turned aboutBoth the slave and the empress
Will return to the dirt, I guess,
Naked as when they came. ~ Fleet Foxes, "Montezuma"
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Not much time today for a long entry-type entry, because I have an interview and have to get Sirenia Digest #76 out this evening. But I did want to take a moment to thank everyone who bought Alabaster: Wolves #1 yesterday. And also to those who tried, but failed to find a copy (I'll come back to that in a moment). Reviews flooded in all day, and I had little time or attention to do much of anything but read them. I was – I shit you not – astounded – to see that they were, almost (but not quite) without exception superb. I'll post some links to my favorites when I have more time. Yesterday was sort of weirdly amazing. I mean, Paste likes Dancy Flammarion? Wow.
Now, about not being able to find copies. I know, because people kept telling me, that lots of folks went forth to buy copies, only to discover that their local comics shop had already sold out. This is, of course, good for the book, but lousy for the individual reader. But there are easy solutions:
1) If you can handle digital comics, I point you to Dark Horse Digital (those sales help me just as much as the analog ones), and you get the comic almost instantly.
2) Ask your local comic shop (lcs) to please reorder #1. Almost all of them will. If they didn't order any copies of #1, all the more reason to ask. Comic shops want to sell comics, but it helps if you tell them what you want to buy (which is what they can sell, natch). If they give you a hard time, bite 'em.
3) I expect a lot of my readers are new to comics. Here's a "secret" (it's not a genuine secret at all, but...): Most shops will let you set up a "pull list," which is a list of titles you will definitely be buying each month. This means that a copy will be reserved for you and placed in your "pull bag." This way, you're pretty much assured a copy each month.
So, hopefully that'll help. I should have mentioned the pull bag thing yesterday, but I've been in and out of the comic-book subculture since about 1989, so it never occurred to me that people wouldn't know this.
And, before I go, how two cats celebrated the release of Alabaster: Wolves #1:
Spooky made me celebratory Dancy cupcakes, and Hubero wanted his share (the blurry, bewhiskered snout in the background, with the tiny, widdle feet).
kylecassidy not only got his copy delivered to his home, it came with tequila! But! One of his cats, Tattiana, claimed both, it seems.1% Less Anxious,
Aunt Beast
