I'm very happy to announce a brand new ongoing feature at Acme Comics.com, RE: Comics! Each week I'll trade e-mails with writer/artist/creator/editor Gregg Schigiel about whatever industry topics represent the current hot button issues or unturned rocks.
I'll then repost our content here on the site in hopes of developing a more well-rounded look at the book or situation as together we make up nearly every facet of the comic community, from creator to retailer, subscriber to rack-buyer, "rural" to "you can't get any more metro."
Last September at Baltimore Comic Con, after a short stint in the hotel bar to cap off a very long day of driving, I slumped into the lobby. Much to my surprise, I was met by an eager set of eyes in that late hour, and their owner already knew about my job and my dog and many other personal matters (that he'd learned from a friend of mine). 
I'm really never looking for new acquaintances. Generally I'm outright stand-offish, except in the rarest of cases, and something about this dude kept me out even later into that night, using borrowed time to chat about the basic commonalities that begin a friendship.
In the months since our meeting I've read Gregg's books and he's kicked my butt at Scramble via Carly's Facebook account and we've talked about comics. A lot.
As a veteran of Marvel's editorial and creative departments, a creator-owned writer and artist, a genuine fan of comics, and an all around good guy, I can always count on Gregg to provide me with an honest, informed decision about whatever industry trends or happenings we're discussing. Which is why we're partnering to bring you this ongoing
discussion.
And now to introduce himself personally, Gregg!
Hey. Gregg here. Stephen asked me to chime in with a bit of introductory business.
So by way of professional bio, here's about 13 years in a about 4 short paragraphs: I started in comics, after a summer internship at Marvel ('96), as a penciller who shortly thereafter (after penciling one comic) joined the Marvel editorial staff as an assistant editor ('97). While at Marvel, when time and opportunities allowed for it, I continued to work as a penciller both on comics as well as creative services projects.
I left Marvel ('00) to work as an illustrator with Nickelodeon, creating character art and working on product approvals for their licensed characters.
I left the full-time position at Nickelodeon ('02) to pursue a full-time freelance cartoonist/illustrator career, which is what I've been doing since.
I imagine, in theory, via these conversations, we may get to more specifics, but a lot of my work (if you're curious) can be seen at www.hatterentertainment.com.
So, let's talk about something else...like comics or something...because somehow Stephen convinced me that spewing my opinions out into the world is a good idea...or at least something you folks might want to read.
Here's hoping...
