1. What do you like most about 365 Reasons?
Your enthusiasm. This is truly snark-free territory, once a day for a year. Also, I love discovering new things. Of course there's a warm feeling when one of your reasons to love comics dovetails with one of mine, and occasionally every reader will disagree with one of your reasons ... but probably the best thing to come out of this incredibly ambitious yearlong series (you deserve to take a bow already!) is when you delve into comics history and expose something I knew nothing, or very little, about. Not just characters (like Squirrel Girl or Rocket Raccoon) but also creators (Mike Parobeck) and obscure/indie works (like Mom's Cancer). In fact, as far as I'm concerned, there could more of those last two.

2. What bits don’t you like? What can be improved or changed?
I don't mind the theme weeks, but with only five months to go, you've got to pace things very carefully now, don't you? I guess I'd encourage you to avoid modern-day creator weeks (no matter how much I love Morrison) in favor of those from earlier eras (whether it's relatively recent, Silver Age or Golden Age). Really, we DON'T need a Frank Miller week. Though I wouldn't mind one or two entries presenting your take on why his run on Daredevil or his original Dark Knight was so influential.

3. What do you think of the writing style?
It's all good.

4. Do you like the format? Do I tend to profusely opine or rely on history and information too much?
Nope.

5. How’s the balance between “creators” and “characters”? Do you think there’s enough of either? How about stuff that doesn’t fit into either group?
See #1. I LOVED learning more about Arnold Drake ... I think everyone benefits when you tell stories about some of the old greats. How about Gil Kane?

6. Are there too many theme weeks?
See #2.

7. Do any creators and their works and/or creations deserve a special theme week? (e.g., the Joe Simon and Steve Ditko Weeks we’ve seen so far)
Well, Carmine Infantino had his hand in co-creating a ton of iconic DC characters before he became the company president/editorial director/whatever-his-title-was. And, hmm ... Dennis O'Neil?
Also, on the lighter side (one of your great assets!): I could easily make the 1970s Legion of Super-Heroes costumes (designed by Cockrum? Grell?) a full week, but you'd probably do best to lump them into a single entry with lots of great art.

8. Which seven inkers most deserve a spotlight in Inker Appreciation Week?
Um, someone mentioned Marvel Monsters of the 50s.
9. Same question, but for Colorist Appreciation Week.
10. Again, same question, but this time, for Letterer Appreciation Week.

I think you could condense this into less than three weeks, though you don't have to set a specific number of days, do you? Regardless, the inker who comes most immediately to mind: Terry Austin. (John Byrne's art never looked as good.) Colorists: Previous entries have reminded me of Tatjana Wood — her name's familiar, but I can't recall which comics she worked on. Lynn Varley.
Letterers: John Workman's probably my favorite. And of course Todd Klein. And I second Matthew E's much earlier mention of Bob Lappan — as a young reader, I recall seeing his inventive work in "Atari Force" and how it made me appreciate lettering as an art unto itself.

11. Got any suggestions for future columns or theme weeks?
Villains are a fun idea — one that could easily stretch into a month. So how about upping the ante: Great rogues galleries. Which heroes (or hero teams) have the top-notch collection of villains? I can think of three off the bat (Spider-Man, Batman, the Flash) but after that, it's tougher to call ... that's a fun one though. I'd name the hero/team and then, of course, the best of his/her/their villains.

It'd be great to see a week devoted to indie or "third press" stuff. Great works from Dark Horse, Fantagraphics, First Comics, et al.

Greg Hatcher's idea for cliffhangers is a great one, and I think you could easily get seven great entries out of that. (But you could condense it too.)

Riffing off of what I wrote earlier about Miller: How about a series of entries dedicated to comics that shook up the mainstream medium? Not necessarily in a story-focused way, but looking at how they expanded the form too.

Keep up the great work, Bill!

2. what could improve or change?
3. the writing style?
4. the format?
- I really enjoy it as it comes. I agree that some of your entries feel a bit brief, but you probably do have some sort of a life on the side...

