The Bridge: An Attempt to Figure Out the Purpose of One's Actions (online edition)

Why do I read? Why do I write? Why do I "link"? To learn, interpret and share, I guess. To help people understand the stuff I like, and by extension, me. Why is that important to me? Is it a cry for attention? Is it a gesture of good will? Or some sort of indescribable compulsion?

I like to think I'm a Good Online Person, and as a GOPer (I may need to rethink that acronym), I strive to avoid adding to the shitpile of negativity and ignorance that comprises 78% of all Internet traffic. I like to point out writers and subjects and articles and things that are fun, interesting, maybe nostalgic, usually nerdy, always cool.

I really don't care about pageviews or "traffic" (well, not too much). I'm happy if one person sees a ZCB blog or Facebook post, or a tweet, and grins a little. And if everyone misses it, eh, there's a lot more where that came from.

This blog started as a simple diary about my attempts to sell a bunch of comics. It then started sprouting new offshoots on a variety of subjects that interested me. And then it got to be too much - too many things interest me, and there were too many Real Life distractions to write about it, and I never got any traction or momentum. After the initial series of posts, I kinda lost my purpose for Zombie Cat Bacon.

Today, as I'm listening to Ta-Nehisi Coates being interviewed by Chris Hayes, a thought occurred to me. Something Ta-Nehisi said got me thinking about ZCB. As I'm writing this, I can't even remember the specifics. But he spoke of the energy he had to share. Suddenly, I had an image of a metaphorical bridge in my head. The idea that my reading/writing/sharing had something to do with a desire to have people do more than grin. I wanted them to remember and understand. I wanted to "bridge" the space between us.

We forget our history, every day. Hayes said every day is like Momento. I laughed and realized he's right. The news cycle and the news feed and the present are all never-ending, looping constantly and eradicating every prior moment. (Did you know there was an Olympics this year? I forgot about that. It just nine months ago. And I love sports. This blog was started during the LAST one.)

For 2019, I'm going to try to build my own bridge, and connect with time again, and with the timeline I share with you. I'm going to do that by writing. I can guarantee there will gibberish. But, for me, this will be a chance to pause and stop and rest, and when I write, I can do that.

So, soon, I'll start. There will still be comics and booze and sports and food and t-shirts and TV and games and books and other potentially grin-inducing content. Haven't quite fleshed out the format, or even if I'll stay here on Blogger. Regardless, I'm looking forward to it and I welcome you along for the ride during our all-too-brief time together.

All Blogs Go To Heaven Part XVI

Sweet 16!

CBU

Comix 411 - Now part of a larger entity called Gear Live. However, the comic page hasn't been updated in over four years.

Francis Manapul's Art Journal 2.0 - This was abandoned in 2011. Francis can be found on Twitter and Tumblr.

The Kid's Comic Book Reviews - They made a "we've moved!" announcement in 2011. The site to which they moved is gone. They were going strong for a couple years though (08-09).

I Believe In Bat-Mite - Almost the same story as the above Kid. Hot'n'heavy in 08-09 and dead by 2011.

CHESTERFEST - CB Cebulski's been busy since this blog stopped in 2011. He's now Editor-In-Chief of a small publishing outfit called "Marvel".


UAT

Ordster's Random Thoughts - Jerry Ordway has been blogging here intermittently since 2007, but only one post in the past few years (last August).

The Defenders Fansite - To be honest, I'm a little surprised to see a recent post (May). They've gone from a weekly to a monthly blog schedule.

Big Glee! The Albert Bryan Bigley Archives - Al Bigley has gone from a daily to a monthly, but he's still going, bless 'em.

Retroactive Continuity Redux - Well, his dog died, and so did his Twitter feed: "Evidently my Twitter feed no longer works. I shall investigate it in the timely manner to which you've all become accustomed." Just all gone now.

Brainfreeze: Comic Love - I don't know. Is this it now? Probably not...


I've been visiting old comic blogs to see what's still alive and where everybody went. Some are still going, some are dead dead dead and some have evolved into a Big Deal. Most of the links are Twitters.

I've been using Comicblogupdates (CBU) and Update-A-Tron (UAT) to facilitate this project. (Quite a few of the links on these two sites rely on RSS/feeds. Some sites are still there; the provided link is just defunct)

All Blogs Go To Heaven Part XV (and T-Shirt of The Week)

More bloggity bloggity...

I've been visiting old comic blogs to see what's still alive and where everybody went. Some are still going, some are dead dead dead and some have evolved into a Big Deal.

I've been using Comicblogupdates (CBU) and Update-A-Tron (UAT) to facilitate this project. (Quite a few of the links on these two sites rely on RSS/feeds. Some sites are still there; the provided link is just defunct)

CBU

Dollar Bin Blues - moved to Blogger in 2011 but by early 2012 it ended. Jamie Rosen is still on Twitter occasionally.

Cover Date Chronology - Chrono Nomo II

Comics Comics - I was positive I'd covered this one. But looking back, I guess I hadn't. Weird. It feels like I did. Anyway, this site was a big one for me. Check out this Murderers Row of contributors:
EDITORS
T. Hodler
Dan Nadel
Frank Santoro

CONTRIBUTORS
Dash Shaw
Jason T. Miles
Jeet Heer
Joe McCulloch
Nicole Rudick

About seven years ago, most of this crew took over the Comics Journal online. I will check to see where each of these fine comic folk are now, later.

