, to another community-based comics event, to a company that produces a high-gloss fashion calendar, to even the debut of a new NYC-based comics retailer (now a retailer chain)! We had a sum total of 12 sponsors, and each and everyone of them contributed to an epic event. We’d like to thank them all.

So it’s our hope that this year’s wares and colors tantalize and entice you. We’re working round-the-clock to make them the best we can, and we’d be honored if you came on by and gave them a look. And I can’t close this out with out revealing the source of the quote that is our title. The Pushcart is what Will Eisner’s father referred to as Will’s art. He knew even in the later 1930’s that comic creators needed to show up every day, with quality wares and a reputation that everyone knew was the Best that it could be. I take Mr. Eisner words very seriously, and AtlasUnleashed will always strive to show up early, with the best quality product that we possibly can.

After all, it’s a Pushcart business!

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