Scott Koblish

OMAC is not being cancelled-

Here is my response to Rich Johnston's headline and article- I have no idea if it will be scrubbed from his website, so I'm posting it here as well-


First off let me assure fans and retailers especially, because I know a lot of retailers peruse these boards, O.M.A.C is not in any danger of being cancelled. O.M.A.C. is not on the "Chopping Block." There are always various reasons to cancel something and O.M.A.C. does not meet those criteria.

Second, I get it. I really do. Rich just wants to take a shot at Dan and Keith and Brian and Harvey and Travis and Me. I'm not sure what the motive is, maybe it's just fun to take shots at Dan.

Third - sales will likely settle down on all the books, and I'm hoping, in the end that DC's numbers will be healthier than they were last year. A healthy publishing company that is focusing on attracting former and new readers of their material can help to buoy the entire field. i'm hoping that this is the case, and I have personally met many new fans and lapsed fans at signings for O.M.A.C at my local comic shop. I hope they stick around an enjoy the book: From the two kids under 10 whose eyes lit up when i drew them a sketch, the 30 year old guy who had never bought a comic before and wanted to know if he could just pick up O.M.A.C. without reading the character before (you can, we've worked very hard to make this a good jumping on point), the guy who fondly remembered Jack Kirby's original series when he was a little boy, to the guy who absolutely LOVED John Byrne's take on the character (as did I). I'm hoping these people will stick around and enjoy the ride we've got planned for them. I know I desperately want them to enjoy the book, and we've all been working extra hard to make this a rewarding experience, something that will keep everyone intrigued, opens new questions gives a ton of action and keeps fans wanting to come back for more.

O.M.A.C did very well this past month. Orders and re-orders are really very good for the next few months. We are hoping that any folks who enjoyed it will turn their friends on to the book. The book is in no danger of being cancelled, and Dan and Keith have it plotted out past issue 16. I just want folks to rest easy knowing that a book they enjoy is in a really good place right now and don't feel nervous about it. Things are good. Really.

Fourth, I was not prepared for the sheer inventiveness of the headline, or this article. I was certainly not prepared for Rich to create rumors where there previously were none. Further, I am baffled at the reason to invent any. It's very hard for me to figure out how to respond to this fiction. By creating a rumor whole cloth, I feel like it's going to be impossible for me to address this to the satisfaction of the people who have read his title and article. Also, they may not even get this far in the comments thread.

Fifth - i think that Rich's headline, in addition to being fiction, is irresponsible. And I hope that his article does not pre-emptively reduce sales on our book. I noticed in the comments section that quite a few people who posted that they loved our book and were sad to give it up and sorry to see it go. It's not going anywhere. The book is not cancelled. It is frustrating in the extreme for me to think that, for everyone who reads my comment here, there will be hundreds who will just read Rich's headline and article and never get to this response, and perhaps give up pre-emptively on our book. That's infuriating to me. I've never been in a situation where a lie was told about something I worked on that could hurt the success of my book. I don't even know how to respond. The book sold well, it continues to sell well, it's had good response, and there has been positive word of mouth - our book is a fun book that has a lot to it, for people of all ages to enjoy.

My line of recourse would surely not include responding to Rich's ridiculous headline with news that I overheard the other day: I heard that Bleeding Cool is in danger of shutting down it's site because Rich can't pay his employees. I certainly can't prove it, i just heard it the other day from a buddy of mine, an unnamed source. It's just a rumor, but you know, we all know his site doesn't attract nearly as many page views as Comic Book Resources. I haven't looked into it whether this supposition on my part is true or not, I guess I could call around, but it's more fun to just post it as a rumor, right? I guess only time will tell.

But, see, even writing that has made me feel dirty and vile. Perhaps Rich is used to thinking this way. But I'm not.

posted by Scott Koblish @ 7:40 PM