Madman's Reflections of a Pioneer

Notes on Flashpoint: The Last Major Story Arc in the Old DC Universe.

Here it is: the keystone of the HCB.
William’s loathing for most of DC’s Flashpoint mega-event is what truly created the HCB and put him on the attack. Two days after William wrote this review, I got the random phone call that would recruit me into the fight.
In the beginning that’s what it truly was. We went to war, calling out everything that was wrong with the modern day mainstream funnybook industry, especially in reference to the Big Two.
For the most part we’ve held true to William’s original mission statement:

“Comic criticisms that will cover anything interesting in the world of comics. Legit fans of sequential graphic story telling, truthsmiths balls deep in iconoclasm.” 

Granted, over the past 7 years we’ve learned to be a bit more constructive and a little less abusive, but just a bit. It was this very review that actually drew a response from none other then Scott Snyder himself in the form of a pretty nasty email. Apparently, he took offence to what William had to say about Detective Comics #881 and how Snyder ruined a great story arc with a really lame ending.
Although I don’t remember the exact content of said email, to paraphrase Snyder basically said we were amateurs and that we basically don’t deserve an opinion.

I will always remember was what William said about issue #881:

“[After reading] I wanted to go out and find a twelve pack of the cheapest and most disgusting beer in Hammond, drink it all, and piss all over that book.” 

That quote is one of the greatest things I’ve ever read, and is without question my favorite thing ever written on the HCB. That was just another effect of this review, getting that email just fueled our early fires and propelled us on. To this day, because of this review and William’s everlasting loathing of Flashpoint, I have only ever read one issue of the arc. It was the Green Arrow book, and I hated it.
Horrible or not, Flashpoint will always have a more sentimental meaning for those of us here at the HCB for the above reasons.

Notes for Harvey Pekar: How One Man Changed My Life.

What I love most about this piece is how William’s passion for comics and writing literally jump off the page and drown you. This is a perfect example of how William lived his life.
It wasn’t that he had no fears; it was how he kicked those fears in the balls and just went for it.
How many people have the guts to grab the phone and randomly call someone like Harvey Pekar out of the blue?
How many people make that call and become great friends with Pekar?
Just one. Just William…
How lucky Harvey Pekar was at home that day to answer that random phone call. How lucky was I to get, not one, but two such calls from William in my life.

One day on a small back porch I shed tears for one of the men that changed everything for me. Few other human beings had more of an impact on my life than William.
Rest in peace my friend. I hope that you have now found real happiness, and I hope that somehow you are able to see how many lives that were affected by your passion.