6. too many theme weeks?
- Not if I like the topics! So just consult me first and we're good. No more Ape-ril or eh-pril or animal anthropomorphism weeks.

7. other creators deserving theme weeks?
- Kirby, come on. I know he was your first entry and you've done Omac since, but he's overdue for a more serious look. You really need at least one good feature on New Gods, please.
Also a focus on the pure creativity of early Marvel, the peak years between 63 and 67 or so when Kirby and Ditko (oh, okay, and Lee) were so amazingly inventive.
SANDMAN, and vertigo comics
Gold Key comics - including the Hanna Barbara super-heroes, the first super-hero comic I ever remember buying.
Legion of Super-Heroes, and the Fatal Five (greatest villain team ever).
Marvel Bullpen Bulletins and Stan's Soapbox
Top seven space heroes
DC's little black and white public service ads in the 60s.
Steve Gerber, as others have said.
Underground independents - Fat Freddy's Cat, please.

I think you're going to need 365 More Reasons, bub.

8. seven inkers for Inker Appreciation Week?
- Mike Royer, Joe Sinnott, Klaus Jansen, Tom Palmer, Wally Wood . . . Maybe make this one a half-week.

9. seven colorists for Colorist Appreciation Week ("colorist appreciation week - wha?")

10. seven letterers for Letterer Apprecia... oh, come on!
- like other old guys I think immediately of Adorable Artie Simek, but beyond that? I remember really noticing the lettering on Sandman, but beyond that? Maybe it should be Letterer Appreciation Hour...

11. suggestions for future columns or theme weeks?
- Oops, think I already answered this...

2-4. In all honesty I tend not to read the articals themselves. I just like them for the threads that follow

5. It's all good

6. Are there too many theme weeks? - Probably a bit too many

7. Do any creators and their works and/or creations deserve a special theme week? - I'd say no - each one eats up 1/52 of the year

8. Which seven inkers most deserve a spotlight in Inker Appreciation Week? Bill Seinkeiwicz, Klaus Janson, Kevin Nowlan. I don't think their are any others I care wither way about

8. Which seven inkers most deserve a spotlight in Inker Appreciation Week?

Klaus Janson should defintely be one of them.

9. Lynn Varley, I could name several examples of her excellent work but 300 is enough motivation by itself. Dave Stewart, New Frontier, Hellboy, need I say more?

10. This is a hard one because to me, most good lettering doesn't interfere much with the reading experience. Bad lettering is far more noticable as it can totally screw up a comic. Richard Starkings maybe?

11. How about an OGN week? An indie comics week? Naturally, a lot of the columns are superhero stuff but it might be nice to shine a light on some other stuff too.

As I stated above, you're moving along fine. Keep up the good work!

2. What bits don’t you like? What can be improved or changed?
I thought Ditko week went on a little too long but otherwise, after urban legends, this is my favorite feature.

3. What do you think of the writing style? Am I too repetitive? I’ve noticed myself using the same adjectives over and over. How many ways are there to say that something’s awesome? Am I too repetitive?
I'm okay with it.

4. Do you like the format? Do I tend to profusely opine or rely on history and information too much?
Good mix

5. How’s the balance between “creators” and “characters”? Do you think there’s enough of either? How about stuff that doesn’t fit into either group?
I'd like more weird characters but that might get old if there was too much of it.

6. Are there too many theme weeks?
Other than Ditko, no.

7. Do any creators and their works and/or creations deserve a special theme week? (e.g., the Joe Simon and Steve Ditko Weeks we’ve seen so far)
None jump out at me.

8. Which seven inkers most deserve a spotlight in Inker Appreciation Week?
Um, someone mentioned Marvel Monsters of the 50s.

9. Same question, but for Colorist Appreciation Week.
Um.

10. Again, same question, but this time, for Letterer Appreciation Week.
Maybe condense these all into one week?

11. Got any suggestions for future columns or theme weeks?
Another vote for 50s monsters.

12. Did I forget to ask a question I should have asked? If so, please ask it. And then kindly answer it, if you would.
What time is it? Oh, about six.

