The Future Of The Internet And You

enjoy this while you can

First off, please do not beat me over the head with the Internet equivalent of a cricket bat for bringing this topic/article up -- I don't agree with all of it, but I do think it raises some timely questions.

The writer of this post makes the point that "geeks" (techies, early-adopters, the Internet savvy, etc) have created a culture of "free" where anyone can get anything online for free. In the process, the creators get nothing, get swindled, etc:

"The “free” Internet costs Americans around $10,000, give or take depending on quality, by the time you add up the computer, the software, the monitor, the laptop, the cell phone, and a year’s worth of connection services. But “free culture” demands that we will not pay one penny for a piece of digital art.

The Internet has become the new weapon of imperialists. Today’s imperialists, also known as “The Geeks” have been very successful at securing their economic domination of the world by making non-technical talent and skills, like the ability to draw, worth nothing on the Internet (and even beyond), even when the finished product is far from worthless."

The conversation quickly turns to webcomics, the example being used African webcomics creators. The poster writes:

"There. I’ve just helped myself to African comics. It was fast and easy thanks (sincerely) to the geeks who created the technology, and also free thanks (sarcastically) to geeks who created the free movement and who continue to labor overtime on blogs, Twitter, FriendFeed and so on, to proselytize an Internet culture that will not tolerate the creation of an economic channel that could pay these creators for the use of their art here on my blog, even though I want to pay."

And this all dovetails into an issue very much on the minds of the Web 2.0 social media field in which I work -- in the future, will we have to pay for all this? Will we have to pay for a subscription to Twitter, will we have to pay for access to Internet "portals" based on Google (now Google/Yahoo), MSN, etc?

Is This The Future Of The Internet?

And will we have to pay for webcomics?

I think the day they completely crack down on the illegal downloading and stop making these social media sites and online newspapers/etc. free, the day they make you pay for Internet access the way you do for cable and make it a federal crime to download unauthorized material -- people are going to f**king riot. Literally.

And then several days after that, we are going to settle into our daily routines and pay the fees. Sure, a permanent underground of "geek" rebels will be formed, handing out flyers at public meeting places and throwing pies at Bill Gates. Perhaps the Rebellion will be far more real and serious than that. But --


The day will come when we will have to pay for all this stuff. It is coming anyway. I don't know how much we will have to pay for these Internet services, and I don't know how extensive it will be. And I'm not saying it's right. And I don't agree with all of the points made in the referenced article.

But, I read a heavy volume of industry news every day for my job, and I'm telling you -- this day is coming. I attended a function of the top media movers and shakers about three months ago (not cuz I'm awesome, but because somebody cancelled), and that was the top topic. "How do we monetize this?" This wasn't a bunch of pundits, or what have you. These were the heads of media companies.

How will this specifically effect webcomics creators? The cream will rise to the top. Today's hot webcomics creators will be tomorrow's mainstream darlings, pulling in far more money than they have ever dreamed. And they will either be savvy enough to maintain competitive websites, or they (more likely) will be "attached" to one large company or another. 'Cause when a lot of this pay-for-Internet-portal-access stuff comes down, when the gates begin to close, their expenses will rise to the point where they will have to have some big company back them up -- or at least create a big company of their own.

DC wasn't stupid in creating Zuda. Nor were they being "nefarious." They understood the concept that creators -- regardless of the medium -- had to get paid. They also (and this is purely conjecture) understood that the models for media distribution both in print and online are changing. We can argue about the finer points of contracts, rights, etc., all day. And I'm not suggesting independent webcomics creators need or even should go to Zuda.

But, I am saying that the free content that we enjoy now -- and the free services -- will not stay that way forever. Right now is, in many ways, a renaissance. A time to experiment. And if you depend on the Internet for your income -- whether you're a webcomicker, an Internet marketer, a blogger, an e-commerce businessperson, a writer for an online publication -- you need to trend these things out. You need to do your research, keep up with things, and learn to anticipate. You absolutely have to.

