May Retailer Resources-Retailer Posters

Retailer Posters are provided to promote each month's featured Top Cow issue and include three various formats for retailers to supply custom information ranging from the retailer's name, location, release date of the month's featured issue, as well as any other relevant information retailers deem necessary.

Select from the links below. When directed to the file location, right-click and save the image. Files are built to print at standard litho format, 11" x 17".

From Retailer Resources

From Retailer Resources

From Retailer Resources

May Retailers

Samurai Comics
10720 W Indian School Rd Ste #61
Phoenix, AZ 85037
623-872-8886
www.samuraicomics.com

A-1 Comics
818 Sunrise Ave
Roseville, CA 95661
916-783-8005
www.a-1comics.com

Beach Ball Comics
3024 W Ball Rd Ste G
Anaheim, CA 92804
714-826-6127
www.beachballcomics.net

Castle Comics & Games
4100 Cameron Park Dr Ste #111
Cameron Park, CA 95682
530-676-2468
www.castlecomics.net

Metropolis Toys and Games
4039-106 St
Edmonton, AB Canada T6J 2S3
780-490-5236
www.happyharborcomics.com

Dragon’s Tale
1525 Atlantic Blvd
Neptune Beach, FL 32266
904-246-0163


Galactic Quest
4264 Sudderth Rd
Buford, GA 30518
770-614-4804
www.galacticquest.com

Hometown Comics
110 E Vandalia St
Edwardsville, IL 62025
618-655-0707
www.myspace.com/hometowncomics

Reader Copies
2135 N Scatterfield Rd
Anderson, IN 46012
765-649-5767
www.readercopies.com

Comic Book World, Inc.
6905 Shepherdsville Rd
Louisville, KY 40219
502-964-5500
www.comicbookworld.com

Friendly Neighborhood Comics
191 Mechanic St
Bellingham, MA 02019
508-966-2275
www.friendlyneighborhoodcomics.com

Comics MD
15901 Indian Head Hwy
Accokeek, MD 20607
301-203-8500
www.comicsmd.com

Comic City
42727 Ford Rd
Canton, MI 48187
734-981-3561
www.comiccity.com

Mind’s Eye Comics
1565 Cliff Rd Ste #2
Eagan, MN 55122
651-683-0085
www.mindseyecomics.com

Newcastle Comics & Games
2294 McKelvey Rd
Maryland Heights, MO 63043
314-392-9322
www.myspace.com/newcastlecomics

Heroes and Dreams
5352 Hwy 25 Ste #1650
Flowood, MS 39232
601-992-3100
www.heroesanddreams.com

Comic Envy
1 Kenilworth Knolls Unit #4
Asheville, NC 28805
828-252-7600
www.comicenvy.com

Little Shop of Comics
393 Park Ave
Scotch Plains, NJ 07076
908-322-9402
www.littleshopofcomics.com

The Comic Depot, LLC
2538 Route 9N
Greenfield Center, NY 12833
518-893-2900
www.comicdepotllc.com

New Dimension Comics
101 Clear View Circle
Butler, PA 16001
724-282-5283
www.ndcomics.com

Planet Comics
2704 N Main St
Anderson, SC 29621
864-261-3578
www.planetcomics.net

Boomerang Comics
729 Hebron Pkwy Ste #190
Lewisville, TX 75057
972-315-5291
www.boomerangcomics.com

Lone Star Comics-Fort Worth
5429 S Hulen St
Fort Worth, TX 76132
817-346-7773
www.lonestarcomics.com

HeeBeeGeeBeez
1986 N Hillfield Rd Ste #2
Layton, UT 84041
801-779-4965
www.heebeegeebeez.com

Gary’s Comics & More
314 High St
Morgantown, WV 26505
304-296-3100

Retailer Resources-Banner Ads

Banner Ads are provided to promote each month's featured Top Cow issue, as well as the Let Us Win YOU Over program. Retailers are encouraged to advertise with these official banner ads on their own websites.

Select from the links below. When directed to the file location, right-click and save the image. Each banner ad is built to a 468 pixel x 60 pixel format.

