Aardvark Comment: Is The Petition Helping?

Back in 2008 Dave Sim started the "I don't believe Dave Sim is a misogynist" petition and began issuing the form-letter below to any correspondence he received. However, in a recent weekly update Dave Sim stated:

"Six years with the petition, six hundred signatures on it, no signature from any major creator still working in the comic book field, except for Kevin Eastman, Steve Bissette, Troy Little and a handful of other people. Picture virtually any big name in the comic book field and their name is not on the petition."

Even among Dave's supporters the petition isn't a straight forward proposition, as Iestyn recently commented on AMOC:

"I won't sign the petition even though I believe Dave is not a misogynist because I believe the thing to be a straw man argument in the first place. I believe that maintaining it, reinforces the very thing it supposedly exists to deny."

To detractors, the petition is just further evidence of Dave Sim's erratic behaviour, and as comics-writer Ed Brubaker mentioned this back in 2012 on that tortuous 'Sim/Fantagraphics Negotiations' thread at TCJ.com:

"I’ve been in comics about 20 years, and I didn’t even know Dave Sim had a petition he was demanding people sign. So I don’t see how the number of signatures he’s gathered is an indication of anything."

A recent exchange on the Cerebus Facebook Group highlighted the problems with how the petition is perceived:

SANDEEP ATWAL:

...if Dave IS going to give you even more of his time for free, all he asks is that you state publicly that you don't think he's scum. Considering how many people do think he's scum (and take a look at Twitter anytime if you doubt it), that doesn't seem too much to ask...

CHRISTOPHER WOERNER:

...If there's a "problem," I think it's the petition, and Dave's insistence upon it. No one who would agree with Dave will sign the petition because it's a stupid idea, and few people who might agree with Dave will even be inclined to inquire whether or not he's a misogynist, because who wants to deal with someone who makes you sign a petition before he'll deal with you? I was one of the first people to sign the petition because he's not a misogynist, duh. But all that gets me is a ticket into Dave's world. All insisting on the petition does is deny Dave a ticket into anybody else's world, which he's going to need if his work will remain viable in the short-term.

The short-term is an important point. It's how Dave gets paid, and Ger, and everyone else. Does no good to focus on the long-term if everybody starves to death before we get there. I freely admit that I don't have a good answer to how Dave can get through this, and I don't pretend that any of my advice would work, and not leave him in a horrible ghostly form swearing revenge upon me in the classic superhero mode. And I can't even say 'get rid of the petition' because it's worked for him the same way everything else has. I think it's a bad idea, but it's his bad idea and doesn't harm anyone else. [Which actually places it higher than a lot of other bad ideas in history.]

The world that exiled him is not remotely the world which exists now. I don't know if that helps, but I do think he's hurting himself with the petition.

SA: I appreciate your comments. I think I know what you're saying. But honestly, as far as the petition goes, I don't think it makes much of a difference. Sign the petition: Okay, thanks! Don't sign the petition: Okay, no hard feelings! And that's pretty much about it. It's not like if Dave got rid of the petition there would all of a sudden be this massive influx of interest, acclaim and money coming his way. I honestly don't know if anybody would even notice. So I think it's just a real-world way of not doing free work for people trying to slander him, as many have done and are doing...

...I certainly don't see a massive explosion in attention and acclaim for Dave Sim happening anytime soon, as much as I think he deserves it. More like slow and steady wins the race, continue to build a group of dedicated fans who are the hardcores who support the art and the artist and are the ones who keep the work alive for the next generation. That's just the way I see these sorts of things playing out in general. If you want to be romantic about it, just remember Oscar Wilde died in complete disgrace, in debt, and in exile; William Blake had about 4 people at his funeral; nobody cared who Edgar Allan Poe was; Van Gogh lived a life of poverty and then shot himself, and it took about 200 years of obscurity before Vermeer was recognized as one of history's greatest painters. But everyone loves them now. So there's always that. 

CW: "Slow and steady wins the race" is a good way to put it, and it's exactly where Dave has proven himself. And you're right, there would not be an influx of interest if he ditched the petition. And I can understand why he thought the petition was a good idea. He worked himself up from a fanboy in the 1970s writing articles and doing interviews into the legendary comics creator that he is. And if he is exiled from the world that he helped build, he has every right to demand that anyone he deals with sign a petition before he wastes a single second on them.

I just don't see him making any progress, even among the people who are most receptive to his work, if he insists on a decades-old petition being signed before he'll even consider responding. It's a needless impediment, and we're in an internet world. Needless impediments are the first things to make you go 'screw this.' Not the best way to approach people who could be receptive towards your work. 

SA: I appreciate the input. I certainly don't speak for Dave (he does that for himself, if you've noticed!) but I would say.... it's a needed impediment. Believe me, I don't think Dave takes these things lightly at all and has fully considered how it would affect his career, etc. But, again (this is me) I think that after 20 years of slander he decided to do something about it. Anyway, it's really not THAT much of an impediment, is it?

CW: Look at it from the perspective of somebody [anybody] who thinks this Dave Sim guy might be saying things worth paying attention to, but any attempts to investigate [i.e. Google] lead to him whining about how the world considers him a misogynist, without any context, or how we need to sign a petition before having any further contact. I agree that Dave doesn't consider this lightly, I agree that he's made the best possible decisions for his career, and since those decisions are how he made "Cerebus" possible, I can't in good conscience tell him he's wrong, but yes, for any potential "Cerebus" reader [or Dave Sim fan] the petition is a needless impediment.

Dave himself often points out to people who've made their own comics past issue #50 that they didn't become "Cerebus" fans until they read "Cerebus" #150 [made-up example by the way, but there are plenty of real examples] and asking where they would be if he'd given up during those hundred issues before they discovered his work. That's where I think the petition is self-defeating, that it gives potential fans a reason to give up. We're in an internet world where #186 and "Tangent" are easily-Googled, but why should I give this guy the slightest effort when he's always whining about how Alan Moore or Neil Gaiman won't sign his petition? Why is that guy who did the "Stardust" movie so important anyway? Oh, I have to sign a petition before he'll tell me. Oh well, thanks for the advice on women. Didn't cost me a penny.

