chris . word

So, it appears my blog has turned into one run by a fifteen-year old boy who likes to look at pretty girls. Ah well, who can blame me really? Especially when the girl in question is Megan Fox and she’s sporting a rather cool t-shirt from one of my favorite movies of all time. I mean, come on?

Also, as if Megan wasn’t enough, I’m also doing some things as well. Although, I won’t look nearly as good as Megan does while I do them. But yes, its Comic-Con time again in San Diego and I’ll be there representing with the crew from ComicMix. We even have a booth this year so if you happen to be at the show, be sure to come by booth #2308 and bring me cookies. Or, just say hello. But did I mention I like cookies? Okay, just wanted to make sure. Chocolate chip, btw. In case you were wondering. Okay, that’s it for the cookies. Thanks.

And, to talk about how great I am just a bit more, I’ve got a couple new interviews up. Last week the first part of my interview with writer, actor and Internet giant Wil Wheaton hit at ComicMix. Part two drops on Monday (I believe) and part three (Yes, I spoke with Wil a long time and he was nice enough to do it) will hit the following week.

I’ve also got an interview with Buffy, Angel and Battlestar writer/producer Jane Espenson coming out this week as well. She was super-cool and a pleasure to interview. Plus, I’m sure there will be one or two things from me as Comic-Con gets into full swing later this week. In fact, I know there will because I know who and what I’ll be doing already.

Not that I’ll be “doing” anyone at Comic-Con. Although, I do have a thing for girls in “Slave Leia” costumes. And Wonder-Woman too. Also Emma Frost and Poison Ivy. But that’s a story for another time.

Anyway, be sure to check ComicMix early and often for all the latest from me and the rest of the gang of very talented and extremely cool people who work there. And now, here’s Megan (Yes, in addition to the Star Wars t-shirt that appears to be an iPhone in her hand. What a girl.):

Even though I didn’t always like clowns as a kid, Bozo was still funny and made my laugh. That’s all you really need to say about a clown, isn’t it?

Rest in piece Bozo.

Yes, its all about me. But seriously folks, this has been a very interesting week. I’ve met a lot of great people, been told my work both sucks and is brilliant and found a great artist I’m going to work with. So, as I said, a very interesting week indeed.

I also went to Book Expo America last weekend here in LA and I just have to say, I was a bit disappointed. Maybe I didn’t look around enough or spend enough time there, but it seemed like it wasn’t really the show for me. If I was a guy who owned a book store and was looking to buy books to fill it up, then it would have been a great show for me.

As I was just a lowly writer looking to meet some people (particularly in comics and graphic novel publishing) I was sorta out of luck. The few places that were there had booths staffed by people I already knew or featured companies where I already knew someone higher up the chain than the guy in the booth. So, from a practical “networking” standpoint, not much incentive to chat them up.

I did talk to a few people and they were cool. Still, I got the sense from some of them that even they were not exactly sure why they were there. Really, I think most people in comics and graphic novel publishing are just looking ahead to San Diego Comic-Con anyway. I know I am. That’s going to be a blast as usual.

In other Con news, I will most-likely be in Chicago for Wizard World later this month with ComicMix Managing Editor Rick Marshall, Editor-In-Chief Mike Gold and some of the other gang. That should be fun, especially as I’ve never been to Chicago before (I know) and am going to stay a few extra days to check out the city, eat the food and generally get into some trouble.

I’m really looking forward to that trip. If you happen to be in Chicago during that time, be sure to say “hello.”

Oh, before I forget, what would a post about me be without some links to my recent work? Here you go:

The latest BSG Weekly at ComicMix

My latest interview with Dark Horse Comics Editor/Writer Scott Allie at ComicMix

And, here’s a photo I took last year that I still really like — which isn’t always the case. Happy weekend.

Not that Marvel really needs any more hype about this but I was thinking about doing a review of my own about the new Secret Invasion story that started yesterday. However, I decided not to offer much in the way of a review because in several ways, my review would be very similar to what others around the Internets are saying.

Basically, I’m a big fan of Brian Bendis and glad he’s writing Secret Invasion. I liked the first issue of it so far, have a couple of concerns, but hope it will get even better as subsequent issues hit the stands. However, even though I mostly enjoyed Issue #1, regardless of its problems, the whole Secret Invasion story does have to contend with an even bigger problem I’m having with Marvel and DC of late: big “event” stories both publishers seem determined to do.

I know, you gotta do something to keep people reading and sell comics, but I sometimes wish that they wouldn’t make such a big deal about it. Every one of these “Universe Shattering” events like World War Hulk, Messiah Complex, House of M, Final Crisis and Civil War has a dramatic effect on the Marvel and DC Universes and a dramatic effect on how much the reader is willing to put up with.

Really, how many times can the Marvel and DC U survive all these events? It seems that the pieces are barely being put back together and then another major “event” comes along and takes it all down. Plus, how much can the reader be expected to follow this story when its spread across so many different comic titles and characters? And, with comics getting more and more expensive, how many times can you ask the reader to keep buying all these tie-in issues so you can tell a big “event” story like Secret Invasion?

I counted and so far, according to the list in Secret invasion #1, there are going to be 33 comics that tie-in or tell some part of the Secret Invasion story. And that only gets us through July! If each one has a cover price of $3.99 like Secret Invasion #1 does, that’s $131.67 to get you through July and Secret Invasion #4, X-Factor #33, She-Hulk #31 and the rest of the tie-in and one-shot issues.

To me, that seems like a rather large commitment that Marvel expects the reader to make. Although, I probably spend that much on comics in a month already, so I suppose its relative. Maybe that isn’t much money to you. However, I don’t think its just a cost in terms of dollars and sense, I think its potentially a cost in terms of readership.

At some point, and I’ve already heard some of the grumbling at recent conventions and elsewhere, readers are going to get weary of these kind of “events” and just want their favorite characters to have their own stories again so they can enjoy them. At a recent Con, for example, one fan even asked this directly during a Marvel panel, saying: “Can’t you just leave them alone for a bit?”

As someone who still prefers the feeling of printed paper in his hands and reads his comics that way, instead of online (and I’m even a Marvel Digital Comics subscriber and write for ComicMix, a site that publishes digital comics) I don’t want printed comics to go away any time soon. I also want Marvel and DC to be as successful as they can be so they can keep printing comics and bringing readers more and more great stories.

I feel for Marvel and DC (and all publishers who print comics), I really do. In a world where consumers are turning more and more to the Internets for entertainment, reading far fewer printed publications and where a comic book that sells 60 or 70 thousand copies is considered a major hit, they have to be a bit nervous.

I just hope this nervousness and desire to boost sales by pushing more “event” stories doesn’t drive readers away more than it brings them in. That would truly be a shame.

For actual reviews of Secret Invasion #1, check out the ones at Comic Book Resources and ComicMix.

Sad news today. E. Gary Gygax, the man widely considered the “Father of Role-Playing-Games”, has died. He was 69 years old. I already wrote a piece about Gygax and his death over at ComicMix. What I didn’t mention in that piece was that, like ComicMix’s Glen Hauman, I also had a personal connection to the man.

I was fortunate to meet Gary Gygax after some friends of mine and I had a D&D marathon at my house one Summer weekend in the late ’70s. We decided to invite him to join us by writing him a personal letter. We even enclosed an article from the local paper (the Coast Dispatch in case you’re curious) featuring our upcoming marathon in order to try and entice his participation a bit more.

Sadly, he wasn’t able to attend but he did write me a personal letter with his regrets and also graciously included several D&D adventure modules, as yet unpublished, for us to use during the game. We used them and had a great time, all the while praising Gygax for being cool enough to not only respond to us in the first place, but for caring enough to send us stuff to help make our marathon D&D session a success.

Several years later, I was able to actually meet Gygax in person at GenCon after I had convinced my parents it was a good idea to drive me across country so I could play D&D with a bunch of other kids in Wisconsin. My parents were cool like that and did it not only once, but twice.

When I met him the first time at GenCon we spoke for several minutes and he even remembered me from when I had invited him to our game. He was a great guy to talk to. Over the years I would run into him again at various events and each time he would, somehow, remember me and we would have another very nice conversation. At each and every meeting he was gracious and generous with his time.

The magnitude of Gygax’s influence on gaming and pop culture, both directly and indirectly, isn’t something that can easily be measured. He was extremely popular among those who played his games, of course, but his creations, particularly D&D, also had a profound effect on kids of my and later generations.

D&D helped us learn to think logically, to solve problems, to work as a team and, more importantly, to use our imaginations. As someone who has the privilege of using his imagination on a daily basis and gets paid for it, I , for one, have a debt to Gary Gygax that can never be repaid.

I feel confidant that there are others out there working away creating the current and next generations of games, comic books, movies and TV shows that feel the same way I do.

Thanks for the help and inspiration Gary. We need more people around like you.

Guess it’s time to put away the HD-DVD player attached to my XBox 360. Why? HD-DVD is going bye-bye.

