Bad Idea Comics has revealed its first 50 exclusive retailers (50 more coming tomorrow). The company first announced it would begin its rollout with 20 stores across the United States. The immediate demand following Bad Idea’s star-studded ComicsPro presentation convinced the new publisher to expand its initial offering to 50 stores instead - which, today, the publisher has exclusively revealed will grow even larger to 100 retailers worldwide with locations in North America, Europe, and Australia. In order to qualify as a Bad Idea “Destination Store,” the retailer must agree to a set of rules and guidelines set down by Bad Idea. This includes in-store placement of Bad Idea releases and promotional displays and a strictly enforced "limit one per customer" rule. Failure to comply could cost the retailer their spot in the program.

The program begins in May with the release of ENIAC #1. ComicBook.com can now exclusively reveal the list of the first 50 Bad Idea Destination Stores.

Here’s the list:

Friendly Neighborhood Comics

799 South Main St.

Bellingham, MA 02019

(508) 966-2275

799 South Main St. Bellingham, MA 02019 (508) 966-2275 Big Planet Comics

7315 Baltimore Ave.

College Park, MD 20740

(301) 699-0498

7315 Baltimore Ave. College Park, MD 20740 (301) 699-0498 Brave New World Comics

22722 Lyons Ave., Ste 2

Santa Clarita, CA 91321

(661) 259-4745

22722 Lyons Ave., Ste 2 Santa Clarita, CA 91321 (661) 259-4745 Knowhere Games and Comics

744 Grand Ave Ste 102,

San Marcos, CA 92078

(760) 891-8333

744 Grand Ave Ste 102, San Marcos, CA 92078 (760) 891-8333 The Dragon

55 Wyndham St. North, Unit T-19B

Guelph, Ontario

Canada

(519) 763-5544

55 Wyndham St. North, Unit T-19B Guelph, Ontario Canada (519) 763-5544 The Comic Place

105 E Holly St.

Bellingham, WA 98225

(360) 733-2224

105 E Holly St. Bellingham, WA 98225 (360) 733-2224 Time Warp Comics & Games

3105 28th St.

Boulder, CO 80301

(800) 552-9108

3105 28th St. Boulder, CO 80301 (800) 552-9108 Keith's Books and Comics

5400 E Mockingbird Ln

Dallas, TX 75206

(214) 827-3060

5400 E Mockingbird Ln Dallas, TX 75206 (214) 827-3060 Kings Comics

283 Clarence Street

Sydney NSW 2000

Australia

02 9267 5615

283 Clarence Street Sydney NSW 2000 Australia 02 9267 5615 Titan Comics

3128 Forest Lane, Suite 250.

Dallas, TX 75234

(214) 350-4420

3128 Forest Lane, Suite 250. Dallas, TX 75234 (214) 350-4420 Njoy Games & Comics

8820 & 8824 Reseda Blvd.

