What I Got Done - Thursday

Well, today was, again, not as productive as I had hoped, but I still got some stuff done.

As I mentioned last post, the first half of the day involved some family drama. Then cleaning house became the issue early evening as some furniture is coming in from my uncle tomorrow morning, so we had to get the house in order.

In between those two events, I did manage to work on some logos, as I briefly mentioned last post.

I made great strides in the Visionary logo first draft, so that's a plus.

I also nearly finished the first take on the Wagon Wheel Comics logo. Just have to refine the graphic in it, but I finished enough to show.

I completed the revision of the Usen Wareagle signature, so that's wrapped.

I nearly had a scare with Zombie Cop though. Apparently there was some misunderstanding on my part and I ran the prose two pages too long! They're going to adjust it as such, but I still feel bad about it.

On the plus side, I just discovered that Jeff Mariotte mentioned me in an interview with CBR yesterday when he totally didn't have to. It's just a small mention towards the end, but seeing as how I'm the letterer, and letterers are usually 'invisible' it was nice to get the acknowledgement. So thanks, Jeff!

Let's see, I did some minor Haven work, but not much.

I chatted with a couple of clients about jobs, but did no work on them.

I compiled and sent off the high res files for Genotype Prime to Hard Way Studios.

And that's about it. Not a great deal, but still progress.

Got some more cleaning and redecorating to do tonight, then bed, and back at it again tomorrow!

B-OUt

What I Got Done - Wednesday

Well, I finished Ellium and sent that in, and no corrections are needed, so I did good. :)

I kind of ran into several roadblocks with the APA site and so I got stalled quite a bit on that.

I did a little bit of Haven work.

I laid out some prep work for some other stuff, then called the day early to be honest.

Today, so far, I've redone the Usen Wareagle signature and made some strong headway on the logo for Visionary, which is a very ambitious logo. It has a lot of design elements to it, so it's taking quite some time.

We also had to deal with some family stuff for the first half of the day up to lunch time, so I haven't been able to get a lot done today.

I've not received Corrective Measures #9 yet, so I haven't been able to work on that. So I'll probably shift some of next week's lettering work to tomorrow unless it comes in, and use today to work on logos and do some corrections.

Tonight or tomorrow I'll be putting up a temporary landing page for APA.

And that's that.

B-Out

Reflecting on the Interview

Well, I finally got a chance to listen to the podcast interview in its entirety and I have to say it went pretty well! I am always filled with both a sense of excitement and dread for these things as I tend to get embarrassed when I hear myself talk, but this one I did okay. :)

We got to talk about a lot of things, even though I know there were many that I left out. But it was a really fun exchange, and I think that came across brilliantly in hearing it back. Of course, I could be a little biased.

My column, Journey of a Wannabe, will go live on the site tomorrow unless things change. It's just an introduction piece this week, then every two week after that will be a new installment, so make sure you check it out and bookmark it! I talk about my entire life as it pertains to my creative influences and endeavors. I go into detail about my first experience in a comic shop, my first creative influence, my passion for art and so much more. I talk about how it tied into the rest of my life, how I got to where I am today, and eventually, where I hope to go from here. It's a very introspective look into my creative side, so I hope you join me for the journey.

That said, yes, I'm aware I missed my update last night again, so that's coming up next.

Peace.

B-Out

The Podcast is Live!

Click the title of this post to go listen to a long, in depth interview with myself and Scott Simmons about Wannabez and many other projects we're both involved in.

This podcast took place in the middle of Blue Line Pro and Comics 2 Games in Florence, KY. It was a blast to record, so please take some time to take a listen!

B-Out

Got the Blues

Yep, I'm feeling kind of down today. I'm feeling better physically, just kind of in the dumps for some reason. Just one of those days I guess.

I'll update later in the night when the podcast goes live, and with what I accomplished today.

