Did you ever actually see the TV show Max Headroom? Not all the media hype surrounding the character, but the actual show? Max was actually a pretty minor character, hanging out in the shadows behind his template, the top-rated reporter Edison Carter. Take a look at this still shot of Edison filming his show for Network 23 and tell me what you see...
The image is grainy and dark. The shot isn't framed very well, primarily because it's clearly evident that Edison is holding the camera himself. Nearly all of the footage of Edison's show shown on Max Headroom is filmed in this way. One man and a video camera. Let's compare that with this still shot of an independent reporter on YouTube...
Look familiar?

Now Max Headroom, like most science fiction, got many of the particulars wrong about the future. W'ere not using "credit tubes", there aren't 3 second commercials that make people explode, and there's certainly not an independently conscious head that pops up on TV screens making bad puns. Although, I rarely carry cash any more, commercials usually make me feel like my head's going to explode, and there is a virtual version of me walking around online in Second Life...
Which brings me to my point: that science fiction is NOT about what lies in our future. People can dream up all sorts of wondrous technology like phasers and A.I. computers and whatnot, but the actual implementation of said technologies will certainly differ. Sometimes for technological reasons, sometimes for commercial reasons, sometimes just because of a different sense of style. No, the reason -- well, one of the reasons -- we have science fiction is to explore how mankind reacts to those new and upcoming technologies. What if no one used cash any more, and every transaction was conducted electronically? What if cybernetics were so inexpensive as to be ubiquitous? What if our government was a technocracy? How would we be different because of that?

"Sean, you're rambling again. I came here to read about comics!"

Well, there's been plenty of discussion lately about the death of newspapers and what might happen to editorial cartoonists. There's been plenty of discussions about traditional comic book publishing, and whether the decades-old business model is still viable. There's been plenty of discussions about exclusively digital comics and whether they're best viewed on a Kindle or an iPhone.

The thing is: all of these discussions -- and certainly many more -- are talking about the future. The root question at every one of these discussions is: what will tomorrow be like? Will my comics -- the flattened wood pulp splattered with colored chemicals -- be impacted by what's changing in the world right now? Some people's interest is their very livelihood-- comic creators and retailers for example. Others' interests are simply nostalgic -- "I want my kids to love comics they way I did." Others are just being selfishly lazy and don't want to even consider having to change their weekly habit of heading down to their Local Comic Shop. (And I really hope those people are in a distinct minority.) I'm sure there are any number of completely valid reasons to question the future of comics.

Now, we can speculate from now until the cows come home about what the face of editorial cartooning will look like in ten years, or whether or not there will be an electronic book device that displays comics as easily as anything. But whatever we'd predict, we'd be wrong. Because we (mankind) always are.

I remember ten years ago, trying to figure out what file format worked best for playing songs digitally. Since there was essentially no such thing as a portable MP3 player (the first ones were introduced in 1998) I tended to simply continue using CDs. Naptser was still a year or two away, and the iPod another couple years after that. Sure, we had portable CD players back then, and I'm sure somebody dreamed of having what was essentially a portable hard drive to carry that many more songs than a CD could hold. But did anyone figure on a device that fits into your shoe? And then is also able to track your workout data?

What will comics look like in ten years? In five years? In 2010? Will we have a souped-up Kindle or a toned-down tablet PC? Will we have electronic paper? Will we have comics beamed directly into our brains? No one has those answers.

But what I can tell you is that comics as a medium will continue. You'll be able to continue reading about Superman and Garfield and Judge Dredd. And you'll be able to find reprints of Tintin and Asterix. And, while Robert Crumb might not be around to continue making his unique brand of comix, his daughter Sophie will be continuing on in his footsteps, just as there will almost assuredly be another generation of Kuberts and Romitas, drawing comics in a manner befitting the reproduction technology of their time.

