Five Things: December 14, 2023
“Comixology was temporary pain relief, never the cure.” Five Things: December 14, 2023.
How Manga Took Over My Bookshelf — and the World!
Between research for Comics Plus (aka, the day job) and many hours of the wonderful Mangasplaining podcast, I’ve been able to zero in on stories that are most likely to be up my alley without putting too big a dent in my wallet. As a result, manga has become the majority of what I’ve read and enjoyed this year.
Five Things: August 19, 2021
Five things for August 19, 2021. That’s it! That’s the excerpt.
Five Things: May 13, 2021
Five things for May 13, 2021. That’s it! That’s the excerpt.
INTERVIEW: Charlie Huston & Moon Knight | PCS Flashback
Back in 2005, I spent two hours over cold beers talking with Charlie Huston about Moon Knight and the pressure of living up to the hype surrounding his relaunch; what “decompression” and “9-out-of-10 of those single issues sucked!” have in common; and what Doug Moench and Steve Gerber don’t have in common. The resulting interview, originally published at Buzzscope, is my favorite ever.
Milestone’s Timely Return Should Offer Distinguished Competition
Thankfully, it sounds like Milestone isn’t planning to place all their chips on comics alone because I doubt they’ll find much success in the core comics market. But as part of a broader distribution and media strategy that will hopefully include original graphic novels, webcomics, animation, and, eventually, live-action TV and/or movies and video games, I’m excited about the possibilities.
Spinning Dominoes: Don’t Believe the Hype… But DO Learn From It
Not quite one year to the day it was announced, Seth Godin is shutting The Domino Project down, offering the awkward explanation that “it was a project, not a lifelong commitment to being a publisher of books,” instead of, perhaps, admitting that publishing is harder than it looks if you want to swim at the deep end of the trade pool in the middle of a dramatic transition, as he obliquely acknowledges in many of his noteworthy takeaways.
A Little of This, A Little of That
Interestingly, after a brief dip in activity, I’m finding myself rejuvenated on Twitter, partly driven by my increased activity on Google+ where engagement is much higher and more substantial. Twitter surfaces the interesting content, while Google+ offers a platform to have real conversations. Facebook, meanwhile, is about 3-6 months from being completely dead to me, regardless of who continues to use it.
Here Comes the [Black] Spider-Man?
In light of Marvel and DC’s continued inability to introduce new superheroes with diverse backgrounds, a full generation after everyone wanted to “be like Mike” and Will Smith became a bankable leading man, what does the furor over Morales say about the state of comics and their place within pop culture?
Ready for Publishing Camp NYC?
Beyond the sessions, the best part of any conference is being able to spend time talking to smart people from a variety of backgrounds, and both WDC11 and DBW11 are sponsoring fun gatherings to accommodate that.