MU going under???
Jeff Wood
In article <bevnsagE...@netcom.com>,
Bev Clark/Steve Gallacci <bev...@netcom.com> wrote:
>In article <5lqppb$bi6$1...@news2.digex.net>,
>Dale Farmer <da...@access2.digex.net> wrote:
>>Just read over in R.A.C "AN OPEN LETTER FROM MATT HOWARTH" where he
>>said that MU & AEON were going to fold in December 97. Any truth to
>>this???
>I'm suprised they have not made a formal announcement here. I got an
>official
>letter form them a bit ago. Yes, they are closing it all up, but still
>have a full list of releases up until then.
SAVE RHUDIPRRRT! <mew>
Cinnibar
D. A. Graf
Dale Farmer <da...@access2.digex.net> wrote:
: Just read over in R.A.C "AN OPEN LETTER FROM MATT HOWARTH" where he
: said that MU & AEON were going to fold in December 97. Any truth to
: this???
Dean received a formal form letter from MU Press/Aeon about the shutting
down at the end of 97. This was about 2 weeks ago or so.
So yes, its official.
--Tygger
--
******************************************************************************
gr...@primenet.com *** _Fantasy_ Artist/Cartoonist ***
http://www.av.qnet.com/~canuss/tygger http://www.furnation.com/tygger
******************************************************************************
"And I ain't in it for the power
And I ain't in it for my health
I ain't in it for the glory of anything at all
And I sure ain't in it for the wealth
but I'm in it till it's over and I just can't stop
If you wanna get it done
You got to fight for yourself..."
--Meat Loaf, Everything Louder Than Everything Else, Bat Out Of Hell II
Brian Beal
This is why I never have to worry about spending to much on comic books,
eventually all the ones I like get cancelled.
Later, BB
CMelvi6195
Okay, here's the official word from out of MU Press HQ.
For the past couple of weeks you've been hearing the rumors about
MU and AEON closing up shop by the end of the year.
This time, the rumors are true.
MU will be closing the doors, officially, in December. We will
still be attending Albany Anthrocon, San Diego Comicon, and Confurence; in
fact, there will probably be some sort of farewell event at the latter two
conventions.
We will still be publishing books right up to the end of the year,
and in fact, we may have one or two odd things carry over into the next
year. But for all intents and purposes, December will be the final
deadline.
ZU will finish its run with #18; our last issue of FANGS OF K'AATH
will be #6; there'll be at least one more issue of WILD KINGDOM, maybe
two. The last RHUDIPRRT will be #9. POST BROS will run through #59.
We hadn't made any public announcement about the closing yet,
except to all of our creators, for the reason that we -do- still have
several books yet to be published this year, and we prefered not to alarm
the distributors and retailers and adversely affect any sales. We'd like
for our creators to still see some good sales until we do finally cease
operations.
As to -why- we're closing, well it comes down to a number of
differing factors. First has been the overall compacting market over the
past few years, and the overall decline in sales. The few titles we've
published that -have- done well (Donna Barr's books, VIXENS' KEEP, and
recent issues of POST BROS) haven't brought in enough to offset the
expenses of the rest of the line. Edd has been watching the bottom line
over the past few years and has been close to quitting more than once; if
it hadn't been as much a labor of love as a business, he probably would
have quit four or five years ago.
The other major factor has been a personal one. In the past year,
Edd has undergone two major events in his life: he got married, and he
just bought a house. There is a very dramatic shift in where the finances
need to be applied. And he is looking very seriously at the next major
steps in his life, especially in regards to maybe starting a family. So
he is prioritizing accordingly.
A couple of folks have been asking what we'll be doing with the
backstock. For the most part, we'll probably be liquidating it in stages.
Right now, we've notified our creators that they have first crack at
purchasing copies of the books they've contributed to, at reduced costs.
Once they've had their chance, we'll most likely be making a similar offer
to certain retailers and mail order concerns (like Ed Zolna). I'm not
certain if we'll carry the offer further to other interested individuals
or not, but it's possible.
It's also likely that MU may continue on as a mail order business
only for most of next year; we haven't completely decided on this yet, but
we've been discussing it.
I've been following the discussion on AFF regarding our impending
demise, and it certainly has been interesting. Edd and I would both like
to thank Tim, Glen, Treesong, and Charles for their support and
testimonials. For that matter, we thank everybody who has supported us
over the past few years, both readers and creators.
-Chuck Melville-
http://members.aol.com/cmelvi6195/page1.html
Doodles
CMelvi6195 wrote:
> MU will be closing the doors, officially, in December. We will
> still be attending Albany Anthrocon, San Diego Comicon, and Confurence; > in fact, there will probably be some sort of farewell event at the
> latter two conventions.
Damn. One less independent publisher. Forget furry, just being
_anything_ different from the usual pile of spandex was a blessing.
> ZU will finish its run with #18; our last issue of FANGS OF
> K'AATH will be #6; there'll be at least one more issue of WILD KINGDOM, > maybe two. The last RHUDIPRRT will be #9. POST BROS will run through > #59.
