#79, and a Convention Pamphlet Contest!

[insert obligatory link to the comic here]

Who wants to have a hand in crafting this year's convention pamphlet?

Hang on, what convention pamphlet? In previous years I've done several leaflets, which then get passed around at some of the various conventions I go to. Prior to now they've just been an easy way to show off my artistic skills, but since it's still a little early to start making huge books...

For quick examples, check out the bonus section. The one you'll be helping me with looks most like the four-by-four special!

Since we're nearing the end of the current storyline and I'm sure an awful lot of you have been itching to get some answers, I'm going to do the simplest thing I can think of and give you some. Specifically, for the week between the end of this storyline and the start of the new one, there's going to be daily updates of the bonus comic variety, where you can write to the contestants (and perhaps certain other characters) on the comic and hopefully get some useful responses back.

Yes, that's six special updates to help pad things out. I'm expecting at least 4-6 of those will consist of our contestants answering your questions . . .

. . . but of course, they can only answer them if you provide them.

Ways to Enter Your Questions:

1. On the Forums! If there's not a Contest Thread already started by the time you get there, go ahead and make one.
   
2. Email Me! No, seriously, this works. Just don't ask me anything regarding \/1@GR@ and you should escape the spam filters.
3. Blog Comments! Well, this IS a contest post, so it'll hold onto them just fine. If you choose this route though, please provide a way for me to contact you later in case I need your mailing address (see below)
   
4. Twitter! If you're going to go this route, PLEASE reply (so it starts with '@lastres0rt') or Direct Message so it doesn't get lost in the feed.
   

Winners not only get their questions answered, but they'll also receive a free copy of the otherwise print-exclusive pamphlet once they've been printed up as a token of my appreciation.

Non-winners can still get the pamphlet mailed to them as well, but they'll just have to pay a little cash for their copies in a quaint ritual known as "retail". :-p

Not all questions will be answered, obviously; some might take too long for a simple strip, others might spoil the plot, and a few might even just not be good questions . . . so the more entries I receive, the better the bonuses (both in terms of the strips themselves AND the final pamphlets) will be. Heck, the print version might even be in color if enough people enter -- let's say 50 entries total to guarantee print color.

Fame, fortune, and fandom-snark awaits! Enter today!

Hooray! Print Comics realize the Internet exists!

So Marvel's finally decided to release a few archives of its comics online, finally giving people the ability to see all their old freaks and geeks in golden-age glory. It's good . . . except even with this huge bloom of press, it's doomed.

Not to say that anything that allows people to read old comic books shouldn't be lauded, but the model is flawed. The problems?

• It's only 'older' comics; Newer comics won't appear for at least six months.
  
• It's browser-dependant; no downloading allowed! (Yeah, RIGHT. Marvel, I know you're still trying to get the Internet back up to your bachelor pad, but let me introduce you to the Internet's annoying little sibling, ScreenShot. Good luck trying to get past him.)
  
• It's subscription-based — apparently Marvel thinks that just because World of Warcraft can charge a monthly fee so people can pretend to be a wizard and City of Heroes can charge a monthly rate so people can pretend to be a superhero, they can charge a monthly rate so people can pretend to own a bunch of old comic books.
  

Marvel already charges $3 a pop for new comics; they could just as easily justify a $3 rate to download a given book through iTunes, make it available for new comics as well as older ones, and STILL make good money. Hell, let's crank down the resolution to something iPod-able, put it at $2 or (god forbid) $0.99, and call 'em "Low-Res Versions", making the print version still superior and 'worth it' to collectors and fans. Not only do you get more money, you can actually use iTunes to track which comics are doing better now that you've opened up your market a little more!

. . . and we're not even including the lower cost of entry for new comics. Imagine being able to offer iTunes-only Marvel Comics; you know, the things you'd love to do except you don't think they'll sell very well in print and you don't feel like wasting the paper, trucks, and shelf space on. If they sell well enough on iTunes, now you can justify print versions too!

'Course, knowing my cynicism, this subscription system will fail in two years (or less) and Marvel will erroneously think that nobody wants online comics after all, and thereafter offer nothing online. Shame.