Mile High Comics sale for Aurora shooting - thoughts?
I received this newsletter on Friday. At first, it seemed rather crass, and poorly timed, but then I read on and felt that their hearts were in the right place. However, I can't help but feel like 10% seems a bit low in terms of a donation of the sale revenue. What do you think? Here's the text of the newsletter:
Emergency Comics Sale For Shooting Victims
(To view this email as a web page, go here.)
Howdy!
Today has been a day of horror, followed by relief. Horror at the news coming from Aurora of the mass shooting of moviegoers attending last night's showing of Dark Knight Rises, relief at the discovery that none of our immediate Mile High Comics family and friends were killed or injured. We were also quite relieved to discover that this deranged shooter had no apparent connection to comics, and seemingly picked the Dark Knight attendees to kill simply on the basis of the fact that they were trapped in a sold out auditorium, with no way to escape. We may yet hear that some of our local comics fans were among the victims, but information about who was killed and injured is still trickling out very slowly...
While we do not yet know the identities of the victims, it is clear by the fact that they were willing to attend a midnight showing of Dark Knight Rises that they were, at least by some measure, comics fans. That being the case, I think that it is beholden upon all of us in the comics world to pull together to help them in their time of need. For the families of the dead, we want to help with funeral expenses. For the wounded, we want to help with medical bills.
To accomplish those very important goals we will need the help of all comics fans. I am asking you today to consider placing an order with us over this next week, utilizing a special new 60% off codeword that I am putting into effect today: HELPHEAL. This new codeword will allow you to purchase any of our eight million of our back issue comics and magazines at a full 60% off. We will then contribute 10%' of the net total amount of your order to as as-of-yet unnamed fund that will be set up to help the victims. The only restrictions on this 60% off codeword is that our new comics and CGC-Graded comics and magazines are not included, as well as our books and the non-comics items that we offer.
While the 60% off HELPHEAL codeword can not apply to books, I am having all of our books prices slashed in half for you this afternoon right on our website, excepting only brand new releases. At 50% off we earn nothing on most of our trade paperback and hardback book sales, so that 10% that we will be contributing on your behalf to the HELPHEAL fund will essentially be coming out of our own pocket. That small sacrifice will be well worth it to us, however, if it helps the victims (or the families of the dead) through this awful nightmare.
I will close today's newsletter by expressing my personal condolences, and those of all of us in the Mile High Comics family, to all those who had a loved one killed or injured in this horrible tragedy. I encourage everyone to be generous with their hugs today, as these kinds of dreadful events cast a pall over everyone as we all realize just how quickly the caprice of circumstances can change our lives, forever. As a case in point, I was at a different movie theater last night (just 30 miles from the shooting) with my wife, Nanette, my daughter Tanith, and her fiancé Shawn. Had the shooter chosen to instead make the quick drive from Aurora to Boulder, the horror of last night could have easily been ours to bear...
Sincerely,
Chuck Rozanski,
President - Mile High Comics, Inc.
July 20, 2012 Advance Previews
of next weeks comics from
Archie Comics
P.S. Please note that all of our free comics giveaways are void effective immediately if you contribute via the HELPHEAL codeword. Simply put, we can't afford to give away 10% of every order that we receive, plus free comics, too. Thank you for your understanding.
All in all that whole thing is just weird. He mentions "comic fans" way too much to the point where it sounds like he's only concerned about any comic fans affected by the event. I'm sure that's not what he means but I can see it being interpreted that way. Then the strangeness of the huge discounts coupled with the 10% to a charity he's setting up for the victims. Why not leave everything full price and just do something like donating 25% of the total-whatever from now 'till the end of the month to said charity? And then with the closing of mentioning himself and his family in the regards of "it could have easily been us" is a little narcisistic, pulling focus to himself instead of leaving it alone.
What can anyone say about this sick & dying society we are living through, and the decline of the values responsible for Western civilization?
- Really not crazy about referring to this wacko as "The Batman Shooter." But that sells newspapers.
- I wish this bird had had the decency to shoot himself in the head afterwards. How truly inconsiderate! Now we'll be treated to another jury trial circus a la OJ, more jury nullification from those libjurors who imagine he's mentally ill (aren't ALL mass murderers?), appeals that drag on for decades...and maintaining this creep's lifestyle, albeit in prison, for life. And yes, he'll still be able to VOTE, will get his PhD for FREE, and probably sell the book & movie rights!
- Does CO even ALLOW the death penalty?
- Everyone seems to be thinking about how they can cash in...including Mile High, IMO. There used to be a concept called "poor taste" but these days?
- Expect to see survivors and weepy family members on every talk show for months.
- All the libs are blathering for gun control (again). (I'm certain all the criminals will turn in THEIR guns.) If he had stabbed victims with a pocket knife I suppose they'd be lobbying for knife control.
- I'm still waiting for someone to accuse the shooter of being racist, nazi, communist...whatever.
- Someone explain to me why there were so many TODDLERS in the theatre for a PG-13(?) MIDNIGHT MOVIE!
Hey Rann.
"The Batman Shooter" is a convenient and sensational name that the media outlets can use; it's "catchy." And every tragedy has to have a "name", a brand™, nowadays.
He should be put away immediately. The fact that he was wearing body armor, and passively surrendered, shows that he did want to live, and become infamous. CO does have the death penalty. But they've only used it three times. Bunch of guys on death row. This creep needs to go asap.
I'm glad you echo my thoughts on this: The Mile High Comics "sale" did strike me as poor taste. I commented on their FB page and they got defensive. Plus, I compared their prices on some issues with Midtowncomics.com and guess what, MHC prices are inflated, so even with 60% off, they come out about the same as Midtown. I've bought a bunch of comics from MHC over the years, but just can't bring myself to shop with them right now.
I'm neither a lib nor conservative, but own a takedown rifle, a shotgun and a 9mm handgun. But, I don't think near-military grade assault weapons need to be available for sale to the public. It was reported that this killer's assault rifle jammed, forcing him to use his handgun. Imagine the additional carnage had that assault rifle worked.
I also don't think the Nolan trilogy is suitable for small children, especially at midnight. It's simply awful that children died, but your point illustrates how parents bring their small children everywhere these days – I just read a newspaper article complaining about the family that brought their toddler to a restored silent movie showing, and the bored child immediately ruined it for all, with endless questions/complaints/needs.
On the surface, I might tend to agree that military assault rifles don't need to be in private hands...
...but as long as criminals have them (funny how thugs don't obey laws...by definition), not to mention our own (increasingly feckless & dubious) law enforcement & military, I feel that law-abiding citizens should be on some sort of level playing field. I certainly wouldn't own or have much use for any military style assault rifles, but the sole purpose of "gun control legislation" seems to be transforming law-abiding citizens into law-abiding victims.
I bet there are thousands of such weapons in (law-abiding) hands in the USA already. It is a tragedy when/if one of these owners goes rogue (or "rouge"), of course, but a nutter is a nutter, whether they shoot their hapless victims with a submachine gun or a .22. I'd rather not start the country down what would certainly be a slippery slope...
...we're already straddling several such slopes.