Always happy to be your little ray of sunshine

Friday the 13th Survey

Happy Friday The 13th!

Question:

What's the weirdest experience you have ever had?

It doesn't have to be on Friday the 13th, but just in your life in general.

I'll start.

As some of you might remember in "Goodbye To Comics," there was an incident where I was asked by a supervisor to yell at a freelancer until he cried.

Well, I did that -- and I cried, too! The whole incident must have taken like 15 minutes of yelling and carrying on. It was just awful. Some of the worst advice I've ever received on how to edit, complete and total bullsh*t.

And almost to the minute after it was all over, my computer started to whine, and the lights started blinking, and then we had a major blackout all across New York City.

And that freelancer had all the time he needed to finish that comic book story.

Of course, I realize that the incident with the freelancer had nothing to do with the actual blackout. But it was funny.* Until the water dried up in the apartment in the City I was staying at, and the toilet couldn't be flushed, and then Gristedes started rationing food. That's when I walked straight from 33rd and 3rd in Manhattan to Brooklyn.

*Of course, the power outage itself wasn't funny; that was apocalyptic-feeling and horrible (though they were giving out free ice-cream). But there was a considerable amount of irony wrapped up in the situation. It was like the universe was telling me: "take it f**king easy, will you?"

Fangirl Fridays: The Proust Questionnaire

(Read about the Proust Questionnaire here)

1. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Being overqualified for a task and yet still feeling like a complete moron.

2. Where would you like to live?
In my mom's beach house in Cape Cod with no worries.

3. What is your idea of earthly happiness?
A stack of old Peanuts paperbacks.


4. To which faults do you feel most indulgent?
Procrastination.

5. Who is/are your favorite hero/heroes of fiction?
Those girls at the end of Deathproof who kicked that guy's ass.

6. Who are your favorite characters in history?
Hunter S. Thompson, Helen Keller, and John the Baptist. Keller wrote nastier op/ed pieces than I do. And John because I think he had a totally different religion going, and history just shoe-horned him into the standard Christian narrative (in the process completely undermining him); which just shows you the power of the press, and why you need a good publicist.

7. Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
The women from Friends of Lulu.

8. Who is/are your favorite heroine/heroines of fiction?
I always liked Tippi Hedren's character in The Birds. I want to run down the street with fake birds glued to my hair (though actually I think Hitchcock attached at least some real birds to Hedren, because he was a freak).

9. Your favorite painters?
Mark Ryden and Eric Powell.

10. Your favorite composers or musicians?
The Monkees and the Sex Pistols. And the Foo Fighters. Yeah I'm banal, but happy.


11. Which qualities do you most value in a man?
Sensitivity, a sense of humor, and brainnnnnnnssssss.

12. Which qualities do you most value in a woman?
The ability to be nurturing.

13. Your favorite virtue?
Following through with one's bright ideas.

14. Your favorite occupation?
Meditation.

15. Who would you have liked to be?
A teenager in the 1960s so I could watch Batman & The Monkees first-run.

16. Your most marked characteristic?
Me and my big mouth.

17. What do you most value in your friends?
That they know the real me and are cool with it.

18. What is your principle defect?
God, didn't we cover this already?

19. What is your favorite color?
Red.

20. What is your favorite flower?
Real ones.

21. What is your favorite bird?
Chicken at Cosi <-----insensitive

22. Who are your favorite prose writers?
Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Philip K. Dick, Charles M. Schulz.

23. Who are your favorite poets?
I could tell you, but you're gonna laugh at me and call me a nerd.

24. What are your favorite names?
Two words: Chachi Arcola. And Potsie.


25. What is it you most dislike?
Assholes.

26. What historical figures do you most despise?
George W. Bush. Because I gave him another chance, and he blew it.

27. What event in military history do you most admire?
The one where the Nazis were beaten.

28. What reform do you most admire?
I admire the reform that led to substantially less dogshit on my sidewalk than ten years ago.

