and
b) post this potentially world-changing-unless-it-doesn't message from Scott McCloud (including his note at the start, because it's pure Scott and he's so thrilled)
Hi Neil --
I can tell I'm going to be typing until 5 in the morning but I don't
care! This is so much fun.
Here's the press release (just for reference of course, I don't
expect you to quote it directly or anything. :)
GOD, I LOVE THIS JOB!!!
--S
******
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
MCCLOUD PREMIERES FIRST MICROPAYMENT WEBCOMIC
From the Horse's Mouth:
"On June 30th, at 9:00 pm, West Coast time, I uploaded Part One of my
online graphic novella "The Right Number", on sale to readers all
over the world for just 25 cents.
"'The Right Number" is a project I've wanted to create for years; a
dark psychological drama about math, sex, obsession and phone
numbers. Each panel is embedded in the previous panel of this comic
-- you actually zoom through the panels to read them! But despite the
experimental format, it was the story that ultimately drove the
project forward for me. I became more deeply involved in this
character's inner life than in any comic I've written since the early
90s, and I've worked hard to ensure that the artwork matched the
intensity of the story.
"BitPass, the micropayments company I'm working with, launched at the
exact same time as The Right Number. Their founders contacted me in
November of 2002 and showed me what they were working on and I've
been consulting ever since. I'd talked to maybe a dozen companies and
individuals over the years who thought they could pull off
micropayments, but one look at what BitPass had planned and I was
convinced that if anybody could do it, they could.
"How will the ability to charge as little as a penny for webcomics
change the landscape? It's anybody's guess. But one thing's for
certain: It's going to be an interesting Summer!"
--Scott McCloud
The Right Number is available at:
http://www.scottmccloud.com/comics/trn/intro.html
and
c) while I'll do the longer post about the weekend the girls and I spent with Tori as soon as I get more time at a computer terminal, she's now rehearsing with the band for the summer tour, and for the new song(s) on the Greatest Hits CD. I'm not sure whether the 'Snow Cherries From France' song is going to be on the Greatest Hits CD, but she promised me she'll definitely be playing it on the summer tour, which should satisfy those people who thought it was some kind of weird joke of mine (it's not. It's a really pretty, strange, love song)...
I will helpfully steal the summer dates from Toriamos.com and post them here...
Summer Tour Dates!
Look for Tori on tour this summer on these dates:
26 July
Marymoor Amphitheatre Redmond, WA
On Sale NOW
27 July
Cuthbert Amphitheatre Eugene, OR
On Sale NOW
29 July
Chronicle Pavilion Concord, CA
On Sale 6/8
31 July
The Joint Las Vegas, NV
On Sale 6/21
1 August
Greek Theatre Los Angeles, CA
On Sale 6/1
2 August
Open Air Theatre San Diego, CA
On Sale 6/7
4 August
Dodge Theatre Phoenix, AZ
On Sale 6/21
5 August
Anselmo Valencio Amphitheatre Tucson, AZ
On Sale 6/20
7 August
Red Rocks Denver, CO
On Sale 6/21
9 August
Northrop Auditorium Minneapolis, MN
On Sale 6/14
10 August
Auditorium Theatre - Chicago, IL
On Sale 6/14
13 August
Molson Amphitheatre Toronto, ONT
On Sale 6/20
15 August
Meadowbrook Detroit, MI
On Sale NOW
16 August
Tower City Amphitheatre Cleveland, OH
On Sale 6/7
17 August
Finger Lakes PAC Rochester, NY
19 August
Kresge Auditorium Interlochen, MI
on sale NOW
20 August
Promo West Pavilion Columbus, OH
On Sale 6/13
22 August
PNC Bank Arts Center Holmdel, NJ
on sale NOW
23 August
Jones Beach Amphitheatre Wantagh, NY
on sale NOW
24 August
Fleet Boston Pavilion Boston, MA
on sale NOW
26 August
Tweeter Center Camden, NJ
On Sale 6/7
27 August
Merriweather Post Pavilion Columbia, MD
On Sale 6/6
28 August
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Virginia Beach, VA
On Sale 5/31
30 August
Alltel Pavilion Raleigh, NC
On Sale 6/7
31 August
N. Charleston Coliseum - N. Charleston, SC
On Sale 6/20
1 September
Chastain Park Amphitheatre Atlanta, GA
On Sale 6/21
3 September
UCF Arena Orlando, FL
On Sale 5/31
4 September
Sound Advice Amphitheatre - West Palm Beach, FL
On Sale 7/12
And no, I don't yet know which ones I'll be going to. Given that this is going to be the last time she'll be on the road until at least 2005, I want to make as many as I can. ("Look, I'll just ride in the bus and write a book. You'll hardly even notice me. Promise.")
d) Tomorrow we do the DVD documentary thing for Mirrormask. MirrorMask. Mirror-mask. KsamrorriM....