Happy Halloween everybody! This has been a wild month with a few changes. I’m not really in the mood to entertain you with some snappy stuff right now, so I’m going to the point.
The Wire Fence Publishing Status
If you’re one of those people who are wondering where the Wire Fence is, I’ve talked to my editor at CEX about it. It turns out the printing fulfillment got really tight because Covid’s effect on shipping is still happening. A trucking company used by CEX went bankrupt last month. As for digital… it has to be on the same day their released to comic stores. But I can’t be sure… I don’t have an iPad so I can’t check the Omnibus app. So releases are delayed with comic stores seemingly looking like they’ll get their copies by the end of November. Everyone who ordered from the website will get there’s sometime in December.
On the plus side, orders were higher than expected. I don’t have an exact number but it was almost the entire print run. So I’ll count this as a small victory. But as a repeat, any potential releases are still bound to change so I ask that people be patient. I can certainly do that now that I’ve gotten some answers. Or at least do that a little easier.
Utilities To Show How Much Money I Spend
Now to go a little more bittersweet. This month has some real concerns on what I need to subscribe to keep people off my back. I’ve used MalwareBytes for a long while, just the free one though. But a few things pushed me to action. One: people have been putting viruses on normal websites like a random name generator. And two: YouTube put up an anti-adblocker. So I got the full version of MalwareBytes and its more subtle adblocker. Nothing against YouTubers who need their ad revenue, but I’d support it more if the ads weren’t so intrusive. Hence why Vivziepop’s Helluva Boss and its songs put it in my top channels for its unapologetic authenticity: (Warning, Not Safe For Work)
Thankfully I got MalwareBytes Premium at a bargain to pay for it for the next 2 years. Plus the payments I’m getting from Acorn is a huge leap forward. An overall good purchase. Compared to say the choice between YouTube Premium and TV.
But then I had to find two deals off of YouTube channels I frequent. I got Incogni to deal with the amounts of spam I get on a regular basis. And let me tell you, the data brokers keep tabs on just about everybody from the that they buy data. And I do mean everybody. I once found about a very rare given name and I tried to search the name’s origin. I’m a bit of a language enthusiast to make characters and stories. Did you know that the Italian word of lawyer sounds like avocado? But the scary thing was I found a person’s full name on a data brokerage website. I don’t know who this person was but I can only wish them the best.
On Incogni I found out over 100 brokers use my data. And right now the only way to fight them is services like this to legally tell them to take it down. One of them had the audacity to email me about this business, practically telling Incogni to back off. Naturally I told them to remove my data, less silence be compliance to them.
I guess I’m more annoyed that people make money off something I would sell even if my Surveys app suggests it’s for peanuts.
Hence Rocket Money, a service to keep track of my bank and investment accounts. Pretty much like Quik… something. I got it to keep track of my subscriptions. According to it I’m not overbudget on anything but only because I shouldn’t subscribe to any more of them less I get rid of a few. So sorry everybody I follow on Substack, unless we can mutually help each other like
and or I end my subscription to when it wraps up its entire epic, it’s just not feasible for me to send you guys money.Of course it would also help if I didn’t spend so much cash on Humble Bundle and Kickstarter. The former’s the best place to get games for the best prices thanks to their bundles, plus the money spent goes to charity. Not that I can use them to deduct my taxes, the company does that. As for Kickstarter, I like to help creators I follow especially when they make big releases. But it looks like I’m gonna have to dial it back for a bit.
What Takes Up My Time
Posts
Besides it’s not like I’m lacking in stuff to keep me occupied. The Gutternaut posts are a chore but they can be fulfilling. And I’m always on the look out for things that can get more traffic.
But so far the only recent thing that gets more regular visitors is an update to an earlier review. Exorcists Never Die recently got its album release changing the usual religious thriller drama into a martial arts epic about confronting personal and interpersonal faith. One day I’m gonna have to cover Steve Orlando’s writing as a whole because I really am a fan of it.