Tonight I'll be veggin' out to Ultimate Fighter and Top Chef. Yep, I'm hooked on those two reality shows, sue me. Wanted to be a chef when I was a kid, and MMA is the only real sport I can get into anymore.

Learned today that a graphic novel I was going to letter got dumped by the publisher, so it's a no go now. That bummed me a little, but it wasn't money I was banking on or anything. It was a cool book though and it allowed me to experiment with lettering styles a bit. So if the Earth Boy creators are out there and you haven't found a letterer but have new financing, email me!

If you have checked out Comic Related but haven't joined the forums yet please do. You all need yet another place online to go and chill at after all, right? Seriously, it's a great community over there, and soon it will be growing. The forums will have a new skin and new content, and there's just some cool conversation over there.

I gotta give a shout out to my girl Nictoria who got a sweet new job recently. She's doing really well for herself and I couldn't be happier for her.

I'm still bummed. Hey, this is supposed to be therapeutic! Oh well, maybe next post.

B-Out

Zombie Cop Press Release!

Click the title of this post to see the first official press release for the Zombie Cop graphic novel from Shadowline/Image - the first Image title I've worked on!

B-Out

What I Got Done - Tuesday

You know, I need not say I'm going to post something, because inevitably something happens to where I can't when I say I will. Like these daily updates. I was fine until I said "yeah, I'll give a daily update on this schedule thing" and then I miss the very next day! Sheesh.

Anyway, I got most everything I intended to done yesterday.

I finished En Garde! pages 1-5 (though I have some changes to make to them now).

I finished the Usen Wareagle Signature (though I have to make changes to it now).

I did the Tainted page 56 correction and page 61 (I updated the schedule post to reflect this - I don't have page 62 in hand yet).

I did Corrective Measures #8 page 13 (the one page of that issue I was waiting on to wrap it - just over inks and I still need the colors to properly wrap the issue - now I have to make a minor correction on that page).

I got a good way into the Ellium #2 rework before getting too tired and crashing. I'll finish that up today.

I did Academy of Heroes #3 pages 14 and 17-22 (pages 15 and 16 are being inked still).

And finally, I made some progress on the Haven cart before it all went to naught.

Basically, between my edits and Lance coming in behind me and doing edits we managed to mess it up really bad, and so it was down for a period last night. So someone else came in and fixed our mess and actually put it in the colors I was trying to with my buttons I created (www.havendistro.com then log in with the user/pass combo of guest/guest to see it - the Coldcut logo and colors are finally gone).

So I'm no longer working on the Haven cart. heh.

As you can see, I got a little preoccupied and didn't get a chance to post. Not to mention the fact that the first half of the day I still wasn't feeling well. I got a bit better and had a good night's sleep, and now I'm decently ok for now, so it's all good.

TODAY I will be finishing up the Ellium #2 rework, working on the APA site and maybe finishing up some Haven work. I'll probably shuffle the Visionary logo to tomorrow since I have some of Ellium to do, and I suspect work on the APA site will take some time. But we'll see.

B-Out

Upcoming

I talked to a couple of people yesterday about a cool idea and they're totally on board with it. We probably won't implement it until the new year, but it's a really cool idea I've been wanting to do for some time. Hopefully it will all work out and come to fruition this time.

Next Wednesday or Thursday I'll probably do my annual "what I'm thankful for" post to commemorate the holiday. This has been a very special year, so I will have a lot to say.

Every day this week I'll be updating you all on what I actually got accomplished from my tentative list. Eventually I hope to do this consistently in the sidebar or somewhere else on the site after the redesign.

I understand that the Enemi/Haven catalog is now being shipped to retailers, and Wannabez has a listing in there, or at least I'm pretty sure it does. Hopefully your retailer will receive the catalog and you can order it straight from them. In the meantime, don't forget you can order it straight from the Wannabez blog as well! So far I've yet to sell one copy via that method. :-(

I've mentioned this before, but sometime next year Scott and I will be doing a Wannabez side strip on the Wannabez site. Keep an eye out for more details on that on the Wannabez blog in the weeks and months ahead.