29. What natural gift would you most like to possess?
Ninja skills.

30. How would you like to die?
Of natural causes, in a thick jungle or forest undisturbed by humankind. Like one of those explorers with the funny hats. I would like to just fall over in a thicket or unruly pile of grass and just be allowed to slowly return to the ecology, with Disney squirrels and deer demurely stepping out of the green to take a look.

31. What is your present state of mind?
My present state of mind is that I think I seriously need to have a party to get rid of all the Rolling Rock and Bud Light in the fridge leftover from the last party.

32. What is your motto?
"You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs."

Boy, Do I Have The Book For Them...

Karen Berger on Vertigo's new hunt for original graphic novels:

"Creators might not realize that Vertigo would be in the market for something that’s maybe more of an intimate story or a memoir or even a story that has no genre aspect."

Well, if they're looking for an intimate memoir with no genre aspect...

(whistles)

Guess What Story Is On The "Front Page" Of Newsarama?

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/080612-DixonNoDC.html

Good article.

Gothic Tweety Bird

In a New York Times article about character revamps, as pointed out in The Beat:

“You want a dark, Goth version of Tweety Bird? Have at it,” said Lisa Gregorian, executive vice president for worldwide marketing at Warner Brothers Television.

It really seems that all bets are off and these companies will do anything it takes to sell the lunchboxes.

I remember working on Disney licensed comics in the mid 1990s. A writer submitted a springboard about a story in which Dopey temporarily becomes smart. And the story was rejected by the Disney rep because, in her words, "Dopey is sacred here." You can't f**k with Dopey. The Dopey concept is pure.

But you can f**k with Tweety. You can even give him black eyeliner.

Superheroes Who Can't Get Laid

Whether you're a human brain trapped in a robotic body or have super-spunk o' doom, being a superhero can really put a cramp in your sex life.

SPOILERS

...
...
...

so according to io9, both the Hancock and The Incredible Hulk movies feature superheroes who have bad things happen when they have sex. While the blog says Hancock stole the idea of a super-powered dingus from a Warren Ellis comic, I believe it appeared in the short story "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex" first. Meanwhile in the Hulk movie, Banner can't be sexually aroused without turning into the green-skinned behemoth. I don't know, was this ever the status quo in the comic? At any rate, it makes sense to me.


Isn't a lot about classic superheroes really sexual metaphor? Or am I way off base and a cigar just really a cigar? I mean, I don't think issues of sex were ever really divorced from the Wonder Woman character, from its inception in the Golden Age. The idea of secret identities can be a symbol of the face we present to the world and the sometimes very different one we present in the bedroom. And the idea of sex turning mild-mannered men like Mr. Banner into rampaging beasts has been around for awhile. Aren't all the werewolf movies some variation on that?

And if Superman can't really nail Lois without causing her significant internal organ damage (not status quo ever as far as I'm aware, but is the case in "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex") and Batman is too emotionally f**ked-up to have sex (often implied, but, as we have seen with Damian, not always the case), and the Thing really can't have actual sex and Robotman from the Doom Patrol can't really have sex, and the Hulk can only have sex with wild women warriors from alien planets (producing cute little Hulk babies), then maybe as non-powered readers we can feel superior to the heroes in some way...or at least relate.

***

From Larry Niven's "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex"

"Consider the driving urge between a man and a woman, the monomaniacal urge to achieve greater and greater penetration. Remember also that we are dealing with kryptonian muscles.

Superman would literally crush LL's body in his arms, while simultaneously ripping her open from crotch to sternum, gutting her like a trout.

Lastly, he'd blow off the top of her head.

