Just a quick note to catch up on where this is all going.
The idea was to use the December 79 titles as a run-in, to allow me time and space to develop how I want to write and present these things, to let me get a real feeling for what exactly this thing is that I am doing.
So far I am hitting the schedule of posting every Tuesday. I feel that when I get to the real stuff, the Jan '80 material, I will probably want to increase the frequency of these posts. Marvel were not producing anything like as many monthly titles back then as they are now, but I would prefer to keep close to a real-time format, covering about a month's worth of comics every month. That seems manageable, without this becoming a major time-sink.
If I could find a way to make this thing pay for itself, of course, then I would be happy to post a lot more, and a lot more often.
There are a few other thoughts.
I would like to extend this beyond 80s Marvel. Whether that means 80s DC, or more contemporary stuff, I'm open minded on. The thing about Marvel is that with an Unlimited sub, I can cover all of this stuff. If I want to expand it, then we start to hit questions of money. Not to put too fine a point on it, I am not in a position to put down much more cash on comics for the time being. Maybe if we build the readership to a point where this can pay for itself, that might be a way forward.
For now, though, I am really just enjoying reading and talking about all these great old comics. It is fun, and that is the point. If I was trying to make money, this is not an obvious way to do it, and I do not want to feel like this needs to be something else. It should not feel like work, unless it is going to pay like work. That seems a bit remote.
On the reviews themselves, I think I am learning as I go. I anticipated that it might take some time for me to really get up to speed, hence the '79 thing. As should be expected, as a writer, I have more affinity for the writing side of things, and I am learning and relearning about comics art, sequential storytelling and the collaborative process as I go. I do not want to be one of those people who ignores the artist, or downplays their contribution to the process. Comics are as much about art as they are about writing. Art as a way of telling stories. That is what I love about the form, and I want to be able to fully explore and express that in more depth than I have yet managed.
I'm not really plugging the blog yet. I tweet on my standard twitter feed, and I am debating whether I should set up a dedicated twitter account. I think a lot of comics twitter is probably put off by some of my other interests (and I bet some of Liverpool FC twitter is just a bit puzzled by the comics stuff) - as I say, I am mainly doing this for myself at the moment, so building an audience is not a big deal. But when there is enough content, it would be good if I could generate a little more interest from the wider community.
Anyway, that's me for now. Back to the comics.
The idea was to use the December 79 titles as a run-in, to allow me time and space to develop how I want to write and present these things, to let me get a real feeling for what exactly this thing is that I am doing.
So far I am hitting the schedule of posting every Tuesday. I feel that when I get to the real stuff, the Jan '80 material, I will probably want to increase the frequency of these posts. Marvel were not producing anything like as many monthly titles back then as they are now, but I would prefer to keep close to a real-time format, covering about a month's worth of comics every month. That seems manageable, without this becoming a major time-sink.
If I could find a way to make this thing pay for itself, of course, then I would be happy to post a lot more, and a lot more often.
There are a few other thoughts.
I would like to extend this beyond 80s Marvel. Whether that means 80s DC, or more contemporary stuff, I'm open minded on. The thing about Marvel is that with an Unlimited sub, I can cover all of this stuff. If I want to expand it, then we start to hit questions of money. Not to put too fine a point on it, I am not in a position to put down much more cash on comics for the time being. Maybe if we build the readership to a point where this can pay for itself, that might be a way forward.
For now, though, I am really just enjoying reading and talking about all these great old comics. It is fun, and that is the point. If I was trying to make money, this is not an obvious way to do it, and I do not want to feel like this needs to be something else. It should not feel like work, unless it is going to pay like work. That seems a bit remote.
On the reviews themselves, I think I am learning as I go. I anticipated that it might take some time for me to really get up to speed, hence the '79 thing. As should be expected, as a writer, I have more affinity for the writing side of things, and I am learning and relearning about comics art, sequential storytelling and the collaborative process as I go. I do not want to be one of those people who ignores the artist, or downplays their contribution to the process. Comics are as much about art as they are about writing. Art as a way of telling stories. That is what I love about the form, and I want to be able to fully explore and express that in more depth than I have yet managed.
I'm not really plugging the blog yet. I tweet on my standard twitter feed, and I am debating whether I should set up a dedicated twitter account. I think a lot of comics twitter is probably put off by some of my other interests (and I bet some of Liverpool FC twitter is just a bit puzzled by the comics stuff) - as I say, I am mainly doing this for myself at the moment, so building an audience is not a big deal. But when there is enough content, it would be good if I could generate a little more interest from the wider community.
Anyway, that's me for now. Back to the comics.
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