From Retailer Resources

Retailer Resources-Handbills

Handbills are provided to promote each month's featured Top Cow issue and are supplied in two different formats. The first format allows for the handbill to be printed out as a single sheet, with crop marks to indicate trim and folding instructions. The second format provides the front and back art as separate files, each built at standard postcard size, 3.5" x 5".

Select from the links below. When directed to the file location, right-click and save the image. The second format requires that both front and back art files are downloaded.

From Retailer Resources

From Retailer Resources

From Retailer Resources

Retailer Resources-Shelftalkers

Shelftalkers are provided to promote each month's featured Top Cow issue and include two distinct pieces of art for retailers to display.

Select from the links below. When directed to the file location, right-click and save the image. Files are built to print at 28" x 38". Each individual shelftalker measures 27" x 18", with the customer facing side measuring 27" x 9".

From Retailer Resources

Retailer Resources-Signage

Signage is provided to promote each month's featured Top Cow issue and includes two formats for retailers to display in either a horizontal or vertical space. Each set of signage features two distinct pieces of art to promote each month's featured book.

Select from the links below. When directed to the file location, right-click and save the image. Files are built to print at standard litho format, 11" x 17".

From Retailer Resources

From Retailer Resources

Retailer Resources-Retailer Posters

Retailer Posters are provided to promote each month's featured Top Cow issue and include three various formats for retailers to supply custom information ranging from the retailer's name, location, release date of the month's featured issue, as well as any other relevant information retailers deem necessary.

Select from the links below. When directed to the file location, right-click and save the image. Files are built to print at standard litho format, 11" x 17".

From Retailer Resources

From Retailer Resources

From Retailer Resources

April Retailers

Collector’s Edition
3217 John F. Kennedy Blvd
North Little Rock, AR 72116
501-791-4222
www.thewildstars.com

Atomic Comics
4537 E Cactus Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85032
602-923-0733
www.atomiccomics.com

A-1 Comics
5361 Auburn Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95841
916-331-9203
www.a-1comics.com

Alakazam Comics
4237 Campus Drive Ste B162
Irvine, CA 92612
949-854-3744
www.alakazamcomics.com

Illusive Comics & Games
2725 El Camino Real Ste #105
Santa Clara, CA 95051
408-985-7481
www.illusivecomics.com

Njoy Comics & Games
8415 Reseda Blvd #4
Northridge, CA 91324
818-709-0599
www.njoy.us

Happy Harbor Comics
10326-81 Ave
Edmonton, AB Canada T6E 1X2
780-439-8277
www.happyharborcomics.com

Happy Harbor Comics
4920-50 St
Lloydminster, SK Canada S9V 0P5
306-825-6987
www.happyharborcomics.com

Redd Skull Comics & CDs
720A Edmonton Trail NE
Calgary, AB Canada T2E 3J4
403-230-2716
www.reddskull.com

Captain Blue Hen Comics
280 E Main St Ste 101
Newark, DE 19711
302-737-3434
www.captainbluehen.com

Twilight Gaming & Comics
3760 Green Mount Crossing Dr
Shiloh, IL 62269
618-622-0085
www.twilightcomics.com

BuyMeToys.com
6327 A University Commons
South Bend, IN 46635
574-271-8697
www.buymetoys.com

BSI Comics
3030 Severn Ave Ste 8
Metaire, LA 70002
504-885-5250
www.bsicomics.com

Hub Comics
19 Bow St
Somerville, MA 02143
617-721-0992
www.hubcomics.com

Modern Myths
34 Bridge St #4
Northampton, MA 01060
413-582-6973
www.modern-myths.com

Third Eye Comics
15 Old Solomons Island Rd Ste 102
Annapolis, MD 21401
410-897-0322
www.thirdeyecomics.com

Clem’s Collectibles
212 S Washington Square
Lansing, MI 48933
517-485-2369
www.clemscollectibles.com

Rook’s Comics & Games
2622 W Main St Ste C
Bozeman, MT 59718
406-556-2153
www.rookscomicsandgames.com