Other reviews that got a lot of attention are probably because of relevance to current events. Especially with Edenfrost with an earlier conflict between Russia and Ukraine as the background. Meanwhile Future Favors The Bold is where Star Trek gets some Rick and Morty flavored satire.
Makes me wonder if some of my less relevant posts will get attention further down the line. Some of my World Comics posts definitely have an upswing, especially Chilean Comics with Thai Comics having half of that. But at least the latter shares its spotlight with Say Hello To Blackjack, the only serialized manga that’s in the public domain. If you wanna be technical the first manga in the US public domain is a strip from way back when called The Adventures of Sho-chan.
Although I really have to wonder if people will come to my website for Operation Sunshine. This comic was a huge find on Google Trends and while I’m a fan of David Rubin’s artwork, the dialogue from The Last Podcast on the Left’s co-hosts were some of the most memorable and entertaining in a while.
Speaking of which, I’m wondering if I should cover David Rubin at any point. I read the Cosmic Detective graphic novel he did with two of my favorite writers Matt Kindt and Jeff Lemire. And the smooth and eye catching art is something I can really get into.
But first I gotta do a review for a graphic novel for Mad Cave’s Maverick. And I gotta say, I’m starting to really see why people lean into these young adult graphic novels; the moral grey areas, the down-to-earth characters, and the way they present things without saying them out loud.
Then I gotta do a post about the Team Fortress 2 comics because it was another thing with high searches on Google Trends. Look you gotta find what laymen search for when it comes to comics. When one of the highest trends is a game show where people pose like comic covers, you really have to wonder what the average joe thinks of the medium. Plus the Team Fortress 2 comic that wasn’t an ad for updates was hilariously entertaining.
It’s not like opening myself more regularly here on Substack gets regulars onto my website. The post I’ve been working on for so long Loose Cannon about a surprisingly enduring DC character got a like and a visit, but that was it. Meanwhile Incal protagonist John DiFool didn’t get much either. Frankly I was hoping a popular title’s main character would score high on search results, but it looks like I might need help with some SEO freelancers who found my website to get around Taika Watiti.
I barely tried to get Rebel Grrrls out there because it felt like it needed more issues to really recommend.
Reading Comics: Alan Moore Stood Out Again
Over the past month I’ve been reading a few comics. An Archie borrow from Hoopla definitely helped get me through some exhausting days. This was the 1000 page digest series before the “New Riverdale/Archie” phase (Man those labels get confusing). Just goes to show how new reader friendly that franchise is and why some department stores still sell these.
Meanwhile Hoopla also got me a few other decent reads like Gotham City: Year One. Nothing special and I already said my thoughts on it somewhere else:
But one coincidence that stood out is the writer Alan Moore. No rants or anything but this month I finished getting through Tom Strong, a title I really wanted to get into when a couple of different YouTubers bring him up. It’s also a title that Moore downplays a bit. But that’s probably because he was more invested in Promethea than his other comics like Tom Strong and Top 10.
But one thing that stood out was the original Miracleman saga. But when I read it, Moore’s name wasn’t on there not even his pseudonym Curt Vile. Maybe The Original Writer is around somewhere, but knowing Moore, he probably prefers not to have his name on there. Does make me wonder if the estate of… I’m losing you aren’t I?
All of that impersonal text is why the last stretch of Miracleman was a bit harder to get through, I’m going through that now with the 80s Dr. Strange Omnibus. Why does getting through all of that text gotta be so boring? The magic and presentation I can live with, but I’d like to experience a good story without my eyes getting tired.
Video Games
Probably why I’ve been playing a lot of video games I’ve been stockpiling. Mostly on my Switch because there are a lot more exclusive games including the recently acquired Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Nothing against Spider-Man 2 (which I’m waiting for its inevitable release for PC) but a simpler and more colorful game can be more relaxing. Especially when long YouTube videos are playing in the background.
Netflix and Others
Meanwhile I’m trying to watch whatever show is worth the most of my time. Right now that’s Castlevania: Nocturne.
