I’ve been receiving consistent complaints from readers and would-be readers of “Fallen Angel,” the award-winning (well, my mom likes it) series from IDW. They’re telling me that their local comic shops aren’t providing it. I don’t mean that the shops simply aren’t ordering shelf copies (although sadly enough that’s often the case.) I mean that fans are actually ordering the book in advance, putting it on their pull lists, and the stores STILL aren’t getting it in.
Invariably the stores blame Diamond Comics Distribution. But my admittedly informal surveying of a fairly reliable base of retailers indicates that they actually have no trouble obtaining copies of “Fallen Angel.” They receive the book when they order it, and reorders are readily available. No one disputes that the occasional shipping mishap can and will occur, but thus far the evidence would seem to indicate that any retailer who routinely is “unable” to obtain “Fallen Angel,” well…let’s just say such claims seem a mite dubious at this point.
Several retailers suggested that I make available a list of those who have no trouble obtaining and providing “Fallen Angel” to willing customers. Between the upcoming second IDW trade collection, the impending release by DC of the long-awaited next collection of the DC “Fallen Angel” run, and IDW’s announced hardcover deluxe collection of the first 13 issues for later in 2007, I’m optimistic that the customer base will only grow.
So I am indeed going to make a list of “Friends of the Angel” public, both on this website and in the pages of “Fallen Angel” itself (so that anyone who had serious trouble finding that particular issue can learn of an easier way to obtain future issues.)
Any retailer who is willing to, or is already, consistently providing “Fallen Angel” to any and all customers can be included on the list by simply sending an e-mail to me at PADGUY@AOL.COM and put “Friends of the Angel” in the subject header. (He should also make clear if he is set up for mail order service.) This way if a customer in Shelbyville is told by his local retailer that, gee, that “Fallen Angel” book is just impossible to get, he’ll find there’s a store over in Springfield with a retailer who will be happy to provide him a copy of the latest issue while declaring, “Best…comic…ever.”
PAD
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When I had trouble getting copies of certain titles or special Orders I turned to Discount Comic Book Servie. http://www.dcbservice.com. They have great deals, online ordering and tracking and that is where I alway order my copies of Fallen Angle and I have never missed an issue
I’ve ordered through Mailordercomics for the past few years and always purchase this title direct through them. Love the series!
One of the things that we at G-Mart have always prided ourselves on is providing the best customer service possible, and one of the ways we do that is by absolutely guaranteeing advance orders. If you advance order new comics from us, and the book is published, we WILL get it to you. Period.
Sure, sometimes there’s a problem with Diamond or UPS resulting in a lost or damaged shipment, and Diamond isn’t able to provide us with replacements. We understand; no system is perfect and mistakes will happen. But what, I think, sets us apart is at that point many shops would throw up their hands and say, “Sorry, nothing we can do.” In our opinion, that’s making it the customer’s problem to deal with – which is not, I would say, great customer service.
Instead, we simply start buying the copies we need for our customers from other sources – often, other comic shops. Granted, since advance orders through G-Mart are discounted by about 1/3, and we usually have to pay cover price (at least) in these instances, that means we’re absolutely losing money on those sales. But we feel it’s worth it in order to provide our customers with the security that they WILL receive their comics from us, no matter what.
We are mail-order, so please feel free to check out our website at http://www.g-mart.com. And if anyone has any questions about this or anything else, please feel free to drop me a line at duck@g-mart.com – I’ll be happy to do what I can to answer them.
Don Alsafi
G-Mart
1I agree this is Petter’s best comic book work. It goes up there with Gaiman’s Sandman work.
1I’m a manager at one of the Bedrock City Comics in Houston, TX. Not only do we order the book for our subscribers, I also stock it for the shelves. Anyone in the Houston Area can ALWAYS find PAD books at our locations.
I have absolutely no problem getting Fallen Angel at the New England Comics in Coolidge Corner, Brookline, Massachusetts. Gwen always makes sure it’s there. 🙂
My store (Legion in Birmingham Alabama) always has Fallen Angel and has never had trouble with the book – BUT…
My friend writes a book called the Middle Man, and I had trouble with EVERY single issue. They did finally come in, but they were very late and my store said they ordered from Diamond, they just weren’t sending them. Meanwhile, several of my online friends got it the day of release.
