So...
I had a column all ready to go and I was giving it an edit read when it struck me how... angry it was.
Don't get me wrong, I do some of my best work when I'm pissed off. But this, this was really, really angry. Justifiably so to my self-interest driven way of thinking, but still... a bit much.
It got me to thinking (never a good idea) about the amount of time I spend grousing about this, that or the other comicbook person, place or thing and did I really want to be that guy. You know, the Web Pisser, perpetually whining and puling about various and sundry, all the while asserting how much he or she loves doing comics.
Fact is, I do love doing comics. Even after 30 some odd years there's no place I'd rather be, nothing else I'd rather be doing. Go figure.
That being the case, I think the following is long overdue.
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My morning commute is 23 yards.
- No longer have to wear name tag. DiDio finally memorized my name.
- Found out licking comicbook covers produces same high as toad licking. Don't ask.
- Grant Morrison not nearly as scary as I'd thought.
- Greg Rucka is.
- Copy guy at the office swears "geezer" is an honorific.
- Every day is Casual Friday.
- I've said it before and I'll say it again, it was either this or a bell tower with a high-power rifle.
- Eye candy at conventions on a definite upswing. You too, ladies. I know it's a Craig Ferguson gag. Sue me.
- Don't have to run outside and hunch in a smoker's ghetto to light one up.
- Get to write off bourbon on taxes as a creative tool.
- After two years of weekly, monthly's a breeze.
- "Bwah ha ha" approach still inexplicably valid.
- I get paid to do this. How great is that!?
- Hollywood still buying into the whole "we know what we're doing" thing.
- Competent editor no longer an oxymoron.
- Spell check. A writur's best friend.
- Ian Satler's a Redskin's fan. Playing off of his mood swings good for a cheap laugh.
- Then again, I'm a Jets fan...
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Two months without a Darkseid appearance. That's got to count for something.
- Doom Patrol, Doom Patrol, Doom Patrol.
- Therapist assures me that agreeing with DiDio eight times out of ten not detrimental to mental health.
- Most of Kirby's work available in collected editions. Yes!
- Turns out it is pronounced Dark-SIDE. Sort of makes up for the whole Mag-NET-o debacle.
- At close to four bucks a pop, decompressed comics stand revealed as the money wasters they've always been.
- Amount of pros who charge for an autograph can now be counted on one hand and have fingers left over. To those remaining fingers... bite me.
- Professionals now vastly outnumber self-proclaimed "artistes."
- I still get free stuff.
- The new kids are making their mark. Our future is in good hands.
- "Grumpy old coot" is beginning to grow on me.
- Last trip to San Diego was relatively painless. Go figure.
- Horror still has a place in comics.
- Humor still has a place in comics.
- Romance... ahh... let me get back to you on that one.
- If Sgt. Rock can look like Billy Tucci, I seen no reason why Cave Carson can't look like me.
- A lot of the folks that made me want to be a comicbook guy are still producing comics. How cool is that?
- Turns out DiDio didn't kill my uncle, just to watch him die, after all (Not, oddly enough, any more idiotic than some of the crap floating around out there).
- Turns out Mike Carlin did. Can't win 'em all.
- Matt Clark, Howard Porter and Kevin Maguire. Hat trick!
- Comics as collectables first, reading material second, seems to have gone the way of the dodo.
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In hindsight, my "Aquaman the Musical" pitch being rejected probably saved my career.
- Fan snark has been, for the most part, replaced by legitimate criticism. Believe it or not, we do listen.
- Did I mention I still get free stuff?
- "Savage Dragon" hits #150 and counting. My hat's off, Mr. Larsen.
- Magog. I still love a challenge, especially when it turns out to be this enjoyable.
- Robot 6. My favorite new comic blog.
- The Assholes (that's what they call themselves so back off!) at aintitcool.com are still the high bar for fan critiques IMHO. Yes, even when they're dumping on me.
- I'm surrounded by talent that I genuinely respect. Trust me, that hasn't always been the case.
- Marvel holds visual storytelling seminars for new talent. As trends go, I'm loving this one.And last but not least...
- I'm still having fun!
Oh, and while I'm at it, how about something I haven't done in quite a while? Again, purely my opinions.
I've opted to disqualify anyone I'm currently working with (and I'm currently working with some of the best) because I don't want this to smack too much of self-interest. So... in no particular order...
- ANDY KUHN. This one really perplexes me. I mean, he's good. Really, really good and there's not an assignment goes by that I don't invoke his name.
- G. WILLOW WILSON. Fresh voice, fresh outlook. Always a good read.
- CHRIS BATISTA. Do I really have to explain this one? The kid is good. Period.
- PAT OLIFFE. Solid, no nonsense storytelling married to a crisp art style. Any project, any time as far as I'm concerned.
- MARK PANICCIA. An editor? Really? Yeah. Sometimes it happens. DC should definitely make an end run at this guy.
- RAPHAEL ALBUQUERQUE. Damn good and growing better by leaps and bounds with every project. An exciting new talent.
- MATT STURGES. Get in on the ground floor. This guy's gonna be huge.
- CHRIS WARD. Yeah, the Wizard lettercol guy but we won't hold that against him. He's laboring in semi-obscurity now but that won't be the case much longer. Sharp, funny and creative. It's just a matter of time.
- ALAN GRANT. As in, "Whatever happened to Alan Grant?" and how the hell could we let him slip through our fingers? I know, I know, Alan's doing just fine but still... get him back!
- TIM LEVINS. Every so often a guy comes along that makes me want to cobble together a project just so I get to work with him. Tim's one of those guys.
And that's a wrap.
Don't worry. Next time out will be the usual brew of piss and vinegar. I am, if nothing else, a creature of habit.