As unattainable because it sounds, on July 1st, 2024, this website may have been operating for 20 years!
That’s twenty years of every day reporting on the world of comics, greater than 50,000 posts, greater than 20,000 by me, 2 1/2 homeowners, scores of conventions, a whole lot of writers and uncounted cups of espresso.
To rejoice, we now have quite a lot of particular occasions deliberate, kicking off with a panel at WonderCon and persevering with on by way of the yr. There will likely be some startling surprises and large adjustments alongside the way in which…beginning with our twentieth Anniversary brand, designed by The Beat’s good pal Richard Starkings of Comicraft.
Getting this far as a small operation owned by one individual is fairly astonishing, if I can provide myself a wee pat on the again. The Beat launched in the “Golden Age of Blogging” because it was identified, as a weblog on Comicon.com. The world was stuffed with bed room bloggers writing about each topic doable. Some had been wildly profitable – essentially the most well-known was Boing Boing, and one hyperlink from that website might, and did, overload many a server, together with The Beat’s again in the day.
As the years went on, most of my compatriots did certainly one of two issues: they drifted away to different pursuits or cashed in. In each circumstances, the websites typically talking, aren’t round any extra. Once social media got here alongside, folks’s power went in the direction of posting the place everybody might see it on MySpace. Those who bought their websites to bigger entities typically discovered them absorbed into greater media which, in many circumstances, went out of enterprise.
I had a number of alternatives to money in alongside the way in which, however being allergic to cash, I made a decision in opposition to promoting out. When I say 2 1/2 homeowners, the 1/2 is Publishers Weekly, which hosted this website from 2006-2010. It wasn’t actually an possession deal, so I used to be in a position to transfer (most) of my archives to the comicsbeat.com website that you simply nonetheless see. In 2017, I bought the positioning to Lion Forge/Polarity however when that didn’t work out, they very generously gave me again all my content material and I used to be again to going solo in 2020. Just in time for you already know what.
It appears that I had inadvertently hit on what tech varieties name the POSSE system: Publish (in your) Own Site, Syndicate Everywhere. Blogging pionner/creator Cory Doctorow has extra about that right here. All the alternatives to promote my website over the years appeared shrouded in the information that I wouldn’t be capable to do what I favored doing any extra finally – and that didn’t make sense to me.
I do know we stay in a world the place the entire financial system is based mostly on creating one thing cool, promoting it, watching it get destroyed, and transferring on the subsequent factor.
That concept doesn’t attraction to me. And it doesn’t make sense for the mission at The Beat both. I’ve talked about this many instances earlier than, however the historical past of comics, as informed on the net, is extremely ephemeral. The 00s have been notably arduous hit. Newsarama’s archives are lengthy gone. CBR’s exist however are arduous to search out. The Comics Reporter stands as an archive, thank God, however most of my different contemporaries are gone: Journalista, Comics Bulletin, and so forth. (I hold an old RSS feed aggregator to jog my reminiscence in regards to the many comrades misplaced alongside the way in which.)
I’ve gone to nice private expense (monetary and energy-wise) to maintain the Beat on-line, at the least from 2006 on. (The first few years are gone, alas, however archived on my private backup drives, in patchy kind.) The impact is usually embarrassing (private progress and tolerance are a part of the lesson round right here) but it surely’s a rolling document I’m very happy with. I imagine there’s one thing of worth in what we do right here, so POSSE all the time made sense to me.
There will likely be extra seems to be again, and celebration of all the nice collaborators and contributors The Beat has had over the years, however for now, I’m extra grateful than ever that I caught with POSSE. The media has undergone a grotesque culling of late, and there’s actually no finish – or answer – in sight. Household names like Pitchfork, Vice and Sports Illustrated aren’t simply circling the drain however taking place the drain with a dire slooping sound.
Somehow a scrappy little indie like The Beat struggled by way of the storm. Will we make it by way of the present hail and rain and pivoting?
The factor is, The Beat by no means actually pivoted. We’re only a weblog, that includes good writing, passionate writers and readers and just a little advert cash thrown in alongside the way in which. And by some means, for 20 years, it’s labored. I feel it would proceed to work. And there’s even discuss of a comeback for running a blog.
As we kick off our twentieth Anniversary, I wish to thank the present editorial crew: Avery Kaplan, Deanna Destito, Rebecca Oliver Kaplan, Taimur Dar, Zack Quaintance, Deb Aoki, and Christian Angeles. They actually hold this website operating every day – and we’ll have some additions there because the yr progresses.
I additionally wish to thank the Beat’s Patreon supporters, who’ve caught with us.
And after all, our readers…you’re an important individual of all and we do all of it for you.
If you’ve made it this far, right here’s some bonus content material: with the 2024 version of MoCCA coming this very weekend, right here’s the SECOND POST EVER on the Beat from July 1, 2004. The wukka wukka of these flooring haunts me to today…..