Weird…
My store in central Illinois always orders Fallen Angel (there’s always shelf copies), but Diamond seems to have a problem getting IDW books to the store. It seems like every IDW book for the past 4 or 5 months has arrived at my store 2-3 weeks after the “diamond shipping this week list” says it should be.
Being a comic shop near Springfield (OH), it’s definitely available here at Dark Star Books & Comics. I always manage to give it a little push when folks are looking for something good to read. Thus far, no one has been disappointed.
And not to beat a dead horse, but New England Comics in Quincy Massachusetts also stocks FA on the shelves, including the variant covers.
I know Atlas Comics ( http://www.acomics.com ) in the Chicago area (Norridge to be exact) always stocks it. Never a problem in getting a copy.
Nice work peter. I love seeing someone take care of there work through every stage of getting it to us.
How impending is that IDW trade #2? A week? A day? Two months? What?! For the love of God, tell me!
PAD:
Availability is one thing. How has IDW’s shipping been?
The reason I’m asking is that with circumstances the way they are on my end, I only get to Wonderland Comics here in Connecticut once a month. Thankfully they’re good about holding things for subscribers.
In any event, the following has been Fallen Angel’s appearances there:
MARCH: 1,
APRIL: nothing,
MAY: 2 and 3,
JUNE: 4,
JULY: 5,
AUGUST: 7,
SEPTEMBER: 6 (they said they ran out and had to re-order) and 8,
OCTOBER: nothing,
NOVEMBER: 9 and 10.
I’m a week late getting there this go around because I also have to work around my nephew’s schedule since I’m without a car of my own, but you get the idea.
Hope the above data helps.
Never had a problem getting Fallen Angel.
Its on my “pull list” at Chameleon Comics in NYC.
Regards:
Warren S. Jones III
Set out runnin’ but I take my time,
A friend of the Angel is a friend of mine.
Atlantis Fantasyworld in Santa Cruz consistently gets Fallen Angel to me.
I’ve never had any problems with ordering Fallen Angel or any other IDW comics…getting the money
to buy them is my problem.
Time Warp Comics in Boulder CO, carries it with no problem. Heck, they even had the Sachs & Violens TPB this past week…they’re out of it now, though, as I bought the last copy on the shelf:)
I tried to come up with a tongue-in-cheek way of determining who is behind the EotA, just for nostalgia purposes. 🙂 But then I figured, hey, an Enemy of the Angel would be a Hellspawn… and nobody wants to visit Switzerland again.
I’ve always had good luck at B*Bop Comics in Kansas City (both locations).
I’ve never had a problem ordering FALLEN ANGEL from Comic Cellar in Memphis, TN.
I don`t know if you are also interested in information about sources from abroad, but here are mine: In order to be safe, I get it from two different ones.
The first one is The Sheffield Space Centre in Sheffield, England. The second one is Fred Schimpf, The Comic Company in Floersheim-Dalsheim, Germany.
I can recommend both and both of them, so far, never missed a Fallen Angel issue.
My store, Comics & More in Toronto, never has a problem getting Fallen Angel…nor any of the IDW series…
I never have a problem getting Fallen Angel through my LCS, Gateway Comics, Etc, in Wareham Ma. http://www.gatewaycomicsetc.com
The owner Eric is a great guy and always orders whatever you are looking for.
Plus he knows if PAD writes it, I want it.
Hey PAD,
I don’t know how this helps.
I’m getting the current IDW run of Fallen Angel, the only difficulty, that they tend to arrive late (really late), and tend to arrive all bundled together with late issues, which makes it economically hard for me, especially because IDW books are mostly a dolar more expensive than most DC and Marvel titles. It may not mean as much in the US, but for someone who’s importing them to Brazil, it’s quite harder, as it make the whole package way more expensive.
The last issue I read was Fallen Angel #5, which arrived a few months ago. My comic shop just told me that #6~#10, finally arrived all at once last week.
But mostly it may not be something specific to Fallen Angel, but mostly for IDW titles. This lateness and budleling up tend also happens with the Angel / Spike titles.
Hey PAD,
I don’t know how this helps.
I’m getting the current IDW run of Fallen Angel, the only difficulty, that they tend to arrive late (really late), and tend to arrive all bundled together with late issues, which makes it economically hard for me, especially because IDW books are mostly a dolar more expensive than most DC and Marvel titles. It may not mean as much in the US, but for someone who’s importing them to Brazil, it’s quite harder, as it make the whole package way more expensive.
