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Posted by Don MacPherson on September 19th, 2007
A year ago today, I launched Eye on Comics.
I’ve been writing comics reviews and commentary online since December 1995. After working on such sites as Psycomic, the Fandom.com incarnation of Comics Newsarama and The Fourth Rail, the less frequent updates and more selective approach to review material have made the past year something of a learning experience. It’s been great not to be shackled to a specific schedule, dictated by new comics release dates and efforts to be the first site to offer advance reviews of key titles.
I’ve had a few sponsors in the past year, and my thanks go out to them for their support. A number of other comics blogs and sites have also supported my efforts by linking to my content, bringing my work to the attention of some who might not otherwise have stumbled upon my new digs on the Internet. But even more than that, I appreciate the readers. Those who take the time to post comments add to the experience for me; I like the conversations and the interaction. Even without the feedback, it’s gratifying to know that thousands take the time to stop by the site and see what I have to say.
This post is actually the 200th on the site (pay no attention to the URL; some early draft posts were deleted as I developed the site). We’ll just have to see if I can pump out another 200 over the next 365 days.
If only I was marking the first birthday of Eye on Comics with something more celebratory than chemical preparations for a colonoscopy. Oy.
September 19th, 2007 at 4:52 am
Congratulations and Happy Birthday to the site, you sexy beast.
(P.S. I hope the colonoscopy finds that marble you swallowed when you were four years old)
September 19th, 2007 at 6:21 am
Been one of the silent majority here I guess, and I’ve followed your work since The Fourth Rail. Although I don’t always agree with your views I do enjoy reading them and I appreciate the time you take to put them up here.
Keep up the good work!
September 19th, 2007 at 7:59 am
Woah, TMI. I jest! Congrats and thanks for writing thoughtful reviews on a regular basis.
September 19th, 2007 at 10:18 am
I’ve been reading your reviews since the late ’90s when I first got on the ‘net and really appreciate your opinions. As a long-time DC Comics fan (and Marvel, too!) with a passion for indy comics, I appreciate the variety of media you choose to review. Your stuff is always thoughtful, sincere, and well-written and while I may not always agree, I certainly respect your sensibilities and approach.
Looking forward to the next 200 and beyond!
September 19th, 2007 at 11:36 am
Congrats Don, keep up the great work. Here’s to the next 200, 365 and beyond!
September 19th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Great, now Don’s going to be the butt end of all our jokes.
*ducks!*
Seriously, though, I’ve been reading your reviews I think since around Psycomic. It was definitely before the Fourth Rail had started. Between you and Randy, the comic book business is no doubt happy for a lot of purchases I would not ordinarily have made. From Aztek to Y: The Last Man, both of you have recommended so many comics that I’ve now grown to love. I remember wanting very badly to pick up Sleeper after the glowing reviews both you and Randy had given it. I believe I also rushed back to the comic store to pick up Action Comics #750 after your 10/10 for it.
As for Eye on Comics? It’s one of my daily sites to visit. I may not comment all the time, but I’ve certainly enjoyed reading your picks for the week and such. If I might throw in a suggestion. I know that you read more than you review. What if, for some comics, you had just a one or two sentence review/comments of them? You could call them the Ultra-Quickie reviews or something.
September 19th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Don, it’s a testament to the quality of your work that I enjoy even the reviews of books I’d never be interested in reading.
Happy anniversary, and keep the excellent articles coming!
September 19th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
I really enjoy your reviews and commentaries and have been a long time reader of yours since “The Fourth Rail.”
Congratulations on this milestone!
September 19th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Congrats! Here’s to the next 200!
September 19th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
Congratulations Don and keep up the great work! I followed you here from TheFourthrail.com and I just wanted to thank you for all the reviews and insightful commentary you’ve provided me.
September 19th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
Congrats! I, too, have read your stuff since the Fourth Rail site and I was glad when you found another spot for your view on comics. It is a great read. Keep it up!
fil
September 19th, 2007 at 10:35 pm
Eyeoncomics has the best reviews (outside of The Onion A.V. Club’s biweekly feature) for two reasons: 1.) even clearly negative reviews are devoid of needlessly snarky remarks and 2.) it’s the only site that I can think of that has never used the word “emo” as a pejorative. I’m looking at you comicpants, IGN, and CBR’s Buy Pile!
September 19th, 2007 at 11:02 pm
Don:
Best wishes on your one-year anniversary. I’ve been reading since before the Fourth Rail, and have to echo many of the comments above. Your site is one of the few places to go for intelligent, and insightful commentary on comics. Here’s to another year, and many more.
Brock
September 19th, 2007 at 11:12 pm
Thanks for all the kind words, folks!
