Don't Call It A Comics Blog

By popular demand (if one defines “popular” as the urgings of John Jakala and Graeme McMillan, in particular), I’ve decided to make a desperate attempt at being one of the “cool kids” of the blogosphere.

Come, watch me fall on my face.

In reality, though, this isn’t a comics blog. At least, not entirely. All the links to the side are comics-related, but that has more to do with the fact that most of my time spent on the internet not related to work tends to revolve around comic books and related media. Really, what gave me a reason to start blogging (aside from the prodding of the previously mentioned Geek-namic Duo) is something that Kevin Melrose said when I was interviewing him for Comic World News:

“I began Thought Balloons late last October as a way to force myself to write something every day. I'm not very prolific, largely because I spend so much time researching -- perhaps over-researching -- everything. So, I figured if I could write a little bit on a daily basis, I could whip myself into shape. Instead, the blog kind of took on a life of its own, and ends up taking far too much time.”

I needed that kind of prodding in particular. I have been rather lazy with doing my own “weekly” column because of a ton of real world concerns (work crises, thinking about building a house, and other mundane endeavors), but mainly because I’ve decided to stop dicking around and begin the grad school application process. If all goes well, at this time next year I’ll be enrolled in the MFA program at Penn State University. That hasn’t left much time for comics writing; similarly, the other real world concerns have slowed the process of building the portfolio I need to submit to the program.

I’m not one to believe in “writer’s block.” It’s a completely psychosomatic condition that arises from a lack of self-confidence. However, not having the time to balance everything is a perfectly rational excuse, I tell myself.

Hopefully, I’ve found a bit of a way around all this. I’ve given up some editing duties at Comic World News, and I’m focusing on bumping up the frequency of the interviews section. I’m also giving up even trying to do a “weekly” column. Hopefully, posting more frequent (and less lengthy) thoughts on comics here, I can get all that funnybook business out of my system.

But this isn’t a comics blog.

Sure, I’ll probably spend way too much time writing about comics here. It’s to be expected. How else am I going to express my hatred and scorn for a lot of the crap that comes of comics and the comics internet? Or, conversely, to glow about the things in comics and the things about comics that make get the warm and fuzzies? Tell my wife, and receive those “I have no clue what the fuck you are talking about, but please shut up so I can get back to important things, like thinking about the best way to clip my toenails or whether we should switch our brand of dog food” or whatever else “that look” means?

I’m moderately smarter than I look, so foisting all these comic thoughts on the wife falls into the “not bloody likely” category.

No, like Kevin said earlier, I just need an excuse to start typing again. Hopefully, getting all the shit out of my system will free up some gray matter to work on some inevitably hackneyed (but, hopefully, good enough to show some promise) work for the writing portfolio I need to have completed by January. That, plus the self-directed birthday present opportunity, made me take some time from work today do set this up, rather than doing something more productive like actually working (and big, giant, sloppy props to Shane Bailey for being on-line today and helping my stupid self get the ball rolling on this).

So, expect comics talk. Expect any kind of entertainment media or art talk. Expect glowing missives on the merits and virtues of HGTV. Expect “I love my doggy” posts. Expect me lashing out like an infant when something strikes me as stupid, be it in entertainment or society.

Ah, fuck it. You probably can call it a comics blog. Just don’t hold me to it.

I wouldn’t expect this blog to live up to the whole “daily” thing, or to be anywhere near as cogent or interesting as the blogs on the right. That way lies madness.

This blog’s name comes from some folk song of some sort: “I’ll take the high road/and you’ll take the low road/and I’ll be in Scotland a’fore ye.” While I’d obviously hope to take the “high road” in any dealings with this blog and the comics internet, I know myself, and I know that I’m more than capable of being the asshole that takes the low road. Fair warning, cats and kittens.