The Want List - In 2007-08 Foldedsoup blogged and blogged and blogged some more. The blogging started drying up by 2009. Marriage fatally struck this blog down on 1/1/11.

Twilight Guardian - I really enjoyed Troy Hickman's Common Grounds back in 2004. This blog was devoted to his next project, Twilight Guardian. TG came out in 2011. Really not sure what Troy's up to now, though he does have Twitter.



UAT

According To Me - Christopher Priest moved his blog over to Wordpress. Believe it or not, he's still somewhat active on it.

Looking To The Stars - "Starman" has been blogging nearly every day for nearly a decade, but he's now at My Geeky Geeky Ways. Each post (either TV recaps or comic reviews) are lengthy and detailed. So far in this project, I've come across very few blogs with this quantity of content. Good job.

When Fangirls Attack - WFA was a big deal back in the mid-oughts. By August of 2011, it just stopped.

Random Longbox - TomO reviewed random comics from his big ol' comic collection, and blogged about until 2011.

Nedor A Day/Ragmop/Boxburning - These are three separate blogs. All lived briefly and then died in 2011, about the time Facebook started to grow exponentially and consume the world.

Oh yeah, this too...

T-Shirt of The Week

It made me giggle.

Have a weekend.

No one needs to read about my thoughts on Anthony Bourdain, but here they are anyway

Let me try to explain my feelings about the sudden death of Anthony Bourdain.

I spent a decade in the restaurant industry, at all levels - dishwasher, cook, server, bartender, manager. I worked in pubs, chain joints, all-night breakfast troughs, a fancy place or two.

I loved/hated it for all the reasons one does - late nights, tax-free cash, shitty managers, insane owners, random hook-ups, long-term friendships, good food, free booze, access to drugs and parties and places most never see, for it is where the night people roam.

I discovered Kitchen Confidential in 2000. I was in transition from working in pro baseball to something new. Not sure what the "new" was yet, but I was kinda/sorta certain I was going in the right direction.

The business I started in 2000 imploded in September 2001, when my business partner, having lost friends due to the 9/11 attacks, bugged out and vanished. I had to do something to keep the lights on so I returned to the industry which sustained me through my twenties.

I read Kitchen Confidential and immediately recognized the voice. It was me, kinda, though I never dabbled in the hard(er) stuff and hadn't been to the Cape (yet). At the time, I began to work on a new life, an ideal life, and through a series of serendipitous circumstances I may describe at a later date, the ideal began to become a tangible, real thing. And I once again freed myself from living on tips.

I may have pursued my chosen path anyway, and after seeing his new show, A Cook's Tour, I had no fear of moving, of keeping the ground under me fluid and changing. It wasn't just a TV show that pushed me towards parts unknown (yes, that's intentional). It was the action itself. A self-perpetuating machine, seeing it set in motion by dudes like Tony, and realizing I already owned one of my own. I just hadn't really figured out how to turn it on to full power. I was certain I could survive and thrive on my own, with full Ownership of my present.

I was confident, driven, happy, optimistic. I owned It. Still am and do, by the way.

He seemed to own It too, moving from one network to another, improving his situation with each new deal. CNN gave him total control. Ownership.

I don't know Depression. I can't comprehend that kind of darkness. I don't understand the depths of despair one must feel to make that ultimate decision. I haven't a clue as to why one would leave behind that life, really any life, so full of love and adventure and success.

He, as many others have, inspired me to do things that may have never even occurred to me were possible.

I guess he no longer found it possible.

I'll never understand. And I am selfishly mad. And very very sad for those left behind that were infinitely closer to him.

I don't know how to end this, so I'll end it by imploring all 17 of you who'll read this to help those that need it, including yourself.

Just take care of each other, please.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Call 1-800-273-8255

T-shirt of the week

New thing announcement...

I'm going to highlight a t-shirt every week, chosen by it's connection to something I love. Could be food, booze, TV, comics, sports, obscure/defunct corporate logos, anything really.

I was just reading an article about barbecuing pork featuring Chris Lilly, the pitmaster at Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, a Decatur, Alabama institution I have had the honor of visiting a while ago.

I like this shirt

I receive NO compensation for highlighting this product. If this link results in a mad rush to buy apparel from Big Bob, and Big Bob realizes I am the Bringer of Apparel Revenue, and wants to share his new found bounty with your humble reporter, I won't say no. And I'll let you know if he does. Cuz that'd be cool.

All Blogs Go To Heaven Part XIV

Where were we? Been a busy month; apologies to the dozens of you following this project...

Let's get back to it!

As a refresher, I've been visiting old comic blogs to see what's still alive and where everybody went. Some are still going, some are dead dead dead and some have evolved into a Big Deal.

I've been using Comicblogupdates (CBU) and Update-A-Tron (UAT) to facilitate this project. (Quite a few of the links on these two sites rely on RSS/feeds. Some sites are still there; the provided link is just defunct)

CBU

Optimum Wound  - Chris La Tray stopped posting here in 2010, but he can be found at his own joint here. And Twitter of course.

titanstower.com monitor room - No longer monitoring since 2016. However, If you're into Teen Titans lore, lots of it can be found here.

