On comics and other pop culture topics, including archived Comic Book Commentary posts from 2005-2007.

COMMENT: On 2006, and Some Greatest Hits

Personally, 2005 has been a pretty damn good year, from a comics perspective. CBC’s barely a year old, quickly evolving from being a total lark to something central to reformatting my writing chops post-poetry slam era. (Not surprisingly, the activist angle of my work has transitioned intact.) Plus, I went from contributing reviews and the occasional feature at Buzzscope, to taking over as their Senior Comics Editor and spearheading the upcoming relaunch. As a result, my pull list has expanded from primarily Marvel and DC offerings and the random indie-published license, to a pretty diverse range of material that’s introduced me not just to some great work, but as importantly, to a great community of ambitious creators.

The Buzzscope Drink-up on Wednesday was a lot of fun, finally putting some faces to names, but there were two moments in particular that summed up the year for me. The first came near the end of the night, standing outside talking to Jason Rodriguez, Rich Watson and Jim Salicrup. Each is, or is about to become, a Buzzsco–ah, I mean, PopCultureShock columnist, and the energy between us as we talked about the site and the industry and where we saw things potentially going in 2006 was absolutely electric. The second came a little while later, while talking with Jenny Gonzalez (another new columnist) about how she got into comics, and a specific story about her work with an Aspie, translating his Yu-Gi-Oh!-influenced stories into comic book form. It reinforced my sense that there’s way more to the big picture than the Diamond Top 300 and ill-conceived cutoff benchmarks.

I left Botanica at the end of the night with a similar buzz to what I’d felt nearly 8 years ago to the day, in that very same bar, when a bunch of poets from diverse backgrounds and styles bonded over drinks and debate and formed the foundation of what would later become a little bit louder, the poetry series I founded and ran from 1998-2001, before turning it over to the collective of artists who’d made it their home and have kept it running strong, on the verge of celebrating its 8th anniversary next Spring.

I have a pretty clear vision for where I want PopCultureShock: Comics to go and, similar to how I built a little bit louder (aka louderARTS) over the first two years, it hinges on bringing together a diverse mix of talent and giving them a personal stake in its success, instilling a sense of ownership over both their own contributions as well as the larger umbrella they share, while keeping a firm grip on the steering wheel myself and not losing sight of where I’m trying to go. The proverbial winds of change are blowing through the industry right now, and I think there’s two potential directions things can go: a variation on the boom-and-bust 90s, led by Marvel & DC’s increasing reliance on big events and sales-boosting gimmicks; or, a relative leveling of the playing field, as indies shift their focus from the direct market, developing new audiences and distribution models. The latter direction is as likely to be driven by Marvel & DC’s recruiting of mainstream writers like King, Huston, Dickey and Meltzer as it is by the defection of Craig Thompson and FLIGHT to higher-profile mainstream publishers. The opportunities are there; the question is, which ones will people take advantage of?

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On the Shelves: 12/29/05

Support GOOD Comics! Try something new EVERY month!My weekly look at select comic books being released THURSDAY, 12/29/05. The full shipping is list available at ComicList.[NOTE: Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. If your LCBS offers a pre-ordering service, be sure to take advantage of it. If not, find another one; or try Khepri.com or MidtownComics.com]AC COMICS Men Of Mystery Presents Rocketman Vs Zombies DVD, $24.95Is this actually a movie? Sounds like fun!ARCANA STUDIO Jovas Harvest #2 (Of 3), $4.95First issue was a great read, but did it cost $4.95? I need to start paying…

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COMMENT: Newsarama Interview with JQ

Last week, Newsarama did an extra holiday edition of their Joe Fridays weekly interview with Joe Quesada. During the interview the following came up:"NRAMA: "When do the events in Spider-Man: The Other, Secret War, and House of M happen in relation to one another?"JQ: Actually, we have this listed somewhere but it's now 3:45AM and I can't think straight. Not copping out on you but lets get back to this question next week and I'll have the info handy."Two thoughts came to me immediately after reading this.1st: I'd like to see if, and how the hell he explains this one.…

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All Fours

Four jobs you've had in your life: Bartender (my favorite!) Library Page Financial Adviser Light Wheel Vehicle Mechanic (63B1P) Four movies you could watch over and over: It's A Wonderful Life The Incredibles Batman Begins Pump Up The Volume Four places you've lived: Crompond, NY Miami Beach, FL Union City, NJ Ft. Campbell, KY Four TV shows you love to watch: America's Funniest Home Videos Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Desperate Housewives Family Feud Four places you've been on vacation: Cancun, Mexico Santander, Spain New Orleans, LA Cape Cod, MA Four websites you visit daily: Buzzscope.com (aka PopCultureShock) NEWSarama Google News…

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COMMENT: You Like Drama, Yes?

That's the only way I can think of to explain why, of the two links to this blog from The Beat earlier this week, way more people clicked over to the ongoing Speakeasy drama than did my bit on the general lack of interest in comics journalism. Like five times more. As I wrote to Tom Spurgeon, in response to his criticism of a PW Comics Week article last week, "the comics industry is simply too small and insular to support legitimate journalistic oversight - outside of independent efforts like [The Comics Reporter] and the sporadic gems that pop up…

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On the Shelves: 12/21/05

Support GOOD Comics! Try something new EVERY month!There's a transit strike going on here in NYC, so who knows when I'll be able to pick up my books this week! Nevertheless, here's my weekly look at select comic books being released tomorrow, 12/21/05. The full shipping is list available at ComicList.[NOTE: Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. If your LCBS offers a pre-ordering service, be sure to take advantage of it. If not, find another one; or try Khepri.com or MidtownComics.com]ACTOR Actor DFE Hunter Killer Foil Cvr, $14.99 Actor Top Cow Top 5 Starter Set,…

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LINK: Even More on Speakeasy

Chuck Saterlee pulls the curtain back a bit further over on the Bendis Board thread that started it all. I'm quoting it in its entirety as I wouldn't be surprised if he was asked/made to delete it at some point, as it airs what could charitably be called dirty laundry.My name is Chuck Satterlee and I have/had two books with Speakeasy. The titles are SMOKE & MIRROR and OF BITTER SOULS.My association with Speakeasy has been decent on a personal level and disastrous on a professional level.To start, I have never had a personal problem with Fortier or anyone else,…

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