Northridge, CA 91324

(818) 709-0599

8820 & 8824 Reseda Blvd. Northridge, CA 91324 (818) 709-0599 Comics Adventure

15705 SE McLoughlin Boulevard, Suite A

Milwaukie, OR 97267

(503) 305-7946

15705 SE McLoughlin Boulevard, Suite A Milwaukie, OR 97267 (503) 305-7946 BaT Comics & Games

218 Broadway St.

Chico, CA 95928

(530) 898-0550

218 Broadway St. Chico, CA 95928 (530) 898-0550 A Comic Shop

114 S Semoran Blvd.

Winter Park, FL 32792

(407) 332-9636

114 S Semoran Blvd. Winter Park, FL 32792 (407) 332-9636 Alternate Reality Comics

4110 S Maryland Pkwy.

Las Vegas, NV 89119

(702) 736-3673

4110 S Maryland Pkwy. Las Vegas, NV 89119 (702) 736-3673 Anyone Comics

1216 Union St.

Brooklyn, NY 11225

(347) 350-8422

1216 Union St. Brooklyn, NY 11225 (347) 350-8422 Variant Edition

10132 151 St NW

Edmonton, AB T5P 1T4

Canada

(780) 452-9886

10132 151 St NW Edmonton, AB T5P 1T4 Canada (780) 452-9886 Fourcorners Comics

42 Baltimore St.

Gettysburg, PA 17325

(717) 334-2336

42 Baltimore St. Gettysburg, PA 17325 (717) 334-2336 Pop Comics

203 W Center St Promenade

Anaheim, CA 92805

(657) 208-3835

203 W Center St Promenade Anaheim, CA 92805 (657) 208-3835 Rick’s Comic City

2720 Old Lebanon Rd #104

Nashville, TN 37214

(615) 883-7890

2720 Old Lebanon Rd #104 Nashville, TN 37214 (615) 883-7890 The Collective

515 E. Altamonte Drive, Unit 1023

Altamonte Springs, FL 32701

(321) 295-7091

515 E. Altamonte Drive, Unit 1023 Altamonte Springs, FL 32701 (321) 295-7091 Comics Elite

5575 Elmwood Ave, Suite E-2

Indianapolis, IN 46203

(317) 755-2533

5575 Elmwood Ave, Suite E-2 Indianapolis, IN 46203 (317) 755-2533 Memory Lane Comics

201 Princess St.

Wilmington, NC 28401

(910) 392-6647

201 Princess St. Wilmington, NC 28401 (910) 392-6647 Rebel Base Comics & Toys

701 S Sharon Amity Rd, Suite C

Charlotte, NC 28211

(704) 442-9660

701 S Sharon Amity Rd, Suite C Charlotte, NC 28211 (704) 442-9660 The Adventure Begins

525 Woodland Square Blvd #130

Conroe, TX 77384

(936) 273-3223

525 Woodland Square Blvd #130 Conroe, TX 77384 (936) 273-3223 Samurai Comics

1602 E. Indian School Rd.

Phoenix, AZ 85016

(602) 265-8886

1602 E. Indian School Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85016 (602) 265-8886 Summit Comics & Games

216 Washington Square South B

Lansing, MI 48933

(517) 485-2369

216 Washington Square South B Lansing, MI 48933 (517) 485-2369 Green Brain Comics

13936 Michigan Ave.

Dearborn, MI 48126

(313-582-9444)

