Big changes coming at The Comics Journal — if the rumors are true, we’re going to see an amalgamation of that fine group blog ComicsComics and the venerable but these days somewhat faltering beast. The site has long needed an overhaul, both in terms of design and editorial direction, so I’m looking forward to what’s next, even if it may mean a consolidation of two sites that ideally would continue each on their own. There are precious few comics resources online of ComicsComics’ quality, so it’ll be somewhat sad to see it subsumed, even if it means a much better Comics Journal.
Anyway, one upshot of all this is that the subdomains at TCJ.com, the recently-launched Panelists group blog and The Hooded Utilitarian, to which I’ve been a contributor for a while now, are being cut loose. Apparently they don’t fit in the new scheme, which probably makes sense. Thankfully, they will both continue on their own at freshly acquired urls, thepanelists.org and hoodedutilitarian.com.
Speaking as a contributor both to TCJ and HU, I think this is basically a positive development: from having delivered something like a third of the content at TCJ, HU is now free to evolve on its own, while the new Comics Journal will be able to develop its new direction without the distraction of having this eclectically evil twin intruding (Sean Collins’ dubbing it “The Reverse Comics Journal” is perhaps my favourite snub of our contentious little blog so far!).
So, all in all good news, even if there were bumps along the way. I’m looking forward to reading and hopefully contributing to the new, improved Journal, as well as to finally seeing the long-awaited print issue #301, which looks like it’s going to be pretty damn great.
Above: Dan Nadel, publisher at PictureBox and helmsman at ComicsComics… and now TCJ?