Comics Ate My Brain - Tom Bondurant moved from this blog to the Wordpress platform but hasn't used it since 2015. No matter - he's at CBR (but nothing since March - someone see if he's OK).

Comic Coverage - Hard to tell if Mark Engblom is still updating this site (which has dozens of categories with hundreds of posts). He is on Facebook.

Tom the Dog's You Know What I Like? - From 2004-08, TtD was a very frequent pop culture commentator, and I do remember reading his stuff occasionally. He packed it in early 2009. Not sure what he's doing now; I think Tom the Dog is unlisted in the Googlepages. UPDATE - He's on Tweetster.


UAT

Picture Poetry - Leigh Walton is far too busy with his Top Shelf job to bother with silly blogs.

Michael Zulli Working - Michael only posted a few entries here (last being in 2012). His self-titled website is not in operation. Regardless, I remember Michael from his utterly unique series, Puma Blues. This just in - Aftershock Comics released an anthology last month featuring a collaboration from Michael and someone called Neil Gaiman.

My Blue Sky - Amy Mebberson can found here instead of this blog, which stopped in 2011.

Inky Fingers - Jody MacGregor moved over to Tumblr in 2011, but hasn't posted there either for about a year. Twitter?

Are You A Serious Comic Book Reader? - Brandon Soderberg has been busy since moving away from comic blogging. If I have the right person, he moved to Baltimore from Raleigh, and began a career in independent journalism.

See you soon. I mean it.

All blogs go to heaven Part XIII

CBU

Cerebus: A Diablog - Oh, yes, Cerebus. One of the great loves of my so-called comic reading life. It had its ups and downs, its controversies, it is an Universe unto itself, and should be read by anyone interested in the medium. This issue by issue overview of the series was written by two shining lights of the comic world of the past 20 years, Laura Hudson (now at The Verge) and Leigh Walton (still with Top Shelf). They got to issue #11 before life got in the way and took them from this project. Please come back.

Fortress Of Fortitude - It only exists in the form of a post saying goodbye (plus the archives have been deleted, and the Twitter account mentioned in that post is gone too). That's all, folks.

The Annotated Flash Rebirth - Three posts in three months, then ran away.

Dick Hyacinth's One-stop Hyphen Shop - I think DH is the DB Cooper of the comic blogging world. He (?) was prominent and prolific, then just...gone.

Spoilt! - From 2005-08, this was a popular site for DC story line spoilers. Died in early 2009.


UAT

The Ameliaverse - Jimmy Gownley doesn't use this blog anymore, but he's out there in many places. This is a good article about the challenges of publishing Amelia Rules. Also, check out Kids Love Comics (though not sure if it's been active in 2018).

The Seahorse - Jill Thompson is now at the International School of Comics in Chicago.

The Comic Book - This Nickelodeon Spongeblog was managed by Dave Roman and Chris Duffy. Most recently, Dave's site, Yaytime, Happy Birthday'd Chris. Both are twittering here and here.

The Blog of Gene Luen Yang - Gene is right here (website) and here (Twitter). The blog has been retired, as he moved onto more modern techniques of communication.

Precocious Curmudgeon - Not sure where David Welsh went after ditching the blog and moving to Manga Bookshelf...


As always, I'd love to hear from any of the bloggers mentioned in these posts regarding whereabouts, projects and other intimate personal information.

(* Permanote: I'm using Comicblogupdates (CBU) and Update-A-Tron (UAT) to facilitate this project. Quite a few of the links on these two sites rely on RSS/feeds. Some sites are still there; the provided link is just defunct)

All blogs go to heaven Part XII

CBU

Dad Blogs Comics - No he doesn't. According to CBU, the last post was nine years ago. Blog is gone.

(postmodernbarney.com) - Dorian Wright's blog seems to have ceased. His last pmb message was a Free Comic Book Day '17 overview. He's on Facebook and Twitter but not very publicly. Oh well, that was a solid 10+ years of blogging, regardless.

Views From The Longbox Version 2.0 - After nearly a year of no activity. VFTL announced a new podcast episode yesterday! Michael Bailey is active on Twitter too. Welcome back!

What Were They Thinking?! - Started in the Golden Age of Blogging (2005), but by mid-2011, posts had slowed to a trickle, and nothing since December 2014 with a Flash episode recap. However, Mordechai Luchins is now writing for GeekDad and twittering frequently.

The Comic Addiction: the Podcast - The original site seems to have been hijacked. I think Chris Parton is now at comicaddiction.net and released a new podcast episode last month.


UAT

Stephen DeStefano - Stephen's blog kinda petered out by 2008, and by 2010, he'd moved to the Two-Headed Beast (Facebook & Twitter). Plus Tumblr!

Schulz Library/CCS - Moved to the Center for Comic Studies site here in 2010.

SLG: Better Comics Through Superior Firepower - This was the Slave Labor Graphics blog. Not sure what the status is of that very progressive comics publisher now. You can find Dan Vado around the 'nets (Twitter, etc.) but nothing too recent. Is APE 2018 going to happen? Is Dan still involved? So many questions...

The Roar of Comics - Blogged hot'n'heavy in 2006-07, then done by 2010. Steven Padnick is other places though, like Twitter and Tumblr.

