Level Setting

OK, then.

Re-entering the comicsblogoweb has been something of a trial, so much that I've defined the 5 phases of "taking a break from comics blogging".

PHASE 1: Anxiety. Will I be welcomed back with open arms, or will I have become an afterthought in the ever-shifting sands of the Internet? Am I "hip" enough to even offer commentary anymore? Have I lost my touch or whatever that strange, indefinable quality of writing that I may have once possessed was? Will anyone give a damn?

PHASE 2: Fatalism. It doesn't matter anyway. No one outside of my regular 500 readers were paying attention anyway, and half of those people were probably me checking my site statistics. Besides, it's not like I'm making a difference by celebrating and bitching about comics anyway. Who needs another middle-class white guy sharing his opinions anyway?

PHASE 3: Curiosity. So, incidentally, what's everyone talking about these days anyway? Say, it's been awhile since I chuckled over the Absorbascon, Seven Hells, or Dave's Long Box, maybe they have something to offer. What's Ragnell thinking about? Is there a meme I can contribute some unique opinion to? Maybe I'll check in just to see what's going on.

PHASE 4: Indignation. Oh, HELL no, [insert random comics event/scene/announcement] that did NOT just happen. I have to talk about this. Dammit, people NEED to know about this. Without at least a tiny voice somewhere, how can I live with letting this pass? Goddammit, people. Do I have to do EVERYTHING around here? Come on!

PHASE 5: Remembrance. Oh, yeah, I'm feeling it now. I just typed something up in Notepad, and I should post it. As a comment on someone else's blog? Naw. This is it. THIS is the return. My juices are flowing, I've got a new spark. And damn if I don't have an urge---nay, a RESPONSIBILITY---to speak out about the good and the bad. Internet, here I come!

So that's what I've been through over the last couple of weeks. I also went back and read the very first post here at 2 Guys Buying Comics, and realized that I've deviated from the mission statement a bit.

"We don't pretend to be "the single best blog in the whole wide universe". We're just hoping you'll make us a regular stop on your daily Internet Comics Surfing Site Tour. Because on some level, no matter how wrapped up we get in the Writer of the Month, Whether Wizard is Evil, or Company X Outsold Company Y This Month, at the core, we're really all the same.

We're all people who buy comics. And Randy and I really think that means something. It's something to be proud of, something to share with others, and something that we have a passion for. So let's chat about it."

Yes, by all means let's chat. That doesn't mean that I'm toning down the snark, but it does mean that I'll try to speak more about the positives in the comics world, because if all we do is spend time tearing down comics, then we're part of the problem, not part of the solution. So I'm going to try and focus on more of the good as well as calling people on the carpet when they deserve it. (You know who you are. Fear me.)

In short, I'm back. I'm energized. And I'm still just a Guy Buying Comics.

Rock on.