This is how I started off a year ago and oh how the year has changed the blog! In fact that’s the wonderful thing about the blog, about the nature of blogs, all blogs. They grow. They grow in ways unexpected. And the more you look after them – the more they grow. Like a plant you can encourage it it in one direction or another, but, at the end of the day, it’ll grow where it wants to – searching not for light but for audience. Not being a wonderful gardener it’s true that I sometimes make mistakes. Sometimes ideas are not yet ready to be grown outdoors and I have to bring them back in again to keep them warm for a bit longer.
So looking back – the ‘In the Tub’ interviews seemed to go down well. Sheldon Vella joined in the fun, Daniel Govar gave up some of his process, Steve Steiner, Sam Little and Gabe Ostley of team Hammer expressed themselves fully (I have other plans for Rob Berry), Canaan Grall of recently completed Celadore and waay back David Gallaher and Steve Ellis offered me a chance to kick the series off in fine style. Still, that’s only seven baths this year and I realise I should have tried harder for more and got a little cleaner too. My last interview of this year is being scrutinised by a crack team of corporate lawyers so it’s unlikely to see your computer screen until next year – but I’m hoping it will be worth the wait!!! Next year I’ll have to put my foot down on the gas and deliver at least twelve – but who to grab for the Tub? Who? Whooooo?
My reviewing of the competition and of all the Zuda entries goes without saying, although I’m not sure you could even describe it as reviewing. I’m not a reviewer and it’s not how I see my purpose. I’m just having a conversation – throwing out ways of thinking – running a highlighter pen over a few passages – I don’t know, but it ain’t reviewing. Nothing like yo mamma’s reviewing anyway!!
The Star Chamber! Ah yes, the Star Chamber! That didn’t go down terribly well did it? I thought it had legs to be honest even though yes, it was a bit of a piss-take. Very difficult to get the balance right. I wanted it to be tough enough for people to be interested in reading it, but not so tough that it was just a bunch of insults. Some of the judges managed better than others. Perhaps I should have controlled it better somehow. Part of me still has a hankering after the old Comic Fencing format and I’d like to set that up, but getting people interested AND getting them to produce the goods is a lot of hard work. I also had another idea (‘pass-it-on’) which withered on the vine!? Nobody’s fault, but ideas do need a lot of energy for take-off and some are destined to fizz-out and fail on the launch pad. Anyhow the blog does need to branch out and not be quite so Zuda-centric in future – as always, time and format are the problems, but I’m sure I’ll think of something.
My golden-age comic challenges were a little difficult to keep up and I never quite got my finger on the process there although they were fun. It was an early nod to interactivity, but those kinda things need a big audience to work and a big audience I have not got! It all transformed slowly into Panel Peculiar on blogspot but I’m not convinced that’s working properly either. I think just being occasionally ‘amusing’ in not a big enough draw so I’ll likely bring that feature ‘back indoors’ at some point. It kinda ties in with my Stripper Rippers comic on Drunk Duck, but, as a friend has already opined – I’m not pushing it far enough!! I’ll figure out a new connection in January!
Of course, you know I’ve been reading James Joyce’s Ulysses for Rob Berry’s comic site Ulysses “Seen” and fooling around with their blog. You already know by reputation that this is one of the most difficult books to … blah, blah … and I’ve found it very difficult. It’s sucked up a huge amount of my time, but halfway through I think I can say in all honesty – it’s been worth it. I’ve also done a spot of reviewing there and I update the Hypertext Chapbook too. Early days for that project so still some thinking to do. I’m not sure the audience there appreciates my particular brand of stupidity. Ulysses also means the book reviews have been sidelined, but I still waffle about the movies I watch (for light relief only).
What else. Oh yeah – I’ve an absolute stack of scanning to do still so that I can present some old and forgotten comic gems to a new audience. Although the downloads get few comments I can see how popular they are with collectors and historians. I struggled with the format of delivering them but I think I know what I’m doing now – I just have to do it!
Lastly, I’ll be bringing my own Zuda entry to the table and bringing a whole heap of design related projects to the blog – so creation will be to the fore in 2010. I’ve got to cut back on the cheap talk and start delivering some actual original content. Stand by your beds!!
Oh, I knew I’d forget something! Forever4 has big plans if my collaborator has the patience! And, as ever, The New Accelerators will launch at some point in some form in 2010!
Posted by mpd57 
Posted by mpd57 
It’s the end of a error, as I like to say for no real reason. That’s all for October. Another Zuda competition starts Monday (barring weird US holidays) and I’ll be there as usual. What does November hold for us? I don’t know – but I like to make things up as I go along (speaking of which you really must check out a new project from 
Posted by mpd57 