SA: Even if Dave was lauded by every publication on the planet and never wrote 186 and was a feminist, you're still talking about a 6,000 page comic book about an aardvark. The work itself is an impediment to the work. Dave made it pretty clear years ago that this is about him doing his work on his terms. If anyone else finds that too constrictive, well, okay. I think what you see as needless impediments, are simply part of the story. These people overcame those obstacles. Those people didn't. I don't think that there is an endgame where Dave just does X, Y and Z and all of a sudden he's popular. Plus, playing the game of doing things just to get an audience never works. Instead, the game Dave is playing, I think, is my work, my way. Want to come along for the ride? Great, hope you have a good time. Don't want to come along for the ride? No hard feelings, hope you find what you're looking for. My work, my way. Nothing beats that. Not even the cover of the New Yorker.

CW: But it works both ways. Yes the sheer scale of the work is itself an impediment. So why add another impediment? Particularly one which makes the work itself far too easy to dismiss as some guy who sat at home and wrote a 6000-page manifesto, but won't talk to anyone about it unless they've signed his petition. Let's face it, that is not a completely inaccurate description of "Cerebus" and how it was created. It's not fair nor entirely honest, but it's not completely inaccurate either.

Popularity is a capricious thing and I certainly wouldn't bet any money on Dave becoming popular, but he also wants an audience. He wants people to pay money for his work, and we all want that for him as well. Front-loading the reader's investment in this 6000-page work with a petition on some website somewhere, or even just creating the perception that this petition is anywhere near as important to him as the work, is needlessly detrimental to the work finding an audience, in my opinion. It's simply not as important to the reader or potential audience.

I don't think this would mean contravening any of Dave's moral positions, which he's worked very hard to achieve and maintain. I would advise him to drop the petition as a battle that's been lost, but only because the larger points he's made all along are a battle that can be won, but not by focusing on the petition. And I freely admit I have no idea where he could turn his limited time and energy towards, whether he takes my advice or not...

iPetition: "I don't believe Dave Sim is a misogynist"

Jeff Seiler: Dave Sim & Me

JEFF SEILER:

Okay, I’m going to break with my standard for these posts and (briefly) return to posting my letter first (which, by the way, does include a dialogue between Dave and me) as a way of leading into Dave’s response. I think that it’s the only way this makes sense. All of this centers around the (now) ridiculous row that arose from the idea of posting the "I don’t believe Dave Sim is a misogynist" petition. Oh, and I should add, this was all by fax, which Dave (and others, but not me) wanted to do for (I think) the purpose of communicating more quickly. I found it to be more difficult, as I did not own a fax machine. I *still* prefer writing letters, although I did move on to typing them on the QWERTY thingy, rather than writing them out by hand. Although, my most recent letters to Dave have been handwritten. ANYWAY, here are the exchanges from May 9th, 2008.

++++++++++++++++++

[From me:] 

Dave---Here is what I posted on the Yahoo [Ed: the Yahoo Cerebus chat group, the immediate precursor of AMOC; it still exists, albeit in a moribund form] group. The first part is a post by Larry H. I had been away for a week, due to Internet access restrictions. I think that my response stands well without elaboration to you, at this time. Please send your response to fax number XXX-XXX-XXXX, ℅ [Ed: name deleted]. [Jeff] T. emailed me instructions for faxing via email, which will make it much easier (and less expensive) to exchange faxes with you, but I haven’t yet had time to set that up. Maybe next week.

[Ed: What follows is the Yahoo chat group post by Larry H., which I prefaced with the heading “Man, oh, man, oh, man”. Larry posted:]

Ordinarily, I’d concede your point, but when the original posting comes with a “only answer in this particular form, and I won’t be replying to any responses”, followed by Seiler’s caution not to respond at all until we’ve been apprised of the associated disclaimers (of which HE is, of course aware, but hasn’t yet deigned to let us in on), then even you, Rick [Rick S., a regular poster at the Yahoo group], have to acknowledge that it’s more humorous to see the dodging being done by those “posing” the question.

Mix liberally (heh) with the fact that a few weeks ago, those of us who chimed in with actual discussion over the nuances implied in the question (the implied question being, “Do you believe those who DO think Dave is a you-know-what have solid ground for thinking so?” and the more interesting question being, “If we really learn and internalize and apply the lessons Dave promotes in {title of book not to be mentioned ever in this context on the Internet}, does it not make it harder to deny the applicability of the you-know-what to what Dave is?”) were told in no uncertain terms that we were doing irreparable harm to Dave and ruining this list [Ed: Larry was referring to the chat group with the word “list”.]. So, no, I’m not stepping in that one again. Sort of.

Even though the quick-easy answer to the question is that I don’t believe Dave Sim is a misogynist.

Larry H.

++++++++++++++++++

OKAY. So, then, continuing my fax to Dave about Larry’s post, I went on, thusly:

-----Head; desk. Pound repeatedly until I internalize the lesson.

Don’t put something up like what I did last Thursday and then take a week off. Okay: First, I waited to “deign” to tell everyone because I was deferring to Margaret to put the “wiki” (as Dave called it) up, as she was the first one to whom Jeff T. passed the baton. She emailed me that she would try to do it on Saturday (May 3rd) and would let me know. Well, she put it up, but not in the format that Dave wanted it (although she did put it up in a way that is accessible by non-group-members, which *is* what Dave wanted).

Here is the actual text of what I wrote to Dave when Jeff T. emailed me all of the correspondence between Chet [Ed: Chester Brown] and Dave, and Dave and him [Ed: Jeff T.]. In that email exchange between Jeff T. and me, I volunteered to put the “wiki” up and Jeff T. told me that he had first passed it on to Margaret. In the meantime, here is what I wrote about that to Dave, with his response embedded in text:

“Hi, Dave! I received and have read the lengthy correspondence between you, Chet, and Jeff T. I suspect he [Jeff T.] was willing to send it to me because he knew how I would respond--with this fax.

[Ed: The fax to which I referred:] “Re: Your fax to Jeff T. dated 24 April: I don’t know what you mean by a ‘wiki’ at the Yahoo group, but I’m more than willing to do that in his stead.”

Dave responds: “When it’s up and running I’d like it to be open to everyone--not just the group (if possible on the Yahoo Newsgroup home page?). Maybe?”

Me: “I could use the form letter…”

Dave: “Not necessary?”

Me: “and create a ‘poll’ at the group that would just let people sign their name *if they affirm* the statement, ‘I don’t believe that Dave Sim is a misogynist.”

Me: “Given the discussions between you and Chet and Jeff T., I would suggest adding, ‘or a sexist’ to the above prompt.”

Dave: “Check.”

Me: “I would create the ‘poll’ or ‘wiki’ so that no one could comment or confabulate. Just affirm and sign.”

Dave: “Check.”

