John Ostrander needs your help

From Comics Should Be Good:

I wanted to wait until now to mention it, so no one would forget between the time this was first announced and this weekend, when the action actually is.

On Saturday night at the Chicago Comic Con, there is going to be a special auction to raise money to help comic book writer John Ostrander pay for some badly needed (and expensive) eye surgery he recently had (that his insurance would not cover).

Check out Comix4Sight to get more details on how you can chip in to help one of comic’s great writers!

There’s an amazing gallery there of various pieces which are being auctioned off, and there’s details on how you can contribute some cash to Mr. Ostrander!

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting John (and his late wife, Kim Yale) on a few separate occasions, and he is probably the nicest person I’ve met in the entire comic book industry. Combine that with a writing portfolio that is mediocre at worst, and contains some great works, such as Suicide Squad, GrimJack, and Spectre.

So, if you can afford it, please help Mr. Ostrander.

Why I didn’t buy ‘Wednesday Comics’

1. It’s only 16 pages.
2. It’s $3.99/week.
3. It’s odd-sized.
4. It’s $3.99/week.
5. It’s a collection of 16 stories, and you know some of them are going to be crap.
6. It’s $3.99/week.

Yeah, no thanks, DC. Tell you what, collect the stories that are actually worth a damn into a TPB or (this might sound crazy) a regular freaking comic book, and I might pick some of them up.  In the current format — no way in hell.

Things are gonna change around here

So I decided to take an honest look at this site, and the Pull List + Quick Reviews thing is about as unique as NBC’s sitcom line-up.  Initially, this site was supposed to be a comic book homage to Mr. Cranky, but I got lazy.

Anyway, I’m going to try and go back to the original idea.  Quick Reviews are essentially gone, and I’m going to find something to trample each and every week, even if all I bought were Brubaker and Morrison books.

Secret Invasion #8 is in the works.  Stay tuned.

So, are any of you interested in my Pull Lists, or can I drop those, too?

Considering changes to this blog

I’m worried that my simplistic approach to this blog is what’s keeping my traffic from increasing.  If you’d like to help make Crosspatch a better comics blog, then please voice your opinion in the poll below.  Feel free to leave any additional suggestions or feedback in the comments.

(For any freshmen U.S. Senators, sorry, but there’s no “Present” option.)

R.I.P. Michael Turner [1971-2008]

In case you hadn’t heard, Michael Turner, creator of Fathom, founder of Aspen Comics, and artist on a whole slew of comic books, lost his battle with cancer this past Saturday.

Admittedly, I was never much of a fan of his work, but it’s always sad to see someone that young succumb to an illness, especially considering he’s only two years older than me.

My condolences go out to his family and loved ones.

Links of note:

• Comic Book Resources announcement
• Michael Turner Wikipedia entry