ComicBitsOnline.com

I was asked why reviews were so thin on the ground at CBO recently.  And where are all the interviews? 

Well,hits for CBO have hit 227,000.  That’s a heck of a lot of hits for a comic site that does not publicise Marvel or DC.  My policy has always been that CBO is here to cater for those with a more Independent comics slanted mind.

Independent Comics,Small Press –you’ll find it here.  Fair and honest reviews.

I publish Press Releases promoting books and events. I up-date these with up-dates and even interviews.  Links to publishers sites are given.  Publishers say that they see their own site stats go up after items on CBO.  Fair deal for publishers you’d think?

Yes.  But it seems that fair deals for publishers in a world where they have to struggle to get publicity because other sites want just the “Big Two”,stop there.  Out of all the publishers and projects publicised on CBO only about four publishers send material for review.  Actual books. 

So,when someone says “Why is there so much from Archie/Classical Comics?” my response is:”Because they send material for review”.

If CBO was simply about publishing Press Releases then life would be easy and there are sites that do that.  But CBO is not just here for PR news. 

I do not,as has been stated over and over,review based on pdfs –comics don’t go to print and I look like an idiot or am involved in some scam.  Reviews are only based on hard copy –actual printed comics.

Publishers promise that printed comics will be forwarded. Nothing.

The problem is then exacerbated by the fact that,up until May this year,I used to come out of my local Forbidden Planet store with 12-15 titles,a good few Independents such as Image.  Now,I come out of the store with 4-5 titles because,as the only story in a major city,it is dictating what you can buy and read –“Independents don’t sell”.  So,Perhapanauts #2 I missed –as well as other titles I followed and reviewed.

It has to be realised by publishers that sites like CBO involve a two-way deal.  Yes,we’ll publicise but it is sheer madness to think that I am going to trawl shops or the net to buy copies of titles to review.  It just does not work like that.

If you are a publisher and you are serious then you will –or should- have a certain number of copies for review purposes.  Time and again I’ve been told “Hey,sure. You can buy a review copy from us…”  No. Doesn’t work that way.

I have already dropped a number of publishers who have adopted this “you want to review our books then buy them”.

I need to really emphasise that I do not make money from CBO.  No one wants to pay for advertisements and no one wants to sponsor the site.  So,everything falls to me.

Considering how so many people visit the site and how much publishers praise CBO what I’ve decided to make policy is not easy. 

I can no longer just push out press release after press release.  It’s a bore.  If CBO promotes and publicises your books and titles then it is only fair that CBO receives copies on release.

So,please bare this in mind.  If you don’t want to send review items because you just want free publicity then it means you don’t think much of CBO.  So why should CBO be interested in you?

By December I’m hoping that companies will be sending review copies. If not,then January,2009 will see CBO vanish. It isn’t a joke.  CBO supports and promotes publishers but CBO needs the publishers to support it.

Don’t believe I’d close CBO down?  That’s what other people said about yahoo groups I owned with high memberships but no aqctivity from members who just wanted downloadable scans.  I closed them.

A pity but why go to all the effort if the people you try to help don’t care?

So,the changes start here.

A couple of people asked for the link to the Eurocomics group -I’ve accidentally deleted those emails but I know CBO was where they heard of the group so,if you’re out there,here is the link!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eurocomics/?yguid=192631557

As I stared across a table full of final paste-ups [yep,some of us can create a comic without a computer!!],ink pots,brushes and other miscellaneous paraphenaelia you might expect to find in any artists work room,I wondered just how mad you have to be to even be involved in comics creation?

I decided that my “Words Within Words” was going to be a Small Press title.  I’ve not done one for a while,though I’m sure someone will correct me on that.  I’d put together the preview copy that went out to a very select few for comment.  Naturally,Paul “The Biscuit” Brown had to critique certain things.  In fact,his suggestions were basically echoing what I had planned to do originally but decided against [just don’t ask why -I have no idea!].

The lettering type was awful;I’d tried to be a wee bit arty and stylish and,er,failed.

So,a re-touch of the art,new paste up and here I am. The FC220 copier will be chugging its little heart out tomorrow!

Then there is “GO BO”.  What is “Go Bo”?  Well,I had this ridiculous little idea that I’d like to put together a mini comic -A6 in “Hooperscape” [or landscape to everyone else!].  Never done a mini comic before and I wanted to see how you’d put one together.  Oh boy. Let me tell you:always -always- double check your paste-ups because after you’ve run off 20 pages you do not want to discover that you’ve put the wrong pages back-to-back [not that an old pro like m’self would make that sort of stupid mistake..seriously]!

So the two books are put together and will form a double offer package of Hooper mayhem -hopefully reviewed on CBO by,uh,”Biscuits”?

There are many others out there who produce their own Small Press comics -in Europe,the USA and around the UK.  Some have been reviewed on CBO but what astonishes me is how few get in touch!  I mean,few comic news/reviews sites touch the Small Press and as people of taste come to CBO to see the sort of thing other sites leave alone because,as we know,Marvel and DC are the only ‘real’ comics out there!

If you have a comic then get in touch.  We’ll review fairly.

And,as far as Independent comics go;you’ll notice we have news from Heroic Press.  Apparently my local shop “cannot order them” so I’ll not be seeing them.  Even Image comics appear to be getting missed out -I still have not got The Perhapanauts #2 and was lucky to find #3!

If you publish comics and you are neither Marvel nor DC then get in touch -CBO gets enough hits to put certain “bigger sites” to shame.

