Submet Industries

Today felt strange.

I’m in a strange period where the old thing is done and dusted and the new thing has yet to start in ernest, so today was… strange. I’ve discovered that a large chunk of my identity has become attached to being a guy who talks about and sells comics, and now that a chunk of that is missing, things feel a bit off. It made for a very weird Monday where a lot of stuff got done, but it didn’t feel like Monday used to feel. I’m looking at tomorrow, and expecting more of the same. I’m looking at Wednesday, and nervously wringing my hands. It will be weird to walk into the shop and peruse the shelves without having had a hand in getting them there.

I want to be at the next thing. I want to be there now instead of working on these secret fiddly bits. Unfortunately, without the secret fiddly bits, the next thing doesn’t begin. So there’s that. Which is fun. Ah well, this period was always going to be a bit weird. I’m focusing on the future, and working towards it. That’s good. It’ll be good. Until then, I still need to get some of my shop talk out somehow so, here’s a few notes from the past week:

• I think DC would have done a whole lot better if they had held off on announcing the end of a good quarter of their ongoing comic line-up in March. I mean, at this point, it’s a bit of an open secret that the company is going to do a bit of a soft reboot in June, so why not do what Marvel does, and hold off on the final issue announcement until March rolls around? By that point in time, they’ll be announcing the new titles they’ll be putting out in June, and they could have squashed a lot of the negative connotations of sweeping cancellations with exciting new books! It would certainly give their PR team an easier go, that’s for sure.
• On the other side of the aisle, Marvel announced a new look for Spider-Woman in March with her fifth issue. It’s a pretty cool move, but I almost wonder if the move would have been better suited for the first issue of the series. As it stands, the first four issue of her new ongoing tie directly into a big crossover event, which certainly gives the series a cheap and easy pop in sales, but I think it hobbles the series’ sales potential in the long run. It’s hard to sell new readers on a series when the first story arc requires a bit of extracurricular knowledge. I think the company could have gotten away with a Spider-Woman mini-series to tie into the Spider-Verse event, leading into a nice, easy #1 in March or April after the dust settles. Give her the new costume and motivation, and start from the ground with something new, and build the foundation of the ongoing from solid numbers instead of inflated crossover interest that will erode at a much quicker pace.

Aaaaand, that’s about it for today. I’m off to read some of the comic industry history books that I’ve been accumulating over the years. I finally have time for them now. It’s a pretty great feeling.

And so the next phase begins now.

My last day at Wizard’s was on the 31st and Danica had me take the 1st and the 2nd off for recalibration purposes. I was a bit squirrelly about that at first because I resented the implication that I have a workaholic problem – but then I immediately tried to bargain with her so that I could get a little bit of work done on my “days off”, which really proved her point. So I took the time off, and it was great. I feel quite energized, primed for everything that’s about to come so… as always, my darling wife was right. She usually is.

So yes. Today is the start of everything. So far, the day has been spent tweaking a new website, cleaning the apartment a little as the support team for a January project the lovely wife is undertaking, and tidying up other bits. As the day goes, I hope to get a bit more writing done, but I really want to focus on working on the aforementioned new website in the background of everything today. It’s going to be pretty great once it’s all put together. But for now? There’s a whole lot of wool gathering to be done, and I’m mostly wasting time meandering during this post. Onwards. Talk with you all soon.

Can 2015 be here yet?

I don’t mean to be ungrateful. 2014 has been great for me. It was the year Danica and I got another cat, took a wonderful three week vacation in Connecticut, got engaged, and then married. It will probably go down in my personal history books as one of my biggest and best. That said, with the year coming to a close, I find myself eager for new challenges.

My employment at Wizard’s Comics comes to an end on December 31st, 2014. After that? Something really crazy starts. Something that I can not wait to start working on properly instead of in half-measures.

And yes, this is a tease of a post. If I’m being perfectly honest, I’m writing this more for me than anyone else. I need to let a little steam out to deaden the pressure that’s building. I need to spill words onto a page so that others can have room in my brain. I need to do something while I float about accomplishing far too little by design and necessity.

2015, get a god damn move on.

“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.”

-T.S. Elliot

After over eight years of general work, and four spent as store manager, I have tendered my resignation at Wizard’s Comics, effective December 31st, 2014.

This is not a decision that came easily. I love the shop and the people who frequent it. In addition, the owners have been very kind to me over the years, going above and beyond to help me out when various stresses started to overwhelm. My leaving Wizard’s is not a comment on the owners, the business, or the people who frequent the store – it’s a statement about myself, and what I want to do with my life.

Over the next few months, I’m going to be preparing for the next phase of my life. I can’t really tell you all much about it yet, but in the new year, I will continue to be a part of the comic book community. I’m not leaving, so much as adjusting my position within it, and as such, I’m hoping to become a much more powerful advocate for the medium.

Naturally, there will be a few more announcements to come. Those precious few who know more specifics, I’d appreciate it if you kept the information close to your chest. I can’t wait to share everything with all of you, but the timing of announcements is crucial for the next big thing, and I’m already scared enough.

Thank you all, for everything. We’ll talk again soon, I’m sure.