It's terrible that individuals have to experience massive industry shake-ups, as their professions are being redefined out from under them. But the planet isn't going to stop just to make sure the last newspaper editorial cartoonist can keep his job. Things are going to move onward, like it or not, and your best bet is to stay as informed as you can and try to morph with the industry before it leaves you behind.

Guys like me, who are big proponents of advancing commercial technologies, can't see the future. No matter how hard I strain, things are a hazy blur at best. But, as long as I continue to look, I'll be able to see where things are heading the moment those blurs begin to come into focus. I can kind of make out some outlines now, which is why I'm big on webcomics, but I can tell that won't be ultimate expression of comic art in years to come. At least, not as we know webcomics today! But keep looking; maybe your vision is better than mine!

It's time once again here in the U.S. to get your federal tax forms in order. I was actually pretty on the ball this year, and filed a couple weeks ago. The government (astonishingly) was on the ball, too, and I received my refund in the past week.

Now, like many people, my initial reaction was something along the lines of, "Wohoo! I'm gonna go get my something fun with this extra money! There are some nice looking graphic novels that have come out recently, and some of those DC Universe action figures look great!" But that didn't last very long as my intelligence kicked in, and I started bashing that line of thinking like it was a child's piñata.

In the first place, of course, it's not "extra" money. It's my money. It's money I earned working 40+ hours a week throughout 2008. It's money that the government has held from me, without interest, and is only now allowing me to have it back. It's "extra" only in the sense that I have adjusted to living a lifestyle I can afford on a certain amount of money I take home every two weeks, and this is above and beyond that. But it's still my money that I earned.

In the second place, I'm in the process of straightening out my finances. Key among that process is putting together enough savings that I could continue to live off that for several months if I were to lose my job. I understand most personal finance experts suggest that you have 6-8 months of your regular monthly expenses in savings under normal circumstances; given the job prospects these days, I've seen many people citing 8-10 months. That can add up to quite a chunk of change when you factor in a mortgage and typical debt payments.

So, like any other "extra" money I end up with at the end of the month, my tax refund went into my savings account, and I'm still at a loss on how Y: The Last Man and Gøland ended, and I haven't been able to pick up Nancy Goldstein's biography of Jackie Ormes. Not to mention Laika, Che, Aetheric Mechanics, Cleburne or a host of other books that have come out in the past year or two that sounded really good.

But this weekend, using my free time, I opted to start coalescing my comic book collection with the ones I was given by my father. It's literally been a pain in the ass, as I've been sitting on the concrete floor in my basement sorting through everything, but I am seeing a lot of interesting looking books that I certainly wouldn't mind reading. Some are more mainstream -- like a complete run of the 1988 Green Arrow series started by Mike Grell -- and some are considerably farther off the beaten path -- like P. Craig Russell's graphic interpretation of Mozart's The Magic Flute. Plenty of material to suit my tastes, regardless of what I'm in the mood to read.

Now, I realize that most of you probably have NOT recently come into a free collection of comics you largely hadn't read, but my point is this: if/when you receive a refund from your taxes, remember that it's your money and, given the economic environment we're in, you'd do well to use it wisely. Indeed, you'd do well to spend ALL your money wisely, but I think there's probably a greater risk of that not happening with your refund. So, my suggestion is to take at least a week or two off from spending your refund check, and think about whether or not that 12" bust of Harley Quinn is really necessary.

A few years ago, I was chatting online with Kurt Busiek, asking him about the differences he experienced between being a fan of comics versus a creator of them. At some point during the discussion, I made reference to him being a comic collector, to which he pointedly corrected me. He noted that a collector is someone whose interest is in the objects themselves, as opposed to their content or meaning. He made the analogy of a book collector.

A book collector is someone who buys original printings, leather-bound editions and otherwise rare books. Someone who buys books to read them, and then just never gets rid of them, is just an avid book reader, not a collector.

Busiek made the same distinction in comics. He was interested in the stories and read comics, but he didn't actively go around looking to buy a copy of Amazing Spider-Man #1 -- he was quite content to read the issue in one of its many reprinted forms.