Scott Saavedra's Comic Book Heaven - This blog is dead (I think it was a magazine too) but you can find all things Saavedra at his site. He's also working with TwoMorrows Publishing.

As always, I'd love to hear from any of the bloggers mentioned in these posts regarding whereabouts, projects and other intimate personal information.

(* Permanote: I'm using Comicblogupdates (CBU) and Update-A-Tron (UAT) to facilitate this project. Quite a few of the links on these two sites rely on RSS/feeds. Some sites are still there; the provided link is just defunct)

Save Stan Lee

Read this:
‘Picked Apart by Vultures’: The Last Days of Stan Lee

Then this:
Stan Lee Needs a Hero: Elder Abuse Claims and a Battle Over the Aging Marvel Creator

Then this:
Report: The Stan Lee Saga Is Only Getting Stranger and Sadder

Then this:
Stan Lee Told How to Spell His Name During Silicon Valley Comic Con Signing

Stan Lee needs help from someone with the power and resources to protect his health, finances and reputation. And he needs it immediately.

Do not participate in the exploitation of this man, regardless of what you think of him. Shun those that do, and draw attention to cons and dealers that further the damage already done.

Leave him alone and let him finish out his run on this planet peacefully.

#standbystan

All blogs go to heaven Part XI - Walking Dead edition

CBU

The Walking Dead - The is the official WD blog hosted on the AMC site. For those still watching (I was a loyal watcher, until I wasn't), this is the correct link for all Walking Dead chatter.

For quite a while, the Walking Dead (first the comic, and then the TV show) possessed a large chunk of my pop culture attention. After season 7, it completely evaporated. And I have no idea why. What about you, dear reader? Is the Walking Dead "Universe" still a thing in your world?

Comic By Comic - Bye, comic, bye.

news from me - Mark Evanier has been at this a long time, blogging for nearly 20 years on comics, TV, movies, news, politics and more. He's remarkable consistent, always readable, and definitely a Comic Blog Hall-of-Fame lock. Go here for the latest.

Îles du Désappointement - now a private Wordpress blog.

Myriad Issues - Another invite only Blogger blog.


UAT

SIZE MATTERS - By late 2009, Shawn Hoke had moved away from blogging about mini-comics and on to other things, primarily photography

It's Bloggerin' Time! - This might be the first LiveJournal blog I've found that is still up (though not alive - last post was Sept 2010). Craig Boldman can be found here now, still somewhat active.

Still Pesky... - Martin Pasko hasn't touched this one since 2010. I think he's still editing at DC (?) and working with Cryptozoic (?).

Jabberous - Mark Martin (not the NASCAR driver) blogged here from 2006-2009 then went to Facebook.

malarchie - Old Archie comics gags from 2009-2010. Another LiveJournal mess-around.

(* Permanote: I'm using Comicblogupdates and Update-A-Tron to facilitate this project. Quite a few of the links on these two sites rely on RSS/feeds. Some sites are still there; the provided link is just defunct)

All blogs go to heaven Part X

CBU

Geek Parenting - Well, this is gone but there are plenty of online resources if you are inclined to raise your kids as "geeks" or if you wish to parent them as a "geek", whatever that means....

Occasional Superheroine - Now invite only. I think I remember reading this one sans invite many years ago, but I could be wrong.

MediumAtLarge.net - Um, this is weird. The blog is still up, but it's offering comics for marketing purposes. It's oddly written, as if the writer doesn't have a strong command of the English language. For example:
About Us
We present the company, which creates provide topnotch quality service with an individual approach to each client giving a helping hand in creating unique non-plagiarism comics for different aims: just for fun or as the effective marketing method. Each our work is not just a combination with pictures and words but someone’s solved business problem.

I'm pretty sure this isn't the blog it once was.

Super Girls - This cosplay blog is gone, and there's no way of knowing if they went elsewhere with their stuff. Googling Supergirl cosplay = 5 million results.

Comic Book Interviews - I think this is dead. Digging around a bit, I see the Facebook and Twitter accounts are deleted, but one of the interviewers has a Facebook page last updated in May 2017. Dead links everywhere...


UAT

Great Caesar's Post! - Max Romero is active on Twitter, but GCP, after moving to it's own URL in 2010, kinda drifted off by mid-2016.

Sporadic Sequential - Wrote his own blog obit in 2010.

Scott Dunbier - Scott's blog activity ended in 2010. He's worked as Special Projects Editor at IDW for a decade now and is active on Facetwit.

Mighty World Of Marvel - ran for a couple years in 2008-09.

hueysheridan - 21 posts in 2009. That is all.

(* Permanote: I'm using Comicblogupdates and Update-A-Tron to facilitate this project. Quite a few of the links on these two sites rely on RSS/feeds. Some sites are still there; the provided link is just defunct)

Well, that's the first 100 blogs all accounted for...

All blogs go to heaven Part IX

CBU

Okazu - Okazu is "the world's oldest and most comprehensive blog on lesbian-themed Japanese cartoons, comics and related media". Erica's blog is still going strong, but the link provided on CBU is old - go here for constant updates and posts. Support them on Patreon while yer at it.

Comic Pants - Randy Lander is a well-known voice in comics as a blogger and as a retailer. After the demise of the Fourth Rail (one of the blogs responsible for my return to comics after a decade away), he started Comic Pants, which, alas, is gone too. Randy isn't though - he kicked cancer's ass and can be found on his personal blog Inside Joke Theater.

