My man SAMAX over at GHETTOMANGA, aka 'The Know' (I'm serious y'all--- this cat keeps the newsfeeds running harder than CNN!), has been keeping up with the upcoming Image release of MAYHEM, a new series by actor TYRESE 'He makes dey hearts beat' GIBSON.
Even though the book release isn't for two more days, many people began to think the release date had come and gone already considering how hard Tyrese has been marketing the title! Ty has managed to set a record for preordered sales; plugging the book on every radioshow, chatshow, and red carpet interview he attends, he showed up in San Diego with a massive fanfare to follow, selling out of thousands of Convention variant editions and building a hype for the book the way people hyped 'Snakes on a Plane' before its release--- but unlike the film, Tyrese actually has steak to sell the sizzle on! I mean, this guy is actually calling book stores, thanking them for their orders and pushing the courtesy issue!
What I'm digging on, and I agree with Samax highly on this, is that Tyrese is pulling in not only the comic fan, but the non-comic reader as well; bringing in more new people than what the Mainstream Publishers have failed to do. Catering to the core is fine, but in a medium that's shrinking, the Big boys cannot afford to keep overlooking that curious new public who may want to try what's offered. Of course, don't take my word for it... Go check out GHETTOMANGA (click my sidebar) and drop him a line. Tell'em PLANET GRIFFIN sent ya!
2 comments:
For once, I gotta disagree with you on something.
I don't doubt Tyrese's grind, his sincerity, or his devotion to Project: Mayhem, as is evidenced by his hard work. Based on the initial buzz and enthusiasm of his followers, "Mayhem" will be successful, but I doubt that will translate into repeat business for the comic shops once "Mayhem" completes its run.
No doubt, Tyrese's fans care about Tyrese, but if they were fans of hard-edged, urban vigilantes, they would have BEEN in the comic shops already, because there are a ton of those on the shelves. I hope I'm wrong I suspect most of the "Mayhem" fans won't be setting up pull lists with their local comics retailer.
What the Big Two need to do is sustained outreach to female readers, minority readers and young readers. Building a fanbase around a celebrity cult of personality is generally a short-term fix to a long term problem. Although Tyrese and a handful of other celebrities like Gerard Way and Nick Simmons, may be exceptions to the rule, for the morst part comics by Hollywood types seem to be vanity projects driven by a desire to get producers to option the work. If Hollywood started optioning candy wrappers, I'm sure we'd see a bunch of "Jennifer Love Hewitt's Chew-Its" or "Milo Ventimiglia Nutty Bars" on the shelves.
I see your point. I do understand the short term of the success, but I think this is also where the Big Boys need to pick up the ball... The sustaining reach is VERY important--- I also believe that's where WE should come in, since we ARE the long haul.
I appreciate your viewpoint, because w/o it, it truly would be a world of hurt! (LoL) Thanks Jay!
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