Comics And The Awkward Transition into Newer Media
Since Compendiums and Omnibuses take a while to get through (even the good ones like Brubaker and Cooke’s Catwoman) some comics I get off of shelves get my attention because they’re easier to get through. But also because a few of them are trying to get into newer media. One is the recent DSTLRY stuff like Gone, bit of a slow start compared to Devil’s Cut. I’m still waiting for the digital releases so that I can resell my physicals.
That’s my idea with Bad Idea, I’ve backed every Kickstarter of theirs and hopefully something will be delivered in the coming weeks. Specifically the first physical trade and a bundle of digital stuff so that I can resell every one of my issues. It cost me a pretty penny but…
Are you seeing something here? This is something I can’t help but notice with how people look at comics. Publishers, creators, commenters, and fans seem to be stuck investing in speculation like its the mid 80s and 90s. Similarly I found a new comic at my Local Comic Store called Blitmap by SUP Incorporated packaged much like a trading card to keep the speculation for the rarer variant covers going. The only difference between these publishers and the comic market share owners…
I’ll save that rant for another post.
Prospecting For Breakthroughs
In any case my biggest risk is probably Rob Shield’s End of the World Pizza. It’s my first dive into using crypto technology, finally investing money into Ethereum to buy an NFT after reserving a spot on a list to get the best possible price. To let you in on what that future post will be like, I’m more of an Early Adopter than an Innovator. Don’t understand what that means? Then let’s move on.
In any case, instead of the full 66 dollars for a comic that makes use of Augmented Reality tech, I got an NFT for 10 bucks less than that to buy the comic in exchange for the NFT. Now I’ve got an expensive comic heading to my house next month. But unlike most AR Comics that pretty much just make comics into pop-up books, the comic becomes a realized video game.
Will it be any good? I’ll let you know. At least this costs less than buying a current gen game, even with shipping and handling costs. But I really hope that this is the next evolution for both comics and games. Especially since this might be the only time where video games can have physical media with how trends are going.
Otherwise companies might have to consider investing in virtual reality. There’s an app called Spheretoon where users experience comics in a 360 space. Some other companies tried to do something similar but they went bankrupt. So don’t consider yourself an innovator just yet, I tried Spheretoon and while it is mostly a good experience, downloading content for the app took a few tries. The only thing that kills enthusiasm for breakthroughs is over-saturating audiences with undercooked products.
As for why I keep tabs on this stuff and invest in it… As a comics fan, I know that current publishing models are horribly flawed. I want there to be disruptive players in the game that can shift the market out of complacency. But it’s not gonna happen overnight, and just sitting on the sidelines isn’t enough. I make posts about comic companies that succeed and mostly fail in modern times to learn the signs. It looks like I’m gonna have to revisit Interpop at some point. Hopefully with an example on the good crypto can do for comics. Because complaining about badly implemented ideas is just lazy.
Lazy Arguments
One of the biggest things that come up this month is just how lazy creatives can be when it comes to engagement. Sometimes a person I follow doesn’t listen to his own advice. That it’s easy to get cynical about people making avoidable mistakes. It got to the point where a former co-worker of his says he is happy to be rid of him on social media. Having self-contradictions is part of being human, but it’s frustrating when it’s exploited for someone’s 15 minutes of fame to build the walls of their echo chamber.
The last 7 days were full of situations like this, but at least the South Park special went into just how this back and forth causes people to triple down on these attitudes. You want specifics look for anything that starts with # and ends with gate. These passions really aren’t about making a statement about your tribe, they just increase profiles so that less work can be put into getting more attention.
Your time could be way better spent on leisure. I’d say “being productive” too, but that’s lost whatever power it ever had. Just remember that it’s not always about you or what you’re passionate about.
What To Expect In November
Next month is definitely going to have some Mad Cave stuff, maybe a Bad Idea too. Team Fortress 2 is going to get its post. Maybe the webcomic Castoff. Probably some other trending stuff that won’t become irrelevant in two days like the comic strip Baldo or Dennis the Menace (British or American), or something about Harley Quinn.
Thanks for all of your support.