Extra! Extra! Loose lips sink ships, and --

[Spartacus]

-- Ross's employees' lips are loose.

Ross Rojek's Comic Business in Shambles: An Insider's Account

http://www.anotheruniversesucks.org/mod ... =0&thold=0

A $50 gift certificate goes to The Sandman, from parts unknown.

[lance]

Spartacus,

Wow. If this post is true, I feel sorry for AU's remaining employees and customers.

Lance Man

[phelix]

Now I wonder how many people are going to cancel their orders (for other stuff) because they won't be seeing it by christmas? That will probably be the final nail in the coffin.

Of course, this means there will be no bonus disc. He may however ship the lunchboxes, since it might be cheaper to do so than to warehouse or dispose of them. Bankruptcy will protect him from criminal prosecution.

Btw, as to the truth of that statement, it should be easily verifable to somebody in california how many comic stores are still open. As for the employees, I'm more concerned aboutthem being trapped inside when ross finally lights the match...

[ducksqueak]

I don't know if you all have considered what bankruptcy means for AU. I was under the impression that if they file for then they no longer have to pay creditors. I hope this doesn't mean customers. I think this also makes them immune to legal prosecution. If this is true, then you are all getting screwed.

[pgh kenny]

employees and secured creditors get paid first. customers are probably last in line and there won't be anything left for them. lunchboxes might be made available via lawyer, but customer would probably have to pick up shipping.

[starbug]

I was under the impression that if they file for then they no longer have to pay creditors.

Nope. It's more a sort of 'form an orderly queue for payment' (depending on status and securities) . By definition, if you're bankrupt there isn't enough money to pay off all debts, and those at the bottom of the line probably get zip. At best, only a small portion of what they are owed. Employees, secured creditors, and the IRS will all come before customers.

And I don't think it makes them immune to prosecution. The company may have no dosh, but you can still take them to court. It would be a mostly futile course of action though as they won't have the money to pay any damages to you.

Plus, bankruptcy won't mean Ross doesn't get out of any criminal charges brought against him personally, resulting from his conduct while running the company. He'll still have to deal with that.

[GaryEA]

Not to state the obvious, but what a pathetic mess.

"The Sandman" (love the name, btw ) said it best when he related how the employees were wondering why AU was trying to be something it obviously could not - a DVD vendor.

The good news is that MSCL made it to DVD in full, but the fallout is that a long list of people got run over in order to get it there. Not that AU was to be the sole vendor - we all know that "huh?" feeling we felt when it was announced that Amazon and DDD would be selling the show, albiet without the extras.

My impression is that it took AU to get the show on disc. They managed to both succeed and fail, and now the possibilities on how to close this matter to everyone's benefit are dwindling.

If AU goes under or files for Chapter 11, then everybody who is eligible takes a number and waits until it all gets sorted out. Hopefully, a certain somebody will get tagged for illegal business practices. Chapter 11 is NOT immunity from comitting a crime.

The lunch boxes are in limbo and they could either get shipped somehow (if AU doesn't have the money, how will they ship them?) or never be seen.

As for the bonus disc, or coaster, as far as I am concerned, it's history. I don't know the arrangements made that would have gotten it out there, so I can't guess it's fate, but it's suspicious that we still haven't heard anything about it for quite a while.

What ticks me off the most is that their damn site STILL SOLICITS THE SET AS AN EARLY DECEMBER RELEASE.

Give the lunch boxes and the bonus material to the people who deserve them - the ones that paid in good faith. If not, we have a fine, ambitious team of fans here that could do the show proud ten times over.

Enough of this crap; get this finished and done right.

[/rant]

Gary

[So-Called Loon]

Hmmm. I often have the thought lately that although i would definitely like to see the bonus stuff and my refund, and optimally see Ross go to jail AFTER that, i haven't had the money in my possession for so long and the situation sucks so bad, i won't be all that upset if the company just goes gurgle gurgle.

Would suck for employees and customers in general, though.

I feel a teensy warmth inside, however, whenever something like this makes me think he may actually be dancing on a knife edge trying to keep out of the serious doo. Even better if he slips and gets cut in two.

[fnordboy]

I feel a teensy warmth inside, however, whenever something like this makes me think he may actually be dancing on a knife edge trying to keep out of the serious doo. Even better if he slips and gets cut in two.

He could care less if AU goes under, the money isn't in AUs bank(s).