{"id":2717,"date":"2019-06-04T15:51:00","date_gmt":"2019-06-04T22:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/toucan\/?p=2717"},"modified":"2024-01-09T15:55:21","modified_gmt":"2024-01-09T23:55:21","slug":"maggies-world-072-treats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/toucan\/maggies-world-072-treats\/","title":{"rendered":"Maggie\u2019s World 072: Treats"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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MAGGIE’S WORLD BY MAGGIE THOMPSON<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maggie\u2019s World 072: Treats<\/h1>\n\n\n
Maggie Thompson<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"HD<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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An anecdote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In October 2018, I was told about a situation that hadn\u2019t occurred to me until then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A couple of campuses for special-needs kids in New York were preparing for their annual Halloween events, and parents were in an early-October meeting about those kids. Many children were 24\/7 residents of the schools involved, living in dormitories most of the year. Many of their special needs included dietary concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And parents raised the question: \u201cGiven the restrictions some of the children experience\u2014with many not permitted certain types of candy\u2014does the school forego an annual \u2018Trick or Treat\u2019 event?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, it wasn\u2019t a problem, they were told. The kids could \u201cTrick or Treat\u201d at various spots on the campus and would be given \u201cTreats\u201d: pencils and toothbrushes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Woo-hoo, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I was asked about the possibility of putting together some sort of online search for true Treats for the kids: comic books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Comic Book Challenge<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The goal was to find Treats for about 250 children in about two weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the immediate problem that came to mind: Many comics in recent decades consist of chapters in longer adventures. Even if cheap random back issues could be found at short notice, chances are that their recipients would find only tantalizing snippets of stories. Moreover, they\u2019d have no way of finding missing issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So comics couldn\u2019t be the answer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marvel released this mini-comics experiment in 1987. The packet contained \u201cTreats\u201d: comics for less than 20\u00a2 each. \u00a9 2019 MARVEL, \u00a9 2019 Creators Syndicate, \u00a9 2019 Cloudco Entertainment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Wait A Minute!<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

In 1987, Marvel had experimented with a fresh format.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only would it provide an entry point for potential new readers, it would also make a point about the variety that comics had to offer. Halloween Treat-seeking kids could be figured as ranging from beginning readers to those in their early teens. So how about showing what entertainment Marvel could provide?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or\u2014as the Sales Department\u2019s Carol Kalish joked\u2014Marvel could rot kids\u2019 minds, not their teeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results were compact \u201cDone-in-One\u201d mini-comics, with Heathcliff and Care Bears for younger recipients and super-heroic Captain America and Spider-Man for older ones. (Oh, and [harrumph] there was a subscription form on the back cover of each.) There were 16 pages of story and a maze activity inside the covers: perfect fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perfect\u2014but not quickly repeated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hiatus<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Even today, the price on those original packets isn\u2019t prohibitive\u2014which probably indicates that there remained lots of unsold packets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, in 2001, retailer Joe Field suggested Free Comic Book Day in the trade journal Comics & Games Retailer<\/em>, and the first one occurred May 4, 2002. More than 2 million comics from DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, and Image were distributed\u2014and it\u2019s been an annual event ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The most recent Free Comic Book Day selections provided a wide variety of stories. Many contained free-standing entertainment designed to please new readers\u2014and longtime fans.\u00a0Free Comic Book Day 2019: All Ages Minecraft<\/em>\u00a0\u00a9 2019 Mojang AB and Mojang Synergies AB.\u00a0Incredibles 2<\/em>\u00a0\u00a9 2019 Disney Enterprises, Inc. and Pixar.\u00a0The Tick Free Comic Book Day<\/em>\u00a0\u00a9 2019 Ben Edlund.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So, sure, the Done-in-One Free Comic Book Day releases came immediately to my mind in October 2018. But (a) FCBD had occurred (as we all know) in May, and, (b) of course, the \u201cFree\u201d only applied to customers. They cost retailers a bundle, and 250 was too much to ask. Moreover, a miscellaneous assortment would need curation considering the recipients. Hmm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So that 1987 Marvel experiment came quickly to mind, when the question of plentiful, appropriate comics Treats arose shortly before Halloween. Hey, what about bagged batches of small-format comics? In fact, they\u2019d been listed in Diamond\u2019s Previews<\/em> some time before!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which was, of course, the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These Days<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Maybe you haven\u2019t noticed it, but there\u2019s a second \u201cFree Comics\u201d event at many comics shops these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The 2018 Halloween ComicFest made available bagged mini-comics for purchase in quantity.\u00a0Rise of the TMNT Promo<\/em>\u00a0\u00a9 2019 Viacom Overseas Holdings C.V.\u00a0Splatoon<\/em>\u00a0\u00a9 2019 Nintendo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The celebration started in 2012, and, as the project describes itself, \u201cHalloween ComicFest is the Saturday on or before Halloween. It\u2019s an international event that celebrates comics and the local comic shops that build community.\u201d There are give-away comics (that the stores pay to supply), but there can also be bagged selections for sale from publishers choosing to provide such Treats for purchasers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there\u2019s a catch. The orders must be made long before most people are considering autumn events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I knew that\u2014just as I was trying to figure out how to get comic books to 250 children who might otherwise have to make do with pencils and toothbrushes. In 2018, the October 27 event announced that \u201cparticipating comic shops across North America and around the world will hand out more than 1.7 million free comics to anyone who comes into their shop.\u201d There were 34 titles available, including 22 full-size and 12 mini-comics. The dozen minis came in separate \u201cpolypack bundles\u201d designed for folks who wanted to buy the minis in quantity to hand out: Archie<\/em>, Ghost Friends Forever<\/em>, Hollow Fields<\/em>, Johnny Boo<\/em>, Nancy Drew<\/em>, Over the Garden Wall<\/em>, Rocky & Bullwinkle<\/em>, Splatoon<\/em>, Spookhouse<\/em>, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles<\/em>, Vamplets Undead Pet Society<\/em>, and Zo Zo Zombie<\/em>. Just what I was looking for! But the listings had appeared in the July issue of Previews<\/em>. And, as I say, it was October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was lucky. After checking with an assortment of nearby stores that didn\u2019t have enough on such short notice, I found a source that was willing and able to deal with such a late request and ship my purchases (total: 300 mini-comics) in time for the New York distribution I needed. (Tip o\u2019 the Thompson Topper to Bob Moreau at Westfield Comics in Madison, Wisconsin; he went above and beyond to see to it that my order made it to New York in time for \u201cTrick or Treat\u201d at the two campuses packed with kids.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Returning to That Opening Anecdote<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

What was the reaction from folks at the school prior to the emergency shipment? The school representative was enthusiastic and announced plans to distribute the comic books at the schools\u2019 libraries. His follow-up: \u201cWe got them! They look awesome!\u201d And the kids were delighted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a goal for 2019: Get involved long before it\u2019s an emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

June 19 is the day the Halloween comics will be announced for what Free Comic Book Day calls #SpookyFreeComicBookDay (also known as Halloween ComicFest) for 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are there sites in your area that would benefit from donations of comics Treats? School libraries? Boarding schools? Hospitals? Heck\u2014what about kids in your very own neighborhood?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get ready! Comics are a Treat we can all share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Maggie\u2019s World by Maggie Thompson appears the first Tuesday of every month here on<\/em> Toucan!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Written by<\/p>\n\n\n

Maggie Thompson<\/div>\n\n\n

Published<\/p>\n\n\n