My column did not go up Sunday or Monday most likely due to the minor setbacks Chuck and Darren encountered with the site relaunch, and Chuck having too much other important stuff to do first. The column page isn't even linked yet as Darren is probably wiped out and Chuck is still doing plenty on his end. But I'm sure it won't be too long before the column is up. I told Chuck to put it up whenever he could, so I'm in no hurry. I just wanted to remind you all that it is upcoming.

There's plenty more upcoming in the near future and next year, so this is just a little taste of things to come!

B-Out

What I Got Done - Monday

Well, I didn't get it all accomplished, but I made plenty of headway.

I got all the Academy of Heroes pages I had slated for today done, and tomorrow's laid out.

I got half of the En Garde! pages done.

I got half of the Usen Wareagle Signature done.

But most of my time got lost between being sick and trying to figure out the code in the Haven cart to reconfigure it a bit. I spent about three hours just working on Haven, playing around with settings and stuff trying to get things to work.

Tomorrow (or today now) will be better I hope. I'm not feeling nearly as bad or groggy, so it should be. Though I may have to shift things around just a tad because of what I didn't finish Monday. We'll see.

B-Out

Leave a Message!

For anyone who has my home number, when you call me leave a message! I screen my calls if it's an unknown or private number and doesn't show up on caller ID.

Just wanted to put that out there as I've been getting a lot of unknown numbers the past couple of days with no voicemails, and I want to make sure I'm not missing anything important.

Thanks!

B-Out

Tentative Schedule for This Week

Ok, I'm looking through the list of things I would like to accomplish this week with next week being a holiday week, and so here is a tentative list of what I hope to complete this week. This list is subject to change, however.

Monday, November 17
En Garde! Pages 1-5
Academy of Heroes #3 Pages 8-13
Usen Wareagle Signature Logo
Some Progress on Haven Cart Redesign

Tuesday, November 18
Ellium #2 Rework (12 Pages)
Academy of Heroes #3 Pages 14, 17-22
Tainted Pages 56 Correction, 61
Corrective Measures #8 Page 13
Haven Cart Work
Special Project


Wednesday, November 19
Atomic Pop Art Site Work
Logo for Visionary Studios
Special Project

Thursday, November 20
Corrective Measures #9 Pages 1-11
Finish Wagon Wheel Comics Logo
Special Project

Friday, November 21
Corrective Measures #9 12-22
Haven Cart and Submissions Work
Special Project


I've left space on most days to add other stuff in as I need to, and I may move stuff around. I'm also expecting some more pages from other projects throughout the week, so I'm leaving the weekend open for that.

Again, this is all subject to change, but this is what I'm hoping to get accomplished at the least.

B-Out

Condolences and Wishes

Well, I now feel like a complete jerk. Somehow I totally missed that my friend Cary lost his father to cancer 5 days ago. I've been so wrapped up in my own world and everything going on directly around me that I wasn't there for one of my closest friends I've never met. My condolences to you, my friend, and please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers always.

Like Cary, my parents divorced when I was four, and my father and I were never really close. Cary got a chance to reconnect with his dad, so they did have some good times and were able to get beyond that gap. I recently reconnected with my own father, and even more recently had a dream that he passed. And with Cary's father passing away it makes the reality of the shortness of time we have that much more tangible for me. I hope that I get the chance to spend more time with my dad before I lose that chance.

I also somehow missed Cary's birthday, so happy belated to you, my friend. It couldn't have been all that pleasant a birthday given your loss, but I hope you managed to have a good day full of memories and surrounded by people who love you.

I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, bro, but I'm here for you now whatever you need.

Brant

Zzzzzzawwfudge!