Ejaculation of semen is entirely involuntary in the human male, and in all other forms of terrestrial life. It would be unreasonable to assume otherwise for a kryptonian. But with kryptonian muscles behind it, Kal-El's semen would emerge with the muzzle velocity of a machine gun bullet. (*One can imagine that the Kent home in Smallville was riddled with holes during Superboy's puberty. And why did Lana Lang never notice that?*)

In view of the foregoing, normal sex is impossible between LL and Superman."

Quick thought on the new Newsarama

I think the problem with the new Newsarama is that when a story breaks like Chuck Dixon suddenly not at DC anymore, they should have that on their front page. I should be able to go right now to their site and see it as a link. And even if there isn't a lot of solid news surrounding the story at the moment besides his terse statement on the forum, there should be something -- a recap of all he's done, of his current projects -- and yes, even speculation. Not "hard-journalism" enough for you? CNN speculates all the time. They can fill out whole hours based on one line and tons of speculation.

Yeah, Newsarama has their blog covering Dixon -- that little box you have to scroll all the way back down to the bottom of the page to access.

Everything else is like: press junket, press junket, link bait, press junket. And when they have something like about how DC should learn from Marvel in the movie biz, they have to slap a big "OP/ED" on it.

News doesn't have to be this bloodless.

To me, news is: "here is the shit, can you believe this shit, here is shit we are speculating about the shit, here are these people we brought in who are going to give their own views of the shit, and here are the viewer comments on the shit. holy shit!"

CNN does this all the time. Take a look at their website sometime. But, you know, CNN is supposed to be "legit."

If I want hard news on comics, I'll go pick up Comics Journal. Seriously. Entertain me, Newsarama. Inform me but entertain me too. Or at least give your blog a more prominent place on the site. That tiny generic button on the top navigation is not doing it.

Hm, methinks this was more than just a quick thought.

If You Buy One Comic Today, Buy "Skaar Son Of Hulk"

If you're not going to buy it for the great Greg Pak writing -- basically bringing the same epic narrative to this work as he did for World War Hulk -- then for God's sake do it for Ron Garney's art.

Garney's art in this book is like a cross between Joe Kubert and Gil Kane. Together with great, understated color by Paul Mounts, Skaar Son Of Hulk is absolutely freakin' gorgeous. If you want a hint about what that classic, epic comic book art from the 60s and 70s looked like -- the type of stuff that, for the most part, you can only find covered in magazines -- pick this book up. You will not be disappointed.

It's just $2.99. Try something new.

Titans = "Breasticles"

One comic store (which will remain nameless) had an unique idea as to how to promote Titans #3 on their racks...

Racks. I said "racks." Get it?

What Comics Are You All Buying Today???

Though seriously, after all the coin I dropped at MoCCA Art Fest I shouldn't be buying anything.

You may follow along with this handy-dandy new comics list posted at the Friends Of Lulu blog...

And now my picks --

The Goon #25 -- really, one of the best and most consistent monthly comics out there

Penny Arcade trade paperback collection -- possibly

Trinity #2 -- possibly

Young Liars #3 & 4 -- possibly

Complete Little Orphan Annie HC -- OMG!!!!!!! Over 1,000 strips! Holy Crap!*

* that said, the chances of me purchasing a $39.95 Annie volume at this juncture w/my budget not so good

Captain Britain and MI 13 #2

Eternals #1 -- possibly

Skaar Son of Hulk #1 -- okay, how can I pass this up? it's like a mid-70s flashback.

Okay, so what are you all buying????

Any books you want to shamelessly promote?

Would You Wipe Your Butt With A Bad Comic?

Bad Comic

No seriously -- what's the most you would do to a comic book you hated?

The gentleman at this link hated the old Uncanny X-Men comics so much, he set the omnibus on fire. Or rather, did after many dangerous attempts. I think it's the slick ultra-white archival paper that was the problem.

Then there is the matter of the actual butt-wiping. I've heard many an angry fanboy state their intention to do the deed with this or that comic he disliked, but never have seen much in the way of follow-through.