The surprise of seeing who or what you've picked ever day. I like the unpredictability of it!

3. What do you think of the writing style? Am I too repetitive? I’ve noticed myself using the same adjectives over and over. How many ways are there to say that something’s awesome? Am I too repetitive?

Not that I've noticed. I like the writing style, always enthusiastic but light-hearted and never too serious.

5. How’s the balance between “creators” and “characters”? Do you think there’s enough of either? How about stuff that doesn’t fit into either group?

Yeh, give us an article on the Twinkies / Hostess Fruit Pies adverts!!

6. Are there too many theme weeks?

Not neccesarily, although I did think one of them (cant remember which, sorry) didnt really have enough material for a whole week - maybe 3-Day Themes could occasionally be used, possibly for someone like, for example Jim Steranko, whose comics output is influencial and popular, but not as prolific as other creators.

7. Do any creators and their works and/or creations deserve a special theme week? (e.g., the Joe Simon and Steve Ditko Weeks we’ve seen so far)

John Buscema. Oh yeah.

8. Which seven inkers most deserve a spotlight in Inker Appreciation Week?

Tom Palmer, without a doubt.
Klaus Janson, Dick Giordano...sorry to go for all the obvious names, but they're obvious for a reason : they're all great!

Kim DeMulder.

Bob McLeod (check out his inking on Jim Starlin in Amazing Spider-Man 187 folks!)

Paul Neary's good as well....

9. Same question, but for Colorist Appreciation Week.

Frank D'Armata is IMO the best colourist working today, but Christie Scheele deserves recognition for the work she produced before the days of computer colouring technology.

And Marie Severin for colouring the EC books is suerly a certainty....

10. Again, same question, but this time, for Letterer Appreciation Week.

John Workman, Tom Orzechowski

11. Got any suggestions for future columns or theme weeks?

Bullpen Bulletins, Twinkies ads, Gil Kane, Gene Colan (apologies if any of these have already been done, btw),

Hope my ranting is of some help Bill, thanks for a great column that has become essential every day for me, keep up the great work!

Best wishes, jk

1. The regularity. It's great to have a new column to read every day, and even when they're shorter posts, the quality is still top notch.

2. I'd like to see more posts about current comics. It seems like a lot of your posts are about great comics "you might have missed" or that were cancelled. I think you've only done a few posts focusing on current titles (as opposed to broader current writer or artist posts.) I'd like to see some great current title get some exposure, maybe before we miss them or they get cancelled.

7.Robert Kirkman

9.Bill Crabtree

10. Since I asked for current comics: Godland, Invincible, Fables, Astro City, Action Philosophers, the Marvel Adventures line. Other awesome topics: Essential/Showcase editions, What If?/Elseworlds, Gail Simone, Jeff Parker, Fred Van Lente.

2. I love theme weeks/months, but sometimes it seems like most of their entries are for the sake of filling the quota. Like KM said, I think reasons to love comics - as the headline says - would be cool.

3. Good, nice writing style. Maybe using more adjective like others suggested would fix the repetitive problem.

4.No, using history is fine. And as I said, I love learning new things.

5. You're doing okay. Maybe feature more un-categorized stuff.

6.I said before sometimes it looks like some of the entries are for quota. Maybe shorten them to week(s), doing "sequels" ("theme x week 1", "theme x week 2", etc.)

7. Too many deserve it. They could fill next year's list...

8-10. Too hard for me to find 7. I trust you do decide.

11. Genres week? Romance, crime, horror etc. Or each week for a genre. Breakthrough projects/issues (Watchmen and ASM #121, for example). Appreciating late creators on their memorial days.

12. Eye-Scream - greatest entry ever or what?
Of Course!

2. My only real frustration--outside of the fact that you haven't read Animal Man or the better part of the Invisibles. (Seriously, dude, I'm blackballing you at the next meeting of the Grant Morrison Fan Club.) -- is that the column is limited by your own knowledge of something and if it didn't exist before 1988 chances are you're quoting from Wikipedia or somewhere. But I think you work around that fine.

