First drafts of fiction including micro, fanfic and NaNoWriMo.
{meme in which one takes the first line of the first post from each month and looks at it as a summary of the year. and is a little stunned at the results. NOTE: [My Vox] blog didn't start until March so the first two months are from Comic Book Commentary.} January: In the most glaring sign yet of how much my tastes have changed over the 3.5 years since I started reading comics again, compare my Best of 2004 choices to this year's stellar roundup (below). February: I have a love-hate relationship with Black History Month, simultaneously appreciating the thought behind…
The café is small and non-descript, on the first floor of a faux brownstone in the faceless part of Greenwich Village. A railroad space with access to the backyard, also small, where an old greenhouse roof with most of the roof panels missing, offers a quiet refuge from the outside world. The cuisine is South Asian, as is the staff, and the portions are generous. He meets prospective clients here because it's both convenient and remote, and the laid-back atmosphere is disarming. Considering his line of work, that last point is important. Almost every first meeting starts the same, and…
The following is very loosely based on an Oulipo writing exercise, via my friend Oscar, in anticipation of my hitting the Open Mic on Monday with something new for the first time in a couple years. "Very loosely" meaning I went with the general concept of the exercise he gave me and rolled with it as the "poem" wrote itself. The end result is actually kind of Oulipian, I guess, based on Monica de la Torre's definition: "Every word that you jot down brings to mind an onslaught of other words and ideas that lead you further and further away…
"This can't be right! Why are you doing this?""Hard to believe, I know, but it is what it is.""Wait, I can pay you! More than she is. Much more!""Not sure who 'she' is, but you definitely could pay me more, seeing as I'm doing this for free. For me.""Free? You? What the--""You don't even remember me, do you? Heh. Figures. Dumbass. Always were too full of yourself to notice anyone around you. The past two weeks have been interesting, watching you in action again. You've gotten smoother, but you're still the same self-centered little schmuck.""Who--? What the hell is going…
Thanks to Adam Kubert, today's Marketing Monday column will be delayed until later this evening.* So far, we've looked at the five basic steps to developing a simple marketing plan and how they specifically relate to marketing comics. Last week, I put forth five specific marketing efforts, no-brainers that every aspiring publisher should be ready (and able) to implement in order to separate themselves from the hobbyists with a Previews solicitation, a blog, and idiotic message board posts** whining about the state of the industry and how stupid superhero comics fans are. (Oh, look! Another one. Sigh...) This week, we'll…
Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit! My weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 1/17/07. The full shipping list, as always, is 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] PICK OF THE WEEK Batman: Year One HundredAMAZE INK (SLAVE LABOR GRAPHICS) Tron #3, $3.50 As a casual fan who was intrigued by the first issue -- which came out…
In the most glaring sign yet of how much my tastes have changed over the 3.5 years since I started reading comics again, compare my Best of 2004 choices to this year’s stellar roundup (below). Posted nearly two months before the year had ended, that 2004 list was limited to ongoing series, two of which were canceled prematurely, in my opinion, and two others that were cut from my pull list a while back. The lone survivor, Conan, remains a consistently good read, and a repeat honoree on my 2005 list, but it didn’t make the cut this year. In fact, reflecting my gradual shift towards OGNs and TPBs, only three ongoing/mini-series made my list this year.
(in alphabetical order)
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