I went online, and all of the mainstream review sites were lauding the release of this series and lavishly praising Johns and Flashpoint both even though the event was only slightly above a mere marketing tool and had almost no value as a work of art; a slap in the face to the great creators of the past that we all know and love. This was when it dawned on me that something needed to be done. The Comics Industry is very passionate, but it is also a very inclusive; an almost incestuous place. Comic conventions make our heroes accessible, but those on the inside almost always give praise to industry heavy weights no matter what they write because they want to be a part of the club and sit at the cool kids table. This current mindset is ruining one of America’s last, great original art forms. I felt it was my civic duty to take action. I wanted to start with a place where the speech was completely free, consequences be damned. The next day I wrote a semi-scathing review of the Flashpoint series, but also gave credit where credit was due. It did have some good moments.
Comics are a business. I get that. Mega events sell books. But why does the quality have to be so low on most of the titles that are released by the two biggest companies in the business? If we can find a way to get the droll mediocrity out of comic books more people would read. At the end of the day people would start buying more comics because companies are releasing a product that is actually good. Everyone wins. There is no limit to the power of words and pictures.
Why are there five guys writing six titles a month at the big two? It makes no sense at all. There is so much untapped talent out there that should be utilized, but instead the people that are anointed by corporate comics are being spread way too thin. Because of this they are releasing some very average or (in most cases) really sub-par books. The movies and shows have helped increase exposure, but if companies use them to get people into the store, get them to buy a comic, make them pay four dollars, and then have them read something that is a complete waste of time and money, chances are they may never pick up a comic book ever again. Marvel or DC got their four dollars, but potentially forfeited thousands in the process through their short sightedness.
The Hammond Comics Blog was founded because of a terrible mega event that represents everything that I hate about mainstream comics. It has evolved into a place that reviews anything interesting, or proudly takes complete carte blanche in telling you everything that is not. We try to put the spotlight on talented writers and artists that are not getting their day in the sun. We also interview creators whenever we can, especially if they are currently being undervalued in the industry. All of that being said, comics are currently experiencing a great renaissance, and creator owned, content driven books are being released in droves. It’s a great time to be a fan of comic books.
After initially creating the site I remembered an old friend who I met through a man called Saint Swatner. This misanthrope was aptly named, Madman. They had worked together on a cheese truck with Charlie the Cheese Man, traveling around the country selling fried cheese (all true). Charlie was a minor character in all of the Ken Kesey madness going on back in the day, and both of them were writers who were heavily influenced by The Beat Generation. I remembered that Madman was a lifelong comic fan and contacted him about writing for my new blog. That’s when the site really started to take off. We were very new to the process and made some mistakes initially (see our earliest reviews in the archives, you’ll know immediately what I am talking about), but we soldiered through and have grown to become the most innovative comic related website on the internet.
After that we picked up Will Dubbeld next. Will brought a new level of sophistication to what we do as a site, and challenged us both to become better writers through his reviews and rants alike. His advance review of Ravine by Ron Marz is the definitive review of that book in the world, (archives), and I could not be more proud to have him on the team. Madman continued to innovate. I continued to learn from them both, and all three of us continued to write and gain knowledge about comics through our interactions with each other and our readers.
Recently we added our fourth and final site owner, Art Bee. Uncle Blackie is a huge fan of comics, loves to write and talk about them, and has a technological understanding of website logistics that eclipses all three other writers combined. We now have every piece that we need to continue spreading our message about the power of sequential art, and have all taken a vow to protect the integrity of the medium at all costs. One time Dubbeld fell on an issue of Age of Ultron that was about to explode and saved all of our lives, and for that we are all eternally grateful.
Other writers have and will continue to contribute content to the HCB, but the four of us, we are The Hammond Comics Blog. Thank you for reading.
William R. Davis Jr.
Founder
The Hammond Comics Blog
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