3. No I think you do a good job.

4. Love the format.

5. The balance between characters and creators are pretty good; I'd like more ephemera though, like go-go checks, the Milt Glazer DC logo, letters pages, that sort of things.

6. You've managed to get a good balance, but theme months are a definite no-no.

7. Because Bob Kanigher Week would be a good start.

8. Terry Austin, Terry Austin, Terry Austin... okay for want of others Bob McLeod, Romeo Tanghal, Mike Royer, Klaus Janson, John Totleben (most of these guys are great pencillers too, but their inking is superb)

9. Lynne Varley, Tatjana Wood...the guy who does Daredevil right now...

10. Any letter week that does not include Ben Oda, John Costanza and Todd Klein does not deserve to exist.

11. Becahse Bob Kanigher week seems a good one. Cerebus/Dave Sim is another (watch as you've done him but I missed it!), Howard Chaykin, Mike Grell, Legion of Super Heroes costumes of the 1970s... I would be happy to guest-write an entry on Dial "H" For Hero any day.

12. Should Bill be chained to shame rock and then flogged hourly for not having read the bulk of the Invisibles and Animal Man and yet claming to be a Grant Morrsion fan? I need to think about that...

The concept, itself. Being a crabby comics blogger is too tempting and easy. I have often said that fans seem to exalt themselves with their endless bitching and yet I can get sucked into that myself. A column that is so determinedly positive is a nice balance to have.

2. What bits don’t you like? What can be improved or changed?

I don't know if this counts as a criticism because it may be The Way *I* Would Do It. Mileage varies and all that. But sometimes the length of the entries feels a little off... some run too long, you don't really want the exhaustive background like I often get compulsive about doing; but on the other hand, some are a bit truncated -- "Couldn't find anything, here's a link," doesn't feel right either. Something in between.

3. What do you think of the writing style? Am I too repetitive? I’ve noticed myself using the same adjectives over and over. How many ways are there to say that something’s awesome? Am I too repetitive?

I worry about this too, and sometimes I am. The truth of the matter is that my opinions about comics have formed over forty years and the perspective isn't going to change that much from week to week, the same things are going to tend to bubble up to the top. You do this every day so it can be that much more obvious to you, especially if you have a favorite word like "awesome." Maybe swap it out with 'spectacular' or something once in a while. Again, middle ground. But this is something we would pick on ourselves that in truth, few readers would notice.

But the style itself? It's delightful. Friendly, done in a spirit of fun... I prefer this a million times over the various bloggers hell-bent on striking a blow for Literature and Taking Superhero Comics Seriously.

4. Do you like the format? Do I tend to profusely opine or rely on history and information too much?

Yes and no, respectively. It never hurts comics fans to get a little real history. We spend so much time reconciling our fictional histories that sometimes we forget there are real-world answers for these things.

5. How’s the balance between “creators” and “characters”? Do you think there’s enough of either? How about stuff that doesn’t fit into either group?

Really I like what you're doing this week, the alternating format. You should do this more and just not tell us that's what you're doing. It should be about even. Stuff that doesn't fit? Depends what it is. The Batmobile would be a fun entry, or the city of Atlantis in all its incarnations, stuff like that. As long as it's something unique to comics or started in comics. I would skip entries on things related to advertising or something like that -- as much as we all enjoy laughing at those old Hostess Twinkie comics ads, I dunno that they are a Reason to Love Comics.

6. Are there too many theme weeks?

Everyone is going to say "Ape-ril" was probably over the top. I think maybe overall yeah. The temptation to sketch out a week's worth ahead of time must certainly be overwhelming. The way out of this would be to think of the theme week and then break it up over the course of a month. But actual theme weeks? Ration yourself. One a month, maybe. I dunno. Maybe it feels like more then there have been. I'm too lazy to look it up. We're in July, have you done more than seven?

