Friday, June 27, 2008

Heavyink.com hopes to digitize comic book sales

By Christopher Calnan

An Arlington company has launched an online store for comic book fans that includes a social networking feature and software for collectors.

Technical Video Rental Inc., which has offered rental arts-and-crafts DVDs and how-to DVDs since 2004, is expanding its business to comic book sales after an eight-month beta test of its HeavyInk.com website.

HeavyInk.com sells comic books and hosts a social networking feature that next week will include the ability for comic book enthusiasts to preview a digital version of the first four pages of new comics, founder Travis Corcoran said.

During the fourth quarter, HeavyInk plans to release a free, on-demand collection-management software product for users to track details such as author and artist names and comic asking prices, he said. More than 1,100 users have joined HeavyInk’s network since November 2007, Corcoran said.

Robert Scott, founder of the Comic Book Industry Alliance, a 10-year-old California-based organization with 800 members, said other Internet-based businesses have tried and failed to replace comic book stores. “It’s going to be difficult to supplant,” Scott said. “People want a place to browse their books — they also want them now.”

The self-funded Technical Video launched SmartFlix.com in 2004 and now stocks nearly 6,000 DVDs about topics such as metalworking, knitting and guitar making. The 13-person firm generates more than $1 million a year, Corcoran said.

He expects comics to boost HeavyInk.com’s top line because comics’ subscription model provides recurring revenue.

Comic subscriptions generate revenue of $500 million to $600 million annually in the United States and Canada, said Corcoran, citing figures from Maryland’s Diamond Comic Distributors Inc. He expects HeavyInk to generate $2 million to $3 million in sales in 2009.

“We want to be a one-stop shop for all sorts of thing,” Corcoran said. “We have everything in one place.”