I’m not her buddy, just noticing a trend in comments whent his subject is brought up here and there and everywhere.

-Tina

I wonder if this is happening because OEL creators are generally new to the world of comicking and criticsm. I mean, book authors have to get smacked about by editors over and over before they get published. Maybe this generation is just not hardened enough to take it yet. Sadly, in the age of the Internet, anything you say will be archived and can be read and used against you later, so I wonder how many creators are going to feel embarassed in the next twenty years. (Heck, I’m embarassed by message board posts I made last year!) Best battle plan: Do like the other, more experienced comic creators and keep your fuming to yourself and in your close circle of friends. And above all, roll with the punches!

I was certainly not attempting to offend her or even rebut her per se — only call attention to the many other positive reviews MON has gotten. Damage control, if you will. And, naturally, I only exacerbated the problem.

The lesson that I’ve learned — and that many of you have been earnestly trying to impart — is that the book no longer belongs to me. Once it leaves my head it belongs equally to all potential readers, of which I am only one among 6 billion or so. I can’t engage or control it any longer — nor do I honestly want to.

Therefore I’m going to take what remains of my dignity and exit the Internet stage right. From this point forward my only interaction with reviews and reviewers will be of the “Glad you liked it!” or “Hope you like the next one!” variety.

And my offer still stands — any reviewer who wants a copy of MON has but to ask and it shall be given.

Cheers.

This is something that a lot of creators have warned me about. I guess I should have heeded those warnings.

“I’m not saying that she’s objectively wrong or that “Mail Order Ninja” is the greatest thing since sliced bread. All I am saying is that I think the book is really fun and lots of other folks agree with me.”

You point out Johanna’s a well-respected online comics critic. You’ve said you respect her opinion. Nevertheless, you seem to be mounting a campaign to offset what she’s said. And your biggest mistake is that it’s a public campaign.

If a negative review is going to have such a pronounced impact on you, you ought not seek out any reviews of your work.

My only concern is that she’s a big presence online and her reviews really do count for something. But she’s not the only opinion out there and I want folks to know that plenty of people have read “Mail Order Ninja” and enjoyed it thoroughly and that, therefore, they may as well.

I’m not saying that she’s objectively wrong or that “Mail Order Ninja” is the greatest thing since sliced bread. All I am saying is that I think the book is really fun and lots of other folks agree with me.

I’m a critic too (soon to be writing for the Chicago Sun-Times) and I understand that there are some things I love that other people despise and vice versa. Certain matters of taste are completely subjective, and I’d be a fool to argue otherwise.

She has a big soapbox, and (if I may very badly mix a couple metaphors) she really took me to the woodshed with it. I just wanted other folks to know that were other opinions out there.

And I want to get all the opinions I can. I read reviews of my own work so that I can be a better writer (and, okay, for the occassional ego-stroke). But mostly I want to see what people are reacting to. What I’m doing right, AND what I’m doing wrong.

“Mail Order Ninja” has plenty of flaws. And there are things about it that will just put some folks off. I’m cool with that. I can improve the former and the latter is simply a fact of life.

But I (obviously) believe in the book, and that’s why I’m willing to — at my own expense — put it into the hands of any reviewer who wants to read it. I think the odds are that he or she will like it, and I’ll end up recouping my investment many times over.

And don’t worry — I promise not to harass anyone via e-mail or castigate them on message boards if they don’t like the book. I’m honestly very happy with the book and if other folks like it, that’s just gravy.

I do respond to reviews in SLG’s blog, but I try to address more general topics when I do so–like privileging artists over writers or assumptions about how much Disney controls the content of our licensed comics (which is nearly not at all).

So the term’s used properly.

Seriously, everyone else has really, really enjoyed the book. Time-Out Chicago, Chris Sims and the 500 or so Barnes & Noble customers that I’ve handsold the book to over the past few months have given it nothing but rave reviews.

And I think this was a case of Johanna just not “getting it” per se. And I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is. If you’re a reviewer and you want a copy of books 1 and 2, e-mail at elder1938-at-ureach.com and I’ll send them to you (so long as supplies last). I believe in the book and I’ll put it out there. Not everyone is going to like it, I know that. But so far – 1 bad raview out of 500 — I think the odds are pretty good that you’ll dig it.

If not, tell me why and hopefully I can improve. I look at myself in the mirror every day — I know how imperfect I am.

http://lilrivkah.livejournal.com/189845.html?style=mine

Actually, I just checked and she made it a protected entry, but yeah. It was pretty amusing to wake up to.

If there’s inertia, how can it arc?