The Record Store
6299 Route 9 North
Howell, NJ 07731
732-905-9056
www.therecordstorenj.com

Midtown Comics (Grand Central)
46-30 21st St
Long Island City, NY 11101
1-800-411-3341
www.midtowncomics.com

Comics & Paperback Plus
40 E Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
717-733-0418
www.comicsandpaperbackplus.com

New Dimension Comics
20550 Route 19-Piazza Plaza
Cranberry Twp, PA 16066
724-776-0433
www.ndcomics.com

Dewayne’s World Comics & Games
459 E Sullivan St
Kingsport, TN 37660
423-247-8997
www.dewaynes-world.com

Lone Star Comics-Arlington
1215 South Cooper
Arlington, TX 76010
817-265-0491
www.lonestarcomics.com

Comic Evolution
1114 B River Road
Puyallup, WA 98371
253-770-6464
www.comic-evolution.com

CBR features March list of Let Us Win YOU Over

Top Cow Productions, Inc. revealed today the names of the participating retailers in their “Let Us Win YOU Over” initiative for March and the program would continue with another highly anticipated anniversary issue – Witchblade #125.

The “Let Us Win YOU Over” initiative is a yearlong campaign by Top Cow Productions to give out free copies of its regular comics to potential fans in the U.S. and Canada through participating comic book stores. Each month, a different set of stores, each month a different free comic. The stores vary by geography and demographics. Top Cow has partnered with ComicsPRO to bring this promotion to fans and all of February’s retailers are members of ComicsPRO.

Witchblade #125 is an over-sized 40-page comic, which launches the six part “War of the Witchblades” storyline. Since the events of First Born, Detective Sara Pezzini and dancer Danielle Baptiste have shared the mystical gauntlet, the Witchblade; but recently cracks have appeared in their relationship. The story is written by regular writer Ron Marz and ongoing artist Stjepan Sejic. The issue will be in comic shops on Wednesday, March 18th, 2009 and normally retails for $3.99.

“Let Us Win YOU Over is off to a great start,” said Filip Sablik, Publisher of Top Cow. “The reaction from retailers and fans at the copies of The Darkness #75 given away was very gratifying and we’re equally excited to give potential fans a taste of our flagship title, Witchblade.”

“"With a Witchblade movie in the works, and writer Ron Marz working on a long-term plan for the character, issue #125 is a great place to jump on to the series," said Matt Price, co-owner of Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman, OK. "And getting that first taste for free is even better! I applaud Top Cow for making this effort to draw in new readers to direct-market stores."

""Top Cow is to be commended for 'putting their money where their mouth is' with this promotion -- there's no better tool to create new readers than a free sample. I'm certain this will widely increase the number of eyes looking at Top Cow comics this year"," added Brian Hibbs, owner of Comix Experience in San Francisco, CA.

A list of the participating retailers during the month of March (listed alphabetically by state) is included below. Additional information can be found at the official online home of the “Let Us Win YOU Over” initiative – http://www.topcow.com/freecomics. Customers who currently purchase The Darkness at the stores below will be able to purchase an extremely limited “All Beef” Edition (limited to just the stores listed below) at the regular cover price. Fans are encouraged to contact the specific retailer they wish to visit for specific details.

March Retailer Resources-Banner Ads

Banner Ads are provided to promote each month's featured Top Cow issue, as well as the Let Us Win YOU Over program. Retailers are encouraged to advertise with these official banner ads on their own websites.

Select from the links below. When directed to the file location, right-click and save the image. Each banner ad is built to a 468 pixel x 60 pixel format.

From Retailer Resources

From Retailer Resources

From Retailer Resources

From Retailer Resources

From Retailer Resources

March Retailer Resources-Handbills

Handbills are provided to promote each month's featured Top Cow issue and are supplied in two different formats. The first format allows for the handbill to be printed out as a single sheet, with crop marks to indicate trim and folding instructions. The second format provides the front and back art as separate files, each built at standard postcard size, 3.5" x 5".

