The amazing Marvel public relations blitz continues to reach audiences not currently buying comics, and to direct interested consumers to pop culture stores.  Last weekend a piece on Heroes appeared several times on MTV News, and was also run on Total Request Live, MTV's highest-rated program.  The piece featured a visit to the Marvel offices by MTV reporter Iann Robinson, who talked about Heroes with Marvel EIC Joe Quesada.  Like the Today Show piece that aired a couple of weeks ago (see 'Heroes Sells Out First Printing'), comic stores were described as the only place to get Heroes and the Comic Locator number was given on-screen and orally.  Although we don't have a comparison between the ratings of Total Request Live and the third hour of the Today Show, it's likely that the MTV piece will get significantly more reaction than the Today Show,  because MTV's demographics are substantially closer to those of comic consumers than Today's (younger, more males).  Marvel also appeared on a Fox News segment last weekend.  For more info on the MTV and Fox coverage and streaming video of the MTV piece, see Newsarama. 

 

The issue of Entertainment Weekly on newsstands this Friday will also have Marvel coverage -- a review of Brian Michael Bendis' and Michael Gaydos' new Alias series.  It's been a long time since comics have received this much public attention from mainstream media, especially with the connection to a place to find out where to buy them.  Retailers are advised to have their antennae up for even more civilians visiting their shops in the coming weeks, and to make the experience as positive as possible for them.