Journalista - This is where we started our journey. Dirk Deppey can be found here.

immonen illustrations - This Tumblr site seems to be a placeholder for contact info should you need to do that. That's about it.

Photon Torpedoes - All gone.

UAT

Mike Kunkel's Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! Blog - Ok, let's see if we can get the timeline right on this one. Mike is best known for the wonderful Herobear and the Kid series which began in 1999. In 2008, he landed the Billy Batson mini-series gig for DC, and blogged about it at this blog. Meanwhile, he started his own studio, Astonish Factory, and began blogging over there until 2014 when Astonish established it's own online presence. However, no news since 2016. I'll check on him...

Gad, Sir! Comics! - In March 2007, Steve Flanagan started blogging like a crazy person. In March 2008, he stopped. 282 posts in 354 days.

Michael T Gilbert Journal - Famous for Mr. Monster, MTG's blog is gone. He has a Facebook page on which people thank him for "friending" them, but I don't see any recent posts.

one diverse comic book nation - I think this was Loren Javier's blog. Checking on Twitter...UPDATE: Loren's twittering

STUDYGROUP - Zack, Milo and the gang are still studying right here. If you're into independent, alternative and mini-comics, go check it out.

(* Permanote: I'm using Comicblogupdates and Update-A-Tron to facilitate this project. Quite a few of the links on these two sites rely on RSS/feeds. Some sites are still there; the provided link is just defunct)

Cool Links for 3/30 including Python, booze and pie

Howdy!

Let's kick this off with the happiest news of the week:

Monty Python is coming to Netflix! All of it! Every episode of Flying Circus, all the movies and more. Leah Schnelbach wrote a lovely piece called The Gospel According to Monty Python. Read it - this is your assignment for the commute home.

The American Distilling Institute announced the winners of this years Best in Class Awards. The entire list can be found here. As with craft beer, these folks work hard to produce some fine hooch, and some of them are probably around the corner from you. Support 'em and spread the word.

Trying to figure what the weekend soundtrack's going to be? This might help - it's just a map of all pop music genres since 1880. That's 1880.

I enjoyed this interview with Neil Young.

FYI - I like pie. I prefer it to cake. I want every pie listed here.

Ok, let's see...Python, booze, tunes, pie, iconoclast...that should do it for now. Bye. Have a tasty weekend!

All blogs go to heaven Part VIII

CBU
The Fractal Hall Journal - all gone now.

The Thom Zahler Weblog - Formerly a Wordpress site and now on Squarespace. Thom's probably best known for Love and Capes and is still very active. Start here.

Renderwrx Productions - Website is gone, and no posts on Facebook for over four years. I guess that's it, unless I hear otherwise...

Cover Date Chronology - Chrono nomo.

The Hero Foundry's MySpace Blog - Forget the MySpace thing, obvs. There is a Hero Foundry FB page, but it's all Twitch & Overwatch related. Don't care at all, even if it is the same people from the old blog.


UAT
The Greatest Cartoonist Of All Time! - Mr. Kyle Baker has resumed blogging at this site this month! Welcome back, Kyle!

Loose Cruse - This site opens the door to Howard's world, which was most recently updated in February. Check it out.

The Time Warp Times - Time's up.

Los Monitos de Ramos - Humberto Ramos is using social media now, primarily Twitter and Instagram.

Inkstuds - This long-running podcast site is full of interviews with the greatest names in Indy and Underground comics; the most recent coming in January.

Cool Links tomorrow? We'll see...

All blogs go to heaven Part VII

I'm back! Let's go...

CBU

Standard Attrition - Big-time Marvel guy Jason Aaron has a Blogspot site (though not updated so much) and is active on Twitter, among others.

Comics on Comics - moved over to Facebook with Soundcloud and YouTube channels as well. Multi-media-tasking!

GutterGeek 2.0 - Formerly a Comics Journal blog, Jared Gardner can be found primarily on Twitter, and does have a (rarely updated) site.

Noetic Concordance - Once upon a time, Vaklam (Brian Cooksey?) ran this and six other blogs. All dormant since 2010. I think that's him on Twitter...

CONSPIRE! - Cartoonist Conspiracy is still posting consistently since 2005. Good for them!

UAT

Society For The Advancement of Dave - Dave is no longer being advanced by society.

Steve Rude's MySpace Blog - The Dude has his own page & blog here. (Man, I loved Nexus!) If you see a MySpace blog pop up here, assume oblivion. MySpace seems to be devoted to music primarily now. I never used or visited MySpace at any time ever, so I really don't know the utility or the history of the platform. 

LEAGUE OF MELBOTIS - So League of Melbotis became just Melbotis, which led to Signal Watch. And Signal Watch is still going! Ryan Stearns is keeping the flame alive by posting nearly every day. Support this guy.

Comic Book Issues - Amanda posted for a couple years, and then quit the gig in 2012.

Masked Mayhem - It just kinda ran outta gas in November, I guess.

(* Permanote: I'm using Comicblogupdates and Update-A-Tron to facilitate this project. Quite a few of the links on these two sites rely on RSS/feeds. Some sites are still there; the provided link is just defunct)

Welcome to ZCB, new people!