Okay, so I'm in the writing mood, but I can't decide on what to write. haha. I don't know if I want to try to tackle the remainder of Wannabez #2, the first draft of Dowry #1, a couple of comic strip ideas I've been thinking about, poetry, prose or what. So here I am blogging. Hey, it's still writing! Just not really productive writing is all...

I am awake at 3:30am because I wasn't feeling well and couldn't sleep. And now I half feel like writing, but I'm not sure I'm awake enough to get deep into anything. It's a strange feeling. I am still on that creative high I received from visiting Comics 2 Games, but I've had a hard time focusing that energy in any specific direction. I've got so much on my plate right now, and so much I'm wanting to do outside of that that diving into anything else is just not really feasible, at least not at full speed. So it's hard to know what to do with these creative juices flowing strongly through me at the moment.

So again, I blog. And not just blog, but Twitter, MySpace and email. Yep, I'm getting loads done. I haven't been this active on social sites in months!


Changing the subject, I watched another movie or two yesterday while I was working. I watched Be Kind, Rewind while working on a logo and some other stuff. It was kind of boring and one-note for me. I love Jack Black, who is an acquired taste, but this movie, while fun in parts, just came across kind of boring. I loved the message in it, but still.

The other one I watched while working on some Haven graphics, and that was A Lot Like Love with Amanda Peet and Ashton Kutcher. I'm an Ashton fan and Peet's also a really good actress. This was your typical romantic love story movie, and both actors were good in it. It was a bit sappy, but nothing else was on, so I left it on. I liked it well enough, but it left me feeling lonely as these types of movies often do. These two met on a plane then kept hooking up over the course of several years before finally getting together. It was cute.

I also listened to The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, the cartoon, which was as good as I remembered, but much shorter than it seemed when I was a kid. This is actually the first time I've "watched" it in several years, probably since the Grinch movie came out.

Of course I also caught True Blood and Entourage, both which I have a hard time watching parts of as they have some mature content. True Blood is becoming a phenomenon though, and everyone I talk to seems to be really digging this one. It's about vampires in Louisiana, but it's not your typical vampire story, which makes it really cool. The creators and writers behind this really came up with a unique twist on the favorite monster of the moment, and the actors are all excellent in their various roles. I haven't missed an episode yet.


It never did snow this weekend, though it got real rainy, cold and nasty out. I didn't even leave the house.


Not too long ago I thought I might reach 1000 posts by the end of the year, but as of right now I'd have to make around 5 posts a day to reach that, and since I'm not trying to I seriously doubt that's going to happen. Would have been cool if it just happened, but it would take the steam out of it if I tried to on purpose.


Oh, I just found out that yesterday (not sure if that was the official date, but it was celebrated then) was my friend Heather's 21st birthday, so Happy Birthday, Heather!

Heather used to go to the church I used to go to and was sometimes in Sunday School when I taught. I was pretty close to everyone in the church, but Heather was one I knew for a long time since she was a little shy girl and she, as many do, holds a special place in my heart. Hope you had a great one, girl.


Ok, I'm getting tired now, and I think I'm well enough to actually catch some Zs this time. So until next time...

B-Out

The New ComicRelated.com is Live!

Last one, I promise (at least for today!). Just wanted to include the press release I made up about it:



November 16, 2008, Winchester, KY - Popular comic news website ComicRelated.com has officially relaunched with an all-new web design and upcoming new content. Four years in the making, ComicRelated.com over the past year has grown phenomenally. Boasting over 2 million hits a month, and loaded with unique and interesting content, this relaunch only stands to make it stronger.

Coming into the era of Web 2.0, Comic Related not only has a new design, but leaves behind the old basic HTML coded site for a content management system allowing much more ease in adding content, thus enabling more and more content to be added. Comic Related has original columns, blogs and articles with a slant on independent comics, but also spilling over into mainstream as well as movies, television, gaming and much more.

The weekly Related Recap podcast has also become a mainstay feature on the site hosted by the site's creator Chuck Moore. And several creators and studios have joined the forum community hosting their own forums through the site.

