In a surfeit sea of subscription services, Comic Bento shines as one of the best. Not only do they specialize in carefully curated, thematic collections but the company is helmed by an individual who truly loves what he does. He loves comic book books, his passion for the hobby is obvious and this bleeds in to his boxes.
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Jeff Moss who, in his own words “doesn’t have a title but he is the guy who runs Comic Bento” He is the individual who picks out the books, selects the monthly themes, curates and packs everything up for the fans and subscribers.
Moss got in to the blind box business after owning a comic book store himself many years ago and the transition, he says, was natural to this business line and model. It came at a time, too, when subscription services and blind boxes were on the rise and rapidly growing in popularity. The timing was perfect.
From that first month of a few hundred folks to thousands of subscribers and fans just a few months later, Jeff and Comic Bento have most certainly found a formula and model that works. Their fans have respond to this with resounding positivity, as proven by their rapidly expanding fan base. Jeff says; “We are not full of junk like some other boxes, we are specifically graphic novels based on a theme.” He also said “For $20, we guarantee at least $50 MSRP value in what you’ll be getting.”
He also adamantly, confidently and proudly assured me that these are curated collections, these boxes are not “new old stock” or excess warehouse inventory. Whether new books, early-release books (Such as the book Faith that was in a recent box just prior to its release date) or even silver age books (Marvel Masterworks appeared one month), these graphic novels are picked and chosen specifically for that month.
During the interview, a link to the YouTube video for the interview below, he tells us that the books are, while thematic, varied. You get everything from “Small indie publishers to Marvel and Image, Dynamite, Valiant. It’s a cool way to get some good trades and some trades and test out some stuff.” For the Wednesday Warrior, the long-time collector and those who have been around the proverbial block more than once “You get some cool surprises and some stuff that you might have overlooked and for a fraction of the price.”
Jeff is happy with where Comic Bento is now, but not complacent. He works hard with publishers, with his team and reaching out to fans to give people not only what they want, but to give them more of it. Board Game Bento, for example, was rolled out by the Blind Ferret team (that parent company of Comic Bento) for the board game and table top gaming fans. He is always looking at different themes, whether they tie to current pop culture or looking to the past, Jeff is hard at work planning 2017 slate of offerings.
For a look at previous boxes, visit http://shop.comicbento.com/. You will be able to get a good idea of what was in those as well as purchase them at a greatly discounted price.
The full interview is here:
