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02/22/04
Feedback, Part Two.
Well, I've gotten more response to my request for feedback than I expected. Still only a fraction of my apparent readership, but the letters were all extremely encouraging and I'm very impressed with the high quality of my audience. Who needs quantity?! Other webcomics may get more readers, but I've got the cool ones!
Even from this small sampling, I've discovered that my readership spans a wide variety of ages, occupations and experiences, and includes representatives of both genders& which is very cool. Those who wrote had a lot of good observations, some very solid suggestions (some of which I'm seriously considering) and some interesting questions. Some of those questions follow:
Q: I visit your site every week. Femme Noir is my favorite. Will you ever reveal her identity? I think she is more than one person.
A. I don't plan on revealing her identity any time soon. It's more fun keeping it a mystery. But I will tell you this: only one person wears the blue coat.
Q. Do you take submissions? I have an idea and a few scripts for a P.I. noir webcomic and I'm more interested in exposure than money. It would be nice to send a pitch to someone I know can appreciate it.
A. At this point, I plan on keeping SUPERNATURAL CRIME pretty much my own private playground.... and I'm not looking to "publish" anyone else right now. My own projects take up too much of my time already, according to my wife. :)
If you've got a great idea for a P.I. webcomic, hunt around, find an artist, and put it up on the web! It's not that difficult; I managed to do it!
Personally, I'd love to see some more good P.I. comics on the web... or anywhere, for that matter.
Q. There are two strips I can't find on the SUPERNATURAL CRIME site. The aforementioned Michael Mauser that I know was once there and one that I think you did with Rick Burchett that featured a character that looked very much like a hardboiled Lee Marvin. Are these still available?
A. They're still there. There are link banners at the bottom of the front page of SUPERNATURAL CRIME and here are direct links:
Gravedigger. Michael Mauser.
I want to thank everyone who wrote. Knowing that there's such a loyal audience for the work that my collaborators and I do here is very gratifying. Hopefully, we'll be able to keep you entertained and make your visits to this site worthwhile for years to come.
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02/17/04
Feedback.
So far, I've received about ten e-mails from readers answering my pathetic plea for attention below. Even from this small sampling, the range in ages, occupations, and expectations is eye-opening. I've already learned a lot about who visits this site, and gotten a lot of encouragement to keep SUPERNATURAL CRIME a high priority in my life.
If you haven't dropped me a line, why not take a couple minutes and answer the questions below? And, for that matter,send me some questions of your own? Over the next few days, I'm planning to answer all the e-mails I've gotten so far, and I'm going to answer some of the most interesting queries here.
Please keep 'em coming!
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02/11/04
Musings.
Well, on Friday we start the next FEMME NOIR story here at SUPERNATURAL CRIME. If you spend any time checking out online comics news sites like The Pulse, Silver Bullet Comics or Comixpedia, you probably saw the Press Release I sent out. Those three sites and a few others ran the release; a few that I sent it to did not. The sites that didn't have made it clear that they don't consider webcomics to be "real" comics. (That's okay, I don't consider them to be "real" news sources either.) I will admit though, that I'm egotistical enough to be a bit disappointed in how little reaction that release has generated.
I know you're out there. I can hear you breathing.
I know people come by the site. And I know I have a couple hundred folks on my newsletter mailing list. I assume some of those people actually read the comics. But aside from a few friends, I have no idea who my readers are. Who you are.
I don't think many webcomics fans actually read FEMME NOIR. Many of these fans and some webcomics creators don't seem to think that FN is a "real" webcomic. I don't know if it's because Joe Staton is an established comics artist, or if it's because it's an adventure strip (still pretty rare online, though that's slowly changing), or if it's because we aren't aiming the strip at gamers and techies. Mainstream comics fans don't seem to read it... because, I'm told, being on the web makes it not a "real" comic.
Seems we're just not "real" enough for people.
Sigh.
I'm not bitching, really. No, really, I'm not. I'd keep doing these strips even if no one was reading them at all.
But I do wonder who is reading them. Color me curious.
So, I'm going to ask you whoever you may be to take a minute or two and send me an e-mail. And if you could answer a few questions, it would really go a long way toward satisfying my curiousity.
First off how old are you and what do you do?
Secondly how did you discover SUPERNATURAL CRIME?
Thirdly Are you a comics fan? A Joe Staton fan? Or did something else attract you to the strips? Maybe you're a mystery buff or pulp afficionado?
Fourthly What do you dig about SUPERNATURAL CRIME? FEMME NOIR? BROTHER GRIM? What don't you like?
And, Finally do you have an suggestions or questions for the Crimeboss?
Now, I don't know if any of you will answer these questions. If not, that's cool. But one of the reasons I wanted to do comics online was so that I could have a closer interaction with my readers, and hopefully, with their feedback and input, get better at my craft. If you could take a minute and drop me a line, I would be extremely grateful... and it might actually help me get better at this stuff!
Chris
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02/08/04
He's baaack!
It's been a while since I posted anything here. What can I say? I've been busy.
We finally wrapped up "An Eye For A Spy." It took a while, but it's over. I think it turned out okay. It was always intended to be a short shoot 'em up, and in that, at least, I think I succeeded.
We've got a new FEMME NOIR story starting on Friday: "Chambers of Horror." With this story, I'm changing some policy there will no longer be a one-week delay between episodes appearing at Kevin Smith's Movie Poop Shoot site and here. I don't think it's fair to ask those of you who have supported SUPERNATURAL CRIME from the beginning to either wait until after the strips have appeared at the 'Shoot or force you to go over there to stay current. So, from now on, the same strips will appear every Friday here, at the 'Shoot, and at the Thrilling Detective Website.
I'm currently reading ROSCOES IN THE NIGHT, a collection of Dan Turner, Hollywood Detective short stories by Robert Leslie Bellem. The book is published by those fine folks at Adventure House, and it's a hard-boiled hoot. Bellem had, shall we say, a unique grasp of the English language and a somewhat freewheeling method of plotting stories. They're outrageous, goofy fun, and highly reccomended.
I'm also working my way through DC Comics' trade paperback reprintings of Chuck Dixon's run on NIGHTWING. I bought these comics when they came out, and had forgotten just how good they were. I also think that Dixon's brilliant creation of the corrupt city of Bludhaven had more than a little influence on my own Port Nocturne. Dixon is one of my favorite comics writers of all time, from his work on EVANGELINE and AIRBOY in the Eighties, up through his recent work at CrossGen entertainment on EL CAZADOR and WAY OF THE RAT, and I'm really looking forwrad to his upcoming RICHARD DRAGON series at DC. Re-teamed with his best NIGHTWING artist, Scott McDaniel, I think DRAGON's going to be something special.
ADDENDUM: Just heard that Julius Schwartz, the great Silver Age DC Comics editor, has passed away. Mark Evanier has a wonderful tribute here.
Chris
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