In 2009, Comic Related will be represented at several comic conventions across the country including a three table setup at the New York Comic Con in February.

Come join the community that is Comic Related and watch it to continue to grow as it heads towards future phases of the relaunch with more features added in the months ahead. If it's comic related you'll find it here...

www.comicrelated.com

And it's Go Time!

The new Comic Related is now live! Go check it out, marvel at its splendor, enjoy the all-new ComicRelated.com (click the title).

And this is just the beginning. There are more changes to come!

B-Out

Whaaatt?

I guess all my Comic Related praise scared a lot of you away as numbers dipped quite a bit this week. And I realize my thoughts and posts weren't nearly as 'meaty' as they had been. So I'll try to do better this week.

I fell asleep in the tub last night. That's right, the tub. I wasn't feeling great and took some medicine anzzzzzz. Yep, knocked me out cold. And what else was cold was me when I woke up!

I watched 88 Minutes last night, which was okay, but predictable. Plus Pacino's acting just wasn't quite there in this film, and a couple of the younger class were clearly overacting. The guy that played Ryan in The O.C., though, was pretty good in this even though he only had a small part.

Didn't get a whole lot of work done yesterday. I got half way through a complex logo, made updates to another, and created one for my new column. I also worked on Haven stuff for a while. I also worked on something else I'm not ready to discuss just yet, but that was fun.

I want to give a shout out to my Uncle Billy and his daughter (my cousin) Kristy, who had birthdays Friday and Saturday. So Happy Birthday, guys!

I had a weird dream last night about people in my life now and people who used to be in my life, and people I've never met. I won't go into full detail, but it was the holidays and there was a big gathering, and it was just strange. My cousin was there with his date, who was a year older than him, and his ex-girlfriend was there as well and not too happy about it. This girl I used to have a thing for was there also, and we were pseudo-hanging out. It was somebody's b-day and they got this big bright yellow 1970s station wagon as a present. Then it shifted to this family I'd never met and turns out my Dad was involved with them, then he, well, he wasn't around anymore. And oddly, they had these letters and things for me from him.

It was strange. Of course, it probably didn't help that out of boredom I caught the last 30 minues or so of The Wizard of Oz in HD last night. That probably had something to do with it, ya think? That and the medicine that knocked me out!

I'm still tired and may go back to sleep...

Today... i have no idea what I'm doing. Most likely I'll be here doing something. I want to work on En Garde!, and I've got a couple of web projects I really need to tackle. Tomorrow I'll dive deep back into lettering. On the tap for this week are Ellium, AOH, Genesis, Tainted, and probably more that I can't think of at the moment. I'll try to give a better breakdown tomorrow.

Scott disappeared on me yesterday. He called late Friday night and I missed his call, and he said he'd call me yesterday, but no calls or emails. He probably took a break from everything to either get some inking done or spend some time with his wife. Hopefully one of those two things was the cause and not something being wrong!

Living with my brother is like living in the Odd Couple. He's such a slob, and I'm a neat freak (not to the insane level, I just like things tidy). Every time he uses my computer I come back to it with pop cans or water bottles and whatever dishes he's used strewn around it. Drives me crazy! We have a loft that overlooks the living room, and there's a banister or mantle or whatever that keeps us from falling off the edge. On top of that there's a mass of cans and dishes (I'm counting 17 cans, 4 water bottles, three plates, a bowl and two glasses). The trash can up here broke, so that's from about three days that I just haven't had the time to clean up yet. Yeah, I know, it's awful. Doesn't happen often, just been busy and haven't felt like cleaning lately. :) They'll be cleaned up today.

Okay, yeah, I'm tired still, sozzzzzzzzzz

B-Out

Tomorrow Then...

Well, it looks like midnight is pushing it a bit, but Chuck and Darren are working hard through the night to get it up and going as soon as possible. If you've been following the feed at all you know that the coding has given them a few more setbacks than they anticipated, but it's still flowing and will be live soon enough.