You could always send the book back to the publisher and ask for your money back. This has actually happened before. It's not too extreme. It might actually get you your money back. If you tear it up into little pieces first, you might not be as successful in getting the money back.

Then there are books that I didn't want to tear up, but I felt uncomfortable about keeping physically in my house. Such was the case with Titans East Special. Maybe it was the guilt over paying money for it, I'm not sure. But, I also felt that way about Dave Sim's Glamourpuss #1. There was nothing in the book that offended me in the least; it just had this...aura around it. I can't explain it. It bothered me. It bothered me to keep it physically in my house.

I'm also shy sometimes about keeping books I myself have edited, because I look back on them and get all perfectionistic (not an actual word, but apropos) about them. I see little flaws. And some books give me bad memories and I've thrown all my comps in the garbage; I don't even keep a "file" copy. I must believe that these things happen with some editors regarding their books. Space is also a factor. You feel you must hold on to every book, in multiple copies, that you have worked on. That can add up. I mean, do I really need 15 copies of Arkham Asylum: Living Hell #3 on my bookshelf?


Yes. Yes, I do.

Chuck Dixon No Longer @ DC

From the Dixonverse forums yesterday:

" I am no longer employed by DC Comics in any capacity."

I'm sort of shocked...

Didn't they just bring him in?

What up? What the bloody hell is going on in that editorial department?

(with thanks to Kansasjin for the tip!)

The DCU's Fortunes Aren't Riding On Grant Right Now...

...they are riding on Geoff Johns. In my opinion. No dig on Grant. I loved Animal Man and Doom Patrol. And I think his Batman is very good. But, Final Crisis is not the crucial book for DC right now, though it has been positioned as it is. It's Geoff's work; it's the only thing solid holding everything together. I think Geoff is really a Monitor.

Just a thought or two before I run a brush through my hair and scoot off to work.

Ambush Bug Invented Dan DiDio...

He also invented ska. And pants.


Do you see why I started a second blog? I have a surfeit of riches here. The Smurf movies, banana phones, and car battery recycling tips are just going to have to go on the other site. That's it. I'm not even apologizing for it.

No seriously, let me get this straight --

Countdown and Death Of The New Gods were sort of out-of-continuity and/or pointless?

???

"Again, bear in mind thatCountdown only finished last month so Final Crisis was already well underway long before Countdown and although I’ve tried to avoid contradicting much of the twists and turns of that book as I can with the current Final Crisis scripts, the truth is, we were too far down the road of our own book to reflect everything that went on in Countdown, hence the disconnects that online commentators, sadly, seem to find more fascinating than the stories themselves."

"Orion’s appearance on the docks and the Guardians’ response in Final Crisis #1 was written and drawn first. Jim Starlin then created Orion’s death scene in Death Of The New Gods to lead into the War God’s appearance in Final Crisis #1, so we refer back to Jim’s scene in Final Crisis #3. When I wrote that scene, Orion’s terminal injuries were a result of the mysterious bolt of light which Jim hit him with in Death Of The New Gods #6. By the time Countdown #1 came out, I was working on Final Crisis #4 and #5 and JG was drawing #3, so we were already well into our own story and unable to change it to match Countdown."

"What mattered to me was what had already been written, drawn or plotted in Final Crisis. The Guardians didn’t call 1011 when Lightray and the other gods died in Countdown because, again, Final Crisis was already underway before Countdown came out.

"Why didn’t Superman recount his experiences from DOTNG ? Because those experiences hadn’t been thought up or written when I completed Final Crisis #1. If there was only me involved, Orion would have been the first dead New God we saw in a DC comic, starting off the chain of events that we see in Final Crisis. As it is, the best I can do is suggest that the somewhat contradictory depictions of Orion and Darkseid’s last-last-last battle that we witnessed in Countdown and DOTNG recently were apocryphal attempts to describe an indescribable cosmic event."

