KEVIN SMITH COMICS REFUSE TO STAY TO IN STOCK

Oni Press is going back to press on all three of its comic books featuring the characters from the films of Kevin Smith. Due to popular demand, ONI DOUBLE FEATURE #1 will be receiving a third printing, CLERKS: THE COMIC BOOK a fourth printing, and JAY & SILENT BOB #1, the first in a four-issue miniseries, a second printing. All books will contain new, distinctive color schemes on the cover art and logo, as well as an indication of the print number in the indicia, to make the different versions easily distinguishable by fans and retailers.

“The response to Kevin’s comics has been phenomenal,” said Oni Press editor and publisher, Bob Schreck. “Going into this, we knew there were people who liked the characters he created in the films CLERKS and CHASING AMY, but we really had no idea how rabid those fans are. JAY & SILENT BOB #1 has only been on the stands for three weeks, and our initial print run was 60,000, putting us well over the amount initially ordered by retailers. Even ONI DOUBLE FEATURE, which is seven months old, is still in demand. It doesn’t matter how many we print, people want more.”

“I can’t believe it,” Kevin Smith said. “I couldn’t be more pleased by the reaction. I’ve always loved comics, and to see people get so excited over something I have done is extremely satisfying.”

Joe Nozemack, Oni Press publisher, said, “This is just the sort of activity this industry needs. In a time when it seems there is very little interest in comics, something like this comes along and gets people energized all over again. We keep getting calls from retailers from all over – from just down the street to all the way in England – and they all say the same thing: They are getting an amazing amount of new people coming into their stores, and most of those people keep coming back.”

“There is no end in sight,” Schreck added. “These books aren’t going to stop selling. Oni is committed to keeping them in print so that everyone that wants them can have them. No store should be without a copy of any of our books on their shelves. The demand is only going to continue to grow.”

The second issue of JAY & SILENT BOB ships in mid-August, with a set of Jay & Silent Bob action figures to follow from Graphitti Designs in October. In addition, Kevin Smith will be the keynote speaker at the San Diego Comic Book Expo and a featured guest of Comic Con International in August, allowing retailers and fans to meet the popular creator. His fourth film, DOGMA, starring Linda Fiorentino, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris Rock, and many others, is due to be released in 1999, ensuring that even more people will become interested in Smith’s activities. Keep an eye out for future announcements from Oni Press regarding upcoming comic book projects continuing the View Askew mythos.

It’s funny, actually, my local comic retailer said the same thing that Joe mentioned above: The books are selling great AND they’re doing incredible things for the industry as well. Great job, guys.