MOCCA’S STICKY SITUATION
This yr’s MOCCA fest is historical past, but it surely gained’t quickly be forgotten. Expanding to 2 days for the primary time, the present had some rising pains whereas nonetheless spotlighting the very best in unbiased comics. Everyone from celebs to artwork administrators to grandmas trekked over to New York’s Puck Building over the weekend to choose up such books as SALMON DOUBTS, END TIMES, and the debut of 6-year-old cartoonist Alexa Kitchen.
Celeb sightings included Moby, a well-documented comics fan; director Michel Gondry, whose 13-year-old son Paul was promoting a slightly surreal mini-comic (guess it runs in the household); and most excitingly of all, Ted Lange who performed “Isaac the Bartender” on THE LOVE BOAT. TEEN BOAT’S enterprising Dave Roman and John Green, recognizing Lange strolling by, shortly snagged him for a promo photograph holding TEEN BOAT #5, creating maybe the only biggest second in comics historical past.
Comics celebdom virtually reached the tipping level, because the Triumvirate of Comics’ Mightiest Slebs had been all in the constructing; sadly, Neil Gaiman, Frank Miller and Art Spiegelman had been by no means in the identical room on the similar time, so vital mass was by no means fairly reached.
On day 1 of MOCCA, comedy was in the air, when a wild celebration on the facility the night time earlier than left the hardwood flooring coated with a sticky substance believed (considerably optimistically) to be alcoholic residue. (The party-thrower was both “someone who is on the Conan O’Brien Show” or “a Danish guy” relying on who you requested, however all witnesses agreed that the celebration included tons of free alcohol and women who had been bare save for physique paint operating round; sadly, this was not an formally sanctioned MOCCA occasion.)
With the sticky substance thickest nearest the loos, new arrivals on the present discovered themselves initially embarrassed by the “wukka wukka” sounds they made as they tried to purchase their comics, then astounded to listen to your complete crowd going “wukka wukka” as they walked, with some unfortunate souls even leaving their flip flops behind in the mire.
Sadly for the mirth issue, the ground was mopped over Saturday night time. Nonetheless, The Beat had a tough time not calling this report “MOCCA is tacky”.
Still, all types of questions hung over this MOCCA. Would two days be price it? Would the Harveys be price it?
On the primary query, the matter stays considerably open. As one wag described the primary day: “Sales were bad, but fun was had.” Although as anticipated such groovy gadgets as the brand new JIMBO IN PURGATORY bought out inside minutes, and nobody gave the impression to be doing downright crappy, gross sales for the 2 day present had been about the identical because the someday present–for twice the expense to exhibitors.
Was having the anxious throng of yesteryear damaged up right into a extra aesthetic and manageable crowd this yr well worth the value? Most folks appeared to suppose 2 days is a necessity, and subsequent yr’s date is set for 2 days.
The Harveys had been a bit extra problematic. While the room was attractive, the meals was unexpectedly yummy, and Neil Gaiman’s keynote speech was expectedly inspiring, the entire idea bumped into some snags alongside the way in which.
Without going into all of the nasty particulars, (and there are lots), evidently among the most nominated publishers–publishers who, say, needed to be bailed out by grassroots campaigns of late–had been extremely nonplussed on the concept of paying 4 determine$ for a desk on the Harveys. While one can’t assist however admire the naive pluckiness of the angle that $60 is rather a lot for dinner and drinks in NYC, you can also’t get blood from a stone, a turnip or [redacted].
The actuality is, as pretty as it could be, and as ennobling for comics as an entire to have a elaborate awards present, it doesn’t come low-cost. While it’s unhappy to suppose comics can’t afford one banquet, the concept that indie comics can is simply not gonna occur.
Nonetheless, The Harveys had been, a number of overlong speeches apart, nonetheless a nice night time for comics. The huge win for Chester Brown and Craig Thompson had been widespread and well-deserved, and D&Q;’s Peggy Burns was delighted to be carrying round a stack of bins. If there was one factor on the Harvey’s that was a giant hit, it needed to be the open bar and fancy sakitinis. As MC Evan Dorkin — who had totally misplaced his voice resulting from a weeklong chilly — put it the subsequent day “We didn’t know all the alcohol was going to turn it into a ‘club’ atmosphere.” While the extra stentorian in the viewers prompt {that a} shorter open bar may behoove a way of decorum in the longer term, others prompt it was the one option to survive.
For extra MOCCA points and anecdotes, try Dave Roman’s sterling report. Yes, subsequent yr it should not be in opposition to the Mermaid Parade and Gay Pride Weekend. Yes, they have to mop the flooring. Yes, promoting needs to be higher and group can all the time be improved. But as one individual in the know put it (and The Beat actually doesn’t bear in mind who as a result of all of it grew to become a blur after some time) “The reality is, this show is going to happen no matter what.” After solely three years, the thought of summer time in New York and not using a MOCCA competition is already unthinkable.
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