While it was similar a value judgment I had made back in my early 20s, it was the first real articulation of differentiation in terminology. The collector mindset I had when I was a teenager -- when I was making an active attempt to get a complete run of Fantastic Four -- had changed while I was in college to the realization that I was more interested in the stories about the FF than I was in the actual comics they were originally printed in. The point was really driven home for me when I graduated and my parents got me, as a graduation gift, an original copy of Fantastic Four #1. I was very touched and appreciative, naturally, but I felt a little awkward in that I had no real reason to remove the issue from its mylar housing -- I'd already seen the contents a thousand times before.

The differentiation, of course, didn't used to be available. There was a time not that long ago when reprints were far from guaranteed and digital comics were unheard of. If I wanted to read Fantastic Four #24, my only option was to get my hands on an original printing of that issue. It wasn't reprinted at all until 2001, and then only in black and white. So if I wanted to be an avid reader of the FF's adventures, I also had to be a collector, looking for those rare issues.

But today, in the 21st century, we've got a great many more options available. The wealth of the reprint market is staggering compared to even a decade ago -- you can buy old Captain Atom reprints, for Pete's sake! How many people even knew the character existed before 2004? Not to mention the digital options that have become available, thanks to the ever-increasing speed of computers and internet connections.

My point is that I don't need to be a collector any longer. There's been a clear and successful distinction between content and its delivery mechanisms. I can focus my resources on the content, which is what interests me, and ignore the delivery system that collectors follow. (Not that there's anything inherently wrong with being a collector, mind you! If someone actively wants to own first print run copies of whatever comics they like, more power to them. I'm just not one of those people.)

So, let me ask you: are you a comic book collector or an avid reader who just doesn't get rid of his reading material?

If you weren't aware (and given the lack of internet chatter I've seen on the subject, I'm guessing you weren't) members of ComicSPRO are having their annual meeting this weekend in Memphis.

There was an informal first day on Thursday, which Matt Price felt was optimistic in general. Yesterday was an all-day, DC-hosted event and Price has alluded to several upcoming items from Vertigo, WildStorm and DC Direct projects. The real meat of the event, though, seems to have been scheduled for today and tomorrow where there appear to be a more widely diverse set of panels and discussion groups. Though Price has continued blogging throughout today, I have yet to see any real substantive retailer discussion/information coming through.

To be fair, Price is actually an editor at The Oklahoman and not an actual retailer. Plus, two of comics' most outspoken retailers -- Joe Field and Brian Hibbs -- are on ComciPRO's board of directors, so I'm sure they're a bit too busy right now to be doing much blogging. So, while we're not exactly seeing a news blackout from the event, what we are seeing isn't that different from what you might expect to see on Newsarama of Comic Book Resources on any given day.

But I must say that I find it curious not to have seen any discussion about the event. No one seems to be asking, "Hey, what's going on down there? What's the 'vibe' on the floor?" Granted, trends in retailing are not exactly buzz-worthy to the masses compared to, say, spoilers about the upcoming Wolverine movie, but given the current economic climate, I should think there'd be at least some interest. Kudos to Heidi MacDonald for at least mentioning Price's blog, but that's the only mention of the meeting I can find.

According to the initial announcement, "Other attending sponsors will be on hand to demonstrate POS systems and discuss products and services with attending retailers... There will also be meetings among the membership to discuss projects and priorities going forward into 2009, and we will finalize the election of 3 open Director positions for the ComicsPRO Board of Directors." Now I don't know about you, butI think some of that sounds kind of significant for a fairly small -- some would say struggling -- industry, especially in a time when "The number of unemployed persons increased by 851,000 to 12.5 million in February, and the unemployment rate rose to 8.1 percent. Over the past 12 months, the number of unemployed persons has increased by about 5.0 million, and the unemployment rate has risen by 3.3 percentage points."

