BauWauHaus

So, this hasn’t gotten used much, because (as some of you may have heard) I’m in the midst of wrapping up LongBox for release this fall. The reaction to it has, to be honest, kind of floored me a little bit. Publishers, comic fans, and creators have been overwhelmingly positive and supportive and even, well... excited about it. When I started working on this three years ago, I had that ‘gut feeling’ that this might be a Very Good Thing. But, as anyone who is in business, or is a working creator can tell you, sometimes the best ideas in the world just don’t “click” with the intended audience. So, it’s been incredibly gratifying to have the majority’s reaction be so receptive.

I’m writing this Tuesday night, and tomorrow I’ll be on the road to San Diego where promotion, announcements, demos and the like really kick into high gear. At this point I’ve done over 100 demos of LongBox for creators, publishers, press, and most recently at HeroesCon, fans. Before each major round of demos, starting the past February at the NYCC, we’d put together a ‘new version’ of LongBox, after debugging the new features and functionalities, and refining things that... after spending some time with it... just didn’t ‘feel right’. 

The StoreFront is probably the best example of this. The version that was in the platform at NYCC is VERY different than the version that is in the platform now. No one complained or commented in a negative manner about it. In fact, just the opposite... publishers and creators were very excited about it. But *I* end up using the app almost every day, trying to break things, trying to figure out ‘ok, once the afterglow has worn off, what is going to drive me batshit, or drive me nuts as a user?’ So, after NYCC, the programming team and I sat down and I ran through the ‘revised StoreFront idea’. It meant adding work, but I think if you’d ask any of the team members, they’d agree it was not only worth it, but the right choice to make. Trying to pre-emptively anticipate how your users will get annoyed, and eliminate those things, I think is one of the reasons reaction has been as positive as it has been.

As we come up on every deadline for a demo or presentation, there’s the last minute crush as you stabilize and refine the app, while adding needed features. I’ve been doing software dev for 15 years now, with companies both large and small, and I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt two things.

1.)    While I certainly stress a bit about the logistics of those ‘final builds’ prior to a major demo for a large publisher, an investor group, or a convention (such as the about-to-begin SDCC), I don’t really “worry”. I don’t feel that pit of dread that I have felt in my gut at some point or other on every other software project I’ve worked on at some point or other during development.

2.)    I don’t “worry” because we have a fantastic team behind LongBox. I really feel so incredibly blessed to have the crew working on this that we do. They are some of the best people I’ve ever worked with individually, and collectively, they are nothing short of amazing, and manage to make me feel like a kid at Christmas time almost monthly with not only their skills, but also the foresight and proactive approach they take. So, thank you folks. 

We’re heading in to the ‘select Beta’ for LongBox, as as a part of that, we’ll be giving out access code cards at SDCC. I’ll be notifying everyone via my Twitter stream (@rantzhoseley) of where and when, as it will change daily, and be for short blocks of time. If you’re not going to SDCC, don’t worry, I’ll be announcing more opportunities to become part of the Beta in the near future.

My (public) schedule for SDCC is as follows:

Thursday July 23^rd

12:00-1:00 LongBox Digital Comics— Rantz Hoseley (CEO LongBox, Inc., editor of Comic Book Tattoo) hosts this presentation of the LongBox Platform for Digital Comics. Rantz, along with special guests—including Jeff Katz (American Original Productions)—demonstrates LongBox, talks about the impending launch, and discusses some of the exciting partnerships and plans for what some are calling the future of digital comics. Room 32AB

3:30-4:30 Digital Comics Now!— Digital comics are happening right now. Not tomorrow, but right now. Join a panel of the best and brightest in the new wave of digital comics in a wide-ranging discussion of everything from comics on the iPhone to new digital comic platforms, motion comics, webcomics, and day-and-date-releases. Big announcements will be made! Panelists include Michael Murphey (CEO iVerse), David Steinberger (CEO of comiXology), Rantz Hoseley (CEO LongBox), Chris Folino (VP, Catastrophic Comics), and Chip Mosher (marketing director, BOOM! Studios). Room 4

Friday July 24^th

8pm – Hilton Bayfront, Indigo Room

The 2009 Eisner Awards. I’m up for two Eisners, one for Best Anthology, and one (With Tom & Liz Muller) for best packaging/design.

Saturday, July 25^th

5:30-6:30 Made for Mobile: Creating Comics for the iPhone and the Big Small Screen— With the advent of bigger screens and increased bandwidth, mobile comics are now poised to make the creative and economic leap to become a major force in the universe of comics. Uclick, the top name in mobile comics, hosts a panel of experts in creation and distribution in the medium. Learn how existing comics are being adapted and new comics are being created specifically for this next generation of mobile devices. Get important information from Uclick on their open call for new and established creators designing comics specifically for mobile devices. Panelists include Douglas Edwards (president and CEO of Uclick, LLC), Rantz A. Hoseley (CEO of LongBox, Inc.), Shannon Wheeler (Too Much Coffee Man), and Shena Wolf (asset manager for Uclick). Moderated by Peter Maresca of Uclick and Sunday Press Books. Room 10

At the same time, one of the LongBox team will be appearing on this panel...