So, I think it’s pretty clear that that’s what Dave wanted to be done with this. Margaret’s very well-meaning attempt includes a place for affiliation *and* for posting anonymously, which I think I can say is precisely *not* what Dave was asking for.

Regardless of the fact that so many people here are going to jump all over my pointy little head for posting this, I *must* say that I had agreed to put the “wiki” or “poll” up the way that Dave had requested it. And, I have yet to find a way to see the results of the iPetition thus far, although I have seen that someone’s very inappropriate response was deleted by Margaret. [Ed: I was wrong here. As of the writing of this letter, there were 52 signees at the iPetition.]

Dave had a very good point with what Jeff T. wrote, not because what he wrote was bad, but because in just the first incarnation of what Dave wanted, it was already changed. The fact that Margaret’s iPetition allows for comments *and* anonymity, is just a further illustration of what Dave was talking about.

In Dave’s response to Jeff T., he said that Jeff T. could feel free to post his version, but that it was not the version that Dave was requesting. I’m sure that he would say the same to Margaret about her iPetition, but it’s not what he wanted.

I’m going to copy this post and put it in a fax to Dave today. I’ll let you guys know what he says.

Please be aware that I am not attempting to censor anyone here, nor am I trying to squelch a free and open discussion (as has clearly occurred, in spades) of the questions that *you guys* want raised, but am only pointing out that the result of the iPetition has gone exactly in the way that Dave predicted that it would *and* has not accomplished what Dave wanted.

And, before you jump on me for my statement to Dave, “no comment or confabulation”, you should know that the reason I said that (and, I suspect, why he agreed) is that allowing for comment and confabulation would have taken this thing exactly in the direction in which it has gone.

So, now; fire away.

Jeff Seiler

P.S.: On the iPetition site, one must enter full name and email address. Then one may click a button to post anonymously. And then there is a box labeled “affiliation”, which effectively works as a comment box. Thus far, only I have commented with, “I do not believe that Dave Sim is a misogynist or a sexist.” I do think that my points above stand, though.

P.P.S.: I read your comments to Rick S., as well. I thought sharing your fax to me might clarify things.

+++++++++++++++++++++

Dave’s response, by fax, dated 9 May, 2008, 15:45 p.m., CST. This was sent to my then girlfriend’s work fax number, as I did not have a fax machine. Thus, Dave’s handwritten note to her at the top of the letter:

“Hi, XXXX! Jeff said I should fax this ℅ you. I don’t want to get you in trouble at work, so if this is in any way a problem, feel free to tell me to knock it off. --Dave”

To: Rick S. and Jeff Seiler

Hi, Rick and Jeff:

Dead silence all day and then you both came in literally seconds apart.

No, I don’t really need to see a lot of this, but a sampling is always nice Archive-wise. I’ve just spent four days on one page for glamourpuss No. 3, so that’s obviously more where my attention has been.

I think it’s working pretty well so far. The people who have believed that I have all of this incredible support in the comics field, close friends in the upper ranks of creativity and publishing, etc., can see that my total support amounts to 50 people. So, that’s good. That’s reality. That’s what I’m looking for.

On the other side of the fence, it shows that there are 50 people who don’t believe that thinking the Impossible Things [Ed: The 15 (now 16) Impossible Things To Believe Before Breakfast) to be Impossible Things means that I hate women. That’s good, too. That, as well, is reality. I mean, it seems to me that’s where Gail’s [Ed: I believe, here, that Dave referred to comics writer Gail Simone, who is an avowed feminist, and who once, I’m proud to say, actually apologized to me (in a personal email) for haranguing me on the Internet when she had misunderstood or misinterpreted something I had posted.] peculiar profanity-laced profession of theatrical hilarity is coming from: like Heidi MacDonald, even one person not absolutely shunning me constitutes a personal affront to THEM. “Look at how funny I find you! Look at how I’m laughing at you!” But, it doesn’t read as funny, it reads like computer rage. So, that’s good, too. Everyone who won’t count themselves with the 50 is basically saying “Gail is right” or having to confront that this is the sort of person they’ve chosen to enable by remaining silent, this is the voice of the Comic Book Consensus, by abstention.

The most important thing is that anyone on the Internet is able to sign the statement or not sign it. The other important thing is that people can take their names down if they change their minds as the discussion -- er, “discussion” -- evolves.

The bottom line for me was: there just aren’t enough hours in the day. I looked at the pile of 60 or 70 letters that had built up over the last three months and I realized NONE of those people was willing to stand up and say that they didn’t think I was a misogynist. So why would I invest three or four days of work answering all of them?

Well, it turned out I was wrong. Out of the 60 or 70 form letters I sent out, 5 or 6 people WERE willing to say that they don’t believe I’m a misogynist. I was able to answer all of those letters in an hour or two and then spend all of my time writing and drawing. When I consider how many hours I would have wasted on the other 50 or 60 people...

...yes, I think this is working very well, indeed.

Best,

Dave

Weekly Update #142: This Is Dave Sim On Caffeine...

After being a good boy during Ramadan, Dave Sim succumbs to the evils of Diet Coke. Will the world ever be the same again? Probably. But what about Dave? Will he ever be the same again. We hope so. HIGHLY CAFFEINATED Dave Sim is too much. Also, scanning negatives of Going Home and rebuilding the porch.

Cerebus In Hell? - Week 2

CEREBUS IN HELL? #0 ships 28th September 2016
(Diamond Order Code: JUL161105)

Read CEREBUS IN HELL? daily at CerebusDownloads.com

CEREBUS IN HELL? #0 ships 28th September 2016
(Diamond Order Code: JUL161105)

Read CEREBUS IN HELL? daily at CerebusDownloads.com

CEREBUS IN HELL? #0 ships 28th September 2016
(Diamond Order Code: JUL161105)

Read CEREBUS IN HELL? daily at CerebusDownloads.com

CEREBUS IN HELL? #0 ships 28th September 2016
(Diamond Order Code: JUL161105)

Read CEREBUS IN HELL? daily at CerebusDownloads.com

CEREBUS IN HELL? #0 ships 28th September 2016
(Diamond Order Code: JUL161105)

Read CEREBUS IN HELL? daily at CerebusDownloads.com

CEREBUS IN HELL? #0 ships 28th September 2016
(Diamond Order Code: JUL161105)

Read CEREBUS IN HELL? daily at CerebusDownloads.com

CEREBUS IN HELL? #0 ships 28th September 2016
(Diamond Order Code: JUL161105)

Read CEREBUS IN HELL? daily at CerebusDownloads.com

Cerebus Jam 2: Campaign Stop

MARGARET LISS:

A few years ago I scanned all of Dave Sim's notebooks. He had filled 36 notebooks during the years he created the monthly Cerebus series, covering issues #20 to 300, plus the other side items -- like the Epic stories, posters and prints, convention speeches etc. A total of 3,281 notebook pages detailing his creative process. I never really got the time to study the notebooks when I had them. Just did a quick look, scanned them in and sent them back to Dave as soon as possible. So this regular column is a chance for me to look through those scans and highlight some of the more interesting pages.