September 19th, 2007 at 11:14 pm
Nick wrote:
If I might throw in a suggestion. I know that you read more than you review. What if, for some comics, you had just a one or two sentence review/comments of them? You could call them the Ultra-Quickie reviews or something.
I’ve thought about doing that, but I want avoid being so succinct with the reviews that I essentially up sounding like I’m saying, “Sucks,” or “Doesn’t suck.”
September 19th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
I love your site. I look forward to your reviews and articles. Good luck and thanks.
September 20th, 2007 at 12:03 am
Congrats on making it a year, sir. You’re one of the good guys on this aspect of the industry, and I’ve always respected ya.
September 20th, 2007 at 4:34 am
Like other regular readers, I’ve enjoyed reading your reviews since The Fourth Rail. Looking forward to many more reviews in the future.
September 20th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
I’m late to your work, having not had the time or inclination to discover the depth of comics coverage on the interwub until relatively recently. I started here (being referred by a post on comicspants, I believe) and have been a fan ever since. Kudos on the milestone and looking forward to reading more as the years whiz by.
(And, I too have “enjoyed” a glass or two of polyethylene glycol-based electrolyte lavage solution in my time and feel your pain. Hope all goes well with that.)
September 20th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
Congrats Don, yours is the only review website I look at, or know for that matter. I followed you from the Fourth Rail, hope you continue on with your insightful reviews.
September 20th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
Always look forward to visting your site and catching up with your reviews! I’ve been pointed in the direction of so much good stuff thanks to your site. Long may it continue! Thanks!
September 20th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
Heartfelt congrats Don. I’ve been reading your reviews, and Randy’s, since I discovered you guys back in college. I think the first review I read was for Thunderbolts #1.
Keep ‘em coming and best of luck to you.
Cheers.
September 20th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
You sir, are terrific. I’ve been reading your reviews for years and thanks to you there are many, many titles that I have picked and subsequently greatly enjoyed. I’ve never posted, but this is a good time to send a heartfelt thanks for all your efforts, and here’s to not 200, but 2,000 more posts.
Cheers – and hope the tests went well.
Sam
September 20th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
Just go ahead for ten years more. It is always a pleasure to learn ‘here’
Best wishes from your reader of some years..
Marko Ajdaric
Neorama dos Quadrinhos
The widest 9th art newsletter in the world
September 20th, 2007 at 10:14 pm
Thanks again, to everyone for the encouragement.
Sam wrote:
Cheers – and hope the tests went well.
The colonsocopy was an interesting experience. Got the all clear… won’t have to do that again for years, thankfully. The whole ordeal — the two days of fasting, the effects of the “oral purgative” and the scope itself — wasn’t nearly as bad as I’d been led to expect.
September 20th, 2007 at 11:27 pm
If you had to rate the colonoscopy on a scale of 1-10 what would it be? Sounds like your review wasn’t that bad. I’ll be looking for your blurb:
COLONOSCOPY
“Not as bad as I’d been led to expect.”- EyeonComics.com
September 21st, 2007 at 2:10 am
Ryan wrote:
If you had to rate the colonoscopy on a scale of 1-10 what would it be?
Well, I pretty much slept through the procedure itself. They zonked me out with some kind of valium derivative intravenously.
September 21st, 2007 at 1:57 pm
Happy first anniversary from a longtime fan!!!
September 21st, 2007 at 2:04 pm
Simon wrote:
Happy first anniversary from a longtime fan!!!
Longtime is right. I remember Simon’s name as one of the regulars on the comics groups on Usenet in the late 1990s. Talk about a flashback!
September 21st, 2007 at 2:24 pm
A belated happy birthday to Eye on Comics.
Your website is excellent and your reviews too. It is on a lot of your recommendations that I choose what to pick up and what to drop, and for most of the time, you’re very good at choosing “what’s hot” in the comics scene and what’s not.
Keep up the good work Don.
September 22nd, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Mr. MacPherson – congratulations!! May your readers continue to get quality reviews for many years to come!! You are a superb reviewer and quite a gentleman! I too have followed your critiques and insights beginning with your contributions at thefourthrail. You truly bring forth a great quality by assuming an UNBIASED APPROACH and FAIRNESS in your reviews/comments. That is why your contributions rise above so many of your peers and are cherished throughout. Give credit where credit is due – and you sir, have shown such merit!
Once again – thank you!
September 24th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
Let me add my kudos as well, Don. I’ve been following your reviews (and Randy’s) for years, and will continue to do so … hopefully, for even longer.
I may not always agree with what you have to say about a particular book, but I always find what you write to be interesting and well-thought-out. Definitely one of the best reviewers on-line.