Select from the links below. When directed to the file location, right-click and save the image. The second format requires that both front and back art files are downloaded.

From Retailer Resources

From Retailer Resources

From Retailer Resources

March Retailer Resources-Shelftalkers

Shelftalkers are provided to promote each month's featured Top Cow issue and includes two distinct pieces of art for retailers to display.

Select from the links below. When directed to the file location, right-click and save the image. Files are built to print at 28" x 38". Each individual shelftalker measures 27" x 18", with the customer facing side measuring 27" x 9".

From Retailer Resources

March Retailer Resources-Signage

Signage is provided to promote each month's featured Top Cow issue and includes three formats for retailers to display in either a horizontal or vertical space. Each set of signage features two distinct pieces of art to promote each month's featured book.

Select from the links below. When directed to the file location, right-click and save the image. Files are built to print at standard litho format, 11" x 17".

From Retailer Resources

From Retailer Resources

From Retailer Resources

March Retailer Resources-Retailer Posters

Retailer Posters are provided to promote each month's featured Top Cow issue and include three various formats for retailers to supply custom information ranging from the retailer's name, location, release date of the month's featured issue, as well as any other relevant information retailers deem necessary.

Select from the links below. When directed to the file location, right-click and save the image. Files are built to print at standard litho format, 11" x 17".

From Retailer Resources

From Retailer Resources

From Retailer Resources

Comic Books Fight a New Arch Villain: The Economy

By Rick Bentley / The Fresno Bee

Superman and Spider-Man have not shown any signs of weakness - yet. But they are facing one of the biggest foes in their comic books histories: a bad economy.

"We are seeing a little bit of a backlash to the bad economy," says Dave Allread, owner of Heroes Comics. "We will know a little better in a few months whether a person who was buying eight to 10 comics each week drops down to five or six."

Roy Gallagher, owner of Visalia's Collectors Choice, has seen a small dip as sales are down about 4-5% from a year ago.

One reason for concern is the rising price of comic books. The average price of a comic book is $2.99. But Marvel Comics, the publishing company behind such costumed comic characters as Spider-Man, X-Men and Iron Man, will raise the price of six of its monthly titles to $3.99. That is an increase in the price of 33%.

No such price increases have been announced at DC Comics for its main line of comic books, such as those featuring Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman.

Top Cow Productions, the comic book company that produces such titles as Witchblade and The Darkness, has a plan it hopes will lure comic book readers to their titles.

"I think almost all comic publishers are looking at how we can bring new readers in" says Filip Sablik, publisher of Top Cow Productions Inc. during a telephone interview from the company's Los Angeles office. First, the company plans to give away thousands of comic books for free over the course of the year at participating retailers in the U.S. and Canada.

Each month, 25 stores in both countries will get 200 free comics. Comic book readers locally should be able to take advantage of the free offer in the next few months.

These free comics will not be special slimmed-down versions of their regular line. Sablik says consumers will be able to pick up free copies of the same editions of its comic books Witchblade and The Darkness that also will be sold to consumers.

Top Cow also plans to keep the price of its regular-size books at $2.99 in 2009.

"We looked around and saw a number of companies were raising prices and taking steps obviously to safeguard against a recession. We hope this will be an opportunity for readers to branch out and try new stuff," Sablik says.

Allread applauds the moves by Top Cow. But he remains skeptical about persuading comic buyers to leave longtime favorites such as Batman or the Fantastic Four that they have been buying for years just to buy a different title.

"We understand we are fighting against inertia. Comic readers tend to be creatures of habit. It is going to be hard to sell to a guy who has been collecting Spider-Man that maybe he would enjoy this [other comic] more. That's one of the main reasons for doing this. It is a calculated risk," Sablik says.

Other efforts to keep consumers happy are to get comic books out on schedule. Allread says it is frustrating for some readers to start a six-part series and after only two monthly editions, face a three- or four-month gap for the rest of the series.

And it is not just short series that get delayed. Main titles also fall behind.

