Diamond Book Names Amazon 'Czar'
Comic book and graphic novel distribution giant Diamond Book Distributors has named Stuart Carter as their Worldwide Amazon.com Czar. Carter, who has sold to such retailers as Target, Amazon US and Hudson Books for DBD, will now be working with Amazon US, UK, Canada, France, Japan, Germany and China. With one man as the primary contact for the entire Amazon network, the idea is that it will be easier to arrange global distribution plans and promotions for Diamond’s clients.

Kids’ Comic Con on Youtube
If you couldn’t make it to the 2009 Kids’ Comic Con in New York a few weeks ago, you still can see some of the action. Kids’ Comic Con has officially made available a series of short videos from various comics publishers and creators who attended the con. The current video subjects are Crazee Comics, Archie Comics, East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention, Jessica Weiss and Dragon Frog, with more to come.

Archie Comics Unveils iPhone App
Archie Comics
, known for such all-ages friendly titles such as Archie, Betty & Veronica and Young Salem, has announced that they will be venturing into digital comics. In partnership with the digital media company iVerse, Archie Comics will be releasing some comics in digital form as an application available through Apple’s iTunes store for computers, iPods and iPhones. iVerse also has partnered with publishers Image Comics, Boom! Studios, Bluewater Productions and Antarctic Press, among others, to bring digital comics to iTunes.

This Week @ Good Comics for Kids
This week School Library Journal’s blog Good Comics for Kids has posted a review of the childrens graphic novel Joey Fly, Private Eye in Creepy Crawly Crime, the 4/29 and 5/6 listing of comics suitable for all ages, and Brigid Alverson’s weekly links roundup.

Van Lente on Punisher/Eminem Comic
PWCW contributor Laura Hudson, on her new blog on Comics Alliance, interviews Fred Van Lente about writing the Punisher/Eminem crossover comic. Eminem/Punisher: Kill You, originally published in XXL Magazine, is available to read free online at Marvel.com.

This week at The Beat:

Marvel Month-to-Month Sales: March 2009 Writer detained for comic book script Doug Wright Award Winners Internet, your days are numbered Jeff Katz launches American Original imprint PictureBox offers advance orders