Kids Comics

Leftcoastlove Comics est. 2007
Excerpt from an email to my brother, Chuck Satterlee, and my sister Erin:

...Ok here's the idea,

I want to publish ash can comic books from creator kids. Luke and Justin got me thinking about this but my recent conversation with James Sime of Isotope Comics sealed the deal. He racks and sells comic books created by kids. They go for like a quarter and they are actually way cool. I think it's a great way to get kids excited about comics and it wouldn't cost much to reproduce the books. James will sell them at Isotope and we give the money back to the kids. Yup I'm willing to eat the cost of publishing them if I can get your kids to create and send me their books. I am sending you via snail mail some examples of the kid created books already on the shelves here in SF. I also think we could get a few other stores to take these risk free books. Who knows perhaps the kids will end up in USA Today.

Leftcoastlove.com
Stories and pictures
from a transplanted New Yorker.

I am not asking for any money and I am not keeping any rights, I'm doing it for the kids and fun of it. It's my way of giving back to the hobby that has given me so much. So ask them if they are interested and if so let's see who can get me the first full book.

http://iwantmycomicsnow.com/2007/12/08/the-future-of-comics/ This started it

http://www.isotopecomics.com/2007/09/comic-creators-to-watch-out-for.html This convinced me

The first book took shape overnight. Scanning and playing with layout took way longer than I would have thought but I didn't care I wanted this book finished the next day. Keep the momentum going and maybe, just maybe, the idea will stick. I've mastered double sided printing at home and I also managed to create some respectable master sheets that would fold and fit correctly into a small comic. Kinko's made printing easy and a quick stop at Staples to pick up a extended length stapler gave me the final tools to put the book together.

I also printed some small posters and picked up a display and basket for the books. I knew that any shop that might sell these would need some tools. I folded and stapled then assembled the point of sale materials and headed down to Isotope Comic Lounge in San Francisco. James Sime agreed to add the book to his inventory and reluctantly took the display. Lesson 1: Not all stores will want display materials. James loved the idea but didn't want to open the door to excessive marketing materials cluttering his fine store and lounge. He did agree to use the display for one week then the book would have to stand on its own on the racks. Serious stuff for books by kids for kids. The initial reaction was great! I picked Wednesday to sneak this into Isotope, in case you didn't know Wednesday is new comic day so the store would have a steady stream of customers ready to spend.

Superhero #1 right on the rack!

James Sime hawking Superhero #1

Point of sale marketing materials.

Nice Job Justin!!!!!

� 2008 Leftcoastlove.com San Francisco, CA