We've looked at Dave's notebook #5 a few times already. It covers Cerebus #70 to 79 and contained 100 pages, but there were only 86 pages to scan. Look at pages 69 through 70 we see Dave's notes on an unused story for the not published Cerebus Jam #2, this story was entitled "Campaign Stop".

In Cerebus Church & State biweekly reprint #28 Dave has two pages of his 'Notebooks' section on this unused story. He shows two sketches - one from page 69 and one from page 71, and he has typed out the text which has numbers beside it.

Notebook #4, page 69

Notebook #4, page 70

Notebook #4, page 71

Dave said this in the aforementioned bi-weekly reprint:

This is the "Campaign Stop" Cerebus Jam story I was working on with Dick Giordano. Cerebus on the campaign trail trying to drum up support. If you've ever "taken a meeting" with Dick, this one should strike a resonant chord.

Actually Dick isn't as scattered-brained or anything - just over-worked like most people on the corporate ladder. He's a very nice guy. His wife is nice too.

Where We ARE

Dave Sim:

I'm pleased to announce that, for the first time since 2009, ALL of the CEREBUS trade paperbacks are in stock and available for retailers from Diamond Comic Distributors now that READS has officially shipped.

That might not be true by later this week because Diamond has only a "skeleton quantity" of volume 13 GOING HOME -- the 17 copies that we had in stock.  For some reason GOING HOME got dropped from the Star System without Diamond or myself noticing some time back.  I just inferred that they weren't selling very many and didn't need any.  And inventory shell-shock is SOP around here.  The amount of dodging and weaving and scrambling for short yardage that was required to get CEREBUS, HIGH SOCIETY and CHURCH & STATE I and READS back in print in a little over a year meant that I spent most of my time just hoping that those were the only problems we were facing.  When the GOING HOME situation presented itself in the middle of the READS printing, it meant more dodging and weaving and scrambling for short yardage.  Instead of CEREBUS V1 being the next book printed and JAKA'S STORY the next book to be remastered GOING HOME became the next book in both categories.

Diamond and A-V are trying to keep everything as simple as possible, so the basic program is: if it's CEREBUS or HIGH SOCIETY, they'll take a 3,000 or 3,500 copy print run at a time and I give them extended payment terms.  If it's any other book, they'll take 2,000 copies on the same terms.  The situation we're in right now is that GOING HOME is the next book, but only if they don't run out of CEREBUS V1 first.  It's like the bases loaded in baseball.  Whatever happens your first option is the throw to home.  So, we're watching the V1 quantities like hawks and Tim L. and I will have the GO/ NO GO discussion early in August.  I'm guessing CEREBUS will hold and GOING HOME is GO.  But a lot can happen in a month.

We're BOTH relieved that we're at or near the point where all the trades are available.  Obviously, if you don't have volume 13, your odds of selling volume 14, 15 and 16 are greatly diminished.

Where We ARE part II is that I'm writing the commentaries for the CAN5 Kickstarter right now: Who was Jaka based on? As thoroughly as possible.  It's going to be a bare bones campaign now that Sandeep has taken over for John Funk.  What we want to figure out is

a) how many CAN5 portfolios we sell without the EXTREMELY time-consuming labour intensive Bonus Prints

b) what revenue that generates

c) how many Kickstarters we can do in a year before we hit maximum capacity with our Pledge Partners

c) has been impossible to determine because of the AVERAGE six-month lag between the end of the campaign and delivery of the Pledge items.  Sandeep is a "down to business" guy.  Told him Monday that we needed all of the GOING HOME negatives cut off of the flats and by Tuesday he was most of the way through.  He -- and I -- have pretty much no idea what he's going to be doing on any day that he comes in.  But the focus is always on: what's going to generate revenue in the near term as opposed to "pie in the sky" plans.  We HAVE "pie in the sky" plans but mostly we have to keep money coming in to continue to finance the restoration work, the printing bills and basic overhead (including Sandeep's starvation wages and my non-existent wages: I haven't paid myself since the beginning of May because the money just isn't there).  It's definitely Mission: Impossible but, so far,  it IS working.  Sandeep's next thing is producing the DIA (Diamond edition) of CAN4 and then posting the CAN5 Kickstarter, both of which are (God willing) going to generate revenues 30-to-45 days from now.

I say all this as preamble to "Unlikely the Hardcover" in the hopes that all of you will understand that we are operating on a small to non-existent margin between the restoration work and getting/keeping the trade paperbacks in print and keeping up with CEREBUS IN HELL?  (Thanks to all six people who have volunteered to "try out"! That's a HUGE help, poentially).  In order to keep going, everything needs to run like a well-oiled machine.  A CEREBUS Volume One hardcover is definitely in the "pie in the sky" category until I see actual numbers (and see how many question marks there are where we need solid numbers) and DEFINITELY depends on how Diamond looks at it since Diamond is basically financing the restoration work and getting and keeping the books in print.

"Unlikely the Hardcover" just looks like an invitation for me to blindside Diamond while giving all or most of the money to printers, bookbinders, Canada Post, an unnamed packaging outfit (ARE there packaging outfits who did single orders as a matter of course?) and an unnamed box manufacturer.

Feel free to discuss this amongst yourselves.  I need to get back to work on CAN5.

Thanks!

CEREBUS VOLUME One: Unlikely the Hardcover

Dave Sim:

Okay, having established "Where We Are" (see above post) let me attempt to address the idea of CEREBUS hardcovers -- which I think are a bad idea and which I think Diamond would believe are a bad idea -- in the frames of reference of those of you who are...extremely dedicated...the subject:

I'm prepared to discuss a one-off CEREBUS Volume with Diamond but my having that discussion will hinge on a consensus view among the AMOC readership filling in the following blanks:

1)  Of what the hardcover will consist:  these are the contents, this is the page count, this is the size, this is how the cover will be printed [zero interest on my part: I think hardcovers with the image printed on the cover itself look like cheesy 1970s British Christmas Albums and dust jackets get buckled and torn too easily], this is the paper stock, this is the way it will be bound

2)  This is how much it will cost to print the interiors on the paper specified.