7. Do any creators and their works and/or creations deserve a special theme week? (e.g., the Joe Simon and Steve Ditko Weeks we’ve seen so far)

The trouble is that too many of them do. I could do a Jim Aparo Week or a Nick Cardy week without breathing hard. Save something for when this enterprise is done. I like the looser theme weeks. "Doctors" was great fun.

8. Which seven inkers most deserve a spotlight in Inker Appreciation Week?

They should be known primarily AS inkers, for sure.

Klsus Janson.
Terry Austin.
Joe Rubinstein.
Joe Sinnott.
Tom Palmer.
Murphy Anderson, though he was also a penciller on a lot of things.
And Vince Colletta for making us appreciate all the good ones.

9. Same question, but for Colorist Appreciation Week.

Just concentrate on the folks who were doing it before the computer age when it was a lot harder. For after computers changed the whole process, I'd like to see some appreciation for Richmond Lewis.

10. Again, same question, but this time, for Letterer Appreciation Week.

Just be sure you get Tom Orzcechowski and Ken Bruzenak in there. Again, though, that's three weeks out of a recommended five between now and the end of the year. This is something that can be broken up and scattered around. There are more inkers than a week can hold and probably fewer colorists and letterers. These are reasons to LOVE comics. I didn't love comics because of Ben Oda, though he was a fine craftsman and a good guy from all reports. Bruzenak and Orz, who were inventing typefaces and creating designs with them all the time, yeah, they ARE reasons I fell in love with what comics are and can do. You made the yardstick for this column when you titled it.

11. Got any suggestions for future columns or theme weeks?

The well-done cliffhanger. Talk a little bit about the great ones. Just a one-off, though, not a week's worth. Other than that, just ration your theme weeks carefully. When you come up with one, ask yourself if A) is it a reason to LOVE comics, and B) is it the SAME reason over and over or is each day of the seven an actual different reason? I don't know that, for example, a week of Grant Morrison is seven different reasons to love the comics form. I think it's one reason seven times, if you see what I'm saying. Especially if more than one is collaborating with the same artist. That may be why some theme weeks feel tiring.

12. Did I forget to ask a question I should have asked? If so, please ask it. And then kindly answer it, if you would.

Can't think of anything right this second.

i know you've done stan lee but stan lee's shameless self promotion could be covered, the claims on those early marvel covers are gold!

blue characters week! beast, mystique, nightcrawler...non x-men...people...

ooh, no pressure for reason number 365!

2. not so much a fan of the THEMED MONTHS cos i think material can be stretched thin (ahem, ape-ril). also personal favorite stuff that clearly isn't why anyone loves comics (rom, space knight) seems a bit out of place

3. cool style, nopt repetative at all. i don't think you repeat yourself as you rarely repeat what you're saying. repeatedly.

4. love the format.

5. nce balance but the stuff that doesn't fit into creators and characters could be more varied...like, umm, everything from splash pages to free comic book day

6. Are there too many theme weeks? possibly. grant morrison week was cool tho

7. Darwyn Cooke/ Alex Ross

8. Inker Appreciation Week?! who's that guy that always inks bryan hitch??

9. sweet. richard isanove, peter steigerwald, jamie grant, justin ponsor, liquid, udon

10. ---------

11. if you can come up with a good title, one of the things i love is when panel formation REALLY gets its stuff aqcross - like the slow motion death of the waynes in dkr and the breaking through the wall thing in we3

12. no!

2- I've already forgiven you that bit about actually liking DK2

3- I think he style is integral to averything else in this column.

4- So far the format is perfect.

5- It's balanced, as creators are mentioned in character's articles (I can't believe I didn't knew Bob Kanigher before!) and vice versa.

6- So far, nope.

7- Steve Gerber! Steve Gerber! STEVE GERBER!!!

8- Uhhh...

9- Tatjana Wood and Laura Depuy.

10- Uhhhh...

11- Omega the Unknown, Ulysses Bloodstone (¿the first grim and gritty, non-uniformed, gun-wileding hero?), the Micronauts, The Demon...

12. Is it safe? It's unbelievable but yes, it is.