Can Marvel Clue In Their Marketing Guy?

Jim McCann is one of the best in the business in getting the word out about Marvel Comics. He does a killer job on the convention circuit and in so many other marketing methods many of you may not take notice of.

So, how in the hell is he given the impression that a book (Captain Britain & MI13) is canceled only for someone at Marvel to contact Newsarama that it isn't true?

When I was asked about books that did better than expected, Cap & MI 13 was one of those books. The story, the creative team, and critical reception was through the roof. Unfortunately, the audience left after Secret Invasion tie ins. That podcast was recorded before the cancellation came down & we were all hoping it would stay longer. ... And guys, I am just as sorry as the rest of you that the book is cancelled. All I can say is if you like a low-to-mid-tier book, tell your friends, encourage others to pick it up.

I know that McCann is finally getting a crack at writing the funny books, but Marvel would be smart not to have him out of the loop on this type of stuff until he officially is just a freelance writer without a nameplate at the Marvel home office. It's not good to leave the PR voice of Marvel hanging out to dry like that.

The Knight Who Says Meh

When I started this blog, I originally wanted to make a few harsh comments about Hannibal Tabu's "style" of reviewing over at CBR. It was one of those things that I really wanted to go off about back in the day, but not to the detriment of the Best Shots team.

Interesting fact: Psycho nut Koben Kelly, previously of the Best Shots team, had made a t-shirt for the team that read, "We Could Poop Out One Sentence Reviews In Our Sleep," to wear at last year's Wizard World Chicago (as a shot at Tabu). Of course, he then went on to skip his mental health meds, smoke copious amounts of mary jane, and have a legendary meltdown that required his mom to come pick his 32 year old ass from the hotel. A friendly prank I played on him may or may not have had a role in that meltdown.

Anyway...back to Hannibal.

Once I started this blog, I just didn't get around to reading it nearly as much and, when I did, the problematic bits were nowhere near as noteworthy as the ones I bit my tongue on.

He came back to mind because of something said at the Cup O' Bendis panel this weekend. Jim McCann ranted a bit on how people who comment on or review an issue by simply saying "meh" get him very angry. Bendis chimed in agreeing, but it didn't seem as possibly pointed at reviews as McCann's statement did. Bendis did say that having "meh" said about a piece of work is just like a kick in the balls for him.

Believe it or not, it took someone else in attendance suggesting that McCann's statement might have been directed at Tabu, who probably uses that more than any other reviewers and sometimes leaves that as his only commentary about an issue.

For those that haven't met McCann, he's one of the nicest guys you'll meet at a convention. He's a personable guy, very friendly to fans and pros alike (from what I could see) and has a love for comics that he couldn't hide if his life depended on it. He seems like someone that would be hard to piss off.

So, that development led me to check out Tabu's column, again. Found this:

This week's Indie Spotlight (a new feature, see the bottom of the column) is also the winner of the "WTF?" award. A Gambit knockoff is driving around, avoiding monsters and carrying the head of Medusa (the myth, not the legendary LA-area rapper) as a weapon ... wait, what?

Funny thing about that spotlight: hardly seems worth a damn when you don't name the book. I will say that his explaining his WTF "award" is an improvement; he often leaves it without any clarification.

Oh, Hannibal! One of these days, you just might have a whole column where you get it right. ;)