3) This is how much it will cost to ship the interiors to wherever they will be bound as hardcovers

4) This is how much it will cost to bind the books

5) This is how much it will cost to ship the bound books to wherever they will be packed into individual boxes and shipped a) in Canada b)  to the USA c) internationally

6) This is how much it will cost to have customized boxes created OR standard boxes ordered which fall within the dimension guidelines for the above three categories of shipping

7) This is how much it will cost to have the finished books and boxes shipped to wherever those boxes will be packaged individually and mailing labels and customs forms generated for them and affixed to those boxes (i.e. definitely not Aardvark-Vanaheim)

8)  This is how much all of the above charges amount to.

9) This is how much Aardvark-Vanaheim will make, off the top:  that is, Aardvark-Vanaheim makes its cut the same as Kickstarter and Amazon do:  we take the money and run and leave whomever is in charge of this holding the metaphorical bag

8) and 9) This is the total amount which would need to be raised on Kickstarter, factoring in Kickstarter and Amazon's cut in such a way that 9) "stays whole"

For the sake of simplicity, I think it will probably be left up to Sean to decide MOST of the above, but, again that would depend on that being the consensus view.

My inference is that 9) will be a staggering sum to which I would have to be a fool to say no.  To say the least it would have to be at or near the top of expenses.  If A-V is making 10% of what the Post Office is, I think I'm safe in saying it will be a non-starter.

I don't think this is a good idea for Diamond, but I'm willing to discuss it with them.  I think the REALITY is that Diamond wants all sixteen volumes as trade paperbacks in print and available and they'll look at a CEREBUS hardcover as a New Product Category that they will have to finance.  i.e. Do you guys want to finance a print run of Volume One trade paperbacks AND a hardcover at the same time?  I can't picture the answer being yes:  that would raise the question of "Are you willing to do the same thing with HIGH SOCIETY which you have stocked in depth as a remastered trade paperback?"  That is, are you interested in financing 16 trade paperbacks and 16 hardcovers because they're going to KNOW that that's where this is going Conversely:

Are you okay with me taking x tens of thousands of CEREBUS fan dollars out of CEREBUS fan pockets for a CEREBUS VOLUME ONE Hardcover on Kickstarter at the exact point where -- after seven years -- you finally have all the trade paperbacks back in stock?

It's also a question for retailers:  Are you cool with me selling a hardcover directly to CEREBUS fans instead of telling them the trade paperbacks are "it" and, no, I won't sell them to you directly, I want you to buy them from the stores?  And, no, you can't have the hardcover CEREBUS Volume One in your store because the numbers don't work with YOUR cut and DIAMOND's cut?

Sean?  If you want to work this up at your hourly rate, I'll be happy to look at the numbers.

Restored Reads Now Shipping

Sean Michael Robinson:

Greetings everyone!

This week I had planned to start my long-promised "how to" on digital restoration and prepress for line work, but it has been derailed by some good news. The restored Reads printing is now complete and on the way to Diamond.

I had hoped that Marquis would snap a few photos of the book while it was on press, but at least we received a few snaps after the fact. Here's photos of some test signatures. Notice the "color bars" outside of the active area of the page, at the bottom of the form. These are halftones of a fixed dpi and density, and can be used to tell at a glance (or with the aid of a densiometer) how much gain is present on that part of the form.

If the finished book looks as good as the test signatures they produced, then we'll soon be looking at the slickest Cerebus volume yet.

When Dave discussed proofing Reads a few weeks back, he mentioned one image in particular that jumped out at him—Gerhard's rendering of the Peacock window. Here are a few before and after images of this illustration. You can see how much more detail was lurking in the art board, especially detail under areas of tone. White Letratone especially is a lot risker than normal tone, whether being shot by a stat camera or scanned without the benefit of sharpening and some manual adjustment—simply because the white/offwhite of the white Letratone dotes over black ink is lower contrast than black ink on white. It's the same reason overlapping areas of tone (say, two or three layers on top of some hatching) had the tendency to fill in more than expected. Each layer of overlapping tone lessened the contrast just a bit and thus made those dense areas subject to more fill-in. Factor in the discoloration of the tone over time and you might think the problem would only get worse. But that's not the case with the right adjustments, and I'll show why in my first prepress post next week.

And here's an image of the original art so you can see how the image was produced. Notice how yellow the "white" Letratone is at this point, and how little contrast it presents against the black drawing beneath it. (In the closeup I've adjusted the blue color channel a bit so you can more easily see the under-drawing, including the rendering of the decidedly male figure on the vase in the foreground. Lest you think it's purely decorative and unrelated to the themes of the rest of the book!)

And then there are pages that are much more dramatic than even that, due to the original negs being replaced by second-generation negs shot from print copies, somewhere after the first monthly book came out. Here's a good example of that.

Watch this space for more on Reads in the coming weeks, including an excerpt or two (and an outtake or two!) from my mammoth essay. As always, I'll look forward to your feedback once you have the book in your hands. 

June 29th REPLY to SEAN's post

Dave Sim:

I posted a reply to Sean's June 29th post:

Reader's Digest version:  a 500-page book is not a 150-page book.  There is no way that we could publish a $100 hardcover of CEREBUS or HIGH SOCIETY or CHURCH & STATE and make money at it on Kickstarter.  The costs MUSHROOM based on size and weight.  You would be talking a minimum -- MINIMUM -- of $350 per book not including postage.

It's an understandable mistake.  These are pretty much the only 500-page graphic novels, but everyone acts as if they're the same size as every other graphic novel.  They're not.  The difference between 500 pages and 150 pages is HUGE particularly with the astronomical price of shipping individual books, getting individual packing done and having them packed individually.  

You are comparing books that are THREE TIMES THE SIZE of the books you're trying to relate them to.

CEREBUS IN HELL? needs PHOTOSHOP volunteers

Dave Sim:

Much as Sandeep would like to keep doing all the technical stuff on CEREBUS IN HELL?  there are just way too many things on his plate at the moment.  And I keep producing strips even though there's a large inventory right now.  Because with a daily strip, you're "running ahead of the freight train" and lead time has a way of evaporating in a hurry.

So, we're putting out a general plea for volunteer PHOTOSHOP technicians who are interested in trying out.  You'll get an e-mailed scan of a mock-up of one of my strips and the raw materials (Dore backgrounds, Cerebus figures and Joe Kubert lettering font) and then be asked to produce a finished digital strip from it.

