- Ok, Twitter, does anybody know: where the best place online is to sell 2nd hand comics? Still eBay? #
- …Also, is eBay the best place to work out what prices to expect? #
- @MikeScantlebury Heh. in reply to MikeScantlebury #
- @RebeccaFront They are terrible. Mind you, I have had stories misinterpreted before to the extent that it has bewildered & worried me! in reply to RebeccaFront #
- @RebeccaFront I wrote a story based on my memory of that story, that would have been totally different had I heard about the empty bag… in reply to RebeccaFront #
- @RebeccaFront …It was called "Driving Baby Home" – http://is.gd/1u31O – not sure how it holds up. in reply to RebeccaFront #
- @Plustenstrength Yup, that's our chilli, though the Parmesan sounds like a bit of a genius touch that we don't use. Summat new every day! in reply to Plustenstrength #
- @MOMBTWEETS Ta! Was talking to a friend who works at FP, & she said that ebay remains the most solid option. in reply to MOMBTWEETS #
- A lovely evening spent, with @steevbishop & R & Girl One. PIZZA! DRINKIN! CHAT! CHARLIE! Hmph! Bed now? #
- @georgelondon If an option occurs, I will pass it on. Looking like ebay is best bet at mo… in reply to georgelondon #
- @steevbishop On plus side, we may have sent Girl One over the Torchwood tipping point, so I may watch the whole thing with her this Sunday! in reply to steevbishop #
- RT @McKelvie: Living with First Person Shooter Disease http://bit.ly/ajYmH (Didn't think this would pay off – it DOES, though, in the end!) #
- @acheverton The fact that they charge the author seems a bit much, but there's a lot of knee-jerk on the part of the authors, too… in reply to acheverton #
- @acheverton …for a start, the idea that the child is even AWARE of these checks is faulty. in reply to acheverton #
- @_wild_rose_ Oh do shush. The repeated insults are only rendered more pointless by the fact that they seem to be out of nowhere… in reply to _wild_rose_ #
- @_wild_rose_ …if I've provoked you somehow, I do wish you'd tell me. Otherwise, they come off as bipolar & a bit mean. in reply to _wild_rose_ #
- @acheverton The problem with the argument is that the writers seem to assume that this is something new to them. EVERYBODY who works with… in reply to acheverton #
- @acheverton …sorry, IN schools has to have these checks, & they're annoying, & indicative of worse things in society, but it damages… in reply to acheverton #
- @acheverton …the credibility of those writers that they didn't notice until it was THEM being affected. A teacher doesn't get to choose… in reply to acheverton #
- @acheverton …other revenue streams. Writers aren't being DENIED a wage stream, they're just being asked to suck on some compromise the… in reply to acheverton #
- @acheverton …way everyone else earning a wage from education is. They just aren't as used to it. in reply to acheverton #
- @acheverton So I guess my response is that yes, my knee probably WOULD jerk, but that isn't what has happened to the writers in question. in reply to acheverton #
- @_wild_rose_ I'm only half-smart, but I'm experienced enough to know that a woman who appears from nowhere, & can't tell the difference… in reply to _wild_rose_ #
- @_wild_rose_ …between snide comments & jokes, while not bringing anything else to the conversation, has misunderstood the "olden days"… in reply to _wild_rose_ #
- @_wild_rose_ …& might technically be considered more trouble than they are worth. So far your opening gambits have all been insults. in reply to _wild_rose_ #
- @_wild_rose_ …I don't need strangers to do that. I have friends aplenty up to the task. in reply to _wild_rose_ #
- @acheverton I'd agree if I thought the one thing had anything to do with the other. Visiting writers doesn't encourage reading & writing… in reply to acheverton #
- @acheverton …at least not to the extent that enabled, able & willing teachers would. One thing at a time, eh? in reply to acheverton #
- @acheverton The problem is that pov – as put forward by Pullman et al – suggests that somehow it's ok for EVERYONE ELSE to get checked… in reply to acheverton #
- @acheverton …Pullman & co show no interest in doing anything but adding another hot voice to the already heated discussion, with no light. in reply to acheverton #
