5 Things I've Learned About Comics Blogging
In no particular order, save for the last item:
- There's no better way to recreate that "sitting around and talking about comics" feel I had when I was a kid than to do it with the comicsblogoweb. The general level of discourse is amazing here, light years beyond message boards, MySpaces, etc.
- Be watchful about who you take shots at, you never know who's reading (or commenting). I for one nearly soiled myself when I saw that Gail Simone and Jimmy Palmiotti were occasionally dropping by.
(And if you don't think I immediately went back and checked to see if I'd made any untoward remarks about their heritage, competence, or work to see if I'd made an ass of myself, well... let's just say you'd be wrong.) - Cultivate discussion, forge good relations, and keep things at a minimum level of courtesy towards your fellow bloggers. It goes a long way. It keeps people interested. It also doesn't hurt to occasionally do a hatchet piece on Marvel editorial or page-by-page ridicules of overhyped poorly written blockbuster comics. I'm just sayin'.
- The best blogs are those that have a distinctive voice, one where you can read a sentence or two, or three, and immediately recognize who's writing it. I'd like to think that I've done a pretty good job of that here.
- Which brings me to the last thing I've learned about comics blogging. And it's killing me to write this.
Namely, there's not going to be anymore "here", at least for the foreseeable future.
Having just squeaked past the much-ballyhooed one year anniversary, 2 Guys Buying Comics is shutting it down. It's not that I don't want to write more about comics, it's that I've reached a point where I can't write more about comics. At least not enough to continue to maintain a blog by myself, even on a twice-weekly basis.
It's been a solo show around here for awhile now, as Randy is swamped and rarely has time anymore, and I'm in essentially the same position now with family and work.
I'd like to take the high road here and say that it's because comics are leaving me cold lately, there's no more passion in the discussion, everything's bland, etc. But that couldn't be farther from the truth.
I still have the passion, I still love comics, I just have to make some life decisions. And rather than have you good people keep checking a stale site only to see a three-week old entry until you get fed up and leave with rotten memories of what used to be a pretty regular (and, I hope, entertaining) site, I'd rather just make a clean break and be up front about it.
So there.
That said, it's not like I'm dying or anything. I'll still be reading the comicsblogoweb and commenting regularly. Additionally, many of you are familiar with Ye Olde Comick Booke Blogge, run by my buddy Jake. Turns out I'm still on the team over there, so Jake's graciously allowed me to continue over there. My big plan is to contribute once a week or so, probably with reviews but the occasional "Fly On The Wall" piece as well, or if something strikes me as particularly blog-worthy.
Blogging somewhere I don't have to shoulder 95% of the content should make it quite a bit easier.
So thanks to Randy, my comics buying partner-in-crime for sticking with it when he could. And a big, wet, sloppy kiss to everyone I've met in the blogosphere since I started here. There's too many to name, so just check the sidebar; good people one and all.
If it seems like I'm making this out to be a bigger deal than it really is, it's because it's a tremendously big deal to me. 2GBC was where I stretched my writing skills and got to talk comics with a really cool bunch of people, even the ones that like Civil War.
The site will stay up for the time being--- who knows, maybe I'll relaunch it after a month or two if things calm down and I decide I just can't stay away. Also, I'd really like to figure out how to archive all this content.
Again, thanks to all of you who dropped by, read, commented, or mentioned us. It's truly been my pleasure. If you'd like to keep in touch, send me an e-mail (address found in the Blogger profile)!
See ya in the funny pages!
