The webcomics blog about webcomics

Numerous Small Things Today

For those that didn’t see Tim Tylor’s comment in yesterday’s post, there’s an arguably happy ending to the Hot Topic/Kawaii Not dust-up:

About Hot Topic: All Kawaii Not merchandise there is OFFICIAL – and is good news for me and Kawaii Not. Turns out there was a miscommunication issue between me and my licensing company, but that has all been settled. So the bottom line? If you buy Kawaii Not at Hot Topic, you support me and the craziness! Hooray!

Yay for Megan Murphy; I still say that Hot Topic needs to clean its procurement process the hell up.

  • It’s specifically for days like this that I don’t require people who make things I like (or people I know personally, for that matter) to get along with each other — I can like them separately just fine. If Gabe & Tycho’s take is that Jesse Thorn is likely a serial killer, I can live with that. Heck, Rene Engström can’t stand Radio Lab (although I don’t think she’d accuse Jad & Robert of having heads in their fridge). I can be the one guy that likes webcomics and public radio, that’s cool. In fairness, Jesse’s take on the PA situation is here.
  • Overdue public thanks: the fine people (mostly, Gina Gagliano) at :01 have put me on their review copies distribution list, and I am being presented with more fine graphic novels than I can keep up with. Recurring themes: plucky teen girls, World War II, awesome cover designs by Colleen AF Venable, and a number of webcomics-related artists doing fantastic work. Proper reviews to be worked up.
  • Know what just turned five years old? The Daily Grind Ironman Challenge; five years on, and seven webcomickers are still in the running for more than a thousand bucks. Literal updating machines have been out of the running for more than four years, and the last challenger to fall by the wayside did so more than ten months ago. How long can they last? How long can this madness continue?
  • As long as we’re acknowledging longevity, congrats to David Malki ! on 600 installments of Wondermark, with one of those optical illusion deals that never works for me. DAMMIT.

Being a purveyor and appreciator of both products I still have to say that the burden of professionalism generally falls on the host, not the guest. The host sets the stage and if the guest decides to dive head first off of it then ok, you have a legitimate complaint there.

But the PA guys are at the top of the game. If you’ve seen them at a convention (and I’m sure you have) then you know they give themselves away to people, a lot of people, little pieces at a time and that can be exhausting and even damaging if you try to do too much. So in comes the “professional” attitude because it mitigates that pulling and tearing that fandom can do in it’s quest to hug to death what it loves. Expecting the trains to run on time and taking breaks at specific times and managing your schedule is a defense against that darkness.

So the issue with their publicist screwing up. Yeah that’s something they need to deal with (and deal with it they have… I’m sure being mentioned in the comic was more than enough).

But if you are the host and your co-host is late, you’re e-mail is down, your guests are unaware of your format (and if you know your format is “particular” to being misunderstood it really is your job to make it clear whether you want to or not) and your dog is fellating you might just have some things to answer for.

No Gabe and Tycho aren’t exactly “everyman” anymore and it may make the nerd nation groan to hear that immutable truth; but that doesn’t change the quality of their offering. It also doesn’t change the fact that sometimes, the little guy, no matter how much we want to stick up for him, can be wrong. And that doesn’t alter the quality of their offering either.

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