Ironically, this is exactly the sort of thing that would happen in a direct-sales environment, which was something Chuck himself championed back in the day. Chuck has written extensively on how he and Phil Seuling got together and set up the Direct Sales Market. (!) Eliminate the number of divisions between the publishers and the public, effectively turning the publishers into sellers, and they will find a way to reduce that number of steps just a little bit more, eliminating you.

Back in the day when I worked for Mile High, Chuck used to hire new staff at the start of the summer when the kids were out of school and therefore had more free time and capital to spend on comics. Then after an inevitably disappointing San Diego, he'd fire them all. I wonder if that hiring ramp-up still takes place or if orders have leveled out over the year now that kids and their summer vacations aren't a significant factor in sales. Does the dreaded Purge of the Gumbies (as new hires were once semi-affectionately known) still take place then? I should call someone down there and ask... If so, this year should be a bloodbath.