LATEST UPDATE! (5/15/07):
All subscriber copies, single issue orders, and contributor copies of the new issue are in the mail! With all the problems with the original printing and the reprint (discussed previously in this thread) I had to look at every copy I received and I picked out the absolute best ones to complete my mailing. So copies should start showing up in your mailbox in a couple of days, and your local comic book store should receive their copies from Diamond on Thursday. I'm so happy to finally get this issue out and I hope everyone enjoys it! Now I have to settle the claim with FedEx for the damaged copies and I also have to resolve the matter of credit for the various quality issues of the reprint with my printer.
UPDATE! (5/14/07):
Good news and bad news regarding Monsters from the Vault #23: First the good news---the new issue is starting to ship to subscribers and contributors today, and I anticipate all copies being in the mail by Wednesday, May 16. Also, Diamond Comics will be shipping the new issue this week. Now the bad news: When I picked up the reprinted issue from FedEx last Friday, I found that nine of the boxes had received significant damage (even though the shipment was on a pallet); most of the copies in those boxes are unsaleable. The printer has to file a claim with FedEx for that. Second, when I opened up the first box I noticed the printer had used the wrong cover. Here's the backstory on that: When I saw the very first proof way back in April I noticed a problem with the cover, sent a corrected file, and paid to have the change made. The problem was that when Sorko colorized the cover for the issue, he stopped toward the far right side of the image because he figured it would be cut off during the trim process. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case with the way I placed it and the bleed I had in InDesign. There's almost a straight line showing where it ends. Also, a small spot on Kharis' forehead showed the background through his head (as in the original photo). I fixed the spot on the forehead and resized the image to cut off the problem area on the right side. The first printing was fine regarding those two problems, but there were many other quality issues, so the printer agreed to reprint the issue. When they sent me a low-res proof before the reprint, they told me to check just the trim (since that was the major problem in the first printing) and pagination, so that's all I did. I thought they would be using the same printing plates from the first printing, but they didn't. They ripped new plates, and in the process the prepress person grabbed the original cover file (which they had never deleted) with the original problems, and that's the cover on the reprint. Of course, I was really upset about this and called them immediately. Although they acknowledged they used the wrong file, they said the proof I saw (and approved) before the reprint was wrong, and I didn't catch it, so the fault was mine. Bottom line: they're going to do nothing about it. While these may seem like relatively minor problems, it's not what the cover would have looked like if they'd done it right. Other than the interior cover color being a little too light (as are a couple of the interior signatures), the reprint looks pretty good. The cover color is much more even this time. Unfortunately, a few quality issues remain: In one entire box the staples are in so tight the covers are separating from the interior; in four boxes the cover hangs over the interior from 1/16" to 1/8" on the top, right, and bottom. How this can happen when a book is trimmed is beyond me, but this printer (The Imaging Bureau, Ft. Worth, TX) managed to do it. I'm still waiting to hear from them regarding these issues. At this point, enough is enough, and since I'll have enough copies to send to subscribers and contributors with a few left over for WonderFest (I'm going to have a table there this year) and the Bash, it's time to move on and get as far away from this bad situation as possible. So, if you're thinking about getting the new issue, I would do so as soon as possible---it will be sold out very soon. Once again, thanks for all the kind words during the past month and for being so patient during the long delay. I sure hope that a new printer will make publishing Monsters from the Vault #24 a lot less stressful and that I'm able to get a QUALITY issue out on time. Please let me know what you think of the new issue (pro or con) once you've had a chance to read it, as feedback is always greatly appreciated!
UPDATE! (5/6/07):
I talked to my printer on Friday (5/4) and the reprint of Monsters from the Vault #23 will be completed this weekend and copies are scheduled to ship from Texas to Diamond Comics and myself on Monday (5/7). I hope to have my copies by Friday and plan on spending the weekend filling my subscription and single issue orders (as well as packing up contributor copies), and if all goes well (and there are no quaility issues with the reprint) all copies should go out in Tuesday's (5/15) mail (I have to verify what the new postage will be with the rate increase that begins on Monday (5/14) before I can put postage on the issues.). I'll post another update when the copies are on the way. Thanks again to our readers for all their patience during this trying time---you're the BEST!
