-A belated "so this happened" is in order: Comics of the Weak has moved over to the Comics Journal, where it will appear on a weekly basis every Friday morning. The first four are up now.
It's very, very tempting to write a self-congratulatory bit of faux history for COTW, but the truth is that it was a tossed off idea that became this blog's institution. It was never designed to get me a gig writing for money, or to be thrust into an antagonistic relationship with the comics industry, and yet, it did both. It took over this blog's tone a long time ago, and it probably comes as no surprise to our 15 or so longtime readers that I was nearing exhaustion with it in the last year or so. The Journal's offer came along at the exact moment--barely 24 hours--after Nina and I had agreed that this site was in need of some kind of basic overhaul, if only because the two of us were finding the experience stagnant.
Moving forward, the plan is for TFO to update on a somewhat more consistent basis--three times a week is the current plan--and the random nature will be making a welcome return. That doesn't mean that there won't be comics reviews on a regular basis! Nina has a lot to say, and I'm as excited to read that as I hope you are, but for the time being, COTW's time on the Factual is at an end. I'm really stoked for this blog's next phase, and I'm forever grateful to those of you who have stuck it out with me. It's because of you that I've gotten the chance to write and interact with some of my own personal heroes. Thank you so, so much.
POSSIBLE EXIT STRATEGIES
-Nina's review of Supurbia is up now, you can find that by scrolling down or clicking this link. I can count on one hand (the number is three) the amount of times I couldn't finish reading a comic that Nina ended up writing about, and Supurbia--which is such a piece of shit that I guessed it was written by some bargain basement celebrity even before finding out that was actually the case--is lucky number four.
-In the land of things that don't suck, you'll find My Friend Dahmer. Derf's hybrid of autobiography and straight-up reportage is one of the best comics I've read in a long time, and the first non-fiction one that I've been excited about on a visceral level since Guy Delisle's Pyongyang. There were a ton of people blowing smoke about that mediocre Green River Killer last year--I really hope that all of that ensuing disappointment won't turn people off from reading Derf's work, which is what a legit grown-up comic is supposed to read like.
-Over at The Comics Journal, you can find the first four Comics of the Weak's (1, 2, 3, 4), two of which feature work from Nate Bulmer and Abhay Khosla. Abhay needs little introduction--he's the funniest person writing about comics--but in case you've yet to read his stuff, you can find a great selection over at his Twist Street tumblr, and, of course, The Savage Critics. Nate Bulmer's comics are a recent find for me, part of the blessings I've run into since I stopped being such a close-minded prick about webcomics. He's very, very funny, and I'm glad he agreed to join the squad.
-That's it for now. There's a great article about Camus versus Sartre in the New Yorker, and I totally recognize and celebrate how cliched and ridiculous that statement sounds.
Congrats on the new gig Tucker! I've been enjoying your column at TCG - the move definitely seems to have reinvigorated you.
Posted by: Sandy | 2012.04.06 at 20:01
Nice job getting a writing job with the mo-nay to continue being hilarious. I still often curse your name for being such a good writer. Seriously, yo mama.
Posted by: David Bitterbaum | 2012.04.07 at 02:36
Guess I better bookmark the new site then.
Not sure what took comics websites so long to realize that yours are about the only reliable reviews when it comes to most modern comics. I tried checking other review sites, and they all just give everything an 8, or 4 stars, or whatever, no matter how much of the same old shit it might be (can't trust any site that gives the new Tony Daniels Detective Comics a passing grade).
Posted by: Blorg Fleebo | 2012.04.07 at 02:53
I think it's hilarious that there was a guy on one of the new TCJ CotWs that was complaining that your column is "giving too much attention to mainstream comics".
Keep it up, Tucker.
Posted by: Lugh | 2012.04.07 at 11:28
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSnvo5xCaOU
this is how happy this news makes me
also more music coverage! as weird as it sounds I credit the Factual Opinion with reigniting my love of hip hop after like a five year hiatus where I listened to truly terrible music
Posted by: hugh s | 2012.04.07 at 11:51
Will you still be updating Comics of the Weak here on occasion as well?
Posted by: Red Scharlach | 2012.04.09 at 10:27
Congrats! Very excited to see what changes are coming for TFO, as well.
Will you be bringing back "Television of the Weak"? That one was great, I thought.
Posted by: Jacob N. | 2012.04.11 at 20:57
Red, it'll be exclusive to TCJ for the time being, although I do have plans for more comics content here. It is unlikely to be explicitly in that style though--more like some of the older graphic novel reviews, as well as more team-ups.
Jacob: Television coverage--there's been movement on that front recently! I gotta be honest though, I don't know how close to that we actually are. I'd love to get back to it myself, I'm just limited on time.
And to the rest of ya'll--seriously, it means a lot. Thank you.
Posted by: tucker stone | 2012.04.11 at 21:22