Was answering an email from someone representing a very large Net presence who's launching a comics-centric portion of their entertainment-based site. One of the main questions was a more elaborate version of the "Where did you come from/Who do you think you are/Where do you get your funding?" trimuvirate that I get every once in a while from new sets of folks as either comics gets more attention, or graphic novels get more attention, or our company gets more attention.

No one likes to hear that I'd worked in marketing and promotions and print publishing since 1981 before we even thought about starting up, or that Mimi has an MBA in international finance, or that I never stop eating, sleeping, doing, and selling comics.

Because it's human nature to think there's a magic bullet solution to everything.

But, anyway, here's most of what I said to her. Hopefully, it'll be a few more months before people will start asking me how we got so successful so fast, again.

First thing, I'm relentless. I will not stop until every man, woman, and child on this earth and off it are reading our comics. That's just how it is. If this sounds like crazy-talk to you, please look into that lucrative Burger King franchise, because it will pain you less than trying to get into comics where your dreams will be smashed flat instantly if your first thought each day is not "comics!"

Part of being relentless is also having laser-like focus. I talked a little about this in True Facts. You can't shake me off my mantra: "Making Comics Better." Hey, look, someone wants to make a movie based on Astronauts in Trouble! Yeah, that's great; talk to Mimi and Ken, because I'm over here Making Comics Better. Hey, look, we want to do a TV show based on Proof of Concept! Excellent; talk to Mimi and Ken, because I'm over here Making Comics Better. Hey, Lar, Kate Beckinsale is on the phone, and she wants the rights to The Black Diamond! OK, you almost got me on that one, but the thing about laser-like focus is that you can't stop for nuthin'. Even Kate has to talk to Mimi and Ken. Sorry, Kate.

An aspect of having laser-like focus is ignoring the pundits in The Peanut Gallery. Did you read on Newsarama today about how Kevin Smith twisted himself into ennui and non-production because of Bendis's writing and Talkbackers back-talk? Wasn't that the saddest thing you read this week? Here's one I give to you all in general and Kevin Smith in particular: if everyone is so smart and it's so easy, why aren't these flabbermouths doing comics and other-media and whatnot? They're not because it's not. Allow yourself some pride of accomplishment, man.

This one's for me, and probably won't work across the board, but my dad always told me, "Do something, even if it's wrong." Now, he meant it in more of a "Shit or get off the pot" sort of way; that it's preferable to walk the walk rather than talk the talk, and if you goof up, at least you have something to fix than just sitting on your butt talking about how you'd take over the world if they would just let you. He was sort of a New England-raised, six-three Yoda, come to think of it.

The last part of that one reminds me of the third option stuff, too. Talked a little about that one in True Facts, too: that the only people who ever get anywhere are the ones who, when faced with an either-or question answer a third thing. The glass isn't half-full, nor is it half-empty. It's time to call the waitress over for another round. Like that. Everyone's got the first thing covered already, and half of them have the second thing on the schedule. The trick to being successful here, at the twilight of the dinosaurs, is to do the thing that no one's thought of yet.