Comics in the Rear View Mirror

Comics in the Rear View Mirror

A boy's elders telling him he'd grow out of comic books used to be a common American cliche. That was back when America was still a country, we didn't hate our kids, and the comics industry wasn't just an IP farm for rootless megacorps. If you want a picture of…
September 14, 201820 Comments
The Internet Is Over

The Internet Is Over

Yesterday, the European Parliament passed a widely reviled scheme to line the pockets of big business while throwing the door wide open to Stalinist internet censorship. Most of the new Copyright Directive's critics single out Articles 11 and 13 as the most onerous provisions. Article 11 is a tax designed…
September 13, 201820 Comments
Audiobook Stretch Goal Unlocked

Audiobook Stretch Goal Unlocked

File under: My Readers Are Wise and Powerful Cosmic Beings Sent to Save Science Fiction. As of this writing, you have raised over $2000 for the Combat Frame XSeed Indiegogo campaign--more than twice our initial goal. Within the first week! To recap, here are the goals that have now been…
September 12, 201817 Comments
Amazon: The Tiger Strikes

Amazon: The Tiger Strikes

Since the launch of the Kindle and KDP, we've had doomsayers--mostly tradpub authors, editors, and agents--prophesying Amazon's imminent descent into tyranny. Most forecasts of impending woe were founded on the premise that Amazon is a monopoly, and as such would impose draconian royalty terms on authors as soon as the…
September 11, 20189 Comments
Perpetual Episode One Syndrome

Perpetual Episode One Syndrome

Back in high school and college when I was first getting into the anime scene, I came to notice a recurring and highly vexing phenomenon. Bootleg VHS tapes were still the main source of new stuff from Japan back then. Getting our fix legit meant sending away via a mail…
September 10, 201835 Comments
Just Getting Started

Just Getting Started

Admittedly, I didn't know what to expect when I launched my Indiegogo campaign for Combat Frame XSeed. I certainly didn't expect the initial funding goal to be met on the first day, let alone in fourteen hours. But that's just what my generous backers did. One key advantage of crowdfunding is…
September 8, 201815 Comments

Combat Frame XSeed Indiegogo Is Live

Thanks to months of planning and the dedicated efforts of multiple talented creators, it's my sincere pleasure to announce that the Indiegogo campaign in support of Combat Frame XSeed is now live! Combat Frame XSeed is the explosive first book in a new military science fiction series that combines mecha anime…
September 7, 201841 Comments
2018 Dragon Award Winners

2018 Dragon Award Winners

The third annual Dragon Awards ceremony took place this past weekend at Dragon Con in Atlanta. The award admins have since released the full list of 2018 Dragon Award recipients. Best Science Fiction Novel Artemis by Andy Weir Best Fantasy Novel (Including Paranormal) Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson Best Young Adult…
September 6, 201829 Comments
The Twilight of Conservatism

The Twilight of Conservatism

The following was originally a response to a comment on yesterday's post that I thought deserved a post of its own. The current orgy of blue falconing exemplifies the convulsions you see when an established ideology slips into decline and new ideas start to supplant it. For instance, the whole…
September 5, 201815 Comments
#ComicsGateGate

#ComicsGateGate

This is why we can't have nice things. First, let's turn back the clock to Friday's post, wherein I warned the memebrs of #ComicsGate that they were repeating the same mistakes as #GamerGate and Sad Puppies. A couple of comments seem downright prescient in light of yesterday's turf war. First,…
September 4, 201841 Comments