There’s also still lots going on behind the scenes, stuff I can’t talk about yet, unfortunately, but I can say it’s going to be a wild and wacky summer for Cat-Tales. The heavy lifting IS over, however, so it shouldn’t be taking time away from the writing for a good long while. But as long as we’re on the subject of my crazy schedule, I did receive one suggestion which I’d like to open up to the forum regulars and blog followers. It doesn’t happen often, but I do occasionally go into these very busy periods where several weeks may pass between chapter updates. It was whispered in my ear that we could have some kind of entertainment in that hiatus, like reposting a favorite scene from the early tales. Given the incredible reception to the flashback tale Do No Harm, that seems like a very good idea. There is certainly a lot of interest in and affection for those early stories.
Now, I’d like to do something more than just pull a scene and say “Here. Summer rerun!” I’d like to make it an event, an opening for current readers to roll up their sleeves and get creative like we all did for the 5th Anniversary contests. So what if I pulled a scene as an invitation for fan material based on it? “Here’s the set-up. Make a faux motivation poster, write a drabble intersecting it from a minor character’s POV, make an animated icon or even a youtube video if you’ve got the equipment and expertise.” Anything you can think of, whatever occurs to you, and at the end of, say, two weeks, we’ll take all the submissions and have a big chat party or something. Anyone interested?
On an unrelated matter, a new era has begun at Marvel Comics. We all knew the most interesting aspect of the Disney buy (other than Karma catching up to someone we don’t care for) was the union of Marvel heroes with the Juggernaut that is Disney Marketing and Merchandising. If you’re on the right mailing lists, you’ll already have seen their arrival in Disney Stores nation(world?)wide.
Income Stream, this is Marvel. Marvel, this is…. Ooo, you look scared. Okay, Marvel, just stay calm. Breathe into this paper bag for a few. Now, you see that big green tidal wave coming at you? Don’t be alarmed, it’s just the untapped potential which has been there all along, snuggled inside the love people have for these characters--which your old overlords didn’t know how to harness because, apparently, they think that love is something to trample and mock rather than cultivate.
Really, don’t be scared. I know this is a new idea for most of you. All it means is that the excitement and energy and good will generated by something like a major motion picture about one of your characters will now FUNNEL RIGHT INTO YOU!
Now then, if there is another comics executive out there who, just speaking hypothetically, was unable to ride the wave of a record-breaking viral followed by a record-breaking box office… who, so far from capitalizing on a flagship character’s popularity soaring to unprecedented heights, actually LOST MARKET in that critical period… that individual should be scared. Because Disney is about to school his parent company as well as his peers about this thing called The Customer.
(It helps if you imagine the following in that Mickey Mouse voice)
The customer is not the enemy. The customer is the one with the money. Trying to think up ways to piss the customer off even more than last time, that isn’t what we do here. Ha-ha. That KEEPS the money in their pocket, y’see, and that’s not the idea. Seriously guys, you should have had this in class. A cat person probably shouldn’t say this, but some days, I just love that little mouse.
Chris Dee
www.catwoman-cattales.com
cattales.yuku.com
cattales.wikispaces.com
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