EXCLUSIVE: Landau Talks Titan Comics and Announces "It Came!"

[CBR News]

Forbidden Planet and Titan Publishing founder Nick Landau tells CBR News about his new creator-owned Titan Comics imprint and exclusively announces the new series "It Came!"


Full article here.

[Paul Nolan]

As a Forbidden Planet customer I have to argue the fact that "they are close to their customers and know what they want".

1/ their head office readily cancels back of previews pre-orders, not believing that someone ordered the comics.
2/ on their website they list an RRP and as discounted price for comics. Standard practice you might say. They then actually charge MORE than that RRP in some of their stores (ie ones without nearby competition).

I have had to go mail order elsewhere to get the majority of my comics to them at a price equal to their own RRP.

[UnravThreads]

As a Forbidden Planet customer I have to argue the fact that "they are close to their customers and know what they want".

1/ their head office readily cancels back of previews pre-orders, not believing that someone ordered the comics.
2/ on their website they list an RRP and as discounted price for comics. Standard practice you might say. They then actually charge MORE than that RRP in some of their stores (ie ones without nearby competition).

I have had to go mail order elsewhere to get the majority of my comics to them at a price equal to their own RRP.

But which Forbidden Planet is it? There's two, and I'm sure this one are linked to the one that isn't "international" (i.e. this one.) The other, FPI, is one I visit if I need something desperately and the other two in Leeds (Travelling Man & OK Comics) don't have it. They charged me full price for Cyberforce #1, I think. I didn't realise until after I left. But this one isn't particularly stellar, either. Comics orders come a week after they release, they're terrible at listing variants (which makes it near impossible to guarantee you'll get the one you want) and I just find their site really annoying at times.

Buuutttt, that said, I will be buying Thrud the Barbarian.

P.S. Paul, where do you order yours from, then? Reed Comics is a no-go as they don't allow you to reserve/pre-order.

[hondobrode]

Some of this sounds good. Certainly worth a look at, and everyone knows the insane amount of talent that's come from across the pond.

Jack Katz is great. I never knew if Bud Plant ever completed printing that or if Katz finished it or what. I'll probably get that.

[AdamYJ]

I'll have to keep an eye out for It Came. I love old '50s monster sci-fi. It sounds like my kind of comic.

[fredmanson]

I have ordered some Torchwood variants at FP and it was OK. Except the shipping fees to France... err...
I am no more buying stuff from them, but I still order my books from UK, with discounted prices of course!!!

About the new Titan Comics titles, I am enough to see them sold at such a high price. And it seems that A1 is already pre-published into the pages of Heavy Metal magazine. Which is better: bigger pages=better to read pages!!!

IMO, an anthology comic book might be more than 32 pages. An US comic strip is very "empty" due to the space on the board. I think it's really time to publish such comic books into a magazine format, to give the authors all the space needed on a board to tell a story. Printed on newspaper stock, it won't cost a lot.

[Paul Nolan]

But which Forbidden Planet is it? There's two, and I'm sure this one are linked to the one that isn't "international" (i.e. this one.) The other, FPI, is one I visit if I need something desperately and the other two in Leeds (Travelling Man & OK Comics) don't have it. They charged me full price for Cyberforce #1, I think. I didn't realise until after I left. But this one isn't particularly stellar, either. Comics orders come a week after they release, they're terrible at listing variants (which makes it near impossible to guarantee you'll get the one you want) and I just find their site really annoying at times.

Buuutttt, that said, I will be buying Thrud the Barbarian.

P.S. Paul, where do you order yours from, then? Reed Comics is a no-go as they don't allow you to reserve/pre-order.

It is definitely Forbidden Planet dot com that encompasses the London store.

Personally I use www.86thfloor.com. They have been fantastic. You don't get charged for anything until it is in a package to be shipped to you and they give good discounts. (I pay £1.78 for a $2.99 comic)

[UnravThreads]

I just saw their price for the Guy Davis variant of Amala's Blade. Eeek.

[ERON]

Ugh! I have to wait until August for It Came!? I want it now!

[Alton]

@Paul Nolan and @unravel threads: Both posts totally confused me.After Ardden/Atlas the last thing I want to do is involve myself with another company that can't deliver the goods.Is your dispute with certain stores,a webstore or the publisher itself? Forbidden Planet is also Titan? I couldn't make heads or tales out of any of this,sorry.Anybody out there that can explain what's going on out there?

[Paul Nolan]

@Paul Nolan and @unravel threads: Both posts totally confused me.After Ardden/Atlas the last thing I want to do is involve myself with another company that can't deliver the goods.Is your dispute with certain stores,a webstore or the publisher itself? Forbidden Planet is also Titan? I couldn't make heads or tales out of any of this,sorry.Anybody out there that can explain what's going on out there?

Titan books / Titan publishing are totally separate entities from the shop chain. I wholeheartedly support their publishing endeavors and will be buying Number Cruncher and Time Commandoes

My issue is solely with the claim in the article that "they listen to what their customers want" in the Forbidden Planet comlc stores. when 1/ Prices aren't at a level playing field across their chain and they charge MORE in their Southampton store for comic than the RRP they advertise on the webstore. (They list a web price separately, so the fact that they charge OVER the RRP in store is ludicrous). 2/ All I hear from other people who use other stores in the chain is that like myself, they struggle to get items that aren't Big 2, even when they have pre-ordered a book from previews.