Giving away comics, holding the price levels and better delivery schedules are necessary moves to help foster the next wave of comic book fans. Children younger than 8 are reading comics because their parents are buying the books. Parents will often bring their children into the store and introduce them to comic book reading.

Gallagher says most of his comic book shoppers are those who have been collecting for years. But he and other retailers see a big gap of buyers among the ages of 8-15 because they are playing video games or are using on their computers.

Artist Dave Gibbons has seen the comic book world change dramatically during his 35 years in the business. The British artist, who has worked as an illustrator on comic books from "Green Lantern" to "Captain America Lives Again," is best known for his work for the much-heralded "Watchmen" series.

During an interview to talk about the film version of the comic book series that is scheduled to come to theaters March 6, Gibbons talked about what he sees as the future for comic books.

"I saw the other day there were going to be $4 comics. That is a lot of money for a person who buys 10 titles a week," Gibbons says.

"What I think is going to happen is that comic readers will buy the first book in a series. Then, if they like it, they will wait until all of the books in the series are combined into a graphic novel."

Graphic novels generally are bound collections of an entire comic book series, such as "Watchmen." There were only 12 comics released in that series. Or they are collections of certain story lines or years of a publication. The idea behind graphic novels is that they are a way for readers to get caught up on a comic book if they missed any or all of the individual comics. They are often cheaper than the cost of buying each individual comic book in the series.

Gibbons is certain there will always be a place for graphic novels even if the traditional comic book format goes away.

He believes there is a real probability that a day will come when new comic books first will be released only in an online version. Then, a bound copy of the series would be released as a graphic novel.

"There will always be people who want to hold something when they read it," Gibbons says.

The question will be how many different comic book titles will consumers want to hold as prices rise and the economy slumps like Superman after a Kryptonite cocktail.

March Retailers

Fantasy Comics
2595 N 1st Ave
Tucson, AZ 85719
520-670-0100
www.fantasycomics2595.com

Samurai Comics
5024 N 7th St
Phoenix, AZ 85014
602-265-8886
www.samuraicomics.com

Collector’s Paradise
7131 Winnetka Ave
Winnetka, CA 91306
818-999-9455
www.comicsandcards.net

Comics Unlimited
16344 Beach Blvd
Westminster, CA 92683
714-841-6646
www.comicsunlimited.com

Comix Experience
305 Divisadero St
San Francisco, CA 94117
415-863-9258
www.comixexperience.com

Illusive Comics & Games
2725 El Camino Real Ste #105
Santa Clara, CA 95051
408-985-7481
www.illusivecomics.com

Another Dimension
424B 10 St NW
Calgary, AB Canada T2N 1V9
403-283-7078
www.another-dimension.com

Happy Harbor Comics
180 Manning Crossing
Edmonton, AB Canada T5A 1A5
780-478-8211
www.happyharborcomics.com

Quest Comic Shop
225 Lovvorn Rd
Carrollton, GA 30117
770-832-0172
www.questcomicshop.com

Heroic Adventures
2131 S Route 157
Edwardsvile, IL 62025
618-659-0099
www.heroic-adventures.com

Larry’s Comics
66 Lakeview Ave
Lowell, MA 01850
978-459-5323
www.larryscomics.net

Cosmic Comix & Toys
87 Mellor Ave
Cantonsville, MD 21228
410-747-3041
www.cosmiccomix.com

Source Comics & Games
1601 W Larpenteur Ave
Falcon Heights, MN 55113
651-645-0386
www.spurcecandg.com

Star Clipper
6392 Delmar Blvd
St Louis, MO 63130
314-725-9110
www.starclipper.com

Splash Page
2545 Central Ave Ste C
Billings, MT 59102
406-652-9444
www.splashpagemontana.com

Double Midnight Comics
245 Maple St Ste #11
Manchester, NH 03103
603-669-9636
www.dmcomics.com

Fallout Shelter Comics
27 Bayard St
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
732-354-4520
www.falloutshelter.com

Carol & John’s Comic Shop
17448 Lorain Ave
Cleveland, OH 44111
216-252-0606
www.cnjcomics.com

