Comment: Synergy, A Summer Blockbuster Staple
With less than a week to go, the full court press is on to promote Batman Begins. I stated in a previous post that my Dad asked me when it comes out. The marketing gurus of DC’s prized possession must be grinning ear-to-ear when they can get a 52-year old who was never into comics
Softball; Batman Begins; Vacation
My second game with the company softball team is tonight @ 6pm, back at the Coleman Oval Playground on Market & Monroe Streets, in the shadow of the Manhattan Bridge. I missed our only practice and last weekend’s double-header so I have no idea if I’ll be returning to shortstop or what. Prefer the infield
Adventures in Philly
aka, The stuff I can’t really say in my Buzzscope coverage. First, the absent-minded professor (that’d be me) achieved a new personal high as I locked my keys in the car after arriving in Philly and checking in to my hotel. (A nice little “boutique hotel”-slash-B&B called the Alexander Inn, right in Center City, about
loudpoet.com email
If you’ve written me there in the past three or four weeks – possibly even a bit longer – I haven’t received it because I haven’t checked the account in at least that long. It gets tons of spam and once I let more than 2-3 days pass without checking it, as I did a
Comment: Living the Dream…Vicariously
While much of the ever-expanding Comics Blogiverse is made up of wannabe writers – Grant Morrison sycophants praising his every bowel movement, and frustrated hacks full of shallow anti-Marvel/DC snark being the two largest demographics – there’s another, much more interesting subculture to be found: aspiring comics retailers. As much as I’d love to one
Retro: Orbiter (TPB)
Prior to 9/11, there were many who believed that my generation’s defining moment happened on January 28, 1986, when the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff from Kennedy Space Center, instantly killing all 7 crew members aboard, including the first teacher scheduled to fly in space, Sharon Christa McAuliffe. I was in 11th
Interview: Fialkov on Elk’s Run
It’s a sad fact in the comics industry today that succesfully launching a brand new title is a Herculean feat for the Big Two, requiring a massive marketing and promotion campaign with no guarantees of success. For independent publishers, it’s a near impossible task. Even sadder is the fact that the lower half of the
Review: Comic Book Encyclopedia
When I was a kid, encyclopedias were often frustrating for their lack of depth or currency. These days, with the pervasiveness of the internet, the notion of a printed encyclopedia is about as practical as a hand-cranked engine. Nevertheless, Ron Goulart decided to go the throwback route anyway, and compiled his ambitious and admirable, if
Comment: Giving the People What They Want
Marvel EIC, Joe Quesada, and his main partner in crime, Brian Michael Bendis, caused a minor tempest in a teapot a couple of weeks ago during Newsarama‘s “Quesadarama” PR stunt that gave Quesada “control” of the site for the week. He posted an entertaining mix of informative and self-indulgent interviews with the likes of Kevin
Interview: O’Reilly on Arcana Studio, Part II
In Part I of this two-part interview, Arcana Studio‘s Publisher, Sean Patrick O’Reilly talked about Arcana’s successful first year, what really happened with Ant and Image, how Ezra became their most popular title, and what it takes to succeed in the comic book business. Today in Part II, we take a peek into Arcana’s future,