- @acheverton …& you should be able to rely on writers to do more than add more outrage on their OWN behalf. in reply to acheverton #
- @_wild_rose_ That's 3 sorrys in 2 days from someone I didn't know till they started pulling hair for a reaction. Appreciate the candour… in reply to _wild_rose_ #
- @_wild_rose_ …But after accepting 2 I'd say I'm more interested in seeing what you do next than expecting a change of temperament. in reply to _wild_rose_ #
- @_wild_rose_ …For now, though, goodnight. in reply to _wild_rose_ #
- @acheverton I got that, but my point is it isn't only teachers who work at schools, & not every staff member works directly with kids. in reply to acheverton #
- @acheverton …A bit of outrage on this subject is good, but visiting writers AREN'T exceptional is my point. in reply to acheverton #
- @ScruffyPanther No you aren't! Or, well, you certainly shouldn't. in reply to ScruffyPanther #
- Right, off to London to see a couple about a baby naming. #
-
Found Objects
We need comics. We don’t need the comic mainstream – certainly not as much as it needs us. And we wouldn’t even be having this argument about Watchmen if that book wasn’t part of that industry. It couldn’t have existed without it, it wouldn’t have been relevant without it, and most of us wouldn’t have even had the chance to read it without it.
We don’t have to give a shit about Watchmen, or Before Watchmen. We choose to.
We don’t have to fight about issues that we really have no skin in. We choose to.
We should really grow out of it.
Last Friday I wrote a really long post over at my site about Before Watchmen. It was probably too long, fence-sitting and unstructured to get as much widespread attention as some of the more aggressive pieces out there, but I still feel everything in it.
This is the tiniest part of it - a sentiment that I feel is pretty important - you can read the whole thing here.
I AM IN CONTROL OF MY EMOTIONS!
The Newly Announced Before Watchmen Is a Prime Example of What's Killing Mainstream Comics
“I have no idea whether this project will be any good or not. But it sits as a shining example of the fundamental flaw that exists in the comic industry, especially within DC Comics. They spend most of their time chasing the readers that grew up with their iconic characters rather than attempting to attract new readers who are growing up right now.”
Totally agree with this - though I think DC52, being a company-wide initiative, was more indicative of it, and I said as much at the time.
However, that backward looking trait in comics isn’t unique to publishers. Comic readers - many of whom are also comic retailers, which is a bigger issue - run wild with entitlement on either side of any comic-related debate, and stand ready to jump on anything that they perceive as a deviation or affront to comic texts or characters that they feel shouldn’t be touched. It all adds to the stupidly binary way any comic-related issue is handled.
The huge amount of brilliant work that goes un-discussed, unsupported and unbought in-between those two dominant cultures is the only genuine ongoing tragedy in comics today, I reckon. The rest is just semantics and negotiation of contracts.
Yup, yup, yup…the fact that people are wasting their time arguing about the merits of Before Watchmen while amazing books like The Interactives go largely ignored is, quite frankly, criminal.
Not least because it means that yet again we’re all having a conversation about Watchmen. I came to Watchmen a little bit late - like, a year after publication - and loved it at the time. It encouraged me to go on and read so many more other books, to read them critically, and work out why they work and don’t work etc etc etc. But the more people hold it to this impossible standard in such a hyperbolic and aggressive way, the more I find reasons to chip away at it.
If you love Watchmen that much, write about how good Watchmen is in it’s own right. Don’t use it as a stick to bash everything that’s come since. Don’t use it as a way to try and win an argument about whatever your pet comic issue is that week. I think Alan Moore’s biggest issue is that his book isn’t regarded enough in it’s own right, and it’s an important enough work to be handled without gossip-context and all the other bollocks that passes for adults-who-read-comics-talking-about-comics.