As for me, I'm largely without internet access tonight, and away from my home computer, so I'm not doing much either. My connection is shoddy at best, but I wanted to pop in here one more time before signing off. I'll check back in tomorrow.

Have a good one, everybody!

B-Out

The Change is... Stalled

Seems as though the Comic Related relaunch is taking just a wee bit longer than anticipated as they've hit a few stumbles here and there. But they are looking to get it up, at least in part, by midnight. It will be an ongoing relaunch, but it should still begin to go live today technically. And that's East Coast time, so all you West-Coasters should see it up by 9!

I've been glued to the Twitter feed anticipating the launch. Change is always exciting, and this one's a big one.

Speaking of change, I wonder if Brock Lesnar will be able to wrest the UFC Heavyweight title from The Natural, Randy Couture tonight? It's only Brock's, what, fourth professional MMA fight?! But Brock is a monster and he dominated all three of his previous bouts even though he got caught in his first UFC fight by his inexperience and excitement. He should have won that fight too. But Randy's a veteran of the Octagon and it should be a great fight. Wish I was watching it.

And moving on with the theme of change, I've added a Twitter feed to the sidebar. I've only got it set to show my latest update so as not to be too intrusive. And it blends in with the rest of the sidebar content, so hopefully it's not too much for you all.

I'm really going to change things up as I mentioned on the blog as soon as I have some free time to do so. I'm not really digging the way it's laid out, and there are a few things I want to get rid of.

Change is in the air, and I like it!

B-Out

The Change Has Begun

Click the title of this post to head over to the Comic Related twitter feed that is updating the progress of the site migration and relaunch in real time. They've already switched over to the new server and are working on getting the site up in sections. It's only a matter of time now!

Speaking of Comic Related, I designed a logo for my new column, which, I'm told, will go live either tomorrow or Monday! I'll post more about the column soon.

It's supposed to snow this weekend last I heard, so more change is coming.

Keep watching the Twitter feed and the Comic Related website and very soon you will see what is, in my opinion, the best looking comic news website out there.

B-Out

Why Comic Related?

Some of you may be wondering why I give so much praise to this little site that could, and why I push them so much trying to spread the word as it were. Well, let me tell you a little story that should explain my undying support for this site and its creator.

As most of you know, I've been working in and around comics for the better part of a decade now in some capacity. Whether as an editor, letterer, writer or even web designer, comics have been a big part of my day-to-day life for years. So when the opportunity to do something productive and give back to fellow comic fans came about I jumped at.

This first happened, oh, three years ago or so? Maybe longer. I discovered a site, ComicAvalanche.com, via some writers I knew who had columns over there. So I started checking out the site and pitched a column idea of my own. And thus, Indy-Pendant was born (a play on words and spelling, somewhat ill-conceived, but I stand by it). This column focused on spotlighting independent comic creators, properties and publishers/studios. It was a fun ride lasting 75 installments, and I made a lot of friends and contacts through it, and forced myself to explore independent comics more as well. Why? I'll get into that in an installment of my upcoming column at ComicRelated.com in the near future.

While I was with CA, I began redesigning their website, a couple of times actually, though looking back, neither design was that great. But it was an improvement, and the site at least had a fun and quirky feel to it. I also began posting and somewhat editing.

Not too long afterwards I found an ad for paid editorial positions for SilverBulletComics.com (not to be confused with SilverBulletComicBooks.com, which is now ComicsBulletin.com), so I bit. I was brought on as PR editor, which just meant I posted press releases and such to the site part-time. I also wrote a column called Myth Conceptions, which I inherited from a friend. This all led to an eventual full-time EIC position with the site, and before all was said and done I was practically running the entire site by myself for the better part of the year. In that year, I made tons of contacts and had tons of ideas, many which I never would be able to implement. I was limited by what I was able to do for various reasons. Then, for reasons I won't discuss in detail here, I had to leave the site, and now the site just isn't there anymore.

