Life is funny sometimes. Inspiration can hit you from the strangest moments/times. I was recently forced to step away from the geek arena due to health problems/concerns for better over 9 days. So no podcasting. No New Comic Book Day. No Free Comic Book Day. No Avengers Endgame opening day/night chatter. Little to no Superhero TV and my only way to stay current with the contacts/friends I've made through the business was Twitter & Facebook. Boy. I tried to remain sane but even as an Outsider looking in, there comes a point where I had to release, to vent, to give my take...
FROM THE WASTELANDS
1) A lot of comic book companies are dropping the ball to be frank. I have seen creators and fans hype up upcoming projects on Twitter just about 24/7. From the companies themselves? Nothing until the day of a comic's release and unless it is for a mainstream article that gives away (spoils) key plot points for potential readers. How do these places expect to get "new" money? It seems like a broken record for me as heard on the AfroNerd Podcast, but don't these companies have social media divisions now? The only companies I see making great use of social media to push their books are the lower ebb companies like Lion Forge, Alterna, AHOY! etc. They remember the hustle, the NEED to reach out and entice new readers. Big companies have been making strides forward but the lack of chatter from them makes their actions feel like they just going through the motions...
2) Is this where we have come to fantasy fans? Have we become the stereotype of "if I can't enjoy/like a project, I'm going to ruin it for everyone else..." This is how far we have fallen. I spent five days watching geeks/nerds delight in leaking details from Endgame and Game of Thrones online without consideration for their fellow fans. What the F...? What motivates you all to just do that? There are literally thousands of other sci-fi/comics/fantasy properties for folks to go to that won't "offend" your senses and STILL you want to poison the experience for others. When did you want to watch the world burn? How exactly does actions like these help the genres grow? All that "nerdier than thou" posturing reduced to nothing more than tantrums from spoiled children who didn't have things their way and now wanna take their ball and go home.....after setting the house aflame.
3) I want to thank the folks behind Into The Badlands for all the entertainment you have given me over the past 3-4 years. Warrior looks to be a worthy successor but there is something about the self-contained mythology and way out there martial art styles that made it akin to Superhero TV to me. Speaking of which...
4) My thanks to Arrow for lasting this long and setting up the framework for the "Nu" CW DCTV Universe but let's be honest: Arrow needed to end or at least go to two 8-10 episode mini seasons 3 years ago. And if I can be honest for a second, The Flash is on the same path. A lot of cool plot lines just rushed through the last 2 seasons...
5) A discussion was being had about how effective Free Comic Book Day is in growing business for comic book stores on Twitter. I will say I won't know locally until I can talk to some of the retailers I know BUT from what I saw on Facebook and Twitter, a good time was being had by those that attended.....and boy was I envious...
So that's my first missive from "out in the cold". I've missed this....I've missed interacting with you lot. I promise not to disappear for so long again (if I can help it). Next article will be my pros and cons for Endgame, Justice League vs Fatal Five and if I can manage it, a few books of note.
Until Then, Keep Fantasizing!
 Phoenix With Clarity and Insight For New & Old Fandom ){kind=link}
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