From 1982: Marvel announces that three of its - ahem - lesser selling books (THE MICRONAUTS, KA-ZAR and MOON KNIGHT) were coming off the news stands... but continuing via the new-fangled Direct Sales system... better known as... your local comic book store.
This was a big move at the time... traditional retailers had always been the conduit for reaching would-be readers and, despite the inherent problems (crappy distribution, massive quantities of unsolds, dodgy business practices), was still the dominant outlet. Comic Book stores were a relatively new phenomenon which would reach a smaller... but more committed readership.
Compare that to today... when I was in Washington DC, I found only one bookstore that carried any US comics. None of the myriad of convenience stores (all owned by one chain which appeared to have stitched-up the city centre) stocked any at all. And I didn't see a single news stand or independent grocery store stocking them. I realized quite how blessed we still are in the UK with WH SMITH (despite their poor customer service and ever-shrinking magazine sections) and independent newsagents still carrying a good range of magazines and comics. I really hope we don't go the way of the USA.
This page appeared in THE MICRONAUTS issue 39, cover-dated March 1982.
