Get Out of the Way

Just spent a very enjoyable hour or so talking on the phone with Alan David Doane about comics and comics-related matters. I swear we need to do a podcast of one of these chats some time, though in saying this, I realize we might not be as free as we are now, knowing it's being recorded. In fact, I'll leave the actual book we discussed at length out of this and just say that if you're going to do a book about someone, be it a biography or long interview or some kind of retrospective or analysis of their work, you really need to put your own ego in check and get the fuck out of the way. Despite your efforts at research and copyediting and design, this book exists because of interest in the subject, not in you and your articles and columns and such. Your bio shouldn't be longer than the subject's bio, and your picture should definitely not be larger, for just two examples of what not to do. And if you can help it, try not to put your name on the subject's forehead on the cover of the book, too.

Other than cute family stuff and watching some of the NFL Wild Card playoff games, not a lot to report from this weekend. I did write five pages of Irregular Joe last night, and a page today, and I hope to get a couple more pages done tonight if I can. So that's going well. I'm not sure if this will be a 22 page comic or not. It's the final issue of the miniseries, and there's still a good deal to wrap up, but at worst I would think it would run 30. I also read the Best of 2005 issue of Entertainment Weekly this afternoon and was amused that the two best comics were Black Hole and Ex Machina. I love the former and have liked what I read of the latter (about the first year), but it's a shame they couldn't get into more books, even to list them. And they really need to get some manga coverage in there as well; it doesn't make sense not to.

Finished off Batman Animated Vol. 4, which my kids loved to the point of wanting to do little else but watch episode after episode. I'm a decent enough dad that we did get out and got some fresh air, of course, but yes, we did run through all four discs in the past two weekends, I think. In fact, my daughter was still so hungry for more she watched the Legends of the Dark Knight episode with the commentary track, and she's only three. She almost bought one of the new-style Joker figures from the latest The Batman series yesterday, but changed her mind and bought a plastic Disney Cinderella cup instead. I don't know why she loves all manifestations of The Joker so much, but for some reason I find it encouraging. Clayface and Killer Croc are close seconds and thirds. I don't think she has any particular connection to Catwoman, Batgirl or Poison Ivy. What can you do?