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Today at AiT/Planet Lar

April 30, 2004
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Before I get going off to WonderCon, I just want to point you over to Laura Gjovaag, who has a quick review of both White Death and Jax Epoch and the Quicken Forbidden today.

Otherwise, you can find me today through Sunday at:

Today at 5:00, in Room 130, animation writer (and author of Hench) Adam Beechen, superstar artist Manny Bello, Whiskey Island Utility Infielder Ryan Yount, and me, of course, will be rapping about comics from concept to completion.

April 29, 2004
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Tom McLean of Variety has the one-two punch of Planet of the Capes and Hench reviews. Tom's the only guy so far who's sussed out the meaning behind the title of the Capes, and once you've got that, you can probably see what the rest is an allegory for.

Industry watchdog Don MacPherson has a nice review of the Capes over on The Fourth Rail, today, too.

This bit of email is my favorite piece of feedback about Planet of the Capes so far: "Everyone's running around deconstructing the superhero again (and again and again) but you didn't need Superman inserting midgets in his ass to make a book that tears up the cape and tights. That last scene has stuck in my head all damn day. Great book man. Thank you."

So, that's more than a little gratifying, believe me.

April 28, 2004
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San Francisco Bay Guardian Senior Editor Lynn Rapoport is my new favorite person. While I always am quite gratified when real-world press people "get" Bri and Becky's Demo, this one makes me particularly happy because I was reading the Guardian back when I was production coordinator at Worcester Magazine. The Bay Guardian and its take on the scene had more than a little to do with me moving here almost fifteen years ago.

So quotes like "DEMO is currently ruling my entire universe, and I'm already mourning the final issue six months in advance of its release" and "The back end of each DEMO (put out by San Francisco-based AiT/Planet Lar) is filled with 'extras' more satisfying than anything I've seen in DVD format: conversational notes from Wood and Cloonan, suggested mix tapes and reading lists for the issue, rough sketches and previews of future issues" and whatnot really make me very pleased.

If you live in town, it sure is worth picking up a copy, as some of Becky's art graces the cover of the Lit section. Even Ryan proudly beamed when he saw his word balloons were still legible even blown up to twice their regular size...

April 27, 2004
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So, to recap, a few of my blogger pals seem to think they go "from the comp list to the shit list" if they give one of our books a "bad" review. Not at all. Leaving aside that I personally don't think there's any such thing as a "bad" review, because somebody new somewhere is going to be aware of the book when it gets reviewed, so that's good. But a well-written review is a well-written review, whether the reviewer enjoyed the book or not. The only time I get prickly is when somebody makes personal insults, because that's not a professional review, it's playground taunting. And we're Making Comics Better over here, not throwing snowballs with gravel in 'em, you know? So review away! If you don't like one book, you'll probably like the next one.

Johnny Bacardi takes a look at Channel Zero, Jennie One, and Come in Alone, which he loved, and Planet of the Capes, which he didn't. That's it, Johnny B! YOU ARE DEAD TO ME!

Ooops. Heh.

Ken Lowery is not dead to me (c'mon, and neither is Johnny B; I'm just joshin'), as he turned his critical and still unjaundiced eye upon the wonder that is Jax Epoch and the Quicken Forbidden, just in time for me to tell him the second volume will be out in September. So it's a short wait for the next honkin' piece of goodness from Dave and John.

April 26, 2004
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Ol' Tim O'Neil's at it again, teasing some upcoming reviews of Come in Alone and True Facts and mentioning the Hawaiian Dick love that Ken Lowery beat him to by a few hours. John Jakala turns his eye on Planet of the Capes, as does Laura Gjovaag. Tegan also hits Dirtbike and Electric Girl, Volume One. Mike Sterling makes me real happy by not only 1. digging on Couscous Express, but 2. complimenting us on our package design and 3. saying that Dorian at Ralph's Comic Corner had made a little AiT/Planet Lar section on their comics rack. I love it when a plan comes together.

Mike also did a Giant Robot Warriors review that Stuart Moore saw before I had, and Ken gives the thumb's-up to Jax Epoch and the Quicken Forbidden.

And in other, non-AiT news, this is the best post on any subject in the history of recorded history. Blog it well, my friends. Blog it well.

April 25, 2004
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4: 08 pm PST: If I had one wish... it wouldn't be for world peace, or for all the money in the world, or even for a mint-condition replica of the Adam West Batmobile... no, my one wish would be for Internet comic book reviewers to review a work as it is instead of reviewing what they want the work to be. It is what it is, people, and if your expectations for the work aren't met, it's not a failure of the work; it's a failure of your expectations.

12: 47 pm PST: A careful look around the worthwhile reading section of the site over to the left there will reveal all sorts of new info about upcoming books.

Find any AiT/Planet Lar publication at your nearest comic store.

Can't find it at your local retailer? Get it online at Khepri.com