Originally published March 6, 1998, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1268
Assorted thoughts…
Category: But I Digress…
Seduction of the Innocent (the band)
Originally published February 27, 1998, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1267
I miss Seduction of the Innocent.
Not the famous book that served to trash the entire comic book industry. I’m talking about the band.
I was reflecting on my con-going life the other day and came to the surprising realization that Seduction was a part of an amazingly large number of fond memories, both in terms of personal stunts and also things that I witnessed.
Half a Million
Originally published February 20, 1998, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1266
“Only half a million copies.”
It was some years back, during the pinnacle of the sales boom for comic books. There was an editor walking around the offices at Marvel Comics, and he was sorely distressed, angry and disappointed.
You may ask, Why was he so angry?
Go ahead. Ask.
I’m not going to tell you unless you ask. Come on. Say it out loud. Say it with me: Why was he so angry?
(Having learned your lesson from last week’s column, I can only assume that you have very wisely said out loud, “Why was he so angry?” thereby getting some rather odd looks from anyone who might be nearby you. Don’t worry about them. They’re probably working for the Starr Chamber, trying to determine whether or not you had an affair with Bill Clinton. Just glance their way, nod, smile, and make no sudden movements, and you should be fine. Where was I? Ah yes.)
‘Technical’ Difficulties
Originally published February 13, 1998, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1265
“Only half a million copies.”
It was some years back, during the pinnacle of the sales boom for comic books. There was an editor walking around the offices at Marvel Comics, and he was sorely distressed, angry and disappointed. You may ask, Why was he so angry?
Go ahead. Ask.
I’m not going to tell you unless you ask. Come on. Say it out loud. Say it with me: Why was he so angry?
You didn’t say it, did you? I’m not kidding now. Together: Why. Was. He. So. Angry?
(It’s amazing how punchy this column can get when I produce one after, say, finishing a Star Trek novel, dialoguing half an issue of Hulk, and plotting Aquaman, all within a fifteen hour period operating on three hour’s sleep. But I… something or other, I forget.)
Babylon 5: An Overview
Originally published February 6, 2012, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1264
“It’s not going to be as good.”
That’s what I heard fans muttering when word broke of the syndication deal that would provide Babylon 5 with a regular slot on TNT, aired five times a week in a time slot that—unlike in many cities—wasn’t at such a hideous hour of the morning that viewing it required either a VCR or a healthy shot of No-Doze.
Where Man Peter, and More
Originally published January 30, 1998, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1263
Although I’m still getting letters sent in to “Where Man Peter,” the special-interest aspect of the column in which I asked for descriptions of oddities that folks in publishing have found in unsolicited manuscripts, something had been brought to my attention that deserves to be attended to immediately.
The Muppet Tour
Originally published January 23, 1998, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1262
It was a perfectly nondescript townhouse in New York City.
I stood there and scanned it carefully for a moment, to see if I was missing anything. Perhaps there was something small and hidden, something I wasn’t seeing. A flipper mark, perhaps, or a stained glass window with a bear in it. But there was absolutely nothing. It was quiet, understated, no markings of any kind whatsoever. You could have stared at it for hours and garnered nothing about the inside by the exterior.
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