A surge in readership over the past week compels me to say "Hi!" to all you newbies. Come on in, have a seat, pour yourself a strong one. Luncheon will be served on the lenai after the floor show.

Zombie Cat Bacon is a lot of things. A blog, yes, but also a place where we can cut through the white noise of the internet and read about the interesting, fun or otherwise nifty world around us. ZCB uses Facebook and Twitter, but over time, most of the ZCB content will be found here (here's why). So subscribe today. Our operators are standing by.

Lately, ZCB has been doing a run through a series of old comic book blogs. While the content of these blogs may not interest (most of) you, it has been interesting to see the results so far. A lot have just died as the writer has lost momentum or, as has happened to ZCB occasionally, life gets in the way. Many have moved to platforms such as Facebook/Twitter, others have gone podcast only. A few have gone "pro"; either absorbed by larger entities that can fund such efforts or become so popular that the blog has become an online commercial enterprise unto itself (this is rare). The massive adoption of platforms has changed the internet profoundly, and in many ways, not for the better.

At least weekly, Cool Links will be shared via this blog. These posts seem to be the popular kids in the room, and there's always good compelling stuff to share and read. Never politics, never serious, always Cool. Like Fonzie Cool.

So stick around, and scroll through old posts if you wish, either here or on Zuck's teetering colossus.

Have a great weekend!

All blogs go to heaven Part VI

The ABGTH project continues...

CBU

Comics Cavern - Once a Tumblr site, then a Twitter feed, perhaps also a Buzzfeed page. Silent since 2012.

Blog @ MarkWaid.com - Mr. Waid can easily be found in multiple venues, primarily at Thrillbent (I think - it's been a couple years). Markwaid.com was hacked(?) in 2013, and abandoned(?).

Living Between Wednesdays - Now a regular podcast.

The Legion of Substitute Podcasters - Now a regular podcast, as well. I'm starting to see a trend.

Has Boobs, Reads Comics - Jill Pantozzi is just super and can be found at The Nerdy Bird.

UAT

Loose Pages - A. David Lewis is a comics writer and scholar, and Loose Pages as been absorbed into his extensive site, Caption Box.

Sean Phillips - The Blogger site is gone, but no worries, Sean is right over here.

Fred Hembeck - Hembeck.com hasn't been updated for over 10 years (and the Myspace page is gone), however Fred's a Facebook guy, and is regularly posting there.

Comic Book Sales Stats - Came rushing out of the gate in 2014 with a ton of work on comic sales data, then just faded away within 18 months.

A Comic A Day... - KaraokeFanboy was everywhere for a while, and most of those platforms are still online but not updated. I think this is his latest iteration. I'll look into it. *Note from Russ:

"Hi, Mike,

Thanks for inquiring!  AmazingArizonaComics.com is my most current comic blog, though it hasn't been updated much in recent months, either.  I've had too many events IRL!  I do update my appearances list there as often as I can, so please reference it as my prime destination.

I may revisit KaraokeFanboy Press in the near future; I'll let you know if and when new content goes up.

I appreciate your asking!  If you need any more info, please let me know."

Thanks, Russ!

(* Permanote: I'm using Comicblogupdates and Update-A-Tron to facilitate this project. Quite a few of the links on these two sites rely on RSS/feeds. Some sites are still there; the provided link is just defunct)

Heading out for a trade show for the rest of the week - see you Monday with ABGTH and Cool Links!

All blogs go to heaven Part V, and, yes, Cool Links for Today

Cool Links to follow these important announcements...

CBU

Rokk's Comic Book Revolution - Now found here, there's a podcast, with a couple blogs, one of which is fairly recent. They're still Rokkin' with a podcast posted yesterday.

IGN Comics - Not really a blog (though I think the Beat was hosted here a while ago), its'...well, I'll let them brag tell you: "We are the leading Internet media company focused on the video game and entertainment enthusiast markets." There is a comics news/reviews section.

The Sock Drawer - While trying to find what happened to this one, all I can tell you is there a lot of e-commerce sites for socks.

The Comics Reporter - This is a comics Mount Rushmore site. Tom Spurgeon has been a leader of spreading the gospel of comics for decades and his Comics Reporter site is a daily stop. In fact, it's my home page.

Prism Comics - Prism Comics is the leading non-profit, all-volunteer organization supporting  LGBTQIA-friendly comic books, comics professionals, readers and educators. However, activity seems to be sporadic, at least on the site. Plenty o'Twittering, though.


UAT

Motime Like the Present - Motime went away in 2012. I hate to say it, but most of the time, this one was waaaay over my head. And I'm smart.

Pop - This was Jeffrey Klaehn's blog, and it's gone now. He can be found as editor and/or writer of many publications, including this one.

Arflovers [Craig Yoe] - Craig's blog is long gone but he's published many nifty comic publications - check them out here.

Aparofan's World Of Comics - Mike Middleton's site is dead, but you can find him (and Jim Aparo-related stuff) here.

Those Fabuleous Fifties - Yes, that's how it's spelled, and Ger Apeldoorn posts vintage comic material nearly every day. Well worth a visit.

(* Permanote: I'm using Comicblogupdates and Update-A-Tron to facilitate this project. Quite a few of the links on these two sites rely on RSS/feeds. Some sites are still there; the link is just defunct)


Ok, here's some stuff...