Actually, while I was still with the site, but in the dying days, an idea hatched - I should do my own site! So it was in the back of my mind if I wasn't able to do everything I wanted to do with SBC I should do it elsewhere.

Earlier this year the plan was set in motion. I had a partner and a staff of contributors, and was even in talks with a web designer. We had big plans and were eager to go forward with all of them! Then something happened - I got offered a job. And while the job wasn't really completely in competition with what we wanted to do, they were dead set on me not doing the site if I worked for them. Ultimately, the job didn't work out, but then my partner (and financial backer) got gun-shy for valid reasons and backed out. So the dream was dead. There was just no way at the time that I could take it on by myself.

Then I discovered a little-known site that happened to be run by someone who literally lives 4 miles from my house totally unbeknownst to me. That site was Comic Related. And while modest, it seemed to be gaining a following and had a lot of cool content, especially indy focused. And that's one thing that carried over from my days with CA was that particular focus. I tried to do more and more of it at SBC, but the fact is SBC was also a comic store and had to have mainstream content to try to promote sales through the store. And my plans for my own site heavily included an indy focus. So it was cool to see a site really doing that in earnest like CR.

Once I spoke with Chuck Moore a few times I became excited about the man's passion for the site. He updates the site 365 days a year by himself, even on the holidays. You just don't find that kind of passion and love too often, and I admired and respected that. He basically did the same thing I did with SBC, so I found a kindred spirit.

As time went on I submitted a review here and there and just kind of sat back and watched the site grow. In the little time I've been following the site - a year or so - the site has just grown phenomenally. They've added podcasts, a host of columns and blogs, a bunch of creator forums, strong articles and overall content, a strong convention presence and much more! And their numbers show that this is the kind of site people want! So I was very eager to be a part of it, but didn't really know how I wanted to contribute. I had kind of left that dream behind when plans for my own site fell apart, and I had honestly completely moved on. But I was so impressed with what they were doing I had to be involved in some small way.

So I just began communicating with everyone and trying to hype it up and support it as best I could. It wasn't that much at first, but over the past few months I have just become enthralled and consumed with the growth of this site and the kindness and community feel of everyone involved. It really is like a family, and a totally supportive one at that! I'm thankful for the press and promotion Chuck has given me and Wannabez, and more than that I'm thankful for the friendships I've gained through this site. I have a feeling, for one, that Chuck and I will be friends for life, and I'm sure other longtime friends will be made through this site as well.

With the relaunch of the site coming tomorrow (and it is a gradual relaunch, but the new look will go live tomorrow) I really wanted to share my thoughts and reasons why I love this site with all of you, and why I just have to be involved with this site in some way. I am not paid to work for this site, nor have I contributed all that much up to this point. This is purely a love for what is being done with this site, and the feeling that I'm standing on the verge of something big. Not to mention that the more I learn about Chuck's plans for the site the more I find how dead on similar it is to what I wanted to do with my own site, and so I just have to back that. It's not a case of "oh, I wish I could do that - so I'll ride the coat tails" kind of thing. It's more of a mutual support and love for the industry and for what is being done through Comic Related.

Mark my words: Comic Related is THE comic site to watch. And very soon many will agree with me. And the reason I can so boldly say that is because Chuck is NOT trying to compete with other sites of the same ilk. His goal is not to take them down or outdo them. He's simply doing this for the love of the medium, and it just so happens that everything he's doing and plans to do is and will be very appealing to the masses. Chuck is all about helping people out, cross-promoting, and even partnering up in certain cases. Some other sites aren't that kind about things, and that's what separates Comic Related.

So if I seem to be kissing-up or blindly praising because I will be writing a column for the site, that's not the case. I truly love what this site is doing and completely respect the people involved in it. I can't say enough good things about Comic Related, and I doubt I'll run out of things to say for some time to come.

B-Out