You know, I tried to work up some kind of feelings regarding Superhero decadence, as described by Dirk and apparently being commented upon by a host of people. (Dirk defines superhero decadence as people who are “jaded but unwilling to move on, with one’s tastes growing more ornate and polluted in the process.”)

But I’m unmoved. Honestly, I just don’t care that much anymore. I stopped debating with superhero fans in the ’80s, and years ago I got into it with a number of 25 to 35-year-olds who were so in love with Manga that they didn’t see the parallels in that genre, so I don’t bother with them either.

Personally, I think the problem has something to do with the notion – still hanging around – that comics are for kids, that the only appropriate time to read comics is when you’re young. Dirk tries to address it this way: “One of the themes at which I’ve been hammering for the last couple of years is the bogus notion that “Direct Market = comic-book industry,” a myopic, self-absorbed viewpoint among superhero fans that sits at the heart of much modern thinking on the subject.”

I don’t think superhero fans have a monopoly on shortsightedness – there’s quite a few people out there who dismissed webcomics and the talent that was out there. Just because it wasn’t published by the big American comics companies or imported from Japan. Grassroots movement on the web – who’d have thought?

Me, I think I’ll just continue to produce stories that someone my age might like to read and go to where the readers are. I will admit, I have a lot of success at comics shows. But I’m not sorry I’ve abandoned the direct market. Nor do I particularly want to be on the graphic novel shelves, where I’m either lost among the superhero reprints or ignored by browsers because they assume there’s nothing they’d be interested in there.

You see, Cash & Carry is one of Centuries and Sleuths bestsellers for 2008. A mystery and history bookstore.

Thanks Augie!

(Updated for clarity)

On the DorthyL email list. Out of the blue and it made my day!

I checked in with my publisher, Karen Syed of Echelon Press, today in order to purchase more books as I’ve run out.
It was a fortuitous instance, as she let me know that our contract is up at the end of this month and she’s moving to Florida. So with the idea that she needs to make her move easier, she’s offered too sell me the remaining books.
Now, I’ve sold through for her – which means that she’s made her money back. And there’s still books left to sell and I’ll have them. I guess I’ll set up some kind of store, likely through paypal.
But it’s funny, I wasn’t looking foward to this day and didn’t really expect it. I had a good experience with Karen and if it hadn’t been for the recession I probably would have been able to sell even more before now.
But it is what it is, and now I need to get my next book done.
I have an empty page sitting next to me, ready for my pencil.

So the the good news is that Karen Syed at Echelon Press is giving me a terrific deal on the remaining copies of “Cash & Carry.”
The even better news is it’s only because she’s moving to Florida and she doesn’t want to have move anything she doesn’t have to. So we’re still in Business together, and the book is still going to be in print, available from me, Echelon and Amazon.
The best news is Karen’s going to help me bring “Something to build upon” back in print too.
Good times.
The bad news is I’ve got to do taxes now. Blech.