Wanted: your feedback!

Glenn Hauman

Glenn is VP of Production at ComicMix. He has written Star Trek and X-Men stories and worked for DC Comics, Simon & Schuster, Random House, arrogant/MGMS and Apple Comics. He's also what happens when a Young Turk of publishing gets old.

You may also like...

30 Responses

  1. Lee Houston, Junior says:

    I really like the new format thus far.In regards to the comics section, I freely admit that I am still trying to get into EZ Street and Black Ice while for better or worse Fishhead just isn't my cup of tea.But are these comics exclusively just to Comicmix, or is there a publishing imprint in the future?If the latter, I would love to see The Maze Agency join the line-up, and if there is a chance for a budding writer to contribute…

  2. Anonymous says:

    I'm enjoying the issues, but I'm frustrated by the navigation. I'm not sure why people (not just you) keep trying to recreate a paper experience on a computer monitor. Right off bat, I have to zoom in so the panels are large enough to read and then there's the endless scrolling. I hope at some point you think of a way of making web comics seem like they're actually native to the Internet.

    • MARK WHEATLEY says:

      Yes. I get this from a few of my friends as well. But it just serves to let me know that some people are still on systems that are not yet taking full advantage of what the internet can be. So – do we aim for the past of the internet – or do we aim of r the future of the internet. Tough choice.When I look at the ComicMix comics they appear as full pages in HD – easy to read and when I want to indulge in a closer look at the art I can zoom in. But the basic page looks just fine – all because I'm running fairly high-end monitors. Frankly – looking at EZ STREET on ComicMix is like looking at the "original art" – I create the art on the computer and that's pretty much exactly what it looks like. Which has been a very rare experience with my comics in print.

      • Anonymous says:

        No snark intended, but I think iPhone is closer to the future of the Internet than HD monitors.

      • Marilee J. Layman says:

        Mark, that sounds a little patronizing. "I can afford expensive computer systems. Nyah nyah!" I know part of my problem with fonts is that I'm getting old but at the same time, I'm not able to keep up with the front wave of technology financially. Why not aim for the present? By the time we have the future, technology is likely to be different and the reader would have to be changed or discarded anyway.

        • MARK WHEATLEY says:

          Sorry – it was not my intent to be patronizing. I'm just saying – it is always a hard choice about where to build your platform. And in this case – broadband and HD monitors ARE the present. And really – if you have a computer from the past year or so – it most likely has a monitor that can do the job. Not that I'm saying you have to have a new computer – but my software doesn't like anything more than three years old to run on.BTW – I just got a very basic DELL system for the house and the monitor it came with is better than the one I'm running for art (smaller but better quality) – because it is about a year newer. And it cost a lot less.I also have an older system that I use mostly for my internet surfing. And it shows the comic pages quite well – certainly well enough to read. But tat that rez it is indeed only possible to see two thirds of a page while you read.Glenn, Craig, Brian – any thoughts on this?

          • Marilee J. Layman says:

            I think you're wrong. Almost half of Americans have broadband, so that's not the present. I'm reasonably sure that I don't know anybody who has a high-def monitor. I don't even know that many people who have high-def TVs. The newest part of my computer system is a 3-year-old LCD monitor set to 1280×1024, its highest resolution. I have friends who are envious.

          • Mike Gold says:

            HDTV is growing by leaps and bounds, but it'll probably slow down a bit as home sales (how do I politely put this) continue to blow huge bloody chunks. But the standards change on February 17, 2009 when the broadcast of traditional analog signals comes to an end — as a matter of law.When it comes to computers, history has shown us the medium grows (or at least evolves) on an hourly basis. Predicting the future of the medium is like working out internal consistency on the Bizarro World — maybe people will be using trade paperback sized PDA type computers, maybe we'll have President's Analyst type cerebral implants. Our reason for maintaining the traditional comic book format will become clear… well, I believe later today! Damn!

          • Marilee J. Layman says:

            Sure, the TV standards change, but I have cable, so I won't need to do anything about my analog TV. People with analog TVs who get over the air broadcasts will have to buy a converter. I already know some folks who use paperback-sized PDA-type computers, but they don't have high-def moinitors or TVs.

