It’s the season to say what we’re all thankful for, so I thought this week I’d accentuate the positive and focus on those things in the comics industry I’m grateful are happening.

What makes a “Real Comic Shop?”

This past weekend I was at MegaCon Tampa Bay, the first of its kind in the area. Was it a good idea?

It’s a common phrase among comics’ fans – Death in comics is only temporary!

On Friday, MajorSpoilers.com’s Head Honcho Stephen Schleicher wrote the following: “Diamond Comic Distributors has announced DC Comics took the top spot once again in September for comics released in the direct market. Is this the sign of a major market change, or is the apocalypse upon us all!?” Given the reaction of some of my Marvel friends, I’d say the latter. I’ve had to give some the local comics suicide hotline number! Sheesh!

Are comics too popular now?

I was looking through the Previews and the Marvel Previews yesterday, and I saw that the Inhumans are going to fight the X-Men in a miniseries. Time was, this used to attract my attention. Not any longer.

It was only a couple of weekends ago that Batman Day was held for 2016. That seems to be turning into a successful yearly event at local comics shops! Coming at the end of October will be Halloween ComicFest, the fall’s version of Free Comic Book Day. It will be held on the last Saturday of the month, the 29th. There will be free comics and other treats galore at participating locations!

When things go on as they usually do, nobody cares. However, turn stuff on its head, and people pay attention!

What is the biggest drawback to attending a summer’s worth of comic conventions? Not having time to read comics!

I’ve really been fuming lately over the stranglehold Diamond has over comics distribution in the United States. For instance, if you want to put a great superhero book out, if you’re not part of the “bigger” companies, they’ll flat-out reject your series, no matter how good it is. “Too many superhero books,” they say, as I’ve heard from several Indie comics creators. Well, maybe someone’s finally doing something about it!

I noticed there’s a battle taking place between artists and comics creators, especially when it comes to Artist Alley, where many of these people have booths for fans to visit.

I read with interest that CW Seed is going to have the first TV show, albeit an animated one, that features  a gay lead hero, The Ray. They’ve had quite a bit of success with Vixen, an African-American female hero, so I’m happy to see them moving in this direction as well.

This past weekend at the Tampa Bay Comic Con, the biggest guest they had was Norman Reedus, who plays Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead. He had long autograph lines, he had fans wearing “Team Daryl” t-shirts all over the place, and he got me thinking about characters associated with the comics but who may not have started as an active part of them.