Author: Glenn Hauman

ComicPress Migrates from .org to .net; Frumph Takes Over, Releases 2.9.2.27

  • Uncategorized
  • December 11, 2010

comicpress-7809720ComicPress, the beloved plug-in that turns WordPress into a webcomic platform used by an estimated 25% of webcomics producers including PVP, Least I Could Do, FoxTrot, The Dreamland Chronicles, and The Webcomic Factory, has been taken over by longtime code developer Philip M. Hofer, known to the webcomics community as “Frumph”, and he’s marked the occasion with a new improved release. Quoting from the new home for ComicPress at ComicPress.net:

As everyone knows; I’ve taken over ComicPress’s development for
several years now (sorta) as a group with the others then when they
bowed out kept it going because end-users use ComicPress.

Unfortunately any donations that people have given for the
developement of ComicPress and it’s usage has not gone to me. The
donation button on the ComicPress.org site goes to Tyler Martin. Which
in all reality it should. However, it’s come to the point where Tyler
is MIA in development and hasn’t included himself in anything since
2.8.0.r5 was released.

I personally have nothing against Tyler, I dig the lug and hope whatever he’s doing is awesomesauce.

For the last year I have been trying to get out of developing
ComicPress for several reasons, one of them is my health. Two times
this year I have been to the point where I wouldn’t think I would see
the next day, both times I have been blessed to recover nicely. The
other reason is financial. Medical bills, living, a son that eats like
a racehorse and a never ending multitude of fiasco’s involving a lemon
of a car I bought. Lastly, I really like you guys (and girls – rawr)
and feel that keeping ComicPress updated makes a real difference to
you, that you have a viable means to show your art and story on the web.
Ultimately I guess it’s a deep sadness that all the times that people
have “appreciated” my efforts and assistance in helping you and them
with your site is not specifically going towards me; to this I mean the
donations on the ComicPress.org site. I do not and have not received
any donations from that, minus one time where in the notes it
specifically put my name in it.

(more…)

DC keeps moving to LA, but will there be any comics when they get there?

  • News
  • December 9, 2010

Two business stories making for an interesting juxtaposition.

First, ComicsBeat reports:

More and more ch-ch-changes at DC, as various folks in the online department have announced they are heading to the West Coast office as the DC Online department moves to Burbank next summer. Ron Perazza will become VP of Online for DC Entertainment, Dave McCullough will become Director of Online for DC Entertainment, and Kwanza Johnson is Digital Editor. Heading up the department, you may recall, is Hank Kanalz, Senior Vice President, Digital of DC Entertainment These are the first announced westward personnel changes, although at least two DCU editors are also moving west to work more closely with CCO Geoff Johns.

diamond-comics-7075568Of course, by the time they get there, Diamond will have shut down their west coast warehouse.

Diamond Comics Distribution has informed comic stores that the warehouse will be closed from next March.

It’s been a good long while since Diamond closed any such warehouse.
In 2008 they consolidated a few into the new massive Olive Branch
centre, but at one point they used to have 24 warehouses. Now they’ll
have 4. The impact of this move will mean there will be no storage
facility for comics and their like on the West Coast.

Affected retailers will notice a change immediately in the new year,
with January the fifth delivering the last shipment from Diamond Los
Angeles. The next week, all deliversies will come from their new,
expanded Olive Branch center in Mississippi. Customers who pick up from
the Los Angeles warehouse can continue to do so until March, and then
will move over to a new LA-based pick up point.

Merry Christmas to everybody who’s losing a job right before the holidays.

One additional problem, not discussed or considered: there are a lot of books that are coming from Asia– not just manga and manwha, but a lot of books from DC, Marvel, and IDW that are printed overseas. One has to wonder what this will do to shipping times and costs for trades, etc.

In Memoriam: John Lennon 1940-1980

  • News
  • December 8, 2010

30 years ago today, John Lennon was shot and killed by a person who we aren’t going to name.

His influence was huge in the world, and has been immortalized in comics in so many ways, from biographies to being a Skrull super-hero. And most recently, he’s been portrayed in a BBC biopic by Doctor Who‘s Christopher Eccelston, with Yoko Ono being played by Naoko Mori from Torchwood.

You’re still missed, John.

The Best Present You Can Give A Kid This Year

  • News
  • December 6, 2010

longbox-3454592

This is a longbox full of random comics. Your local comic book store has tons of them– various stuff he’s picked up and hasn’t filed yet, or overstock that he couldn’t sell, or low grade books, what have you.

My father used to go to Port Comics, a little store off of exit 64 of the Long Island Expressway (the same store where I first met Tom Brevoort, when we were both young punk fans) and every so often he’d buy a longbox or two from Bill the owner and give them to me.