No pay, but you will be credited on "your" strip in perpetuity -- both on first release or in any collection -- either just your name or your name and website (or whatever you want) under the last panel.  

Which volunteers we end up using will be based on reliability, accuracy and speed.  With humour you definitely need to read all the word balloons in the right order and they need to fit properly.  And we can't really afford to have strips "out there" for extended periods of time so we're going to lean towards people who can turn a strip around in a day or so.

Turn in a usable finished strip promptly and we'll send you another one.

Those interested can e-mail Sandeep directly at sandeep.s.atwal@gmail.com and he'll get a strip out to you.

Thanks!  And now, the cover to CEREBUS #160!!

Dave Sim

On Sale 24 Years Ago: Cerebus #160

Original cover art, Cerebus #160 (July 1992)

Art by Dave Sim & Gerhard

Going Home... Gone

GERHARD:

Last Friday I noticed in a comment from Glen asking:

"By the way did you or Gerhard ever mention where the photo for the cover of "Going Home" [which first appeared as the cover to Cerebus #232, July 1998] was originally taken in the pages of Cerebus?"

That photo was taken from my driveway at 'Camp Woolner', located out past Chicopee Ski Hill in Kitchener. What used to be 'out in the country'. A quick look at Google street view reveals the current landscape. I did a quick mock-up of how the cover would look if I had taken the photo today.

Melmoth: Cerebus The Nihilist

Cerebus Vol 6: Melmoth
Collects Cerebus#139-150 (1990-1991)

by Dave Sim & Gerhard

THE COMICS JOURNAL:
(a review by Ng Suat Tong in The Comics Journal #154, November 1992)

Dave Sim is a consummate and, at times, very subtle satirist. He is the epitome of the opinionated asshole, and his Cerebus remains one of the few truly profound works available in comics. Melmoth is the fifth book in Dave Sim's Cerebus epic. It is a milestone of sorts for Sim, because no other artist has been obstinate or crazy enough to devote himself solely to the production of more than 150 issues of a comic. As a result, Cerebus reflects the growth and changing concerns of its creator. Some aspects of Sim's work have not changed appreciably -- he has always masked the depth of his work with irreverent and exaggerated caricatures of famous personalities or characters - but with the years, he has demonstrated ever increasing patience, economy and calmness when expressing the ideas that mean the most to him. With 150 issues still to go, Sim may well get around to addressing almost every issue of importance in our pitiful existence.

Sim has decribed Melmoth as a "distant epilogue to Jaka's Story" and a "prologue to Mothers & Daughters". As such, it should be viewed in the light of both of these novels. Melmoth is, in essence, a description of the last days of Oscar Wilde, gleaned from Richard Ellmann's splendid biography and the letters of Robert Ross and Reginald Turner. Melmoth #0 reintroduces Sim's one-time parody of Batman (and also Captain America, Moonknight, Wolverine and, most recently, the Punisher) as Normalroach. Iest remains under martial law, and the Cirinists continue to strike terror into the hearts of the populace. The average, well-mannered man (ie the Roach) is impotent when faced with the conquering army of female religious fanatics. He can't get his order of mineral water from the waitress, and even his trademark antennae are summarily disallowed. Faced with such mind-numbing atrocities, his response is reduced to variations upon the words "fuck" and "cunt" (Sim uses this word nowadays as he feels that women have become too proud of the word "bitch" to regard it as a real insult). Normalroach (read Sim) get his long-awaited revenge in Mothers & Daughters which, transformed into the aptly-named Punisheroach, he slaughters a host of Cirinist. Sweet revenge indeed.

Would a dedicated artist like Sim insert irrelevant comedy at the beginning of such a serious drama? The possibility exists, as he has a tendency to soften the brooding intensity of his scenes by juxtaposing gag sequences. On the other hand, his intentions might be the exact opposite of this -- that is, to intensify the mood of the serious segments of the story. An example is in Melmoth #7, when archbishop Posey gets frightened by his own reflection. This seven-page comic sequence follows a "painful" scene in which Oscar attempts to get out of bed. However, by the seventh page, when Posey is sentenced to five years hard labour by the Cirinists, the reader is trying to stifle a yawn. Sim's technique id faultless, but the sequence is too familiar, especially to a generation brought up on Saturday morning cartoons. Weighty drama like Melmoth is diluted by such juxtapositions, and the overall story suffers as a result. Melmoth #0 may not serve such a dramatic purpose -- it seems more likely that Normalroach's virulent diatribe stems from Sim's utter disgust at virile women leaders and their like. Sim gives us comedy, and also takes the opportunity to vent his spleen. (This bears comparison to the cathartic misogynistic fantasies of Wendy Whitebread's creator, Don Simpson.)

What occurs in the following eleven chapters is rather divorced from this prologue. Sim makes no effort whatsoever to disguise the fact that the Oscar of Melmoth is, in fact, Oscar Wilde. Melmoth is a straightforward and accurate transcription of his last days, and any alteration in the facts merely serves to firmly entrench the characters in Sim's fictional world of Estarcion. To establish this fact, a short biography may be in order.

Oscar Wilde was released from prison in 1897 after serving two years of hard labour, mostly at Reading gaol. He immediately moved to France -- hence the French spoken by the proprietor of the Hotel d'Alsace, Dupoirier. In France he undertook the pseudonym Melmoth and published his last major work, The Ballad Of Reading Gaol. The name Melmoth is derived from Charles Maturin's novel Melmoth The Wanderer, and is somewhat appropriate, since it tells of a man who has lived for 150 years by selling his soul to the devil, and his subsequently inability to get anyone to take over this burden from him. The Ballad Of Reading Gaol was very much admired in France. Balzac wanted to write a sequel to it, and Baudelaire (from whom Wilde is said to have derived some of his ideas on aesthetics) was determined to translate it. One probable failing of Melmoth is that it seems to suggest that Wilde's only companions were Ross, Turner, Dupoirier and his doctors. This discrepancy results from Sim's exclusive use of Ross and Turner's letters, but it may be argued that his economy heightens the emotional pitch of the work.