5:30-6:30 American Original: Birth of an Original— Jeff Katz (Booster Gold, Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash), president and founder of American Original, Marc Silvestri (Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia), and Matt Hawkins (president of Top Cow) give you the 411 on the genesis of their "Nerd Machine"! Find out what's coming from American Original first, and get introduced to their mix of talent from a spectrum of comics, film, television, sports entertainment, and animation! Plus enough surprise guests to fill a three-ring circus! Room 7AB

Hope to see some of you there!

Current Mood:

busy

The buzz has been increasing on CBT, which has been great.  THings really kicked into high gear this last week, and will continue to accelerate through the second week of August, where I will most likely explode like Animal from the Muppet Show after a blistering drum solo.  There are worse things.  A bullet point list of what's happened, and what will be happening, as I still have about five bazillion things to do to get ready for SDCC.

LAST WEEK:

* Was interviewed by my good friends Charlito and Mr. Phil for the Indie Spinner Rack podcast.  We talked for almost an hour about CBT, how it came to be, with plenty of anecdotes and topic drift.  This will be episode #134, which I'm told will go up this coming Tuesday. (www.indiespinnerrack.com)

* Jen over at the Pulse did a very nice interview/article on CBT http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=36;t=007318;p=0

* Comic Shop News #1099 had a massive, info-heavy article and interview with both Tori and I.  Most of the CSN articles are a page or two, so Cliff giving Comic Book Tattoo so much attention and space was a big deal, and as a fan of CSN, it was a nice fanboy moment for me personally

* Publisher's Weekly had a good article and interview with Tori and I http://www.publishersweekly.com/eNewsletter/CA6578872/2789.html

* Comic Book Resources is hosting Comic BLOG Tattoo, an ongoing blog in which myself and the various creators on CBT talk about the processes we went through in creating the stories for CBT http://www.comicblogtattoo.com
 
* Moriarty from Ain't It Cool News came by my office for the first hands-on/review of CBT (since the book JUST cleared shipped and there were only a couple of advance copies)  He tells me his thoughts on the book should be up on http://www.aintitcool.com in the next day...

NEXT WEEK (also known as OMFG week...)

MONDAY - Tori will be appearing at 6pm at Amoeba Records in Hollywood to sign CBT.  Signing is limited to the first 200 people to buy the book, so plan on getting there early if you want to have your book signed! http://www.amoeba.com/live-shows/performances/hollywood/2008-july-21/tori-amos-book-signing-/artist.html

TUES - Tori and I will be spending most of the day in interviews for radio and TV.

WED - Tori will be answering questions live on www.toriamos.com via Meebo http://www.toriamos.com/chat.html at 4pm PST
I'll be at the SDCC at the Image booth #2729 (there is a CBT Table at the Image booth that will feature 40 of the creators on the book, signing at various times.  A schedule of the signings will be posted shortly.

THURSDAY - AT SDCC In Meetings for the 'Longbox Project', Longbox Project advisory board lunch, Interviews with websites, TV, and radio, signings at the table at the Image booth #2729

That night is the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund/Image Comics party at the Westgate Hotel

FRIDAY - AT SDCC In Meetings for the 'Longbox Project', Interviews with websites, TV, and a documentary film, signings at the table at the Image booth #2729

SATURDAY - This is the Big one.  Aside from the usual table signings and interviews we have...
11:30 - 12:30 - the CBT Panel in room 6B, with Tori, myslef, moderator Douglas Wolk, and creators David Mack, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Elizabeth Genco and Ted McKeever.

1-2 PM various interviews with Tori and I

2-4PM - Tori signing CBT at slot AA2 in the Sails Pavillion.  Limited to 200 people, you can get your tickets for the signing by purchasing CBT at the Image Booth (Note we will have 50 low-numbered copies of the Ltd edition at the con, and allocations to other stores and venues are close to sold out so... good time to buy if you act quick!)  We will also have a limited edition print of the cover, and cover artist Jason Levesque will be at the show Fri-Sun at his first SDCC signing the book and the print.

5-8PM Meetings

SUNDAY
AT SDCC More Meetings for the 'Longbox Project', More Interviews  and signings at the table at the Image booth #2729

THEN WE HAVE...

AUG 1st - Creator signing and CBLDF event at Golden Apple Comics on Melrose in LA
http://www.goldenapplecomics.com/events/2008/08-01-08tori.php

AUG 6th - I'll be appearing on Dave Navarro's SPREAD TV to talk about CBT (visit Dave's site for details (www.6767.com)

It is a crazy couple weeks to be sure...

