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Contact From the World Out ThereEvery so often I'm reminded that people do actually read this journal thing I write. Okay, more than every so often. I do enjoy hearing from my readers, and have made several good friends through my journalling. But what I really mean here is that sometimes I hear from an "important personage" in response to an entry. Today I received an e-mail from Jinky Coronado, creator of the comic book Banzai Girl. I mentioned this comic in my January entry, "A Walk Through Previews". Wrote a paragraph about it, actually:
Sirius Comics - which also doesn't seem to have a Web site - used to publish several series I liked, particularly Teri Wood's Wandering Star. Now they seem to mostly be pushing Banzai Girl, the cheesecake adventures of an Asian model and illustrator. At least, that's how it's billed. I have no idea whether Jinky Coronado is really the writer/illustrator, or if there are ghost creators for the series. It so doesn't even close to appeal to me, and it's so self-consciously cute that I chuckle whenever I see solicitations for it. Especially in this Previews, which is soliciting a comic of photos of the supposed creator. Sheesh!Coronado's e-mail was a reasonably-toned piece essentially expressing offense that I doubted that she wrote and drew her comic book. I express my opinions and my point of view here in my journal, and I don't expect everyone to agree with me or understand or relate to my point of view. That's the way it goes. And I realize that if I write something negative here about someone or their work - even if they are essentially a "public figure" by having work out in the public view - I'm liable to get a negative response from that person once in a while. That, too, is the way it goes. I did write a response to her, and this made me think through what I wrote, which I think was a perfectly reasonable point of view for someone who doesn't know her, has mainly only seen the marketing campaign for Banzai Girl (which reminds me of the Vampirella live-model marketing campaign), and who clearly isn't part of the book's target audience. My thought process was basically along these lines: Is it possible that an international model is also a comic book writer and artist? Sure, it's possible. Is it likely? In these days of celebrity novels (some well-known to be ghost written), who knows? Is it reasonable to be skeptical? Yes, I think it is. Comic book creators who are also models are certainly not the norm in the industry. Ultimately, my comments were mainly a critique of the comic's marketing campaign. My point of view probably doesn't matter much in the grand scheme of things: Her fans enjoy her book, and how much they care whether she's real or not is up to them, not me. The big fans have probably gone to conventions and judged for themselves whether she's really the creator. (I don't think I've been to a comic book convention since the Reagan Administration.) Ultimately, whether my opinion matters to her is up to her. But I doubt I'm the only one out here in reader-land who's held this point of view towards her book. It's good to hear from the objects of my writings like this, though. It at least helps me be more thoughtful about what I write, whether or not it actually changes my mind.
 This is far from the first time I've heard from a pro responding to my journal. I've been contacted by science fiction writers, comic book writers and artists, and members of rock bands in the past. Sometimes they're flattered by what I wrote, other times they've disagreed. Overall, it's been a positive experience. I don't expect to get unanimous approval of what I write, but I think I've done okay.
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