And as you’d expect from someone who now runs a site like this, I devoured them. I had no idea what I might find– DC horror books, Marvel reprints, Archie superhero titles. Didn’t care. It was all new to me, it was all neat to read, and it got me discovering wondrous stories and characters and art and more, and getting even more involved in a medium that I loved.

And right now, you can probably pick up one for around $30 and give it to a kid this holiday season. Or you can wait until he’s home sick with a bad cold this winter and give it then, when he’ll have time to read. Or drop it off at your local Toys For Tots drive, and imagine the look on the volunteer’s face who first tries to pick it up.

So go to your local comic store and ask for a longbox or two filled with random stuff. Be sure to ask for few duplicates, you don’t need 200 copies of Spawn #1. If you don’t know where your nearest comic store is, go to the Comic Shop Locator to find out. Or go to eBay and search for “comic lot” and find something in your price range.

Just be prepared to answer questions:

“Who’s this Darkhawk guy?”

“Where does the Black Widow know Daredevil from, I thought she hung around with Iron Man?”

“How does Cosmic Boy keep his uniform up?”

And hopefully you’ll get the best question of all– “Hey, when can I get some more?”

See The Lost ‘Doctor Who’ Cold Open From ‘The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson’

  • Uncategorized
  • December 2, 2010

This was the planned opening of November 16’s episode of The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson with special guest star Matt Smith that was killed about five minutes before airing because it turned out they didn’t have the rights to use the Doctor Who Theme on the air.

Craig was quite put out about it, as you can see from the cold open that actually aired:

And yet, somehow, thanks to the magic of the Internets and Wikileaks (hey, it could happen) the original rehearsal footage has gotten out. So take that, all of you <aycaramba!> at CBS and BBC!

Hat tip: Ross Vincent.

Giving thanks

  • News
  • November 25, 2010

It’s that time of year again… a time when you need to remember just how got you’ve really got it. Because no matter how annoyed or inconvenienced or sad you may be,
somebody else out there has got it as bad or worse.

Just consider that somewhere today:

  • Somebody will be missed at the table because they have to work.
  • Somebody was in that car accident that kept you stuck in traffic for an extra hour.
  • Somebody will be sharing dinner with someone who molested them– maybe earlier that day.
  • Somebody will be wondering how they’re going to pay for this dinner now that the job’s gone.
  • Somebody will be able to smell the turkey, but for the first time not be able to see it. Others won’t be able to hear the dinner
    conversation. A few won’t remember the people that they’re eating with.
  • Some will have to make do with hospital food. Many of those folks will have to have help in being fed. Some won’t be able to keep their food down because of the chemo treatments.
  • Some families will have no kitchen to cook a dinner this year. Some have no homes to have a dinner in. (And in the spirit of the holiday, some had their homes taken from them generations ago.)
  • For many, this will be their last Thanksgiving ever. Some folks will
    know it and savor what they can. Others won’t know it’s the last one
    until it’s too late.
  • And somebody– too many somebodies– just won’t have any dinner at all.

For you and yours from all of us here at ComicMix, have a happy Thanksgiving. Be grateful for what you
have, mindful of what you have taken, and share what you can.

And even
though it may be hard to remember all this when you’re stuck on the
road, just remember– the traffic behind you is worse. Be thankful.

What we are thankful for, and how you can help ComicMix (and thank you for asking)

  • News
  • November 24, 2010

We’re thankful to you. Each and every one of you who keeps coming back to the site because you like the people, or the comics, or the occasional snark.  We all know how tough it is out there, not acknowledging that fact doesn’t make it any less tight in the wallet. There is a pestilence upon this land, nothing is sacred. Even those who
arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress
in this period in history. But we’re glad that you’re here, reading and occasionally commenting.

We’d also like to ask you, if you’re doing any shopping at Amazon this holiday season, do it through us and help us keep the lights on. If you want to support ComicMix every time you shop at Amazon, bookmark this link and use it whenever you do your online shopping. And if you order before December 16th, you can still get free shipping before Christmas ends.

We are NOT asking you to forgo shopping at your local comic store, far from it. Support your local shops. If you don’t know if you have one near you, go to the Comic Shop Locator. Many stores are doing door-buster sales– Cosmic Comics in NYC, for example, is doing 80% off of back issues and 50% off new books on Friday. I don’t care what kind of advantage you get from Amazon, that’s real tough to beat.

Things may be a bit light over the next few days with holidays and tech stuff, so enjoy yourself and watch out for crazy drivers and rogue TSA agents.

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