LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes of our time, a four-time NBA champion, three-time Olympic gold medalist, and one of the best-known humans on the planet. But yesterday he was someone we can all relate to. It was a guy who wanted to know where he could buy comic books.
https://x.com/KingJames/status/1849480697515262302
“What’s the best place to order comic books?” he asked on Twitter. “I used to collect them when I was younger. Batman is my favorite. I can order and read them from my iPad, but is it best to read the comics directly??”
And I’m proud that the community rallied to his side. We are an open and welcoming group, and we want to help people who are just starting to read comics, even those who can jump over us while dunking with a basketball, find their jumping off point. That’s what I think.
DC film executive James Gunn was quick to slip into the L-Train reference, offering a solid suggestion:
https://x.com/JamesGunn/status/1849492611179966694
“Please DM me and I’ll connect you.”
Jim Lee immediately offered to help: he might know someone who could help.
Images Cartoons Guaranteed King James to Have the Ax: We’ve Got You Covered
Todd McFarlane provided comic shop locator services. Looks like it’s ready for some SPAWN action. Find lots of great comic shops near you here: https://comicshoplocator.com
Rob Liefeld also suggested the famous Golden Apple, a terrestrial comic shop near LeBron’s Brentwood mansion (in Los Angeles terms). King, Golden Apple in Los Angeles is your top choice.
However, Marvel also offered to help through their editor Nick Lowe. Please contact me via DM. I’m the Spider Editor at Marvel and I’d love to send you something.
Digital comics platform GlobalComix quickly went into Bake Off. @KingJames has you covered! Get the GlobalComix app here and read unlimited comics, including Batman:
And so on and so forth…Boom, Mad Cave, Comixology, more comic shops, everyone in the comics industry really stepped up to answer that call. Including the golden apple itself which I chose.
Visit our OG shops in LA’s Melrose and La Brea locations to pick up merchandise celebrating our 45th anniversary. Or you can order from our website. There is a link in the profile. In any case, the king should read paper comics instead of digital ones.
Please don’t ever let me tell you that the manga industry isn’t helping people in need! (Beat contributor Tim Rooney sometimes gave James his own reading tips.)
Of course, LeBron may have other things on his mind, like teaming up with his son on the basketball-leading Lakers and the just-started NBA season. Perhaps his head is confused by all this and he will instead quietly pick up Sarah J. Maas’s latest book.
However, there are some opinions on “LeBron James is a comic book bachelor.”
First, there are two long sacred stories from ancient times. The two are familiar to older folks like me who are baffled by how TikTok videos are now the No. 1 shopping recommendation in the United States.
First, let’s talk about Fonzie’s library card. Fonzie was the most popular character on the 70s sitcom Happy Days. The tough guy with a heart of gold, played by Henry Winkler, became a heartthrob and icon for millions. Legend has it that after the episode in which Fonzie got his library card, kids all over the country got the cards as well, creating a boom in libraries. Snopes has pretty brutally debunked this legend, but the effect that celebrity product endorsements have on their followers is well known, and the impact that celebrity product endorsements have on their followers is well known, with attractive and energetic people drinking Exploda soda on social media. The term “influencer” is emerging as a title that allows people to get paid for their presence. It shows that it’s something marketers value.
Another story is about the “Comic Book Milk Board”. The Milk Board is what people rightly call the National Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) and its 90’s “Do You Have Milk?” campaign. For the past few days, milk was actually considered a healthy drink to be consumed with meals. This was long before the effects of lactose were widely known, and approximately 65-70% of the world’s population has some form of lactose intolerance. It’s far from a healthy drink for many people and can leave you feeling gassy and bloated. To combat this, the Milk Board ran a campaign in the 1990s featuring celebrities sporting milk mustaches under the slogan “Do you have milk?” To make milk sexy again.
See what I did there?
Anyway, back in the ’90s, when comic book sales were being thrown in the trash, I would often hear someone say, “We need a milk board!” at comic book preservation gatherings. The idea is to promote reading comics by featuring celebrities reading comics in advertising campaigns.
This will be significantly shortened to October 24, 2024. LeBron’s tweet itself, expressing his desire to read comics and re-enjoy the pastimes of his youth, is almost its own Got Milk/Fonzie library card all rolled into one. Even on the decrepit and sickly platform known as Twitter, where he has 53 million followers, LeBron’s voice will be heard and noticed. All the comic book people rushing to help him is just smart marketing on their part. Perhaps some regular NBA fans are wondering the same thing themselves and might read some of the replies and do some research for themselves.
As this unfolds in real time, many are complaining that Gunn’s DM offer to give away free comics is negating the effect of LeBron going to an actual comic shop and supporting local retailers. leaked.
While I hope James eventually finds a favorite comic shop (and Golden Apple is no stranger to celebrity shoppers, no problem), James mentioned his iPad. He is digitally ready. We’ve said it many times here that James Gunn is one of DC’s biggest marketing assets, and the comic shop lookup number is included on the Suicide Squad poster. Gunn moved quickly to make sure James had the comic, so we might see more tweets showing LeBron and Bronny reading Batman and Son. The possibilities are endless.
Of course, lest we forget, LeBron knows comics. He ended up starring in a remake of Space Jam, which is probably best forgotten. And he himself has starred in several comics for both Marvel and DC (and others).
Maybe this was all a stunt. Or maybe LeBron discovered what I realized at NYCC… comic books are… up in the air. They’re somehow getting hot again and even LeBron James wants to get involved.
Something like this:
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