You turn on the news these days -- regardless of what medium or source -- and you're going to hear something about the lousy state of the economy. Even in the comics industry, there are stories about how consumers are switching reading venues to save money and how changes in distributor policies will hurt all but the largest publishers. But despite that, no one seems concerned about what the retailers are actively trying to do about it.

Now, let me go on record as saying that I don't particularly care for unions and union-type groups. I understand there was need for them once upon a time, but I think they do more harm than good any more. And, while ComicsPRO is clearly not a union, the idea is similar and I don't know that it's necessarily the best use of the retailers' resources. My personal opinion only, and I don't actually begrudge any retailers who are members of ComicsPRO. They're doing something more than whine and complain, and I'll give them credit for that; I just think there are better avenues to pursue the same goals. (But that's another discussion for another time.)

That being said, the fact remains that ComicsPRO does exist as a collective of retailers, many of whom are quite prominent retailers in the industry. Flying Colors, Comix Experience, Golden Apple, Lone Star, Midtown, Laughing Ogre... just to name a few. So where's the coverage? Like I said, I don't expect Hibbs or Field to do live-blogging or anything since they're running the darned thing, but is Price really the ONLY person who actually cares about this?

You ever read Walden by Henry David Thoreau?

Don't bother; it's a crock of shit. I forced myself to wade through it about seven years ago and, despite how lauded it often is in literary circles, I found myself almost immediately disliking it. Thoreau struck me as a hypocritical slouch who wouldn't know what self-reliance or responsibility were if they spit in his face, made fun of his mother's army boots, gave him a wedgie and then beat him up and took his lunch money. You ever see that episode of Friends where the woman claims Dead Poets Society was a life-affirming film because she thought it was the worst piece of trash she ever wasted two hours on and she was going to spend the rest of her life trying to make up for that? That's my feeling about Walden.

Now, if you're interested in something philosophical in nature, I'll point to one line from William Shakespeare:

This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.

Act I, Scene III, Hamlet

Most of the speech from which those lines come from is advice a father gives his son, and most of that is rather generic. But what Shakespeare hits towards the end with these lines, I think, does get to the crux of living a life well-lived. If you follow your own path -- a path you actively choose, not one laid down by someone else -- and stay true to it regardless of obstacles or opposition, then your honesty with yourself will give rise to an honest life without regret or remorse.

I don't know that I'd go so far as to claim that I use those words as a credo of any kind, but I have spent a lot of time in my own head over the years and I have a pretty good grasp on who I am and what I believe. I live my life in a way that I can lie in bed every night, and go to sleep secure in the knowledge that I did nothing that day worth losing sleep over. I did my best, learned from my mistakes and, tomorrow, I'm going to do that again.

For the past several years, I've had an idea for a book rolling around in my head. I've done most of my research, and have a pretty good grasp on the subject. I don't know that it'd sell -- in all honesty, it probably wouldn't, given the subject matter: comic book fandom -- but it's something I'd like to do because... well, no one else is. (At least not from the angle I'm thinking.) I haven't yet sat down and written Word One, though, because I haven't really developed a hook for it. A unifying theme(s) that tie the whole thing together. I did talk to my editor/publisher about it once and he said that it would really have to be an Understanding Comics level of impressive to sell.

Which is why I need a good hook for the whole thing and why I haven't started writing it yet.

BUT...

I'm not sitting here complaining that I haven't done anything. I'm not making excuses to myself for not getting anything done. In fact, this very blog is, in part, in preparation for my book. Not only am I practicing the craft of writing on a regular basis, but I'm also able to jot down thoughts and ideas directly related to the subject matter.

I've gotten compliments about this blog a number of times in how I'm not one to follow whatever the current comic topic du jour is, and how I speak to things that aren't necessarily popular within the comic community. And you know what that comes from? "To thine own self be true." I know who I am and what I like and where my interests lie. I don't especially care how expertly (or not) the Watchmen movie was made; I don't especially care what DC's next company-wide crossover is; I don't especially care who the next creative team on Uncanny X-Men is.