The Oscar of Melomth is a mere shadow of the witty intellectual portrayed so vibrantly in Jaka's Story. Wilde suffered from bacterial infection of the middle ear (otitis media is a symptom of tertiary syphilis) and died of an acute inflammation of the brain (meningitis). Oscar is thus shown with a bandaged ear and in a severe febrile state. With each issue, he grows increasingly emaciated and confused. In an age before the advent of penicillin, Wilde's condition was largely untreatable. Sim effectively depicts the confusion, dementia and suffering which would have been evident in Wilde's gradual deteriorating condition. A minor slip-up is seen in Melmoth #9 when Ross returns to Iest at Turner's behest. Ellmann states that Wilde "had a fortnight's beard" at this point in time, but Sim omits this in his illustrations.

The near-verbatim transcriptions of Ross and Turner's letters, together with Sim's keen interpretation of them may not, however, be sufficient to produce any significant emotional impact upon the reader. The portrayal of Oscar in Jaka's Story may help to elicit some sympathy from readers, but the fact is that real life has dictated the Wilde's death would be neither remarkable nor exceptionally moving. The tragedy of Wilde's story lies in his eloquent defence, conviction, imprisonment and rapid decline in the space of three years. These events are not found in either Jaka's Story or Melmoth. Perhaps Sim has compensated for this by depicting these things in connection with Jaka in his earlier book, but this does little for Oscar himself. On the surface, therefore, Melmoth seems targeted mainly at Wilde's many admirers.

This is in contrast to, say, Gilbert Hernandez' biography of Frida Kahlo in Love & Rockets #28, which is more of an introduction to this less well-known artist and is designed to invoke the curiosity of the reader. Melmoth could also be compared to Frank Stack's The Lying Ear in Blab #6, which describes the relationship between Van Gogh and Gauguin. The landscapes are done in the style of Van Gogh's drawings, Van Gogh's face is drawn with his self-portraits in mind, and Stack has taken artistic licence in depicting Van Gogh's personal demons. In contrast, Melmoth is daring in that Sim depicts a largely uneventful death without sensationalism -- thus running the risk of alienating and boring his audience. Since Melmoth is part of a greater work, he has declined to change his narrative devices and does not indulge in the symbolism and expressionism presented in Hernandez' story.

Melmoth is more than a simple biography. It should be remembered that Sim has consciously chosen Melmoth (and hence Oscar Wilde) to end the male cycle of his opus. The significance of this is not entirely clear as yet, for Cerebus is a work-in-progress, but I shall attempt a partial explanation.

There is a significant subplot which runs through Melmoth that concerns Cerebus, At the start of Melmoth, he is seen clinging tightly to his sword and Jaka's doll, Missy, totally devastated by the sudden loss of his loved one. (A recent interview with Steve Bissette [Comics Journal #107] reveals that Sim has remained similarly unapproachable and contemplative after breaking up with his girlfriend.) One cannot help but notice that even as Oscar sinks deeper into the arms of death, Cerebus acquires increased confidence and vitriol. For example, Melmoth #7 begins with Cerebus engaging in some acrobatic nut-eating and exchanging some icy words with a neighbour, an improvement over his usual blank stare in the previous issues. Immediately following this, a transcription of Reginald Turner's letter's to Ross states, "I'm afraid it's all over with Oscar." Cerebus' gradual return to normalcy culminates in an act of violence that closes the novel. It is a watershed of sorts. Sim has never depicted violence quite so graphically before. The reader experiences a sense of exhilaration and release which is almost cathartic. This feeling is heightened by the fact that the previous 38 issues had moved along at a deliberately leisurely pace.

This bloodbath spills over into Mothers & Daughters, and its extensive nature suggests that it is of some importance to the overall plot; a few facts might be helpful in deciphering its significance. Wilde was a great champion and spokesman of the Aesthetic movement. Sim has hammered this into his readers by printing the preface to The Picture Of Dorian Gray, one sentence at a time, in the latter half of Jaka's Story It is also no coincidence that Sim would choose a play on words of Turgenev's Fathers & Sons (whose protagonist is a nihilist) as the title of his next book. I quote from the Encyclopedia Britannica:

The popular conception of a nihilist... was that of a dishevelled, unruly figure rebelling against tsarist [Cirinist, in this case] absolutism and all forms of aestheticism, accompanying his protest with political terr or and anarchism.

This sordid form of nihilism (represented by Cerebus himself) is in marked contrast to that propounded by Nietzsche, who proposed to "replace the spirit of science with a conception of existence and the world as an aesthetic phenomenon and justified as such." Turgenev's nihilist, Bazarov, is also doomed by love, as is Cerebus. Wilde himself wrote the following concerning his play Vera; or, the Nihilists:

I have tried in it to express within the limits of art that Titan cry of the people for liberty... But it is a play not of politics but of passion.

Ellmann states that Wilde's "nihilists in the play are united in their detestation of torture and martial law, and they insist that whatever is, is wrong." In the death of Oscar, therefore, we may have an allegorical reference not only to the death of aesthetics but also of freedom. (It should also be noted that Sim has specified death as his theme for Melmoth, and it pervades every facet of his story.) The Cirinists (in a sense nihilistic themselves) represent some as yet ill-defined form of female repression concerned with the mother goddess and fertility cults and feminism (Sim is quite vocal about the fact that he is not a feminist and is opposed to the current status of feminism). Another quotation may help top explain the relevance of these cults in Sim's current storyline:

The juxtaposition of life and death in the female is a common theme in mythology. Since nature gives women the power to create life, it is logical to suppose that they might also have the power to take it away, and consequently many myths represent women as holding the secrets of life and death. The harsh character of some goddesses also springs from the role of the female as upholder of marriage and family life, the corner-stone of a stable society. Generally, it is the females who wish to enforce social rules, such as those against adultery, incest and homosexuality.

The Cirinists are the embodiment of these ideals. They have imposed their laws on marriage (as seen with Jaka and Rick) and imprisoned the Oscar of Melmoth (for his association with Lord Alfred Douglas); they wield the power of life and death over the people of Iest. Melmoth this represents a changing of the guard, where a tolerant male-orientated society is slowly subjugated physically and spiritually to the will of females.

Whether by accident or skillful planning, a link may also be seen between Turgenev's On The Eve and Sim's Jaka's Story. The jacket notes on my copy of Turgenev's novel are particularly succinct -- I thus quote from them:

...Turgenev tells the story of Elena and her three suitors: Shubin [Oscar], the fickle, self-mocking artist; solemn, loyal Bersenyev [Rick]; and Insarov [Cerebus], the man of destiny.