Well, it was fun while it lasted. At least I don’t have to worry about which player to use to watch movies. My PS3 will be so happy.In truth, I always thought Blu-Ray looked better anyway and the upsampling for standard-def DVD’s is also very good. So, not a huge loss.

I need to spend less time in front of the TV anyway.

For some reason the people in charge of the new venture I was talking about in a previous post have decided I’m worthy of inclusion into their burgeoning empire of publishing. So, as of this past weekend, I’m now officially working with the great team at ComicMix. Thanks Brian.

It’s a great opportunity for me to write more and move into other areas of publishing and I sincerely hope I don’t manage to screw it up somehow. I’ll try not to. For the moment, I’m doing the usual bit of posting I do, and have done for a while now, at other places like TUAW and Cinematical.

In the future I’ll also be taking on different kids of feature articles, interviews and such and at some point, and this is the very cool part, I may be moving into other types of roles and might end up working there a lot more. So, fingers crossed it all works out. Meanwhile, I’m just happy to have a job and another place to write for. Its a good thing and as I’ve said before, something I really enjoy.

In other news, I’m working on my comparison article that looks at the iPhone vs. the Blackberry for TUAW and that should be ready soon. Also, I’m working on a followup piece for TUAW about my first few weeks with the MacBook Air (hint: I love it). So, keep an eye out for those.

Plus, I’m actually going to start writing some stuff for Download Squad “real soon now” but just haven’t had the time to get going. Next week will be the week. Ok, enough of that, gotta get back to work. Well, maybe after a little detour into Guitar Hero III first. Damn rock and roll!

Direct and to the point, just how it should be. Plus, I happen to agree with him

No, I’m not really that important — although I would like to think so. I do, however, have a bit of new news. As of this week I will now be writing for yet another highly regarded and popular tech-related website. In addition to the usual place my words show up (TUAW, CBR, Cinematical) I will also now be contributing to the site Download Squad as well.

This new site covers all thing software and related and should prove a very interesting and rewarding time for me. After all, I love me some tech so it seems only natural I would start contributing to yet another site devoted to it. Fortunately, the bosses at Weblogs/AOL (particularly Victor Agreda, Jr. and Grant Robertson) saw fit to throw me a bone and let me join up. I wonder what took them so long?

It was a whirlwind week for me at Macworld in San Francisco. I saw so many interesting new products and met so many great people it’s almost impossible to contemplate. What really comes across, though, during my week there is the Mac community as a whole and just how nice everyone is. Gracious, intelligent and extremely pleasant people seem to gravitate towards the Mac and I, for one, couldn’t be happier about it.

It’s really hard to pinpoint a highlight of the show but if I had to pick one (or two) one would have to be meeting Merlin Mann and getting a chance to chat with him for a few minutes. We did an interview with him for TUAW but before and after we got to talk a bit off-camera. Good times with a great, funny and articulate man. I also got the chance to meet Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal, Chris Breen of Macworld Magazine and a whole host of other sharp and Mac-loving people.

Also, another highlight was the famed Cirque Du Mac party featuring a great band, great drinks (especially because they were free) and great company. Thank you Laurie D., Nik F., Victor A., Isiah C. and David C. for making that night extra fun. And, of course, another highlight of the show for me was getting to meet the great people I work with at TUAW for the first time in person. I know it may seem odd but we’ve been working together since last May and up until last week I had never met any of them face to face. In fact, we had never even spoken on the phone very much except to plan the first Talkcast and when we actually record the Talkcasts (at least the ones I’m in).

Other than that, it’s just been email, IM and Twitter most of the time. How very futuristic, right? Scott McNulty, Michael Rose, Nik Fletcher and Victor Agreda from TUAW are all stand-up guys and some of the nicest, most gracious and funny people I’ve been around in a long time. Their humor, brains and talent are in so many ways humbling to be around. It’s a real privilege to get to work with them and I appreciate it even more now that I’ve had a chance to meet them all in person.

In most cases I really prefer talking to people in person most of the time. Although, communicating via email, IM or Twitter is a great to avoid actually having to communicate at all. In fact, in some cases you can pretty much avoid all communication by simply ignoring these types and not responding. I think I’ll start calling that “Zero Communication” or something like that. Could catch on. Maybe.

If you get a chance head on over to TUAW and check out the continuing coverage of Macworld and see some of the video I shot last week. Also, I’m posting pics at Flickr (at least some) and even managed to churn out a few TUAW posts so check those out too.

All in all a fun time in SFO @Macworld 2008 and something I hope to have the privilege to do again next year.