- We know this isn’t directly View Askew related, but we received this note today and wanted to do our part to help out. Top Shelf comics are in danger of ceasing operations completely unless they pull in some BIG numbers this month, due to their main distributor going Chapter 11 on them. They CAN be saved though, and you can do your part to help out. Here’s the open letter we received from Top Shelf explaining the situation today:
We have just been informed this week that our book trade distributor has filed for bankrupcy (Chapter 11). They will continue to operate and hopefully recover – and we will support this all we can (as our industry needs them, and they are good people) – but unfortunately, this has happened at a time when they owed us an enormous sum of money (over $80,000.00 minus returns). And to make matters worse, the most recent check they cut us, for almost $20,000.00, bounced this week, in turn causing the last 30 checks we wrote to printers, conventions, cartoonists – practically every aspect of the business – to bounce (or be held) in turn.
To put it bluntly, even with all the hard work we’ve put in over the years, if we don’t raise $20,000 this month, it could realistically force us to suspend publishing operations for the foreseeable future. It’s hard to believe but a big domino has fallen right on top of us at the worst time possible. So, that leaves us no choice but to be honest and ask for your help.
If 400-500 of you can find it in your hearts to each spend around fifty bucks on our core list of books below, this would literally pull us through – We mean that. We’ve got such a strong future schedule, and so many cool things to announce soon (including two more Alan Moore projects and two Film & TV projects), that I’d hate to think that we’d have to pull the plug right before we just were about to arrive. In any event, if you can find it in your hearts to help us out, we will be eternally grateful. We’ll be manning the phones personally on this “drive,” and we’ll also be sure to keep you informed — hopefully letting all of you know in three-to-four weeks that everything’s okay (with your help, that is…).
On behalf of Brett Warnock and myself.
Truly, your friend thru comics,
Chris Staros
Top Shelf Productions
The folks at Top Shelf are good people and have an excellent product. A lot of great deals are to be had right now as well as the result of the sale drive — Orders over $100 get an extra $25 of books free, and shipping is FREE for all orders in the United States. Surf to HTTP://WWW.TOPSHELFCOMIX.COM to place your order and check out all the great books they’ve got available. Jimmy Palmiotti (who you know from the Daredevil run he did with Kevin) has personally asked that folks help out, even with a small order. We’ve also just received notice that if you order THE SOAP LADY, Renee French has offered if you email her (cornelia@world.std.com) your address to send you an original sketch. Artbomb is offering a direct shopping cart to Top Shelf (they get 100% of the profits) and a free t-shirt with ANY Top Shelf order!
Check out Top Shelf’s line of products, and help get them through this! It would be a real shame to see them go, and a big loss to the comics world.
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