Web Review introduction
Let me begin by apologizing to everyone who clicked on this link expecting to find a review of a comic book or graphic novel. I’m sorry but I thought it would be more useful to spend this first week answering two very important questions. 1.)Why did I include a reviews page on the Gotham Comics website? 2.)What can you expect to find on this page in the future?
The answer to the first question is simple: I love comic books and I want to share my love of them with others. However, even as much as I love them, I have to admit that not every comic book is a work of art. Given that fact, if I want to share my love of comic books, it is incumbent on me to direct people to those that are worth reading and help them steer clear of those that are not. This is an especially difficult task in this age of superstar creators, mega events, internet hype and slick marketing campaigns. I’ve been helping people on a one-on-one basis for many years and I have to say I think I’ve compiled a pretty impressive record. I’ve helped people find that hidden gem of a comic book while at the same time helped others avoid wasting their money on a comic book that no tree should ever have died for. The reviews page on this website will allow me to help a larger audience on a regular basis.
I’m sure someone reading this is already saying that there are dozens of sites that offer comic book reviews. Why do we need another? Let me state clearly and for the record that many of those sites do a fine job. Other sites, for reasons I will not get into here, do not provide objective reviews. This makes their opinions useless when it comes to helping you decide which comic books to spend your hard-earned money on. I, on the other hand, not only offer an objective review but one with a local perspective. Taking these two factors into consideration, I think it is clearly worthwhile to include a reviews page on the Gotham Comics website.
The second question is even easier to answer. Most weeks, I’ll be posting reviews of new comic books. Sometimes it will be a review of the latest mega event comic book from one of the big two publishers. You know, the type of comic book that most people are reading anyway, regardless of whether it’s any good or not. Other times, I’ll review a lesser-known comic book, either from a major publisher or one of the numerous smaller ones. If a week comes along with no new comic books hitting the shelves that I feel are worth reviewing, I may step back in time and review a golden oldie, a back issue from weeks, months or even years ago that I feel is worth you spending your time and money to check out. Some weeks, instead of reviewing an individual comic book, I may decide to review a graphic novel, either a new release or one that’s been out for a while. This way I can review a complete storyline from time to time rather then just a part of one. It is also safe to say that from time to time my reviews, may digress into little diatribes about the current state of the comic book industry.
If all this sounds like something you would be interested in reading, then be sure to come back every week and check out what I have to say. My hope is that everyone who takes the time to read my reviews will find them useful and feel that I’ve helped them get more enjoyment for their comic book dollar. Now, I began this introduction with an apology and I’m going to end it with another one. While it is my intention to post a new review every Wednesday night, I know full well that at some point I’m going to fail. Sooner or later, something is going to happen and I’ll miss my own self-imposed deadline. There may even come a week when I don’t post a review at all. No matter the reason: illness, laziness, technical difficulties or whatever, there is no excuse. This is a job that I willingly took on and I should live up to it but at some point I know I will fail. So, for all the times in the future when I do fail, I truly am sorry and do sincerely apologize.
In closing, thanks for taking the time to read this introduction to the reviews page and I hope you will come back to checkout all the reviews that follow.
Keith Forney