LeBron James is one of them The greatest athletes of our timea four-time NBA champion, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, and one of the most famous people on the planet. But yesterday, he was someone we can all relate to: a guy who wants to know where to buy comic books.
https://x.com/KingJames/status/1849480697515262302
“Best place to order comic books? “I collected it when I was younger. Batman was my favorite. Can I order and read through the iPad, or better yet just read the comics?
I’m proud to say that the community rallied around him! We’re an open and enthusiastic group eager to help those who want to start reading comics find an entry point, even those who can skip us while dunking on us.
DC movie boss James Gunn Immediately enter the mention of L-Train with a reliable offer:
https://x.com/JamesGunn/status/1849492611179966694
“Message me privately and I’ll contact you.”
Jim Lee Assistance was quickly provided: I might know someone who can help.
Image Comics Assures King James He has their axes: We have you covered
Todd McFarlane is helpful Add comic shop location service! Looks like you’re ready for Operation SPAWN! Find tons of great comic shops near you here: https://Comicshoplocator.com
Rob Liefeld also suggested A land comic shop, The famous golden apple, near (Los Angeles terminology) LeBron’s Brentwood mansion: King, Golden Apple in Los Angeles is your best choice.
But Marvel also helped, By editor Nick Lowe:Private message me. I’m Marvel’s Spider-Man editor and I’d love to send you some!
Digital comics platform GlobalComix Soon we entered the baking stage: We’ve got you covered @KingJames! Get the GlobalComix app and read unlimited comics, including Batman, here:
On and on… Boom, Mad Cave, Comixology, more comic shops, everyone in the comic industry, really, stepped up and answered the call. Including my own choices, The golden apple itself.
Come celebrate our 45th anniversary by shopping at the OG store at Melrose and LaBrea in Los Angeles, or you can order from our website. Connections in living things. Regardless, the King should be reading printed comics, not digital ones.
Never say the comics industry doesn’t help those in need! (On occasion, Beat contributor Tim Rooney offers James his own reading tips.)
Of course, LeBron may have other things on his mind, such as the beginning of the NBA season, when he is working with his son on the Lakers, first and foremost, basketball. Maybe his brain is spinning from it all and he’ll quietly pick up Sarah J. Maas’s latest book.
But a few observations on “LeBron James is a Bachelor of Comics.”
First, two sacred stories from long ago, two well-known to older people like me who are baffled by the fact that short-form TikTok videos are now the number one shopping recommendation in the United States.
The first one is the story of Fonzie’s library card. Fonzie is a favorite character from the 1970s sitcom Happy Days. Actor Henry Winkler, This tough guy with a heart of gold became a heartthrob and idol to millions. Legend has it that after the incident where Fonzie got a library card, children across the country followed suit, sparking a library craze. Although Snopes has This legend was debunked quite cruelly, The impact that celebrities endorse products on their followers is well known, and the rise of “influencer” as a job title, in which attractive, energetic people get paid to say they drink explosive sodas on social media, shows that This is something marketers hold dear.
Another story is “Comic Book Milk Board.” milk board One can understandably call it The National Milk Processing Education Program (MilkPEP) and its “Got Milk?” campaign in the 1990s. In the past, milk was considered a healthy drink and could actually be consumed with meals. Long before the effects of lactose were known, some people Between 65% and 70% of the world’s population suffers from some form of lactose intolerance. For many people, far from being a healthful drink, it can make you feel gassy and bloated. To combat the problem, the Milk Council launched a campaign in the 1990s featuring celebrities with milk mustaches, with the slogan: “Is there any milk?” Make milk sexy again.
See what I did there?
Anyway, back in the 90s, when comic book sales were being thrown into the trash, I would hear people at many Save Comics conferences say “We need milk boards!” The idea was through advertising campaigns showing celebrities reading comics to promote reading comics.
Exciting until October 24, 2024! That tweet from LeBron expressing his desire to read comics and enjoy the pastime of his youth again was pretty much its own Got Milk/Fonzie’s library card. With 53 million followers, LeBron is heard and seen even on the shabby Twitter platform. All the cartoonists rushing towards him are really just their clever marketing ploys. Maybe some casual NBA fans are wondering the same thing themselves and will read some of the responses and maybe do their own research.
As the story unfolded in real time, many complained that the free comics offered by Gunn’s DMs diluted the effect of LeBron possibly going to an actual comic shop and supporting his local retailer.
While I hope James finds his favorite comic shop one day (Golden Apple is familiar with celebrity shoppers, so no problem), dude did mention his iPad. He is digitally ready. I’ve mentioned it many times here James Gunn is one of DC’s biggest marketing assets; Comic shop location number included with poster Suicide Squad. Gunn moved quickly to make sure James had some comics, and maybe we’ll see more tweets showing LeBron and Bronny reading Batman & Son. The possibilities are endless.
Of course, lest we forget, LeBron knows cartoons. After all, he starred in the Space Jam remake, although that’s probably best forgotten. He himself has appeared in multiple comics for Marvel and DC (and elsewhere).
Maybe it’s all a gimmick. Or maybe LeBron discovered something I noticed at NYCC…comic books…in the air. They’ve somehow become so hot again that even LeBron James wants in on the action.