I don't know if you're interested in publicly discussing such at this
time, but have you heard if any other publishers are interested in
picking up titles from your line? There are a lot of books you put out
that I would like to see get a good home, including the ones you list
above.
> We hadn't made any public announcement about the closing yet,
> except to all of our creators, for the reason that we -do- still have
> several books yet to be published this year, and we prefered not to
> alarm the distributors and retailers and adversely affect any sales.
> We'd like for our creators to still see some good sales until we do
> finally cease operations.
Unfortunately, not that the public announcement has been made, there's
a good chance it will hit the industry press within the next couple of
months. Come to think of it, I believe that Tom Galloway has posted
something on rec.arts.comics.alternate on the topic. So there's a good
chance you're going to get calls about it. Not that it will affect me
ordering from you. I'll get whatever you solicit. I also don't think it
will ultimately affect the distributors or retailers a heck of a lot,
since they never gave you much support as it is.
> As to -why- we're closing, well it comes down to a number of
> differing factors. First has been the overall compacting market over
> the past few years, and the overall decline in sales. The few titles
> we've published that -have- done well (Donna Barr's books, VIXENS'
> KEEP, and recent issues of POST BROS) haven't brought in enough to
> offset the expenses of the rest of the line. Edd has been watching the > bottom line over the past few years and has been close to quitting more > than once; if it hadn't been as much a labor of love as a business, he > probably would have quit four or five years ago.
I would state that this decline is one that is more general to comics,
and not just endemic to furry titles. The market isn't becoming more
competetive, it's becoming nonexistent. The same fellow I mentioned in
the paragraph above also mentioned that Kitchen Sink is going under.
Market shares are stable, but the number of books sold are dropping
steadily, as other entertainment options are drawing away dollars from
the comics. Jeez, if Marvel files Chap. 11, who knows what's possible?
> The other major factor has been a personal one. In the past
> year, Edd has undergone two major events in his life: he got married,
> and he just bought a house. There is a very dramatic shift in where
> the finances need to be applied. And he is looking very seriously at
> the next major steps in his life, especially in regards to maybe
> starting a family. So he is prioritizing accordingly.
Sounds like he has his priorities straight to me. Luck to them both.
> I've been following the discussion on AFF regarding our
> impending demise, and it certainly has been interesting. Edd and I
> would both like to thank Tim, Glen, Treesong, and Charles for their
> support and testimonials. For that matter, we thank everybody who has > supported us over the past few years, both readers and creators.
The only reason I haven't said anything up until now was I wanted to see
confirmation from you or Edd. That's why I sent you the e-mail,
instead. Now that it's official and public, I'd like to thank you guys
for printing one heck of a lot of good work, from both branches of your
company. If I don't see you anywhere else, I'll see you at CF9. We'll
hold a real Irish wake for the company.
Hmmm... How about barbecue beef for everybody? =};-3
Unca Spooge, CF9 Dealers Liason and omnivorous lagomorph.
Darrel Exline
In article <338259...@sky.net>,
Brian Beal <bb...@sky.net> wrote:
>
> This is why I never have to worry about spending to much on comic books,
> eventually all the ones I like get cancelled.
So... It's YOUR fault! You better stop liking the same books I like, or
there'll be trouble. <Grin>
---
Darrel L. Exline, d...@invzn.com, http://www.invzn.com/darrelx/
a.k.a. Jym_Chago, "Your friendly neighborhood Polar Bear"
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Rivercoon
Does anyone know chuck Melvilles' current email address. I have been
trying to reply to mail he sent me last week but the address
cmelv...@aol.com has not worked since Sunday.
David Bliss
Rainshadow
I read in the paper that some of AOL's service was knocked out this past
week. Maybe it hasn't been knocked back in yet...
-Rain'
--
Relax. It's later than you think.
Rivercoon
In article <63e7nr$lhm$1...@rat.org>, rans...@au-au.extern.ucsd.edu
(Rainshadow) writes:
>I read in the paper that some of AOL's service was knocked out this past
>week. Maybe it hasn't been knocked back in yet...
>
>-Rain'
>
>
All I know is that as of an hour ago AOL still does not recognise Chucks'
address as valid.
Matthew Milam
On 1 Nov 1997 03:30:03 GMT, rans...@au-au.extern.ucsd.edu
(Rainshadow) wrote:
>In article <19971031135...@ladder01.news.aol.com>, rive...@aol.com (Rivercoon) writes:
>> Does anyone know chuck Melvilles' current email address. I have been
>> trying to reply to mail he sent me last week but the address
>> cmelv...@aol.com has not worked since Sunday.
>
>I read in the paper that some of AOL's service was knocked out this past
>week. Maybe it hasn't been knocked back in yet...
>
>-Rain'
>
>--
>Relax. It's later than you think.
What you read in the paper and what actually happened are two
different things. AOL is back up now.
(For those of you who hate AOL, i'm sorry i said that, but it's my
right as an uncensored member of the internet to say what the hell i
like).