Comics / Comics News

The Comic Book Bin is 9 Years Old!

By Hervé St-Louis
August 9, 2011 - 00:19

2008-Present

The Comic Book Bin has achieved the venerable age of nine years. In Internet age, we're old. In terms of personal projects or jobs I've had, as the publisher and founder of the Bin, I can say that I've had no endeavour that lasted so long. Never thought I was the type to stick to a project for so long, but I guess the Bin proved me wrong.

The last year, I've been busy with personal projects, like my Master's thesis and tons of other stuff not quite related to the Bin but that affects it some way or another. But thankfully, the great team of writers and editors have more than picked up the pace and continue to make this place unique and worth visiting for you, our dear readers. By the way, I want to say thank you to everyone who visits the Bin. Thank you guys.

The Bin is continually a work in progress. I'll be honest and say that I've been experimenting with some pages on the site and did not put everything back the way it was after I was done playing with the toys. Guilty. But that's what the Bin is about and why we are the only comic book site with a full mobile version and three apps you can download for three smartphone platforms. That's a freaking big deal. Even outside comics, only big time companies have apps for three different mobile platforms - and in the case of the Bin, the code behind it was built from scratch for each app we offer.

That's what the Bin is about. People joke that we are no longer as controversial because the shit disturber is too busy to disturb the shit anymore. Oh well. We still have great stuff coming up ahead and I'm still as critical about comics and the comic book industry as ever. I just don't have time to disturb the peace anymore!

2002-2003

The Comic Book Bin continues to be the one comic book related Website where anything goes. What other comic book site features yaoi manga next to Spider-man reviews? Which one has sections dedicated to digital comics, European comics, or comics and religion? And name me one major site that's not curated to not piss off potential advertisers? Even bloggers are careful not to piss off advertisers these days. Not us. I don't miss the shirt disturbing days of the Bin. I think I'm all grown up now, like the Bin. Nah, I'm way to busy figuring out what's next in comic books and how that ties to the bigger picture. I haven’t fully found out and I'm determined to share any findings here.

Some of the major stuff we did are articles on the business side of comics that actually helps people. The series on business plans for comics is unique. I spotted a blogger copying our stuff and repackaging it years later under his name as if it was ground breaking. But the articles he swiped from us (don't get me started on how many people and "bigger" sites have swiped articles from us over the years - it's ridiculously obscene) were boring because he was playing it safe and didn't want to piss off anyone. There was also little of real life experience in his business plan articles. Ours are lively and calls the bullshit where it is. I still have an issue with all those comic book publishers who think their only exit is to get a movie deal - that's not a sustainable business plan. Neither is stocking up on licensed properties instead of innovating new comics properties.

2003-2005

And don’t get me started on the so-called digital revolution. I asked way back in 2007 a bunch of publishers if they were gonna do digital comics. Now most of them do, but they really have no clue about what they are doing and are only cannibalizing their printed comics’ sales - that includes DC and marvel Comics. They don't get the digital world but feel pressured to do something - so they do stupid things and make it harder on themselves to turn a profit.

That's what the Bin is about, calling the shit where it is. I know people read. I know the smart people continue to read what we have to say every day, even if many in the comic book industry want us to cease to be. Actually, even some of those people who hate our guts still read us, but won't admit it publicly. That's ok. We at the Bin are straightshooters. In the nine years of managing the Bin, I haven’t looked for a golden parachute at one of those comic book publishers - like many of my peers at other comic book sites. In fact, I'm completely out of the revolving door game, where people who serve you your comic book news are sometimes working for influential people that sell comic books. We truly are independent.

Some people say that we are a small site. Ok, small sites don't have close to 17,000 pages. They have five or six.

Ok, enough bitching (man, I still have the touch!).  The next part of what I have to say is about our logo, or better yet our logos. I love to look at them. You can see the evolution and change. Our original logo was rudimentary and fitted well with our rudimentary Website. Bonus point if you were there back then. Then, came our comic bookish logo. It always reminded me of Iron Man's 1970s logo. That was when we were into the "let's scream to the world we are about comics." then came our third logo which was a graffiti on a comic book wall. We didn't exactly ditch the comic book theme, but we tried to get fancy and rebellious. Finally, there is our obnoxious tricolour sports league logo. It's my favourite and I like to tell the story of how The Bin lost a writer over that logo (the writer thought it was in poor taste and no longer wanted to be associated with a site with logo like that). Just in case you were not clear about what that cowboy is doing, he's got his pants down and he's relieving himself on a comic book box (or bin). Face it. That's where 90% of you, especially if you are guys read your comic books. How is that not authentic?

2005-2008

If you didn't know about us and what our core mojo is about, well, there it is. We are about comics and we are serious about that. Comics are also a wider cultural phenomenon and that’s why we cover other stuff related to comics and sometimes not. Comics, if they are to grow cannot be isolated from the rest of the world. It's part of that world and the only way for comics to take its place in the heart of men and women, is for comics to open up and reach out. What do comic books mean in 2011? Are they only about cheap fodder for Hollywood blockbusters or is there more to them? I don't know quite yet, but the guys and girls at the Bin intend to find out and then to fill you in about it, as we've been doing since 2002.


cheers

Last Updated: November 29, 2025 - 16:51