However, it should be noted that the romantic tone (not to mention plot and denouement) of Turgenev's novel is diametrically opposed to that of Sim's. In addition, Sim's characters are far less noble and self-sacrificing than those of Turgenev's. On the other hand, Elena undergoes a gradual awakening and finally rebels against her parents, as does Jaka, and the events in On The Eve also occur before and important event (the Crimean War), as do those of Sim's story. A profound pessimism also runs mercilessly through both stories. Jaka's Story thus seems  a spiritual heir to On The Eve, but with 20th Century sensibilities. The link is, however, tenuous.

Sim's depiction of Cerebus' emergence from a near-catatonic state is nothing less than a delight to behold, being both humorous and charming in equal measure. One of the most endearing characters is Doris, Cerebus' waitress. Whether she is taking Cerebus' breakfast order or engaging in a meandering explanation concerning her dilemma about deciding which shoes to buy, she is constantly the personification of cuteness, innocence and vulnerability. Deep characterisation of minor players has never been Sim's purpose, but these characters add a flavour and tone to Cerebus which is quite distinctive. Sim has a wonderful sense of timing and is keenly observant when it comes to body language. Kim Thompson once described Cerebus as a "true heir to Carl Barks' duck stories", but Sim is also one of Eisner's most devoted and masterful students.

Consider Robert Ross' departure from the Hotel d'Alsace in Memoth #1. A ten-metre walk is depicted over three pages as Ross descends into the all-enveloping darkness of Iest. A blatant metaphor perhaps, but one which is curiously affective because of its muted beauty. There is also the exquisitely touching scene in Melmoth #8 where Doris, her face lost in shadows, wipes a stray tear away from her face. Sim draws our attention to this one action by hiding her face for four pages before revealing this most telling of panels. One can almost hear her voice breaking, and Sim emphasises this by making the next two word balloons less certain in outline.

Melmoth #9 and 10 are devoted solely to Oscar's final hours. The isolation of sentences from Ross' letter adds resonance to these moments of despair, and Sim's perceptiveness reaches a peak in #10. Cerebus makes a single appearance in both issues -- through the windows of Oscar's hearse in the latter, and, perhaps more significantly, with Doris immediately after Oscar's death in the former. It is a declaration that both plotlines are inextricably linked and the Cerebus seems to represent Sim himself, mourning the passing of Wilde.

Melmoth addresses many things, but it is first and foremost an artist's tribute to a great literary figure. When did Sim's interest in Wilde begin? Was the desire to do a biography of Wilde a sudden whim which would have been better served in a mini-series? How much sophistication should we allow a work like Cerebus? Only Sim has the answers to these questions. The reader can either trust that Melmoth fits into the thematic whole of Sim's epic or debase this particular segment as being apocryphal and pretentious. Sim has stated that to avante-garde cartoonists, Cerebus is little better than a Marvel comic, but in an artform where works of erudition and pathos are sorely lacking, Cerebus is a stream in the desert.

Ng Suat Tong is a doctor working in Singapore. He has written reviews for The Comics Journal since 1993, and was the editor of the Eisner and Harvey nominated anthology, Rosetta. His essays on comics are currently to be found at The Hooded Utilitarian.

Cerebus Archive Number Four Reviewed!

Cerebus Archive Number Four

Kickstarter Campaign: October/November 2015
Raised CAN$31,640 from 250 backers
Featuring the 10 earliest pages from Church & State II in the Cerebus Archive

JEFF SEILER:

I received my two sets of Cerebus Archive prints today (June 29th) six months after ordering and paying for them.  But that's all I have to say about that -- it's already pretty well covered.

As usual, phenomenal reproduction values!  For example, look closely enough at panel 5 on plate 3, as well as panels 1-6 on plate 4, and you can actually see the texture of the dried Liquid Paper!

The notes, as usual, are scintillating! Leave it to Dave to actually look up and print the lyrics to "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" and then discuss them, theologically, in notes on comic book pages.  And, leave it to Dave to bring the theory of penis envy and the issue of transgenderism to the same comic book pages notes.  My hero!  Really!

And, leave it to Dave to find and print a photo of the "Buddy Christ" statue! 

A little quibble with page 1 of the notes, regarding the photo on the upper right side:  It's identified as "Gerhard inking", but I've spent enough time with both Dave and Ger to say that I recognize that hair, that ear, the jawline, the brow, and the hands as belonging to Mr. Sim.  Pretty darn sure.

And, then, we come to the notes for plate 4. Plate 4 needs little background because it's simple. Any passing fan can look at it and immediately suss out how it was put together. So, instead, in these notes we get an utterly fascinating and ultimately very moving, bare naked (so to speak) page and a half of the Florida segment of his sexual autobiography.  Dave Sim -- his life pretty much *is* an open book.

Plate 5:  The cosmic shit. Again, the resolution of these plates is phenomenal. If you look very closely, you can see where the cross-hatching lines extend into the solid blacks because, hey, who cares?  It won't show up on the printed page.  More Liquid Paper, this time on Henrot's wizard hat.

So, now we're back to more autobiography, this time about Dave's growing awareness of needing to read the Bible, as well as some biography. And, again not too much to add about the art or dialogue on these pages.

Plate 8:  I always liked the inclusion of the Archie Goodwin-based character, though I suspect it misrepresented him as wanting or trying to be a mouthpiece, in real life.  The production notes here are, as ever, fascinating.

Plate 9 notes:  I would assume that the tone issues Dave mentions, as well as others (like Astoria's collar in panels 1 and 2), will be taken care of by Sean in the remastered C&SII.

You know, I always thought (and still do) that Lord Julius' step-ladder joke here had a vague sexual connotation. I also think that his joke in panel 4 was one of the best, if easiest, that Dave ever wrote.

Plate 10:  More great cosmic shit, including the string nebula in the upper right corner, just below the two big stars and to the right of the "Whoa" word baloon.  And, a bit of a problem below Sump Thing's left elbow, where lines for the motion effect fade away but then cross over the cosmic shit.  "Sean can fix that in post," I hear Dave saying.

Plate 10 notes:  Great "inside baseball" notes about using Letratape!

And, finally, thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU for that gorgeous Wrightson/Totelbon page!

Okay, that's it for my review of CAN4.

*That's* a whole afternoon of my life I'll never get back, but I mean that in a good way.  :)

Weekly Update #141: You Can "Going Home" Again!

Guess what? We raised a bunch of money online by giving away stuff for free! That's how it works in the 21st century with the new economy. Also, The Off White House is no longer in danger of collapsing into the sea and Going Home begins the long, slow, cold journey into the Digital Restoration process, where it will be born anew, like the Phoenix, and arise bigger, brighter and stronger than ever before.