This Just In

The Internet Is Still Dead

And it's getting deader by the day, if the deterioration of YouTube I've witnessed in the past six months is any indication. How has my YT experience changed, you ask? Yesterday I received the following email: The occasion of that nuisance letter was the test stream I ran yesterday. Wanting…
December 7, 202112 Comments
Weird Tales Distro

Distro Tech

The irrepressible Man of the Atom continues his journey through American comic book history. Continuing his deep dive into comic book distribution, he takes a page--or three--from legendary Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter. Which distro method is superior: Newsstands or the direct market? Shooter’s and Rozanski’s analyses are well worth your…
December 6, 20219 Comments
RBG Icon

Moral IP

Anyone who works in publishing for any length of time necessarily becomes well-acquainted with the concept of intellectual property. If you come up with a new idea that solves a problem in a unique way, you own that idea. Fair use allows wiggle room for third parties to make transformative…
December 3, 202120 Comments
Nativity of Jesus

Defending December 25th

Advent is back, and so are the historically illiterate fedora tippers who come out of the woodwork each year to play Grinch. That means it's time to republish this perennial favorite post so my readers can demolish internet atheists' cringe "Christmas is Pagan!" memes. December 25 really is the date…
December 1, 202125 Comments
Defaced Comic

Comics Defaced

Man of the Atom returns with part 2 in his series on the history of American comic books. This time, he examines comic book distribution, among many other topics. Return rate was the fraction of the total print run that was returned to the distributor by the retailers. Newsstand distribution…
November 30, 202111 Comments
Phone

Grandma’s Phone

Here at the end of the internet, 4chan stands as the great archive of a vanishing culture built online. Its various boards are the true successors of the Neolithic campfires around which hunter-gatherers shared tribal lore. Spend any length of time browsing /x/ or /k/, and you'll soon discern a…
November 29, 202113 Comments
Black Friday Book Sale

Black Friday Book Sale

Author Hans Schantz announces his Black Friday book mega-sale: Celebrate the holidays with over a hundred outstanding titles from established and emerging talent, each priced at just $0.99, including many that are absolutely free. It’s a sale too big for just one blog post, three sales in one, and an…
November 26, 20213 Comments
Shatner Deep Fried Turkey

Spitting in the Face of Science

Happy Thanksgiving to all my cherished readers. Out of my deep and abiding interest in your wellbeing, here is a cautionary message from Mr. William Shatner: Macross meets Warhammer 40K Read now for 99 cents!
November 25, 20213 Comments
Pontian and Hippolytus

Pope-Antipope

Instability shakes Western civilization. The worldwide government turns to active persecution of Christians. Confusion strikes the heart of the Church, where the faithful's loyalties are divided between two men claimed to be the heir of St. Peter. That sounds like a summary of recent headlines, but it's nothing the Church…
November 24, 202114 Comments
Coal Mine House

The Coal Miner’s House

Stay in the writing game long enough, and you learn that a good story could come from anywhere, anytime. I was reminded why every writer does well to keep a pocket notebook on him during a recent visit to the barbershop. While waiting for a trim, one of the other…
November 23, 20213 Comments