I don't usually get into ad campaigns, but when I do, they're usually as good as this:

Happy 70th Birthday, Bobby Orr!

My god, I'm so old

This is the Most Important Thing Ever:

THERE'S A BACON AND BEER FESTIVAL HITTING CITIES ALL OVER THE US

And, lastly for today, the fine folks over at Kerrang! have scientifically determined the best metal band in each state. Start the arguments here.

More tomorrow!

All blogs go to heaven Part IV

OK, I get it. You folks aren't into this project. My readership has dropped by 50% since I started the dead blogs project. You want Cool Links? Fine. Cool Links will be back ALTERNATING with ABGTH starting tomorrow.

I like digging through digital graveyards. I find it interesting to see the remains of the wonders of the pre-Facebook world. So I'm gonna keep going until I get bored. So there.

Today's 10 contestants:

CBU

COMIXTALK - Xaviar posted in Jan of '16 regarding his three year Comixtalk absence, and now can be found over at Altertainment. Comixtalk seems to be over now.

Doomsday Thingy - Dead Thingy

Always Bet on Bahlactus™ - Someone from China(?) now owns this blog. I Google-translated from Chinese(?) and I think a bot is having fun with it. Latest post headline? "The idea was not!" I kinda like that.

comiXology - Eaten by Galactus Amazon a few years ago, comiXology is now e-commerce only.

cliffchiang.com - Paper Girls is keeping Cliff busy, and that's fine by me. No posts since 2014.

Again With the Comics - Blogger redirects to AWTC's own URL, but nothing to be found there.


UAT

The Aquaman Shrine - Nah, nothing. Just a placeholder page now.

Jim Salicrup’s Addicted to Comics - Jim is now EIC at Papercutz, but he's not involved in the blog there. Probably busy making great graphic novels for kids. And this blog is gone anyway.

Portrait of the Artist - Randy is still going strong! That's good to see.

News and Views by Chris Barat - Damn. Chris passed away three years ago. RIP.

Pensive Mischief - Stuart Moore has been working on Deadpool comics lately, among other things. He's been away from PM for a couple years, working on Botfriend as well.

(* Permanote: I'm using Comicblogupdates and Update-A-Tron to facilitate this project. Quite a few of the links on these two sites rely on RSS/feeds. Some sites are still there; the link is just defunct)

See you with some Cool Links tomorrow. And MORE DEAD BLOGS.

All blogs go to heaven Part III

More bloggy updates...

CBU

SuperHeroHype.com - Long since graduated to full fledged website with nearly 200K followers on Facebook. Part of the Crave Online family, which also owns Sherdog, a leading MMA site.

Comics212 - Chris Butcher's Wordpress blog is still alive, but perhaps Chris has moved to other platforms as the only recent work is three posts from 2017. Comics212 was a regular stop for me a decade ago.

Blog von Brad Meltzer - You didn't really think this Myspace page would still be around, did you?

Super Friends of Dorothy - Nope

Polite Dissent - "Error establishing a database connection" - a temporary problem?

UAT
Drawn! The Illustration and Cartooning Blog - John Martz shut it down in 2013. You can find John at Tumblr - this post is a nice explainer for, what I'm guessing, is the reason for most of these blog deaths.

Sariling Atin Komiks [Romeo Tanghal] - There never really was a ton of activity on Romeo's blog. His website is here.

JetLagIdeas - Marco was blogging briefly between 2010-2013. That is all.

SEQUENTIAL - Sequential has reeaaallly tailed off in output over the past couple years. 10 years ago, this was also a regular stop for me.

Shadowhawk's Shade - Shadowhawk is very active on Twitter but the blog posts stopped in 2014.

(* Permanote: I'm using Comicblogupdates and Update-A-Tron to facilitate this project. Quite a few of the links on these two sites rely on RSS/feeds. Some sites are still there; the link is just defunct)

30 blogs down, a gazillion-30 to go...

See you Monday!

All blogs go to heaven Part II

Continuing on from yesterday...

As I said yesterday, I'm using Comicblogupdates and Update-A-Tron to facilitate this project
(Note: a lot of the links on these two sites rely on RSS/feeds. Some sites are still there; the link is just defunct)

CBU

Fanboy@50 - @dead

Left Turn Only - not a trace of it to be found

WildStorm: The Bleed - The Wildstorm comics blog has been eaten and completely digested by DC. Nothing is archived at the DC site either.

Vertigo: Graphic Content - A spelling error ruins this CBU link. The proper link is here, and the latest post is a recap of NYCC '12. So, yeah...

4thletter! - Now this one I remember well. Though the blog ended in 2014, David Brothers had a great crew, and is still active in other places. Go here for a rundown on DB's activity, and check this out too.

UAT

JH Williams III - One of the finest artists working in the field, his blog is still active but infrequent. Visit occasionally if only to see some very pretty pictures. By the way, if anyone has five large lying around, you can buy me this now.

Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict - The blog seems to be gone, but there is a Facebook page. However, the latest post from Sept '17 said "something's coming!". I'll reach out...

The Pulphaus Publitorium - "This page has been reserved for future use". I think this was Brandon Schatz' blog. If so, he can be found at the Beat and Twitter. UPDATE - yes, this was/is Brandon's thingy.

Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center - This is the proper link, and there are four blogs to be found onsite, all of which have been updated in the past year

Studio Foglio [Kaja and Phil Foglio] - Girl Genius is still an ongoing and they ran a very successful Kickstarter last year. This is where you want to go for everything Foglio-related.

20 blogs down, a gazillion to go...

See you tomorrow!

Old comics blogs never die, they...well, actually they do, mostly

While looking for something in my bookmarks (remember those?), I found a link to Dirk Deppey's final post for Journalista on the Comics Journal website. As I re-read it, I started reminiscing about those glorious days of yore, when comics blogs roamed the earth, and I could spend hours just reading commentary, reviews, essays and other nonsense, instead of, you know, reading comics (and books and magazines and watching movies and TV).

I also wondered if any of those blogs were still functioning. I am actually in the process of weaning myself off Facebook and returning to email newsletters and visiting sites directly. (It's all an attempt to do my part in helping support those that actually create stuff. In your face, Facebook!). A few years ago, I figured out a way to use Facebook as a newsreader, and receive everything from my "Likes" (not including friends) in chronological order. As of February, I had nearly 400 different sources in my custom feed, and still, I missed posts just by not being on Facebook 24 hours a day. I have a life, you know.

Tangent: I am a compulsive reader. I hate to miss things written about things I like, or might like. At first Facebook seemed to be the answer to my obsessive need to be constantly fed information in real time, and it still is. There is one major problem with this: Facebook keeps you on Facebook. When you click a link to read an article about, say, the resurgence of pinball or the new trend of axe throwing bars, the writer and originating website is not "credited" with the visit. Facebook is. Therefore advertising dollars stay with Facebook, and the writer opens another package of ramen.

At the same time, I began to really hate Yahoo as an email service, for reasons I can't explain, to be honest. Yes, I know, Yahoo...haha etc. I got the email back in the 90's and stuck with it due to laziness mainly. So I started moving everything over to Gmail. I use Chrome, I have a Chromebook, others I work with use Docs blah blah.

So, in an effort to streamline my digital life, I am returning to reading things online in their original state (plus books. Always books. Paper ones.) I am in the process of signing up for email newsletters from most of those 400 sources (about 95% of them offer a newsletter service). Already I'm seeing a difference - I am getting all the content I can eat plus I'm eating it at their house. Win-win, I think.

My relationship with comics has been somewhat estranged over the past five years. I sold my collection, I stopped my pull list at my LCS, and have focused buying trades online, almost exclusively. Other than visiting Heidi, Tom and Mike, I haven't been immersed in comics culture in quite a while. Back to my original point, there were many blogs that were an absolute delight to read, and I miss them now. So let's go back to a more innocent time, when the information superhighway was a random chaotic place where only AOL and their insidious chatrooms seemed to be the biggest threat.

For this exercise, I'll use Comicblogupdates and Update-A-Tron as my online sherpas, and I'll start at the bottom of these lists. That's the place to find the bones.

(Note: a lot of the links on these two sites rely on RSS/feeds. Some sites are still there; the link is just defunct)

CBU:

Neurotic Ninja - dead and gone

Tales from the Longbox - Chris Mosby posted a note about Peter David about a year ago, but really lost momentum a couple of years before that. I've contacted him regarding the status of TFTLb.

JASON MICHELITCH - "Permission denied - This blog is open to invited readers only" Well, then, there's that.

Half Hour Wasted and The Legion of Dudes - now a podcast. A blog link exists but really nothing bloggy since 2015

AiT/Planet Lar: Making Comics Better - now known as Spectacularry; but other than 5 posts from 1/1/15, dormant since 2013.

UAT:

Product Management Meets Pop Culture - Christopher Cummings is still there on a semi-monthly, but not all posts are about comics. Some are about product management. I guess that makes sense actually.

Chuck Dixon - Hmm...it appears as though someone has hijacked Chuck's site. There's still a Dixonverse post pinned at the top, but unless you're into baseball stadiums, reputation management or water heaters, go elsewhere.

Broken Glass Makes Me Laugh - another permission denied/invite only situation

Marv Wolfman - Marv moved over to Facebook about seven years ago and is active there (the FB link on his site is out of date)

Paul Gravett - still going strong, both on his site and via FB/Twitter

That's all for today. Stay tuned for more hot dead blog action!

Cool links for 3/1/18

It's March already?!

OK, that means Winter is on it's last legs for the year (I think I may have just accidentally conjured a blizzard/ice storm/slush fest). I'm ready to be warm again.

And as it gets warmer, I begin to think of enjoying a nice crisp cold hard cider. It's the Ultimate Lawnmower Beer (so to speak). Wanna check out the fast-growing world of cider? Here's some good work done by Eric West at his site CiderGuide - I believe it to be a fairly comprehensive listing of every cider fest in North America.

Does anyone know of a well-detailed, chronological, Marvel Comics reading order, starting with Fantastic Four #1? I'm thinking of starting a new reading project...

Next up for me on Netflix:

The thing to buy today - these t-shirts depicting fictional bars from your favorite shows support Feeding America and local food banks:

While you're spending your hard-earned bucks on a worthy cause, why not give the bees a hand by supporting one of these local apiaries. Seriously, we need those little guys to get the job done and keep our overall ecosystem working right.

The weekend's almost here. Enjoy!