So I just write about comics' topics that interest me. If you'd like to come along for the ride, that's great! Welcome! If not, so be it. But, if you do get something out of what I have to say, I encourage you to think and talk about it more. I encourage you to get into your own head for a while and roll around the subjects I touch on here. Am I right? Am I wrong? Am I just spouting my own brand of blinkered, philistine pig-ignorance?

I've heard that Jack Kirby didn't want people to imitate him. He took it as a much greater compliment if his work inspired people to go off and tell their own story. Similarly, I hope my work gets you to think your own thoughts. I don't care if you agree with me or not, or respond or not, but take the time to reflect and make up your own mind. Just make sure it's your own mind.

"To thine own self be true."

Dang! Due to my own schedule going to pot today, I wasn't able to attend the Mini-Morph online convention today.

Derik Badman, however, was there and has a few pictures posted here.

Last year, I reviewed Colin Panetta's first issue of Dead Man Holiday. He's recently released his second issue, and sent me a review copy.

If you'll recall, Thad (the protagonist) had a strange encounter last issue that scared the bejeezus out of him. In this issue, he returns to the location of said encounter and runs across more creatures like the first one, as well as some humanoid creature they're either worshiping or taking care of. He manages to overcome his fears, but is later accosted by some enigmatic Siamese twins. As he and Bethany fall asleep at their respective apartments, they seem to share a dream. A dream in which Thad is awoken from by security forces who've stormed his apartment after one of his neighbors complained of the screaming.

The quickest thing I can say about the book is that all the positive aspects I saw in the previous issue remain. Panetta's got good page and panel construction across the board, and it's easy to follow the action. It's even more impressive in this issue, in fact, since he goes through fully half of the book without using any dialogue at all, just a few sound effects.

I also particularly liked how he handled the dream sequence. Rather than any typical art tricks to highlight the unreal nature of the action, Panetta left his pencils remain underneath the inks, utilizing the medium in a way that simply can't be replicated in other forms. I've only seen a few artists present their comics with pencils still showing and they have either been unilateral style decisions (where the pencil marks show throughout the entire work) or are used to convey a more meta-textual meaning (alerting the reader to the presence of the artist him/herself). I won't go so far as to say Panetta's use of pencils here is wholly original, but it's certainly not very widely utilized. It works especially well here when he shifts from the dream sequence back to reality, and speaks well to his artistic capabilities.

Like the previous issue, I find myself thinking that all of the individual parts of this issue are well done, but I can't bring myself to call it successful just yet. Panetta is clearly working towards a larger story here, but readers gain little headway on seeing what that might be. It looks like it's leading somewhere, but I can't see what at this point. Which, as noted before, is part of Panetta's point.

And this is where decisions get complicated. It's beginning to strike me that the story would be better told as a graphic novel; one big chunk of a story where it's all told in one go. The individual issue approach seems to reveal too little about the overall structure in the 30-odd page installments. That said, though, I totally understand that, financially, it's immensely more feasible for Panetta to take the pamphlet approach. I also understand that it's creatively a lot easier to develop the story in smaller increments. So the question arises: do you serve the needs of the art or the artist? I don't know Panetta apart from a couple of notes specifically pertaining to Dead Man Holiday, so I can't make a judgment on his decision; all I can say is that I think the art would be better served in the graphic novel form as the story is now being told.

Having said that, however, I've seen enough of Panetta's work now to know that he A) takes criticism well and consciously reflects on it, and B) continues to work on improving his craft. The two of which suggest to me that, regardless of what he has planned on the horizon for this, he's willing/able to make changes to better serve the art. And considering that he's only now just released issue #-2, I'm fairly confident that he'll have something really attention-grabbing by the time he gets to #1.

You can download both issues #-3 and #-2, as well as order pulped wood copies of both (and they really do look much better printed), from the Dead Man Holiday website.