Previews Pullbox arrives next month, allows direct access over comic subs

A very interesting evolution, and a much needed one for comics fans. Diamond’s new PreviewsWorld Pullboxarrives for general use in June.

Management

For the uninitiated, a ‘pullbox’ is a convention of the comics shop. It’s literally a box where a store’s subscribers ‘pulled’ books are added. Then they await pickup from there. Pullboxes have been around for pretty much as long as comics shops have, and they’ve changed very little in that time.

That’s to say, until now. PreviewsWorld Pullbox is a brand new service, and one that gives subscribers way more control over their comics than ever before. Namely, Pullbox allows access your in-store pull-list via an online service.

From there you can alter that pull-list, though that’s just one of the options you’ll have. And this isn’t just about comics, as Pullbox will allow for ordering from companies like Mezco and DST as well.

A suite of easy-to-use tools allows consumers to synch orders with participating local comic shops, manage preorders & subscriptions, place special orders, keep a wish list, and track weekly purchases. It also provides customers with e-mail alerts for order confirmations and when items are available for pickup.

Diamond

Pullbox is in beta right now, and has so-far been used by 17,000 users. It’s also becoming pretty widely adopted by shops, with 300 stores signing on. It’s particularly good news to see so many stores joining Pullbox, since that’s pretty much the key to having it make any kind of an impact.

If you’re not in the test, and you’re interested in Pullbox, then your chance to use it is coming up pretty fast. The service leaves its beta period, going into public availability on June 7th.