And action figures -even now the hits looking at the items on action figures,Papo Toys and so on are high despite the companies ignoring us.  Well,their choice.

CBO is here for the Small Presser,Independent Comic publisher and we’ll cover action figures and toys BUT we need to be contacted and sent items first!

REMEMBER:we do not review based on pdfs -only hard copies. From September 2008 CBO will be tightening up its policy:we publicise and publish press releases but we’d now like to see more from publishers -actual copies of the books we’ve publicised.

I know some might think “Oh he’ll never dump so-and-so –they’re big hitters on site!”  Well,I could cite samples of big hitters we’ve dropped because they thought they could “play us”. 

Our coverage of HeroClix for example got massive hits but time and again we got excuse after excuse as to why we could not be sent review figures despite promises.  I think even HeroClix were a little shocked when we dropped them!

There are others,as those of you who’ve been CBOers from the start will know.

So,don’t expect to just use CBO to churn out press releases if you are a publisher. I would -seriously- shut CBO down rather than turn into a mere press release site.

CBO and myself have gone out of our way to help companies,small and large,and I’d like to see us expand more in future.

So,the question of how mad you have to be to work in the comics business?

Quite,quite mad.

If you had trouble with the link posted this one should set things right -thanks to Terry Pavlet!

 http://www.inter- fan.org/interfan jam/interfanjam. html

As regulars will know,the 1960s German sci fi TV series [pre Star Trek],Raumpatrouille Orion [Space Patrol Orion] still has many fans around the world. I even translated an Hungarian Orion strip into English last year.

One of the stars was Eva Pflug,also known as a singer,who played Officer Tamara.

The sad news out of Germany today is that police called to Pflug’s Munich home have found the 79 year old dead.  No cause of death has been given yet.

Hopefully,one of our German friends will be able to provide a short tribute soon.

As I’ve promoted Tay Zonday in the past,as well as Guesch Patti,Desireless and Vaya Con Dios and as I’ve mentioned Sa Dingding,I thought “go for a classic”. So,here are some links to the phenomenally brilliant Barbara Lewis.

Ask The Lonely

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMVWAY15qFY&NR=1

Some Day I’ll Love Again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvmEU1DDb_4&feature=related

The amazing “Hello Stranger”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze6i9Zh1b0k&feature=related

The Windmills Of Your Mind

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C__aiVIAmjg&feature=related

Every so often I like to spread a little culture!  Well,it is MY site.

Never heard of Sa Dingding? Then you are missing out!

So,for your delectation and delight…..

Tibetan Prayer ( Lama chenno) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn0S053Ho4g&feature=related

Dong Bala

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rNSmqwAhYQ&NR=1

and then the brilliant ALIVE [Chinese version]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs3bBqGdMX4&feature=related

I’m still interested in any reports or articles on European comic conventions as well as news on new and collected comics from Europe.

If you can help or want to promote a convention in 2008 or 2009 please get in touch.

T

Garen, the creator of the highly-acclaimed Rainbow Orchid, has been a favourite of mine for a few years now and some of you may know that he is currently drawing for The DFC [sadly only available online].

He is also now compiling an A-Z of popular  comic characters on his blog -Lazer Eraser,Iron Man and so on. You can check out his blog at:

http://www.garenewing.co.uk/rainboworchid/blog/blog.php?request=categ&catid=9&catname=A-Z+comic+characters

Well worth spending an half hour looking over!

Tuesday,30th July,2008.  Mark that day well.  As Paul Brown [alleged artist] and Darron Northall [alleged and rumoured but never proven] paid their usual weekly visit to the Black Tower [or Uncle Terry’s Studio of the Macabre and Weird].  As usual,Mr.Brown scoffed every biscuit without the scantest regard for how a poor old man pays for them.  In fact,being honest,Mr.Brown did bring along a packet of Jaffa Cake biscuits to ease the strain.  He ate all of them as well.

Darron Northall complained about a speck of dust on his mug of tea,dog hairs and,temporarily,blacked out as I tried to explain what was going on in the Marvel universe with specific reference to Captain America’s death,his reappearance as a Skrull,then as Bucky wearing Cap’s outfit and a renegade loony Captain America -oh,and the Invaders time warping to modern NY along with Captain America.

Discussed was Blake Bell’s excellent -SUPERB- Steve Ditko book which Mr.Brown will be reviewing,as well as the Alan Moore introduction to issue One of Brown & Northall’s hit 1980s Vigilante Vulture series. And Mt.Brown announced that he may revive the anthropomorphic vigilante.  Mind you,he also said he was awaiting the script for the now almost mythical Outlaws 4022 part 2.

And Darron [”I ain’t casing the Bank”] Northall’s reaction?  He promises to complete all six Outlaws scripts by January,2009 and to re-write some of his Vulture scripts.

One should bear in mind that,after heavy consumption of tea and biscuits little Paulie does get a little hyperactive -he promised to produce 69000 pages for Indian comics by September.  One should also bear in mind that Mr.Northall [”the lock-in Kid”] is a fibber.

That said,look at the photo below.  Would these tough honchoes lie?  Go on -look!

 Below,Paul Brown quivers with excitement as he announces that he is still “The Daddy” and will “re-imagine Vigilante Vulture for the post-Thatcherite 21st Century totalitarian fascist right wing Labour UK”.  Nice boy.

Will these men now deny their promises?  And what of the alleged deal they made with DC comics to incorporate Vigilante Vulture into the DC Universe?

Only time will tell.

ps. some of the above may be nothing more than lies a joke.  Maybe.