This wasn't exactly a long-term plan or anything like that, but the site's going to be retooled just a bit, so I'm stepping aside after nearly 44 full months here.

I should make clear that the site itself isn’t going away. Ming, the guy who’s made the place look as good as it did these past almost-four years, will still be here to keep the ship sailing. And since most every freelancer on this site worked for exactly that, free, I’d expect many to continue here, too. I know there are some other changes planned, including a good new book column I’d been prepping, so you have that to look forward to, along with the other new changes Kevin and Ming institute.

Some people are taking this time to move on to other ventures now, too—Scott Tipton’s COMICS 101 column will exit the site but live on, not missing a beat, at a site of the same name. Before I talk more about any of my plans, here’s Scott to say a bit more:

Every day for the last three years and eight months, I’ve been working on the Poop in some shape or form, be it writing the news headlines, writing the columns, researching the columns, or just editing and proofreading the site. It seems so strange to think that, as of this week, I won’t be a part of it any more. I’m insanely proud of the work we’ve done here, and grateful for all that it’s brought me: good friends, some fantastic opportunities, and best of all, a body of work I can look at with the satisfaction of a job well done (at least I’d like to think so).

But this isn’t a goodbye – it’s just a transition. I enjoy working on COMICS 101 (and the interaction it gives me with comic-book fans old and new) far too much to give it up. So I’ll be moving down the road a bit and setting up my own shop, at the aptly named www.comics101.com. Hopefully you’ll stop by and say hello.

In the meantime, for your three-plus years of kind attention, I can only offer my humble thanks. See you around.

Back to you, Chief.

Now, let’s back up to June 3, 2002, the day Kevin first asked me to run this place. That was a heady day, since I’d just accepted a gig I had no real knowledge of or idea how I’d make this work. All I had was a few good people around me, and a desire to not fall on my face on a pretty broad scale. We hit some early heights, getting ink, real and virtual, from places like USA Today, CNN, Variety and others. Soon after starting the site, I was then off to Philly to hang on the JERSEY GIRL set for a week. However that movie performed on a broad scale, it means a lot to me and resonates deeply with me just because of that whole moment in time. Tom Waits’ title song—which really should’ve been in the movie, Tom—breaks me up every time I hear it now.

So the early days were nothing but optimistic and trying out new things—we gave a stand-up comedy column a shot, I was close to attending a porn shoot (research purposes only, y’know), we had MONKEY MAN. Good times. Once we all got comfortable with what the place was and what it wasn’t—it took people a while to realize that we weren’t out to talk trash, and we weren’t out to compete with the Ain’t It Cools of the world—things really got rolling here.

It’d be impossible to catalog the vast number of contributors who’ve helped this place be what it is these past 44 months, but each and every one of their efforts are appreciated more than I’ve probably ever had time to properly express to them. I’ve made good friends and relationships through this site that will continue beyond today. Even better, many people have been able to springboard onto even better things as a result of this site. That’s what I always wanted, for the people who toiled here for free, offering up some of the best commentary and criticism of pop culture that I’ve ever read on the ‘Net or in print, to go on to better things.

This place never would’ve been anything without Scott Tipton by my side, I should say that again. Scott’s been with me every day from the very start, and contributed more news headlines and stories than Dan Rather (I’m assuming), as well as getting our most popular column, COMICS 101, up and running every single week without a break for the past three years.

Speaking of regular updates, I’d just like to point out that today officially ends our personal Cal Ripken-like streak of updating the site every single weekday since June 17, 2002. Every single day. There were no sick days, no holidays, and things like vacations, getting married, having a baby or a family crisis, all of those things didn’t get in the way of The Streak. Kevin’s simple request when I started here was “update the site every day.” Which we did, usually with anywhere from 6 to 15 new items. Most every weekend saw updates as well, box office numbers and the like, so effectively, from the time things started over 43 months ago, we didn’t take ONE DAY off. I feel this streak is pretty important to harp on for just another second, because I don’t know that I’ve seen any other site I ever frequent do the same. No one can say we didn’t deliver as asked. That streak, as grueling as it was, makes me happy to have accomplished it. (One streak that will live on a bit longer is the "Porn Star Quote" streak. It's a nice sense of perverse accomplishment to think that I dug up about 180 weekly quotes, since I was afraid I'd burn that out quickly after starting it. Little did I know it'd become a site favorite, and the one thing I'm most asked to archive. I have enough quotes to take Ming & Co. to the end of 2006, though, so those will live on without me for as long as he wants to keep running 'em.)

I’m happy too that this site has led me to landing the Editor-in-Chief (and now Publisher, too) gig with IDW Publishing, so I could in turn get Scott a chance at writing comics of his own now. Actually, I’ll attribute this site to being one grand step toward both of us getting a chance to write comics and for me to do so for a living, so that’s one more bonus.

So, that’s it. What next for me? Well, I’m glad I asked.

Starting next week, as mentioned above, Scott and I (as well as the other Two Horsemen, RASSLIN' Scott Bowden and SQUIBer Josh Jabcuga) will be found at his new www.comics101.com site. Their columns will run there, same as they ever were, and so will the MAIL SHOOT comic book q&a that’s kept that column running for the past few years.

I can’t quite seem to step away completely, either. As much as it’s pretty much just a column full of dumb jokes aimed at TV shows I may or may not have ever seen, I’m still a bit addicted to doing my TV RECOMMENDATIONS, and will continue those at Comics101.com as well, and kibbutzing on any mail like always, too. I also plan to keep documenting my development of Clive Barker’s THE GREAT AND SECRET SHOW, too, and no doubt talking a bit more about other comics projects that I have working. Scott’s column has shown that there’s a huge demand for comics-related information on the ‘net that’s a bit more than just news or interviews, so what better spot for me to help build an audience for IDW’s projects? Speaking of TGASS, that book’s coming along nicely, and I’ve got an interview between myself and Clive coming up, and will continue to track the entire series’ development. I also potentially have some creator-owned comics on the way later this year, and I just like having a forum to discuss random things, without actually going the “blog” route. Between contributing there and having a new IDW Publishing.com site up and running (also thanks to Ming), I’ll still be pretty visible and easy to find.

Ultimately, this place became what it became because of loyalty—the loyalty that all the contributors showed here week in and week out. Columns like Michael Crawford’s TOY BOX and Ian Bonds’ GAME ON! have been mainstays almost from the start, and I couldn’t imagine a site without them or D.K. Holm and so many others. (I promised I wasn’t going to name names, though.) The loyalty the readers showed us this entire time was amazing, too. I love that we built a regular (but still-growing) readership these past few years. I never quite said so, but getting e-mails from the same people each week, scolding or complimenting or just commenting, meant a lot. So did the fact that sites like this shrink the world. When I hear from people in Israel or Africa or soldiers in Iraq telling me that the site is a nice diversion in their day, the same way it is for people here, well, it’s hard to explain how that feels. But it’s good, really good. So thank you, all of you (even you FAMILY GUY fans).

Change can be jarring at first, yeah—but it also eventually becomes a good thing most of the time, after the initial shock wears off. You roll with these things. And I just wanted to say that, here or elsewhere, we’re still rolling.

/chris
February 6, 2006

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