Month: November 2002

Well, the Diamond Top 100 is out for November. Let’s see how we’re doing.

A number of folks were quick to point out that “Ultimate Adventures” is now outselling “Captain Marvel.” Well, not exactly. CM #3 is ranked around 86. However, that doesn’t count the alternate CM #3 with the additional Alex Ross illos which is price tagged at $3.99. That’s ranked 141. According to the folks at Marvel, when the numbers for the two books are combined, the total sales jump the ranking of CM #3 to somewhere around #38. If that’s the case, we’re actually climbing in sales. I suppose the make-or-break will be #4.

The single greatest resistence I still hear to buying the book is, “I don’t care about ‘Captain Marvel.'” I know I said as much when I formulated the Countdown System of sales success, ranking buying/ordering priorities as Company (4), Character (3), Artist (2) and Writer (1). But dang, I hate being right.

I just find it fascinating that fans are far more loyal to characters who were, for the most part, created by people who now could not get a job writing those characters.

As for “Supergirl,” my understanding is that #75 is blowing out of stores, and by the end of business today, DC–which currently has less than a hundred copies left–will be sold out. It was ranked #88. So how did #76 sell? Dropped more than 20 places to #110. Apparently retailers didn’t know (or care) that the storyline with Kara continued. Plus it guest featured Superman and Superboy. Didn’t matter.

Sometimes I’m just left wondering.

PAD

Because Peter’s blog reaches many more people than mine does, I’m hijacking it for a post. Considering the subject, I don’t think he’ll mind.

Why? Because down the street from me is my town library, my voting place– and from the steps of that I saw the results of the a very important hijacking– my photo of what it looked like is at left. And two years earlier when I voted here, there was another important hijacking, this was of a presidential election. So when I go to vote today, I’ll be reminded of both those events.

And you should be too.

If you think the current administration has done a horrible job of tracking down the people responsible for that day, or are trying to pull a bait and switch of targets with Iraq, or if you think that Bush should have at least stopped reading to kids when he heard about the plane crashing into the Twin Towers, or if you think that the current administration has done all it can for its corporate contributors and dámņ little for anybody else, or if you happen to think the President is a liar and a buffoon, or if you’re terrified about the judges that would get appointed and everything else that would happen in a Bush-dominated Congress, or if you just don’t want to see what happened to Jesus Castillo happen to anybody else– then your vote is needed.

Remember– you can’t complain about the Supreme Court taking away your vote in the last election if you don’t vote in this one.

So go vote!

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, in a unanimous decision by the board, will endeavor to take the case of Jesus Castillo to the Supreme Court.

For those just joining us, Castillo is a store manager in a comic book store in Texas. He was convicted of obscenity charges for selling an adult comic book to–get this–an adult. During the trial, the CBLDF brought in expert witnesses who testified that the material in question (a manga clearly labeled as “Adults only” and kept in a separate adults-only section of the store) had artistic merit and did not satisfy the Miller test of obscenity. The DA offered no rebuttal witnesses. Instead she argued to the jury that comics are really intended for kids, and on that basis posed a threat to the youth of Texas (despite community standards tolerating a variety of adults-only stores operating mere blocks away from the comic store, with material far more explicit than the manga in question.) Incredibly, the jury bought the argument and convicted Castillo.

A split decision from a higher court refused to overturn the conviction. This decision, if allowed to stand, could have a chilling effect on any comic featuring any content not explicitly kiddie safe. The CBLDF’s only option at this point is to attempt to get a writ of certiorari to the Supreme Court. We intend to do so.

The expense will be considerable and the odds may be long. For further information to learn how you can contribute to the fight against the erosion of your right to buy whatever comics you wish to buy, check out the CBLDF website at http://www.cbldf.org.

An official press release will be forthcoming.

PAD

In the continuing saga of my daughter, Gwen, she had told New England Comics that she couldn’t work on weekends during the day because she works at a bakery then. So NEC offered her Saturday from 11 to 5. On the surface, that would seem rather bizarre behavior. So she turned them down. But wait! Apparently NEC displayed foresight bordering on the psychic, because Gwen was informed a week later that the bakery was changing her hours, and she wasn’t going to be working weekends anymore. Which means she *is* available Saturdays from 11 to 5.

Is the NEC slot still available? Will Gwen want to give up her now-free weekends? Will she, in fact, meet some nice kids around her age (17/18) so she’ll have people to hang with? Will she be able to keep a straight face behind the NEC counter and not burst out guffawing if customers say, “Wow, that Peter David is the best writer ever!”

All I know is, the adventures of Gwen are spreading in notoriety, and recently were recounted in All the Rage.

Stay tuned.

PAD

So I was contacted by the folks at Harper-Collins about writing the Young Adult version of the “The Hulk” novel. Apparently they’d heard good things about me and figured, since I knew the script, I’d be the person to do the YA one.

Two problems faced us, though. First, if my name was on both of them, that might cause some confusion in the marketplace. And second, from a personal and creative point of view, how could I approach the same material and keep it interesting for myself? Because if it was boring for me, it would be boring for the reader.

What we came up with was simple: The entire book will be told first person, extracted from diaries kept by Bruce Banner. And the author’s name on it will actually be “Bruce Banner.” So young adult readers will be getting the real story straight from the Hulkster’s mouth, so to speak.

Should be interesting.

PAD

I’ve been on jury duty this week, and finally got called in to be questioned by lawyers as a potential juror.

There were six of us in a row of seats facing the lawyers, and a bunch of additional possible jurors still looking on. The case was–believe it or not–a slip and slide. Someone slipped on ice and was suing the homeowner.

Several people were very straightforward in saying they’d be predisposed to vote against the plaintiff, seeing it purely as a nuisance suit. So they were excused. Some people, when asked if they could vote impartially, said, “Uh huh.” Or “Sure.”

My answers were longer. Much longer. They boiled down to “Uh huh” and “sure” but went into detail. I watched the lawyers’ eyes glaze over.

They punted me from the jury…along with a retired police detective, and a landlord. They kept the people who said “Uh huh” and “Sure.”

A couple hours later, I went home, and that was it. This is the second time I’ve been called for jury duty, and the second time nothing came of it.

Isn’t this a great legal process?

Uh huh. Sure.

PAD

We missed seeing “Firefly” last Friday since we were out seeing “Dance of the Vampires,” but Glenn taped them for us and we just saw it.

Definitely the best episode so far. The multi-layered storytelling style would have been hëll on anyone who can’t follow non-linear stories, but it certainly propelled things along. I assume the clips were from the unseen pilot, and although it seems to have been poorly received by Fox execs, I know *I* am sure interested in seeing it now. Those clips made it actually seem like a Joss Whedon show.

Most disconcerting for me was the introduction of Kaylee. I still think of Jewel Staite as the little fifteen year old we hired for “Space Cases.” Meeting her character by seeing her humping some guy in engineering and then hurriedly getting dressed afterwards just gave me the willies.

PAD