Speeding Bullet Comics
614 N Porter Ave
Norman, OK 73071
405-360-6866
www.speedingbulletcomics.com

Cosmic Monkey Comics
5335 NE Sandy Blvd
Portland, OR 97213
503-517-9050
www.cosmicmonkeycomics.com

Brave New Worlds
212 north Easton Rd
Willow Grove, PA 19090
215-657-8838
www.bravenewworldscomics.com

New Dimension Comics
113 E McMurray Rd
McMurray, PA 15317
724-941-5445
www.ndcomics.com

Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy
7959 Fredericksburg Rd Ste #129
San Antonio, TX 78229
210-615-1229
www.dlair.net

Phoenix Comics
22854 Bryant Ct Ste #112
Sterling, VA 20166
703-437-9530
www.laughingogrecomics.com

Zanadu Comics
1307 NE 45th St
Seattle, WA 98105
206-632-0989
www.zanaducomics.com

Pop Culture Zoo reacts to "Let Us Win YOU Over" Announcement

Hot on the heels of their vow to keep their regular comics at $2.99 for all of 2009, Top Cow Productions announced today their intention to lure you to their comics by giving them to you for free. I’m already deciding which titles on my pull list I’m going to be dropping in favor of adding some Top Cow titles (hint: can you spot the ones that are going up from $2.99 to $3.99 on the various March solicitations?) and this might get me to change even more. Free comics aren’t just for Free Comic Book Day anymore.

Newsarama reacts to "Let Us Win YOU Over" promotion

Top Cow Productions, Inc. announced today it will launch the Let Us Win YOU Over initiative in February 2009 that will see the publisher distribute thousands of free comics a month to new readers through participating retailers across the United States and Canada.

Over the course of the yearlong promotion, Top Cow will send 200 free comics each to 25 comic book stores per month (a total of 5,000 free comics per month). Each month, a different set of stores, each month a different free comic. The stores will be spread out geographically and demographically.

Combined with the books it plans to give away during Free Comic Book Day on May 2, 2009 and the many books Top Cow gives away at various conventions across the country, the publisher stands to give away up to 200,000 free comics during the year.

Top Cow’s goal with the Let Us Win YOU Over initiative is threefold: to invite new readers to give Top Cow comics a try and win them over to their line of titles; to generate buzz and excitement for fans and the retailers they support; and to pump some much-needed energy into an industry not immune to the current economic crisis.

“We feel strongly that Top Cow titles are the best they’ve ever been and it’s important for to invite readers and retailers to discover why,” explained Top Cow Publisher Filip Sablik. “While our competitors are straining the wallet of the average fan, Top Cow is making it easy to try new comics.”

So as to not slight existing readers who are already buying Top Cow titles, the publisher will also ship each participating store exclusive Customer Appreciation covers for each subscriber of that month’s free comic. It will be limited exclusively to the subscriber fans at the participating stores for that month.

Top Cow initially opened the Let Us Win YOU Over program to members of the comics retailer group, ComicsPRO, because of the organization’s commitment to banding together to ensure a strong and healthy retailer community.

“ComicsPRO retailers are eager to support this innovative promotion, with the hope of proving that new ideas can lead to new readers for quality titles,” said ComicsPRO President Joe Field. “Our mutual goals with this program are to expose thousands of new eyes to Top Cow's singular brand of comics and to lead more readers to enjoying Top Cow comics and buying them from ComicsPRO member stores.”

“Our stores always looks for great ways to promote comics and connect readers to new stories they might not have given a second thought to before in the past,” said Michael Malve, owner of Arizona-based chain Atomic Comics and a member of ComicsPRO. “So when we heard of this very progressive marketing idea that Top Cow was coming up with, well, let’s just say we were one of the first to dive in.”

“We at Atomic Comics have worked hand in hand with many publishers over our 22 years in the business,” Malve added. “And in that time, Top Cow has been one of the easiest to work with. They have always made themselves available to retailers and listened to our concerns, as most recently noted in their $2.99 in 2009 announcement. I really look forward to this promotion and I hope other retailers embrace and take full advantage of a great opportunity that Top Cow is offering us with their Let us Win YOU Over campaign.”