          • Mike Gold says:

            Is your cable digital?Before too long, virtually every new teevee purchase, be it replacement or original, will be digital. Not necessarily high-end, certainly not 1080 dpi plasma, but digital. the I'm not adovating that, I'm just predicting it. Personally, I'd rather have cerebral implant. It's a lot harder to lose the remote.

          • Marilee J. Layman says:

            Yes, the cable is digital. They keep trying to make me pay more money to get the digital channels, which would be silly with an analog TV.I'm sure I'll get a digital TV when the current one dies, but I'm a big believer in using things as long as you can. As to the cerebral implant, I do have a lot of dead brain cells up there to make room for it….

    • Marilee J. Layman says:

      I need to zoom in on one, but after that, all I have to do is Page Down to see the lower half of the comics and then move to the next page, etc.

    • Brian Alvey says:

      @anonymous said "I'm not sure why people (not just you) keep trying to recreate a paper experience on a computer monitor."One reason why we made a reader that handles print sized comics well because we'll be printing our titles — plus we're putting already printed comics online. When we have web only properties or strip-sized web comics we won't be using our big multi-page comic reader to publish them.

  3. Elayne Riggs says:

    I'd like to see at least one female-written or female-drawn comic. I'd also like that 40-hour day now, please, so I can have more time to spend here.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Very much enjoying the new format. GrimJack, Munden's Bar and Black Ice are terrific. EZ Street has kept my interest throughout. The others I can take or leave, but all told it's been a great few weeks. I'd be most interested in getting a print version of the Manx Cat to add to my collection, either in pamphlet or preferably trade format depending on the length of the story.

  5. Neil says:

    I preferred having links to all installments at the top of the page rather than just the first and a "new" for that day's comic. I guess having all of them there was crowded, but maybe you could have the first and latest one there – so two links per comic. GrimJack and Munden's Bar are my favorites so far. So far Fishhead just isn't my cup of tea either. Simone & Ajax is fun. I am interested in how EZ Street and Black Ice develop. I like all the different ways of reading the comics – single page, double page, zoom in and so forth.

    • Marilee J. Layman says:

      Somebody had to tell me this, so I'll pass it on. Look at the top of the page — there's a line under the ComicMix logo. Follow it to the right and you'll see three tabs. Click on Comics to find the links to all the issues.

      • Linda Gold says:

        Also next to the tabs is a link that says"view all issues"

      • Neil says:

        I might have actually been the one to mention the Comics Tab, but you still need to scroll down through all the comic listings to find the one you want. Having a convenient link at the top of every page is preferable.

  6. Marilee J. Layman says:

    I like Simone and Ajax a lot. I'm reading EZ Street and seeing how I like it. I love the reader. I'd like the columns edited for typos and punctuation. I don't listen to the podcasts because I start daydreaming about three seconds after audio stuff starts. I see there's Google ads now, which appear to be more appropriate.I think you'd better make bigger buttons or brighter tabs for the Comics since Neil up there had the same problem I did with finding the intermediate issues.

  7. Adriane Nash says:

    I too would like to have better access to the previous installments of the comics. Also I second the bigger buttons for the comics (maybe pull down menus so you can go to a certain installment or the like?)Also better searchablility of past articles. The reults have seemed rather random. For example: a search of my name results in articles where my name is mentioned but not any articles I have written (or commented on). And the bigger mystery is why half of the results are given at all: I haven't been mentioned, authored or commented on the pieces.And the biggie on layout: I'd like to see more than just one news piece on the front page. I liked having a few articles to scroll through. Having just the headlines in the 'latest news pieces' doesn't always pique my interest.

    • Marilee J. Layman says:

      In that news section between the article and the comments, if you click on Read more news, you get the old format.

      • Adriane Nash says:

        Right, but what I'm saying is I'd like to not have to click anything. I'd like more article content on the front page

  8. Jeff Cuscutis says:

    Like the redesign, but there is still no valid podcast rss feed that iTunes will recognize.

  9. Tony Collett says:

    I would be interested in trade collections of some of the comics. I assume that's where the money comes in. And I'd be interested in some merchandising, GrimJack and Munden's Bar in particular.As for the comics, I zoom in twice to read it. Sometimes the panels in the middle of the page are cut off and have to move up or down a little bit to read it.

  10. Jens H. Altmann says:

    Something else entirely: I'd spend money on Grimjack and Sable action figures, and might buy other related merchandise. Are there any plans in those direction?