13936 Michigan Ave. Dearborn, MI 48126 (313-582-9444) Comics Are Go

5214 Detroit Rd

Sheffield, OH 44035

(440) 695-8401

5214 Detroit Rd Sheffield, OH 44035 (440) 695-8401 I Want More Comics

550 E Thornton Pkwy #114

Thornton, CO 80229

(303) 460-7226

550 E Thornton Pkwy #114 Thornton, CO 80229 (303) 460-7226 Nerd Store

601 South 2700, West Suite G106

West Valley City, UT 84119

(801) 964-4776

601 South 2700, West Suite G106 West Valley City, UT 84119 (801) 964-4776 Ultimate Comics

1301 Buck Jones Rd.Raleigh, NC 27606

(919) 377-8778

1301 Buck Jones Rd.Raleigh, NC 27606 (919) 377-8778 Flying Colors

2980 Treat Blvd.

Concord, CA 94518

(925) 825-5410

2980 Treat Blvd. Concord, CA 94518 (925) 825-5410 Beyond Comics

5632 Buckeystown Pike

Frederick, MD 21704

(301) 668-8202

5632 Buckeystown Pike Frederick, MD 21704 (301) 668-8202 Aw Yeah Comics

313 Halstead Ave.

Harrison, NY 10528

(914) 732-3600

313 Halstead Ave. Harrison, NY 10528 (914) 732-3600 Cosmic Comics

3830 E Flamingo Rd, Suite F-2

Las Vegas, NV 89121

(702) 451-6611

3830 E Flamingo Rd, Suite F-2 Las Vegas, NV 89121 (702) 451-6611 The Fantasy Shop

10560 Baptist Church Rd.

St. Louis, MO, 63128

(314) 842-8228

10560 Baptist Church Rd. St. Louis, MO, 63128 (314) 842-8228 Safari Pearl

660 W Pullman Rd.

Moscow, ID 83843

(208) 882-9499

660 W Pullman Rd. Moscow, ID 83843 (208) 882-9499 Global Pop Culture Collected

7420 N Beach Street #236

Fort Worth, TX

(817) 576-3656

7420 N Beach Street #236 Fort Worth, TX (817) 576-3656 Borderlands Comics and Games

1434 Laurens Rd.

Greenville, SC 29607

(864) 235-3488

1434 Laurens Rd. Greenville, SC 29607 (864) 235-3488 Space Cadets

27326 Robinson Rd #117

Oak Ridge North, TX 77385

(281) 298-1111

27326 Robinson Rd #117 Oak Ridge North, TX 77385 (281) 298-1111 More Fun Comics and Games

103 W. Hickory St.

Denton, TX 76201

(940) 387-5893

103 W. Hickory St. Denton, TX 76201 (940) 387-5893 Pittsburgh Comics

113 E McMurray Rd.

Canonsburg, PA 15317

(721) 941-5445

113 E McMurray Rd. Canonsburg, PA 15317 (721) 941-5445 Captain Blue Hen Comics

280 E. Main St., Suite 101

Newark, DE

(302) 737-3434

280 E. Main St., Suite 101 Newark, DE (302) 737-3434 Books With Pictures

1401 SE Division St.

Portland, OR 97202

(503) 841-6276

1401 SE Division St. Portland, OR 97202 (503) 841-6276 Alakazam Comics

17777 Main Street, Suite E

Irvine, CA 92614

17777 Main Street, Suite E Irvine, CA 92614 Big Bang Comics - Ireland

2,3 Dundrum Town Centre, Sandyford Rd

Dundrum, Dublin 16

Ireland

(+353) 1 216 5093

2,3 Dundrum Town Centre, Sandyford Rd Dundrum, Dublin 16 Ireland (+353) 1 216 5093 Dr No's Comics & Games Superstore

3372 Canton Rd. #104

Marietta, GA 30066

(678) 903-3705

3372 Canton Rd. #104 Marietta, GA 30066 (678) 903-3705 Challengers Comics & Conversation

1845 N Western Ave.

Chicago, IL 60647

(773) 278-0155

1845 N Western Ave. Chicago, IL 60647 (773) 278-0155 Cards, Comics & Collectibles

51 Main St.

Reisterstown, MD 21136

(410) 526-7410

Speaking to ComicBook.com, the Bad Idea team says they were caught off guard by how strong the response was to its ComicsPro presentation. “We were not prepared,” says Co-CEO & Co-Chief Creative Officer Dinesh Shamdasani. “This has become the story of Bad Idea. We were not prepared for the interest and the demand. I would say we had, in my experience at least, take the last 10 years of ComicsPro and you take all the best moments that we had and we put them together in one ComicsPro, it was not as good as the commercial we just had. We were easily the belles of the ball, everybody was fighting to get to us to talk to us. We had sign-ups out the wazoo.

“People really saw something, what we see,” he continues. “which is that there was a way to take some of the clutter out, really focus on the books and that with the right strategy, those books can find a strong audience and the slow and steady approach to growth will work. And so we had a tremendous amount of sign-ups and a lot of people believing in the philosophy. Plus we had the books there. We haven't really shown a lot of art online. We've only shown a few pages from ENIAC #1 and a cover. We had eight, full completed books. And what was really heartening to us was just the reaction people were having to the books. They would show up the floor, excited about that for us.”

Shamdasani helped relaunch Valiant Entertainment in 2012. The rest of the Bad Idea executive team are Valiant alumni as well. For them, Bad Idea represents the opportunity to do something bolder than they could have hoped for at Valiant.

“We can do a lot of things that challenge conventional notions of what an independent publisher is supposed to be in the year 2019 or 2020,” says Bad Idea publisher Hunter Gorinson. “We spend a lot of time figuring out what are the cages we can rattle as well as what are the things that, for us, make comics really, really special. And as we'll see, it is a very, very different company than the one we worked at before, and one that hopefully just has a tremendous sense of fun and specialness to the books that we're putting out.”

While Bad Idea is taking an unconventional approach to distribution, that doesn’t mean they’re looking to turn the established giants in that arena into enemies. “We love Diamond,” Shamdasani says. “Diamond was a huge asset for us in building value then and even now they've been so supportive and they are integral to building this plan. There's no animosity there or with Comixology. But the structure that Diamond has in place, has some kind of commandments. You have to put a book on Wednesday. We don't have to put a book on Wednesday. We can send a book out to the stores and say, ‘Street date is Saturday’ and make an event out of that. We don't have to plug into the solicitation cycle that's three, four months long and put a book in Previews. We can create a book. We can talk to retailers and say, ‘Here you go. We haven't talked about this. It comes out this Saturday if we want to. We can change a lot of the backend terms for the stores to allow them to more easily work their cash flows, be able to hand-sell our books, promote our books.”

Co-CEO & Co-Chief Creative Officer Warren Simons adds, “From a content standpoint, it is just a limitless variety of things that we can touch as we move forward. Whether that's a horror and fantasy or sci-fi or a Pixar-ish kind of a children's story, the range of content that we're able to plug into at this point in time infinite. I think that's something that we've all taken a good amount of joy in as well.”

“Literally the idea was to start small,” Gorinson says. “It wasn't to do four-quadrant, open everywhere be everyone, a new ‘force’ in media. We want to start small and find an audience and find stores that we can work with one-to-one and do some really cool, crazy stuff, which at the end of the day, is what we think comics should be about.”

You can see some preview pages from ENIAC #1, the first Bad Idea release, below. The issue hits Bad Idea Destination Stores in May.