The last issue I read was Fallen Angel #5, which arrived a few months ago. My comic shop just told me that #6~#10, finally arrived all at once last week.
But mostly it may not be something specific to Fallen Angel, but mostly for IDW titles. This lateness and budleling up tend also happens with the Angel / Spike titles.
Hey PAD,
I don’t know how this helps.
I’m getting the current IDW run of Fallen Angel, the only difficulty, that they tend to arrive late (really late), and tend to arrive all bundled together with late issues, which makes it economically hard for me, especially because IDW books are mostly a dolar more expensive than most DC and Marvel titles. It may not mean as much in the US, but for someone who’s importing them to Brazil, it’s quite harder, as it make the whole package way more expensive.
The last issue I read was Fallen Angel #5, which arrived a few months ago. My comic shop just told me that #6~#10, finally arrived all at once last week.
But mostly it may not be something specific to Fallen Angel, but mostly for IDW titles. This lateness and budleling up tend also happens with the Angel / Spike titles.
Went to the Westfield Comics in Madison, WI Tuesday, December 19th. Looked all over for Fallen Angel. Finally asked about about it. The counter guy gave me a snotty look and said the issue wasn’t coming out until the 20th. I said I read online that it came out last week. He said it must be late then from the publisher…
The good news was that they do carry it as he was so snotty about my even asking “if” they did order it. But alas they didn’t have it yet…
The 3rd time was most helpful. 😉
It sounds like your retailer is doing something very wrong…. possinbly not ordering the issue until he does it on reorders. Would that save him money or make it easier to meet any numbers requirement set up up Diamond/IDW maybe?
Always ordering my comics from Comicasa in the Netherlands, and they never had a problem with getting new issues of Fallen Angel.
Dreamstrands Comics
85th and Greenwood Ave.
Seattle, WA
Always has is and loves to talk about it.
Fat Jack’s in Philly has been stocking it consistently.
I don’t have a local comic shop as the closest one is an hour and a half drive away, so I order my comics through New England Comics’ FFAST mail order service. I’ve been getting my comics from them for over fifteen years and been very happy with the service. I’ve received every copy of Fallen Angel (DC and IDW) I’ve ordered from them without any problems. Their website is: http://www.newenglandcomics.com/
I’ve never had a problem getting Fallen Angel at Comickaze in San Diego or seeing it at Legacy Comics in Glendale, CA. (Bi-city guy)
Comickaze has had the individual issues on stock as well as the trades as I picked up a DC trade and an IDW trade for Christmas gifts to friends.
Until later
John
I’ve never had any problem getting “Fallen Angel” at Comics On The Green in Scranton,PA. The book doesn’t sell a lot there but at least it’s available for those who want it.
Thanks,
Jerome
I buy Fallen Angel at Comicopia in Kenmore Square in Boston. Matt’s always got it in stock right on schedule, from what I can tell.
Comics, ‘Toons and Toys in Tustin, CA, always has it. Heck, they always have EVERYTHING, and they never seem to sell out of anything (and if they do, they immediately order more).
Here in Portland, Oregon:
The wonderful Excalibur Comics, 2444 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland (my store of choice) and Cosmic Monkey, 10227 NE Clackamas St., Portland both order AND stock Fallen Angel, as well as most other IDW titles.
Hi, Just wanted to make a response on the comment posted by Oxhead77 at December 20, 2006 04:40 AM. I’m the manager of Westfield Comics in Madison, WI.and the posting was brought to my attention recently. From the address listed we obviously can’t tell who the customer is but would like them to know that we do always carry Fallen Angel and, for that matter, anything by Mr. David. After Fallen Angel left DC and went to IDW we did notice a drop off in sales but recently have noticed a gradual increase in our numbers. This is good. We have no problem getting IDW product but there are occasionally times where our Diamond warehouse (Plattsburg)gets product a week after its listed on the Diamond shipping list. It doesn’t happen often but we have no control over it when it does happen. We currently have all Fallen Angels in stock and have no trouble getting reorders on recent issues if we sell out. If the customer who posted the comment feels comfortable talking to us we would like to make it up to them in some way. I’m hoping that the “snotty attitude” described by the poster was just a misunderstanding over our employee’s sense of humor. If it was a newer employee who had limited knowledge of the product at the time, and possibly, a limited knowledge of store etiquette, we apologize and would like a second chance to impress them!
-Bob Moreau, manager of Westfield Comics; Madison, WI.