December 18, 2008:

THE BLUEWATER COOLER: Publisher Darren G. Davis rants and raves about the comic industry: ISSUE 1

It’s time to talk frankly about issues in comic books these days. On this site, we do more than just push the press releases; we try to push the envelope. I have always stayed neutral about all the good and bad stuff that goes on with Bluewater, and until know I have been to busy to blog about it. I am taking advantages between print runs to start this blog. It’s time to push back a little.

People all the time ask why Bluewater does not have message boards. There are two reasons. The first is that we got slammed with porn spam. It became a full-time job to keep up with it. The second -- and most important -- was the nasty comments people would leave. I am a big boy and welcome criticism. I will be the first to say that I make mistakes on a daily basis. I made one recently in a press release for the Hillary Clinton: Female Force comic (which is in stores in January). There were tons of typos. As soon as it was pointed out to me, I was at first like oh “#@***,” then I fixed it. You should have seen the nasty comments I got on other board… It was insane… Then there was the wrong number of stripes on the flag…it was an honest mistake that was fixed right away. So what am I getting at?

This is my place to question the comic book industry. Speak your mind when on message boards. Have confidence in what you say. Own up to your comments and use your real name. Do not hide behind a screen name or avatar. In the 10 years producing comic books I have been called a lot of things, nice and nasty. I feel like it is junior high again when you can say all the stuff you want without consequences. What people do not realize (which was pointed out by my best friend who works for a major newspaper) is that you are liable for your comments. The good or the bad can be used against you. It's one thing to rant about the industry in general or a player specifically, but when you assassinate someone's character online, you venture into treacherous turf. Freedom of speech does not mean freedom to libel someone.

I did a two-day interview with THE PULSE that really inspired me to blog on a regular basis. Some will cheer me while some jeer me. I did another soul- searching interview a couple years ago I was really proud of.

I welcome constructive criticism in the blogosphere. There are many sites I go to because I trust their reviews. I do not mind getting a bad review. I will be the first in line to tell you which of our books suck and I am also happy to share when they rock.

Next post I will rant about the perils of being an indie publisher, and how hard it is in these days to promote your books. I will even get specific on some of the fights Bluewater has had. Everyone makes mistakes. . I value my integrity will always come clean and say to your face what I say to other people.

What you will see in this blog is 100% comic book related. I am not out here to tout Bluewater or myself as a saint. I own up to things…. like me being demanding at Image Comics and the real reason I left. Jim Valentino and I have made amends, which I am proud of. I also will be clear about is the nasty one-sided public feuds with an annoying inker who worked for me.

This blog will be 100% raw….

Darren