UPDATE! (4/16/07):
I just heard from my printer and they're going to reprint the entire job and try to make things right. Given their track record I'm not expecting much but I have to at least give them the opportunity. Diamond Comics reported quality issues with their copies so shipping to their customers was stopped (I don't think any actually made it out of their warehouse.) and all the copies they received were destroyed. My printer doesn't want the copies I received back so if there are any copies that are acceptable (and judging from what I've seen it will be very few) I may ship them to some of our subscribers (First up will be new subscribers that started their subscription with #22 since I've been sitting on their orders for several weeks so I could ship #22 and #23 together to save on postage.). But believe me, they'll have to be acceptable to me before I'll pass them on to my customers. I'll post another update when I get an approximate completion date for the reprinting. Thanks for all the kind words both here and through my private e-mail, it means a lot to me. And above all else, thanks for your continued support through the good and bad times!
LATEST NEWS (4/15/07):
I’m excruciatingly disappointed to have to report this, but the new issue of Monsters from the Vault (#23) is so poorly printed it makes the last issue look perfect. I’ve gone through about 8 of the boxes I received, and I’m so disgusted I almost want to throw the entire mess in a dumpster. So far I’ve found at least 5 variations on the cover colors (both exterior and interior [which really screws up the ODCH collectibles collage]); I don’t think any two issues look the same. I’ve found 4 boxes in which the trim is so bad that interior images are being cut into. (These are complete boxes, and this is how they were packed, they aren’t from combining copies from various boxes.) I’ve got piles and piles of copies with lamination problems and, generally, mangled covers. I’ve got a box full of copies with a black ink spot on the cover. I’ve got all these problems and I haven’t even looked at the interior pages, other than the ones I spot-checked, which had excessive hickies. On top of all that several boxes were severely damaged by FedEx during shipment (even though they were on a skid), however this is a non-issue at this point, given the quality problems in the entire shipment (including those in the damaged boxes). I’ll be contacting Diamond Comics on Monday to have them inspect and hold off on shipping to their customers (hopefully, it’s not too late), because if I have these problems, so do they. At this time I’m too upset to continue going through the shipment, as it’s a hopeless cause. I was promised a quality product this time, yet the product I received is even worse than before. How my printer can honestly say that extra QC measures were in place this time yet deliver such a poor product is unbelieveable! Truthfully, at this point the only solution I can think of is to return all the copies to the printer and asked for a full refund (including the $1,000 credit from last time, since they didn’t make good on their promise), and I’ll take my business elsewhere. I need to resolve this immediately because my Diamond Comics purchase order will soon expire, and I’ll need to get this issue reprinted.
I know many of you think I may expect too much, but if I could afford to send some of you copies showing what I'm talking about you'd understand. Besides that, I spend a lot on money on printing and I rightfully expect a quality job for my money.
This past year and the quality issues I've encountered with printing, together with the loss of Tower, dwindling orders from Diamond, and the fact that I'm not even breaking even most issues is really starting to make me think it's not worth it anymore. In other news, make sure to check out the new "Web Exclusive Article" (Gary Rhodes' "Bela Lugosi Travelogue") posted here. This article was suppose to be in the new issue but due to space limitaions it didn't make it. However, Gary was kind enough to let me post it here. For those who haven't ordered Gary's new book, Bela Lugosi, Dreams and Nightmares, click on the link below and do so immediately as it's surely the frontrunner for the 2007 Rondo Award for "Best Book." Also, for the third time in as many years, Marian and I plan to attend Wonderfest in Louisville, Kentucky, on Memorial Day weekend. We've had such a wonderful time hanging out with many old friends (most of whom are regulars in The Old Dark Clubhouse at Ron Adams' Monster Bash Convention) and meeting many new ones that we've decided to make Wonderfest an annual event for us. This year, many more of our friends are planning to attend (and the Old Dark Clubhouse will be moving there this year), and we hope many of our readers will also attend the show. In my opinion, Wonderfest is second only to Monster Bash when it comes to great family entertainment for Monster Kids and their families.
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