Category: But I Digress…

Originally published March 7, 1997, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1216

While Harlan Ellison was busy putting fans in their place, I was busy being put in mine.

Harlan started quite a stir during his opinion piece on the Sci-Fi Channels Sci-Fi Buzz. Ellison stated that writers “owe” fans nothing beyond their best endeavors at plying their craft. Writers who receive wide fan support do not owe the fans any sense of gratitude for “putting” the writers where they are; the writers owe their relative success entirely to their own efforts.

Continue Reading “Working for a living” →

Originally published February 28, 1997, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1215

Assorted fun stuff…

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I’ve just returned from a Marvel “writers’ retreat” in Long Island. At that august gathering, an assortment of editors including Bob Harras, Bobbie Chase, and Tom Breevort, and creators including such luminaries as Chris Claremont, Kurt Busiek, John Romita, Sr., Tom DeFalco, Klaus Janson, Larry Hama, Scott Lobdell, and others who are going to be hacked off with me because I didn’t mention them by name, gathered to try and sort out the “Lee-feld Universe.”

Continue Reading “Marvel Writers’ Retreat 1997 and more” →

Originally published February 21, 1997, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1214

When one is faced with a pointless death, such as that of Ennis Cosby, one is often seized with the desire to try to do something about it. This is usually not possible. It’s probably not even possible in this case.

But then I read about a rep for the LAPD describing the killing as “a complete whodunit.” Trying to solve mysteries and sort out things that don’t make sense is a natural compulsion (just ask Oliver Stone).

And I also read reports of the actual events surrounding the death of Bill Cosby’s son.

And there’s stuff that’s just bugging the hëll out of me. I have no one else to talk to about it, so I figured I’d talk to you.

Continue Reading “True Crime” →

Originally published February 7, 1997, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1212

Picking up from last week:

So there I was, loaded up with software for America Online. Now I was really in need of some sort of method for picking up messages off the Internet, as my former server had collapsed. And also—I blush to disclose—I’d never in my life gone “websurfing,” a term that I must admit completely befuddles me. Who the hëll made it up, anyway? I mean, talk about your mixed metaphors. What sort of image does that bring to mind, surfing a web? It makes no sense. You surf on water; you crawl on a web. How do you surf a web? It’s like saying, “I’m going to mow the linoleum.”

Continue Reading “Dialing Up” →

Originally published January 31, 1997, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1211

Assorted thoughts…

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My experience on America Online has been less than sterling thus far.

The first time I tried AOL was several years ago. I came on for a live conference. I was on line for about thirty seconds when I was immediately hailed by someone using a fake name. “Are you Peter David the writer?” he asked (one of the hazards of signing on with my own name rather than a nom-de-byte).

I wrote back, “Yes.”

Which garnered the quick response of, “Your writing suuuuuuuucks.”

Continue Reading “America Offline” →

Originally published January 24, 1997, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1210

I’ve decided that, rather than react to recent Marvel news with another straightforward commentary, it might be better to try to encapsulate the last year or so of Marvel’s crumbling existence in a friendly, easy-to-understand fashion.

So it is, with profuse apologies to Edward Gorey (and thanks to Richard Howell for the accompanying art), that But I Digress presents:

THE MARVELCRUMB TINIES

by Peter David

Continue Reading “The Marvelcrumb Tinies” →