Jef Thompson let go from Big Planet Comics Bethesda (revised)

I'm updating this as some of the material I tried to quote from Facebook didn't appear, nor did other material that I had in the draft version. My apologies to my readers.

Jef Thompson has reported on Facebook that he's been let go from Big Planet Comics Bethesda, after working there for sixteen years. The decision is purely a financial one according to the store's owners. Jef was the most recognizable employee behind the counter since former employee Peter Casazza purchased Liberty Comics & Books (nee Closet of Comics) and turned it into Big Planet Comics College Park. Joel Pollack, founder and co-owner of the store with Greg Bennett, said on Jef's Facebook page, "I assure you, it was a sad day for me. A simple"thank you" cannot express my gratitude for all you did for Big Planet and for me personally. This wasn't an easy decision." The store will be solely staffed by the two owners for the near future.

Both Joel and Greg have assured me that Big Planet Bethesda is financially healthy, and making a profit, but noted they're both taking a salary from it. Joel also needs to plan for the future as he approaches retirement age -- which is hard for me to believe, but when I think about it, I've been going to his store for over 25 years now.

Jef works as a professional illustrator and his website is http://www.jefthompson.com/ - you can also buy his original artwork online from him on Etsy. He noted that the job "gave me a cushion cash wise to earn money as an artist." I've got some of his art decorating my office and home, and will be buying more now, I'm sure.

All three people in this posting are friends of mine, but I feel this was worth noting both because Jef's been a regular presence at the store for so long on comic book day (aka Wednesday) and will be missed. The long-term viability of comic book stores is regularly debated, but Newsrama reported today that some stores are reporting that sales are up. Assumptions are dangerous, but the federal government's sequestration and the following shut-down affected salaries in the area, and may very well have affected sales at the store; I know that I cut back on my personal spending in the summer and fall due to those events.

In any event, my best wishes go to everyone involved.

-- Mike Rhode

Big Monkey Comics breaks street date for comics this week

I got a tip that Big Monkey Comics had a note on their website today that read:

NEW COMICS ARE IN!
In our last post, we told you we weren't expecting our books until Friday 01/02/09. BUT IN FACT, we did get them today, through the blessings of the postal gods. So new comics will be available for you ON WEDNESDAY 12/31/08!.

This is a big no-no in the comics retailing world since it would let retailers steal customers based on how soon they were able to get their comics from Diamond (which is a monopoly so there's no one else to get new comics from), and I'm sure they got called on the carpet for it as the notice later disappeared.

Am I the only one who actually misses comics arriving on Friday? I much preferred that - you could pick them up after work or school and read them as late as you liked.