You know, Tim O'Neil sure is flattering me. Today he wonders how, in the face of how the comics industry is, why people like me even bother doing comics. The short answer is because I don't like how the comics industry is, and instead of trying to compete with everyone else for the privilege of writing Batman, I just go about with my talented friends and make the comics we want to see. What's going on in comics is so far away from what Mimi and I think should be going on in comics that it really doesn't bother me that much. It's like talking about the price of gasoline in New Hampshire. I'm sure the people in New Hampshire have some strong opinions about how that goes, but it doesn't impact me over here in California, you know? So the monthly superhero cats can do their thing, and we'll do ours and that'll be that.

Speaking of flattering, Bill Sherman has some nice stuff to say today about Astronauts in Trouble. Between Bill's review and Tim's from yesterday, I'm filled with the milk of human kindness today, I am.

Our printer, Quebecor, has just sent over advance copies of Planet of the Capes, and I gotta tell you, Brandon McKinney is a genius. One of the criticisms I heard a lot from unmannered louts on the Internet was that Brandon's art on Switchblade Honey was too "retro." What's that mean, really? As in, "back when artists knew how to draw," I'd guess. Anyway, I wrote up a story which makes Brandon's style shine, so, this time, if anyone says the art looks too "retro," we'll be able to point out that it serves the story. Honestly, it's my big fear that the comic book reading audience will eat this one up and force us to do more superhero stories...

Laura Gjovaag gives Channel Zero: Jennie One a look and finds it... not Demo. Which is a good thing, if you ask me.

David Jones turns the spotlight on Johnny Dynamite, Abel, The Annotated Mantooth! and Available Light which get an A-, a B, a C, and an A-, respectively, on The Johnny Bacardi Show. Me, I thought The Annotated Mantooth!, just by its very format, rates higher than an average grade, but it was my idea, so of course I would think that. Comics would be a glorious entertainment industry, indeed, if the awesomeness of The Annotated Mantooth! represented an average, solid C effort.