Sometimes when a topic is too big for just one of us, we take two and make a thing go write, and form the mystical and elusive Double Team!
This time around, we’re celebrating a very special occasion: our third anniversary!
This is all your fault.
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Thank You, Internet
by Brandon Schat [Ed. Note: Yes, in maybe the C!TBiest thing ever, Brandon misspelled his own name and I am mocking him for it.]
And here I thought we would have cratered this about two years and fifty weeks ago.
Today marks the third anniversary of Comics! The Blog, our site dedicated to things we enjoy and stuff that amuses us. As I seem to remark every year on this occasion, I’m surprised we’ve lasted this long. A lot of it comes down to having another person constantly poking and prodding for content. I’ll readily admit that without James, this site would have fallen into disrepair long ago as my attention would flit away from other project to other project before the inevitable Final Post On Every Blog Ever: the one that apologizes for the lack of recent content, with the promise of more in the future.
Over the past three years, James and I have somehow managed to trick a lot of people into reading our stuff. Every time I read one of his articles, I can see why. As for my own stuff… well, I’m still working on that. One day, I might end up being just as good as he is at dissecting media, but until then, I am quite content with being “pretty okay”, and I guess all of you are too. The fact that so many people actually read our site (and the fact that the odd comic creator seems to take notice of our ramblings) always fills me with awe and dread. We don’t deserve the attention, but we’ll gladly accept it and maybe be dicks about it. Thank you so much.
I would be remiss if I neglected to mention my lovely girlfriend Danica who is almost the third full contributor to this site. She’s the one who I workshop ideas with and, time permitting, she’s the one who proofs my articles before they head out into the world. (Note: if you see any grammatical errors in any of my pieces, it’s because I posted without her keen eyes.) Having James and Danica in my life means I have two amazing influences who help me stay on track and write better. Without them, I’d be fairly worthless as a writer. I don’t know what I’d do without you.
And as always: thank you, thank you, thank you for reading the site. While we often pretend like it doesn’t matter, it feels good to hit the stats section of the site every now and then and bask in the glow of some pretty decent numbers. While we would probably keep doing this without a readership, it’s always nice to know that our words are finding a home somewhere out there. Hopefully we keep you amused enough to continue reading.
Until next year…
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You’re Welcome, Internet
By James Leask I, Esq.
Let me say this outright: I am going to say thank you a lot less than Brandon did.
Let me say also this: I am absolutely shocked that C!TB has made it three years. This is longer than I wrote for Comixtreme/cxPulp, the first place Brandon and I wrote together. It’s longer than I wrote for The Gateway, when I wasn’t writing anywhere and a girlfriend was the Arts & Entertainment editor there and needed content. It’s longer than I wrote for OneAdamTwelve, a music site that invited me to write for them after I shittalked them on my own site without realizing that they could totally monitor that kind of stuff. I would forget this by the time I shittalked the AV Club on this very site.
If you take anything from this piece, let it be that when I was 17 a stranger rewarded me for being a jerk by stroking my ego and I was ruined forever.
But yeah, I’m surprised we’ve made it this long and, Brandon’s increasing number of extracurricular podcast dalliances that I turn an Early Seasons Betty Draper Blind Eye to aside, he’s a big part of that. Having each other to ask us, “Seriously, where is that Best of the Week post already, you dick?” keeps us writing. And, since Brandon’s taste and input are those I value the most, he’s the audience I’m writing for. He knows comics better than I do, and having him to tell me I’m onto something or full of it is an invaluable resource. It’s no secret that out of the two of us, he’s the less impulsive one. It’s also no secret that he’s the one with the more reasonable ego, and so seeing him get some well-deserved attention for his great pieces on social issues in the comics industry, as well as for being published on ComicsAlliance, has been really wonderful to see. I worry that I demand too much attention, and I want to make sure Brandon gets all he’s deserved for keeping this site going and for writing some really insightful pieces. I couldn’t ask for a better partner and ugh I am already feeling dirty at having to compliment Brandon on one of his mandated two days per year, is this piece over yet?
C!TB has allowed us to meet and learn from a lot of awesome people in the industry. Through it, I’ve made friendships I’ll treasure for my lifetime. I think it’s helped me grow as a writer and to take more chances. My most personal writing has gone up on this site; the positive response has encouraged me to be more open about myself and keep writing creative nonfiction. Thanks for indulging me and for all the feedback.
Every year, we’ve tried to grow the site in a new way, and we’ve already been talking about what the next step for us is. Brandon has an ambitious idea that will take a lot of work. My plan to produce life-sized cardboard standees of me that tell people they’re objectively wrong is, frankly, easier to accomplish, but I think we’ll go with his idea and keep trying to push each other to new and better things.
You can all stop hiding your disappointment.
Here’s to three more, buddy. AND ONLY THREE?!