I'm getting lunch.

My final question --

How soon does Grant Morrison pull a Straczynski in the face of this criticism and blame DCU editorial directly? How soon? I mean, he's already sort of doing it in this Newsarama article, but in a really nice roundabout way...

Titans: Should Be/Is

What Titans should be:
What Titans is:
Now please don't get me wrong. Books like Bloodstrike -- what, about FIFTEEN YEARS AGO -- had a sort of trashy charm that even today I can appreciate.

But, is that what DC wants from a franchise they are trying to build up to the level of Superman and the JLA?

I read issue #2 of Titans in the store, and -- it's bad. It's really, really bad. I mean, the art style might have been interesting in a different type of project. But, I'm totally turned off by this book. One of the first pages features a splash of a female character captured or tied up with her huge heaving breasts dead center between her bonds. You know, if I want to see that done right, I'll go buy a Milo Manara collection.

Then there are other panels with Starfire where it's like: ass, Bill Ward-sized breasts, gigantic head, empty expression, impossibly arched back. Or Nightwing just standing there in the middle of a panel saying "I don't know what the hell is going on. Duh."

Isn't Titans supposed to be anywhere near a more mature level than Teen Titans? Isn't that how it works?

This book is destined to be another one of those "quick, let's retool this sucker" aborted relaunches. Trust me. Titans takes all the good that the Teen Titans cartoon did and drags the franchise back 15 years.

And if my choice of Milligan/Allred's X-Force seems too hipster to you, then at least look at Marvel's Runaways. That book is and will continue to be a consistent seller in backlist long after this latest incarnation of the adult Titans is a memory.

MoCCA Art Fest & Lulu Awards In Photos

Wind beneath our wings Marion Vitus
taking memberships at the MoCCA Art Fest Friends of Lulu booth

Cliff Chiang draws some lucky person a Batman pinup;
Cliff donated his time and skills to help out Friends of Lulu

Alitha Martinez presents her new comic
Yumi and Ever at the Friends of Lulu booth

Elayne Riggs is not only a Comic Mix reporter,
she's also a Lulu member and volunteer

Brian Wood would be happy to know
that I purchased the floppies, not trades...

If you were Jamal Igle, you'd be smiling too.
Helping us out at the Lulu booth & sketching...

Proud Friends of Lulu member Dan Slott
donates some time for the cause...

High Moon's David Gallaher at the Zuda booth

Cecil Castellucci signs copies of the Minx book "Young Janes In Love."
The Minx booth was giving away galley editions of all of their new titles.

Comic creators Shaenon K. Garrity, Steve Ellis,
and David Gallaher all volunteer at the Friends of Lulu table

A good party, NYC Friends of Lulu Chapter President
Danielle O'Brien assures us, starts with dishes...

...and ends with napkins

Danielle is not only a great chapter president --
she also pours a mean glass of wine.

The Lulu Awards were attended by a full house;
people eventually had to be turned away at the door
because we had reached capacity.

The Night Owls' Peter Timony and some dude

Friends of Lulu Chapter Vice-President Marc Wilkofsky
gives the refreshments a thumbs-up

Rachel Nabors announces the Kim Yale Award

Kim Yale Award winner Martina Fugazzotto

Lulu Awards emcee Emily Flake

Heidi MacDonald

Vertigo's Angela Rufino accepts the Woman Of Distinction
Award on Shelly Bond's behalf

Marion Vitus

Abby Denson

After 6+ Lulu board meetings over Yahoo Chat,
I finally get to see what Leigh Dragoon looks like!

Dennis Calero sketches for a good cause and
becomes honorary "Friend of Sluggo"

By the end of the show, Miss Danielle O'Brien
could be found throwing my camera into moving traffic

Girls With Slingshots artist Danielle Corsetto
draws a Secret Invasion cover as Elayne Riggs looks on

How many comics professionals can you spot in this evacuation photo?