For Those That Bitch & Moan About Late Comics...

Over on his blog, Mike Choi talks about the drawbacks of being an artist. After mentioning how taking a traditional vacation is pretty much impossible, he shares the following:

But it's all good. I've worked on the last five Thanksgivings. However, something opened my eyes slightly today to the idea that something might be wrong in my prioritizing when work is involved.

I woke up at 2 pm, after four hours of sleep. I had two voicemail messages. the first was from the VP of editorial at Marvel, and the second was from my mom, who told me that my uncle had died. I called Marvel back first.

The funeral is this Wednesday, and the book is due Thursday (for me). I won't be calling my editors for an extension, because a) I know I won't get it, because issue 500 NEEDS to be on time understandably, b) measures have been taken to avoid lateness already, measures I wish hadn't been taken but were absolutely necessary, and c) so help me, if Nick called me right now and said, we'll make the books late so you can have an extension, or we can get someone to fill-in for you, I would turn him down.

I hope you join me in sending your thoughts and prayers along to Mike and the rest of the Choi family.

Mike Choi: Voice Of Reason

Mike Choi comes with the logic that most fanboys always want to ignore when arguing against Wizard's practices (linked above).

Now, I'm all for being giddy about Wizard possibly going the way of the dinosaur if you project them selling their property as a sign of the end (with all sympathy to those that would be out of a job, naturally). But you can't blame Wizard for producing a magazine that people buy. It's like knocking Marvel for putting Wolverine in so many books when so many keep buying anything he shows up in (as Choi pointed out) or knocking DC for having so many books featuring Batman & Superman.

I said I'd be giddy for them to go, though, and that's definitely true. It's part the hope that whoever fills the void will be more like Comic Foundry (who Choi praises even in his defense of Wizard) and part because the fallout from Wizard disappearing would be damned interesting to observe.

• Where would the Big Two turn for print coverage of their events and major properties?
• Would CBR or Newsarama attempt to come out with a print publication?
• Would there even be an attempt to fill the void or would coverage just get that much more focus online?

I know I'll stay tuned to see how it all shakes out.

I Owe Mike Choi An Apology

He's right, I'm wrong: his thoughts about recognizing internet comic fan communities are legit.

I'm of the mind that David Mack tried to get away with a copyright violation pawned off as an original cover, regardless of how nice a guy he is. But for crying out loud, do you all have to continue to yell at the top of your lungs about this and insult any creators that seem to not want to be rabid pitbulls on the issue?

Random Comic Book Thoughts

• Daniel Patrick Cassidy better be in the process of being returned to his stuck-in-a-suit, weirdness magnet beginnings. Otherwise, a comic book crime has been committed in Shadowpact. I had my own idea of how to accomplish this back in the day, over on the Newsarama boards.
  
• In discussing with some friends what villains we think could support their own series (ala Doom 2099 or Empire), we all seemed to agree that Black Adam could sustain a series (based on that wonderful mini). The dream writer team (as dual writers seems to be all the rage), would be Tomasi and Fraction. But the surprise concept brought up was Red Skull. At first, it was thought he couldn't pull off a series. I countered that, if there ever was a time, it was now. Someone challenged that he'd need a foil, to which I answered that you'd simply have to go with someone trying to bring his organization down from within, possibly taking on a legacy name. Keep Bru on to write his diabolical Skull, bring on Fraction to bring some of his Casanova craziness to the foil. I'd really love to see Marvel try something like that.
  
• Mike Choi (who was swell enough to stop by and comment on a blog I did about one of his blogs) posted an amazing...wait for it...blog about the David Mack situation. Or is it about the Mack situation? You decide. But I think he put a huge chunk of himself into that whole discussion. It's always amazing to me when comic book professionals put themselves out there like that, showing their emotional vulnerability in such a quiet and humanizing way. It's part of why the Word Balloon Bendis tapes softened me a lot on Marvel.
  
• I really wonder how many of the readers who are here for spoilers will stick around when the well runs dry? It's not keeping me up at night, but I'd be lying if I said curiosity wasn't getting the better of me.
  
• I'm glad that I've been able to run a few other people in the WGBGB feature, though I admit Mike's inclusion was a stretch. I knew there'd be a reasonable explanation or clarification, but I thought it'd make for good conversation, nonetheless.
  

WGBGB: Mike Choi

Mike Choi had the following to say on his Blogger account recently:

Why I don't allow comments on this blog

"I sure hope this isn't a Marvel marketing ploy, if it is I will

be DONE with anything marvel. I will go over to DC and their shitty characters and boring books. (Green Lantern is the exception) you hear that Joey Q, you fucking hack." (editor's note: quote taken from a Marvel_b0y blog comment)

When people and their audience are anonymous, there's no incentive to think about the content, plausibility, or credibility of what you're about to say. THIS is why the internet comic fan community feel like they're not being paid attention to. Because you can't.

No, it isn't that he doesn't allow comments. No, it isn't about his reason for not allowing comments.

It's dismissing the whole of internet comic book fandom by the way a relatively small percentage of the whole wield their anonymity like a weapon.

Marvel Comics put out survey forms in some of their comic books a few months ago (and what a colossal mistake that was, IMO). Other than assuredly having made a purpose of some sort, you could not have any certainty that the results weren't manipulated enough to render the data invalid.

As long as comic book companies give no other form of feedback (besides sales to retailers) for their target audience, you HAVE to attempt to find some formula for reading and reacting to the internet comic fan community. It might be a smart idea if the larger companies came up with a registration process that at least confirmed home address (can't login until you've received your PIN on a postcard, possibly) so that they have a way to hear the signal through the noise.

Oh...regardless of whether he still wants to make love to me...I do feel it necessary to point out one of his best blogs. The man draws a purty picture and is a heckuva storyteller, too.