Retailers who are not members of ComicsPRO and are interested in participating will be able to sign up through their Diamond Comics Distributors customer service representative in the next several weeks.

Top Cow Reveals February Participating Stores for "Let Us Win YOU Over"

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Top Cow Productions, Inc. announced today that their “Let Us Win YOU Over” initiative would begin in February and the inaugural title in the program would be the highly anticipated anniversary issue – The Darkness #75.

The “Let Us Win YOU Over” initiative is a yearlong campaign by Top Cow Productions to give out free copies of its regular comics to potential fans in the U.S. and Canada through participating comic book stores. Each month, a different set of stores, each month a different free comic. The stores vary by geography and demographics. Top Cow has partnered with ComicsPRO to bring this promotion to fans and all of the retailers are members of ComicsPRO.

The publisher decided to launch the program with a special celebratory anniversary issue of one of their flagship titles, The Darkness #75. The issue, which is an over-sized 48-page comic, commemorates the 75th overall issue of the series regardless of volume. The list of artists includes: Michael Broussard (current series artist), Jorge Lucas (Pilot Season: Ripclaw), Dale Keown (Pitt), Joe Benitez (Justice League of America), Ryan Sook (Superman/Batman), Steve Firchow (Ultimatum), Frazer Irving (Silent War), Lee Carter (2000 AD), Stjepan Sejic (Witchblade) and Matt Timson (Impaler). The story, which will examine what a possible future would be like for current Darkness bearer Jackie Estacado, will be penned by current series writer Phil Hester. The issue will be in comic shops on Wednesday, February 11th, 2008 and normally retails for $4.99.

“This initiative our most ambitious attempt yet to recruit new readers,” explained Filip Sablik, Publisher of Top Cow. “We wanted to kick it off in a big way and what better way than one of our biggest books of the year, both literally and figuratively. This is a great jumping on point for new fans as it is a standalone story, featuring the best art we have to offer, and an awesome value.”

A list of the participating retailers during the month of February (listed alphabetically by state) is included below (list omitted). Additional information can be found at the official online home of the “Let Us Win YOU Over” initiative – www.topcow.com/freecomics. Customers who currently purchase The Darkness at the stores below will be able to purchase an extremely limited “All Beef” Edition (limited to just the stores listed below) at the regular cover price. Fans are encouraged to contact the specific retailer they wish to visit for specific details.

Atomic Comics participates in "Let Us Win YOU Over" with Darkness #75

Atomic Comics will be giving away 200 copies of Darkness issue #75 on Wednesday at its Mesa store, 1120 S. Country Club Drive, No. 105.

The violent, mystical mob thriller — think The Godfather meets Supernatural — is an oversized 48-page comic that would ordinarily retail for $4.99. It features artists who have worked on characters like Superman, Batman and the Hulk and explores a dark future world with an ancient, unholy power named The Darkness.

Top Cow’s Productions publisher Filip Sablik said he hopes the promotion will build excitement and help potential comic-book readers find entertainment despite a tough economy.

More than 200,000 comics will be given away nationwide this year by Top Cow Productions, which also publishes Witchblade and Wanted.

“We feel strongly that Top Cow titles are the best they’ve ever been and it’s important for to invite readers and retailers to discover why,” said Sablik. “While our competitors are straining the wallet of the average fan, Top Cow is making it easy to try new comics.”

“Retailers are eager to support this innovative promotion, with the hope of proving that new ideas can lead to new readers for quality titles,” said Joe Field, president of the comics retailer group ComicsPRO. “Our mutual goals with this program are to expose thousands of new eyes to Top Cow’s singular brand of comics and to lead more readers to enjoying Top Cow comics and buying them from ComicsPRO member stores.”

Atomic Comics head honcho Mike Malve said the Mesa store will be open on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. To get the free comic, he said, you will need to be there to pick up a copy — you cannot call and reserve one or order it from the Atomic online store.