The BEA Report – Part I

This is the first year I ever attended BEA (link), the monster book expo for distributors, publishers, retailers, librarians, and others in the book industry.  I had no idea what to expect going in, but anticipated it would be similar to a comic or game expo/show without the scantily-clad ‘spokesmodels’ and the blasting video screens.

I am happy to say, my assumptions couldn’t have been more wrong.

First off, like the old E3 show, BEA Los Angeles took up both the entire South and West Halls, and yet it never felt overwhelmed, crowded or ‘frantic’.  There were a LOT of attendees, you never saw ‘empty space’ or booth personnel sitting around wishing people would show up, but at the same time, you never felt crowded or the urge to scream after being bumped by too many people.  It was pretty amazing to tell the truth.

Also, it was incredibly productive and useful (at least for me).  I got in between noon and 1pm both days and left by 4-5pm both days, and I STILL got more accomplished both in terms of promotion and business than I manage to accomplish in an entire week at any given comic convention.

The final ‘general’ note on BEA... attendees were SO incredibly polite, kind, and enthusiastic.  The were excited to be there, and whether the attendee was in their early 20s, or late 70s, you got the distinct impression that they were genuinely excited and happy to be there, and they were like kids who had travelled to Oz.  Except in this case, Oz was the ‘land of books’.

More specific notes on each day:

Friday

I got to the convention center a bit later than I would have liked, arriving at noon, but badge pick up was easy, and incredibly well organized.  After checking in at the Image booth, Joe Keatinge, marketing guru for Image, introduced me to the head guy for Amazon’s Comics and Graphic Novels, who was so enthusiastic about Comic Book Tattoo, and extremely accommodating, repeatedly telling me how much Amazon was willing to work with us in any way promoting CBT and getting the word out, mentioning some specific ideas that made it very obvious that they had spent some time thinking about the details, and how to promote the book past the usual default modes.  Image had a huge, Illuminated Durotran display as the booth background made up of the CBT cover, which looked fucking amazing (if leaving a somewhat surreal feeling in the back of my head)

After that meeting, I had about 45 minutes until the CBT event at the Image booth, so I pinged Cat, Neil Gaiman’s assistant, who gave me directions on where to find them, and I headed out, locating them in one of the meeting rooms.  Neil looked through the digital galleys for CBT while introducing me to his editor at Harper Collins, and the two of us catching up, just enjoying being able to talk for a while without crazed fans asking him to sign something, or pressing interviews or meetings interrupting things.  Neil’s a good friend, and his kind words in regards to CBT, and my ‘return to comics’ meant a great deal, especially when he made the comment ‘let’s hope this leads to many greater things for you’ in comics.  Neil and his posse were heading out to lunch, and invited me along, but alas, I had the CBT signing, so we promised to catch up to each other later, and I headed back to the Image booth.

At the Image booth, I was sitting next to Marc Silvestri, who was signing give-away copies of the Witchblade TPB collections.  I’m friends with Top Cow editor Rob Levin, and had been by the TC offices a couple of times, but had never met Marc before, and had a great time talking to him about music, comics, and just general BS.  He’s a very nice guy, and joking back and forth with him as attendees came by to get copies of the CBT print and the Witchblade collections made an already enjoyable situation all the more so.

We went through the allocation of 100 prints for the day fairly quickly, and it really warmed the cockles of my heart to see so many people who were not ‘comic fans’ be so enthusiastic about comics, and so excited about all of the books.  It also brought a smile to my face that multiple times, people noticed the copy of Derek and Shep’s STAGGER LEE OGN on the promo shelf behind us, commenting on it, and asking about it (more than any other book on the shelf)  I was more than a little proud to tell them about the book, and inform them that I was drawing Derek’s follow up OGN, Displaced Persons, and that Derek’s story with Colleen Doran for CBT was a fantastic ‘end note’ for the book.

After the signing, I tracked down Neil at the Harper Collins booth, and talked to him briefly about ‘The Longbox Project’, and his possible involvement on the advisory board for it.  I also had a nice chat with Scott Dunbier who’s now New Projects Editor at IDW about the same subject, and I’ll hopefully  (schedule permitting) head down to San Diego next week to talk with him in greater detail about it.

On my way to the first cig break of the day (at *4*!!! THAT is how busy I was, and I was having such a good time, I didn’t notice until that point...) I ran into Glen Brunswick, the writer of Killing Girl from Image.  We hung out for a bit and caught up on our respective projects... we had met at a dinner that Derek put together at Wondercon, and the two of us spent most of the dinner talking about being dads, mixed with horror stories of working in Hollywood.  He’s got great ideas, and Killing Girl is proof of it. (you ARE reading Killing girl, right?  Well, ok then)

Ben Templesmith and I were supposed to meet up at some point, but the poor fool got locked in traffic and was running late, so I ended up deciding not to wait around, and instead headed back to home, braving the rush hour traffic in an effort to give my wife SOME degree of a break from our four crazy children.

Next up, part 2 – Saturday.

Current Location:	Home
Current Mood:	busy
Current Music:	TV on the Radio