Month: September 2005

Over on Newsarama, the first seven pages of “Fallen Angel #1” are up. You might want to check ’em out.

PAD

The Bush administration has embraced a term that truly sets my teeth on edge: The Blame Game.

Yet again, the administration trivializes that which it wants to draw attention from or diminish, finding new and innovative ways to dodge questions and avoid responsibility.

I have no clear idea yet, for certain, if lapses in administrative judgment can be blamed for everything from siphoning money away from shoring up the levies in order to support the war and Bush’s tax cuts, to slow response to the emergency. But these are questions that must be asked. Clearly, the Bush administration embraces this notion with the same enthusiasm and thirst for truth that it did the 9/11 panel. Instead it endeavors to sprint along the obvious “high road”: The Bush administration will not play “the blame game” when people need to be helped.

You know what? The government is large enough to multitask. There’s no reason it can’t help people AND investigate. Not play “the blame game.” It’s not a game, Mr. Bush. Perhaps much of your life has been thus far. Play with toys such as corporations, governments and armies, run them into the ground, and then wait for others to clean up your mess. But it’s not. A game. It never has been, and that’s something that this administration has yet to comprehend.

One thing guaranteed, though: They’ll try to find a way to blame it on Clinton. But Clinton shouldn’t take it personally. It’s all part of the game.

UPDATED 10:45 AM. Maggie Thompson sent me the following link: http://www.thisisnotover.com/archives/2005/09/heres_what_gets.html This is one of those “I wish I’d said that” entries.

PAD

In addition to the awesome art of J.K. Woodward, the first issue of “Fallen Angel” from IDW will feature an alternate cover from original series artist David Lopez. Check it out.

Over in her on-line blog at Comicon.com, in an entry entitled “Quality or Ramifications”…since apparently the two are mutually exclusive…Heidi MacDonald cited a question asked by a retailer during the Spidey press conference on September 1. The retailer said his readers were concerned that they would read eleven issues of Spider-Man having “spider-cancer” and at the end of the storyline, he’d be cured, and there’d be no ramifications. He asked if if there would be any lasting impact as a consequence of the storyline. I said, “Yes.” Heidi then wrote:

“The Pulse’s transcript doesn’t make it clear, but David’s yes meant tat (sic) there would, indeed be ramifications.

“Which made us wonder…what “ramifications” did WATCHMEN have? or DARK KNIGHT? Or SANDMAN?

We have no idea of THE OTHER will be any good, but we would have thought that a good, solid story would sell more in the long run than mere ramifications.”

An interesting question. Would that Heidi had actually asked it during the press conference. Instead, with over a dozen retailers and on-line reporters there, as I recall she was the only one who took a pass on asking any questions whatsoever. Of course, maybe she hadn’t thought of it at the time. She could have e-mailed me later. Or gotten my phone number at the Dragon*Con hotel from Marvel and called me. Didn’t do either. Oookay.

In answer to the question directed to me that she never actually asked, I submit the following scenario:

“Peter, will there be ramifications?”

“Well, you know, why can’t we just tell a good story and let that be enough?”

“So you’re saying there will be no long term impact after fans have invested in twelve issues of this storyline.”

“I didn’t say that. But I can guarantee you it’ll be a really good story.”

That loud thud you would then hear would be orders dropping like a rock. So I’ll go with my answer rather than Heidi’s, thanks.

And as for her other question, the obvious answer is that it shows a shocking lapse of understanding of the nature and requirements of on-going serialized stories as compared to series with a beginning, middle and end. In picking up limited series in particular, all readers are looking for is a good story. When they’re being asked to embark on reading a mega-crossover and investing the time and money into reading books they ordinarily aren’t reading, a good story simply isn’t enough. Perhaps it should be…but it’s not. As the retailer’s question makes clear, they want to know they’re going to be present at a major turning point in the protagonist’s fictional life. That’s part of what MAKES it a good story. As a matter of fact–and this is purely speculation on my part–it may well be that one of the reasons various limited or spin-off series nowadays have such a rough slog in terms of sales is specifically because they’re seen as NOT having any sort of impact on the “main” storylines presented in the ongoing titles.

And the less obvious answer is, Yes, you bet your ášš the series in question had ramifications. “Watchmen” and “Dark Knight” were responsible for launching a grim-and-gritty mentality into comics that continues to this day (“Identity Crisis” owes far more to Moore and Miller than it does to Marv Wolfman). And the ramification of “Sandman” was that it was responsible for launching the entire “Vertigo” line. The ramifications of “Sandman” are “Fables” and “Y.”

It’s just that no one knew that at the time.

So that’s the answer to Heidi’s question.

Which she never asked me.

PAD

Thus far I’ve seen virtually nothing of Dragon*Con. I’ve either been doing panels or been at my table, autographing stuff and meeting fans. But that’s okay. That’s pretty much what I’m here for, and certainly the fact that it’s been busy for me is far bettr than just sitting there with nothing to do.

Aside from the initial panel I had Friday which was a solo reading, everything else I’ve been doing has been well attended. The major misfire was during my spotlight panel on Friday when I was doing a dramatic reading of an upcoming FNSM story…and discovered to my horror that the last several pages of the script were missing. Apparently my computer never printed them out for some reason. So that kinda sucked. I did my best to summarize the remaining pages, but it certainly wasn’t anywhere near as effective.

The CBLDF raffle for breakfast with myself and Jewel Staite raised around $500 and the winner was, thank God, a nice normal guy. Understand, I love fans, but there are some folks that, y’know, can kind of creep you out a little. But that wasn’t remotely this fellow, so there was serious relief there.

Kath and Ariel are out at the moment, Kath to the con suite and Ariel to go hear the Boogie Knights sing. Caroline needs something. Gotta go.

PAD

Did a phone interview for Marvel yesterday for Spider-Man: The Other. I thought it was going to be Joe, Reggie and I, and it turned out to my shock to be me, some Marvel editors, and a battery of fan reporters and retailers. So that was kind of surprising. I hope I didn’t sound like an idiot.

Stayed in the room last night while Kath, a former Atlanta resident, renewed old friendships and acquaintances on the party circuit. Woke up this morning, showered and am ready for the day. Should be interesting. I have a 3 PM reading in the Williams room that appears nowhere on any schedule, and a 7 PM focus-on-me panel (God help me.) Kath has stuff in the artshow, including a muppet of Scorpius.

Also, the CBLDF is having a raffle to win breakfast with Jewel Staite and myself Sunday morning. So if you’re interested, be sure to check that out.

PAD