COMICSPRO ONLINE OPEN HOUSE
THU OCT 23 - FRI OCT 24

The ComicsPRO Open House is open to all Comics Industry Professionals. If you would like to attend, please fill out this form here.

https://comicspro.wufoo.com/forms/z1bnt31w0wemhdz

SCHEDULE

PANEL DESCRIPTIONS

THURSDAY, OCT 23

Keeping Good Books: Tips and Tricks for Proper Record Keeping and More with Bookkeeper, Goodwin Busse

Turns out running a comic shop isn’t just reading comics and making bags and boards. There’s a lot that goes into running a business, and having proper bookkeeping can be the key to minding your bottom line and building year over year growth. Join Good Books Owner, Goodwin Busse, in conversation with ComicsPRO President, Joe Murray, for a Q&A to help guide you through the world of small business bookkeeping.

ComicHub

ComicHub: Empowering Retailers, Uniting the Comic Industry*ComicHub is the*all-in-one platform built by retailers, for retailers— designed to*grow your customer base, simplify your operations, and future-proof your store.

For more information about ComicHUB: https://comichub.com/

Comic Shop Assistant

Comic Shop Assistant is a web-based Point Of Sale made for comic stores and game stores. Built after the fracturing of our distribution by Django and Jeff, two owners of a hybrid shop in Bellingham, WA, Comic Shop Assistant is powerful, customizable, and always evolving and improving with feedback and ideas from our users.

For more information about Comic Shop Assistant: https://comicshopassistant.com/

ComicKnowledge

ComicKnowledge was created by comic retail veterans with the intention to provide industry retailers with a tool where they could run their business with ease. ComicKnowledge is an all-in-one solution. With our program you now have the ability to run your store remotely, operate multiple locations with no separate licensing fees, and process all your inventory and store orders all from the same program, plus, day to day sales operations.

For More Information about ComicKnowledge: https://www.comicknowledge.com/

Manage Comics

Manage Comics is comic shop software that makes subscription chaos disappear. Whether you’re selling online with Shopify or running a trusty POS in-store, we give you the tools to streamline orders, manage subscribers, and keep everyone happy—especially you.

For More information about Manage Comics: https://info.managecomics.com/

From Chaos toward COMET: Rethinking Metadata in Comics

Comics metadata is in flux, with inconsistent standards creating headaches for retailers, publishers, and distributors alike. This panel explores how the COMET standard can make data more usable, improve discovery, and simplify ingesting new data, paving the way for a stronger comics ecosystem.

For more information about the COMET STANDARD - The metadata standard for the Comics Community: https://cometstandard.com/

Data Download: the latest publishing & entertainment trends indie retailers need to know

Join Kristen McLean and Brenna Connor, from Circana, as they breakdown the latest trends in publishing & entertainment that are relevant for ComicsPRO stores. From areas of growth in the mainstream market you can apply to your shelves, to what’s happening in manga, collectibles, family content, toys and more, this is all the things you need to know from our partners at Circana.

PROTECT YOUR DATA, DON'T GET HACKED!

Hackers may want to break into your networks and steal your data, but with this training from JASON BLANCHARD, former Eisner-nominated retailer-turned-cybersecurity specialist (not to mention CCO of REKCAH Comics, publisher of THE FUTURE IS ******), you'll be able to protect your store and your customers! Jason and the certified cybersecurity experts at Black Hills Information Security have run hundreds of AntiSyphon training sessions for businesses, working also with a Discord community of 80,000 ethical hackers to innovate defenses — and he's freely bring that knowledge to the ComicsPRO Open House, along with a dedicated Q&A session to field your burning questions!

THERE'S GOLD IN THEM THERE INDIES! - FINDING PROFIT IN SMALL PRESS BOOKS

How do you determine what smaller press books to carry in your store? When do you decide a book isn’t paying its rent? And how do you even begin to tell your customers about what feels like 80 new books a week? This panel will give you tips and tricks on everything from ordering to advertising and all the in betweens as we talk all things small press!

FRIDAY, OCT 24

COMICSPRO: BOARD AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DISCUSSION

President of the Board Joe Murray, Vice-President of the Board Shannon Live, and Executive Director Marco Davanzo, will discuss various initiatives ComicsPRO is working on. We will also reveal the results of the Distributor Survey.

2025 INDUSTRY AWARDS

ComicsPRO will be giving out two awards - the 2025 ComicsPRO Industry Award and the 2025 ComicsPRO Memorial Award.

INFLUENCING COMICS: USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO POSITIVELY IMPACT IN-ST0RE SALES.

Want to reach your audience, but you aren't sure who they are or where to find them? Feel like every update you post goes nowhere? Join a panel of social media influencers and marketers who are also shop owners, managers, and publishing professionals as they discuss finding an audience, content creation, and converting your online audience into store customers.

ROUNDTABLES

1ST SESSION : 11:15 AM PDT / 2:15 PM EDT
2ND SESSION: 1:00 PM PDT / 4:00 PM EDT

Every 10 minutes, a group of 3 to 5 retailers will chat with a different vendor.

ROUNDTABLE GROUPS:

1FIRST COMICS
BINC
CIRCANA
DC
DRAWN AND QUARTERLY
DSTLRY
IGNITION PRESS
IDW
KONDANSHA USA
ONI PRESS
REKCAH
SQUARE ENIX
UNIVERSAL DISTRIBUTION
VIZ

COMICSPRO ONLINE OPEN HOUSE THU OCT 23 - FRI OCT 24