Show Alan Moore and Watchmen a bit of respect, and don’t try and impose your fucking context on it. It’s a work of art. It genuinely can’t be ruined by any art that follows, but it can be ruined by every third word spoken about it being bleaty, entitled shite.
Sorry, you said something? The Interactives? What’s that? I have never heard of it, therefore it must not be worth bothering with.
Yep, I completely agree with you here. As great as Watchmen was it has been a big part of what has utterly ruined comics (and I know that Moore agrees with this himself) as so many people have spent the years since using it as a template for what comic should be. It was a work of satire! It was never intended to be a “How To” guide for aspiring comic creators.
And The Interactives is this - http://theinteractives.com/
Huh. That looks ace, actually.
The Newly Announced Before Watchmen Is a Prime Example of What's Killing Mainstream Comics
“I have no idea whether this project will be any good or not. But it sits as a shining example of the fundamental flaw that exists in the comic industry, especially within DC Comics. They spend most of their time chasing the readers that grew up with their iconic characters rather than attempting to attract new readers who are growing up right now.”
Totally agree with this - though I think DC52, being a company-wide initiative, was more indicative of it, and I said as much at the time.
However, that backward looking trait in comics isn’t unique to publishers. Comic readers - many of whom are also comic retailers, which is a bigger issue - run wild with entitlement on either side of any comic-related debate, and stand ready to jump on anything that they perceive as a deviation or affront to comic texts or characters that they feel shouldn’t be touched. It all adds to the stupidly binary way any comic-related issue is handled.
The huge amount of brilliant work that goes un-discussed, unsupported and unbought in-between those two dominant cultures is the only genuine ongoing tragedy in comics today, I reckon. The rest is just semantics and negotiation of contracts.
Yup, yup, yup…the fact that people are wasting their time arguing about the merits of Before Watchmen while amazing books like The Interactives go largely ignored is, quite frankly, criminal.
Not least because it means that yet again we’re all having a conversation about Watchmen. I came to Watchmen a little bit late - like, a year after publication - and loved it at the time. It encouraged me to go on and read so many more other books, to read them critically, and work out why they work and don’t work etc etc etc. But the more people hold it to this impossible standard in such a hyperbolic and aggressive way, the more I find reasons to chip away at it.
If you love Watchmen that much, write about how good Watchmen is in it’s own right. Don’t use it as a stick to bash everything that’s come since. Don’t use it as a way to try and win an argument about whatever your pet comic issue is that week. I think Alan Moore’s biggest issue is that his book isn’t regarded enough in it’s own right, and it’s an important enough work to be handled without gossip-context and all the other bollocks that passes for adults-who-read-comics-talking-about-comics.
Show Alan Moore and Watchmen a bit of respect, and don’t try and impose your fucking context on it. It’s a work of art. It genuinely can’t be ruined by any art that follows, but it can be ruined by every third word spoken about it being bleaty, entitled shite.
Sorry, you said something? The Interactives? What’s that? I have never heard of it, therefore it must not be worth bothering with.
The Newly Announced Before Watchmen Is a Prime Example of What's Killing Mainstream Comics
“I have no idea whether this project will be any good or not. But it sits as a shining example of the fundamental flaw that exists in the comic industry, especially within DC Comics. They spend most of their time chasing the readers that grew up with their iconic characters rather than attempting to attract new readers who are growing up right now.”
Totally agree with this - though I think DC52, being a company-wide initiative, was more indicative of it, and I said as much at the time.
However, that backward looking trait in comics isn’t unique to publishers. Comic readers - many of whom are also comic retailers, which is a bigger issue - run wild with entitlement on either side of any comic-related debate, and stand ready to jump on anything that they perceive as a deviation or affront to comic texts or characters that they feel shouldn’t be touched. It all adds to the stupidly binary way any comic-related issue is handled.
The huge amount of brilliant work that goes un-discussed, unsupported and unbought in-between those two dominant cultures is the only genuine ongoing tragedy in comics today, I reckon. The rest is just semantics and negotiation of contracts.
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