The Big Picture

  
  Here are a selection of Joe's columns from Comics & Games Retailer magazine, along with his bio and another thing or two...

  

  Joe Field is the owner/operator of Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff in Concord, California. [www.FlyingColorsComics.com]

He is also a columnist and industry analyst for Krause Publications' Comics & Games Retailer magazine. He is currently Interim President of the Comics Professional Retail Organization [ComicsPRO.org], a retailer trade group. Field has also served as a director for the Direct Line Group, the Northern California Comic Dealers' Association, Bay Area Comic Retailers and Comic Book Retailers' International trade associations.

Field is the founder of Free Comic Book Day, the comic industry's first ever coordinated promotion to reach out to new and former comic book readers. In its first three years, FCBD has generated more than 1.5 million store visitors to direct market comic shops. The event happens in 2000 comic book stores in the United States and nearly 20 other countries. [www.FreeComicBookDay.com]

Field was awarded the 2003 Friends of Lulu "Lulu of the Year" award for his work in instigating Free Comic Book Day. Friends of Lulu is an organization with the main purpose of promoting and encouraging female readership and participation in the comic book industry.

Field is a proud recipient of the Will Eisner "Spirit of Comics" International Retailer of the Year Award. The award recognizes retailers for support of a wide variety of comics' material, for ethical business standards and for innovation in the field of comics' specialty retailing.

Field graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in Broadcasting/Marketing and was formerly the Marketing Director for KJOY-AM/KJAX-FM in Stockton, California.

In that role, he spear-headed a mid '80s drive to get Marvel Comics to recognize Stockton as "the Official Birthplace of Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four." The successful effort led to Joe doing some free-lance public relations work for Marvel Comics' publisher Stan Lee, which in turn led to Field working with, then becoming co-owner of WonderCon, Northern California's largest comic book convention. WonderCon was sold by Joe Field and his WonderCon business partner Mike Friedrich in April of 2001.

Field lives with his wife Libby in Concord, California. They have three young adult daughters.

As always, please send your comments to joe@flyingcolorscomics.com.

Watching The Tide - Interpreting an Immutable Law (This column originally ran in the June 2005 issue of Comics & Games Retailer.)
The Spirit Lives On (This column originally ran in the January 2005 issue of Comics & Games Retailer.)
The Big Kahuna - Remembering Golden Apple's Bill Liebowitz (Originally presented in Joe's "Big Picture" column in Comics & Games Retailer magazine, November 2004.)
A Golden Model and Tips for Analyzing New Merchandise Originally presented in Joe's "Big Picture" column for Comics & Games Retailer magazine, June 2004.)
Mixing It Up - Evaluating Product Mix Options (Originally presented in Joe's "Big Picture" column in Comics & Games Retailer magazine, March 2004.)
The New Competition, Revisited (This column originally ran in the January 2004 issue of Comics & Games Retailer.)
Price of the Past - Are comic book retailers more complacent as ever? (Originally presented in Joe's "Big Picture" column for Comics & Games Retailer magazine, September 2003.)
A Chain of One (Originally presented in Joe's "Big Picture" column in Comics & Games Retailer magazine, February 2003.)
Listen and Learn - The Intangible Art of Retailing (Originally presented in Joe's "Big Picture" column in Comics & Games Retailer magazine, June 2003.)
A Tale of Two Hang-Outs (This column was originally published in the October 2002 issue of Comics & Games Retailer magazine, published by Krause Publications.)
The Kid Connection - Important audience segment to often lost (This originally ran in Joe's "Big Picture" column in Comics & Games Retailer magazine in June 2002.)
Sunny Day Forecasting - Making Hay with the Rise of a New Market (This column was originally published in Comics Retailer #123, April 2002.)
Lessons Learned - Long-time retailers share the hard knocks of experience (This column was published in its original form in Comics & Games Retailer #120, February 2002. It has been altered slightly for the purposes of this use.)
The Power of Free - Every Good Idea is Worth Stealing...er...Adapting (This originally ran in Joe's "Big Picture" column in Comics & Games Retailer magazine in May 2001.)
Retailer: Son of Hero - The lessons learned from dad resonate in the comics' world (This column was originally published in Comics Retailer #77, July 1998.)
Introduction Speech for Stan Lee at the "Sparky" Awards (This speech was given at the annual "Sparky Awards event, May 13, 2001.)
     
     
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