Shane: I’m thinking more from a general content perspective than a personality one, but either way I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

On a side note, has anyone else felt overwhelmed by the amount of content Blog@ is putting up? I track it via Bloglines and it’s still too much.

I’ll think about this a bit and probably write a reply on NMH. I’ve been looking for something to post there lately and this has really got me thinking.

Seriously, though, one of the reasons I started doing that was because Wizard used to do something similar and I thought it was neat. We can’t buy everything, after all, and I’m always looking for suggestions of things that are buried in the long boxes. The Internet focuses too much on the here and now and the future, so a bit of focus on the past is always cool.

I’d also like to see more of what Jason is doing. I really do think his column is crucial, and I’d like to see a column written by industry newcomers about how they got into the business and the problems they faced. It wouldn’t have to be by a single person - maybe a rotating roster. I don’t have a big interest in breaking into the field (if Quesada calls and asks me to write Uncanny X-Men, I won’t say no, but I’m not going out of my way), but I think getting the perspective of people who are in the business would help us appreciate the final product more.

The idea of doing a preview of Previews is good, too. So good that before I even read these comments I started doing it at the blog. And not only a canceled list, but a “where the hell are they?” list too. Seven Soldiers #1 could be on it!!!!

I can honestly say you are the first person who has ever said they read the canceled comics list. I appreciate that!

Maybe a primer on pre-ordering, and a Previews Review column?

Right now each month I have “Comic Previews by Ralf Haring” for DH, DC, Marvel and Image. Now, if someone would like to write that primer or the previews reviews, I’m very open to publishing them.

PS: You’re an evil man.

Charles: I like what you’ve done with Comiclist.com. It’s a great resource with a lot of room to grow. It provides a service, first and foremost, so it’s got a solid foundation to build from. It’s not really the kind of thing a community will rally behind, though, so I don’t imagine a message board would ever be a part of what you do. I’d like to see a bit more Previews-related stuff, like the cancelled comics list you used to post. Maybe a primer on pre-ordering, and a Previews Review column?

Previews are ok, but just them in and of themselves are usually a turnoff, and I’m personally usually too lazy to go click through, even if its a book I’m interested in. It’d be a lot nicer to see (especially for an indie crowd) the creators schilling in interesting interviews, talking about the creative process, and giving real scoop behind the project. Vs the usual THIS COMIC SLASH COMPANY SLASH ARC WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS CHARACTER OR THE OTHER shit, which too often become the tone of interviews, yeah? I’m sure that a site like PCS wouldn’t have that much trouble getting that sort of content going though, for instance the Oeming/Ellis interview was awesome, funny, but very informative. 2 guys talking shop, without any pretense or need to hide behing sales pitches.

Also for fun, guys like Mordechai Luchins, Chris Sims and Leigh (from the house of L) would be somewhere a part of my ideal site, rotating cast of hooligans who again, remind us about how crazy and fun comics are and can be, and not just rape-o-fests and giant grimfisted posturing.

Also, I’m a little surprised there hasn’t been any longrunning, succesful webcomics on any of the big sites in question. Seems a perfect match, which would be a nice distraction on slow news days, ya know?

Anyways, that’s my penny and a half.

Greg: I hope I didn’t give the impression that the blog thing was a bad idea or selling out. To the contrary, I think it was a smart move, particularly for NEWSarama, as it complements the already noticeable broadening of their coverage over the past year or so. And of course I dig what we’re doing at PCS, I just question if it’s not spitting into the wind to some degree when a more targeted approach might make more sense.

My question to both of you, though, is to play fantasy comics site. Accepting the big three as having the broad coverage in the bag, what’s your ideal niche site look like?