Much of the joy in self-publishing is the intrinsic satisfaction of creating something new, tangible and creative. But sharing that work is also fun, as is hearing what people think.
The United Fanzine Organization is a co-op where members send copies of books and review/critique/support each other in our self-publishing journeys. The latest UFO Newsletter should be coming in the next couple of weeks, and Heroic: Heroes Past and Hologram should get some mentions as they were circulated during the lead-up to this issue.
And of course the video review by Larned Justin and Steve Keeter is greatly appreciated.
As luck would have it, one of our customers read the book and offered some thoughts via email…he said I could share his note as I think there’s some information that could be helpful to the public. With no further adieu, here’s George A. Lane III…
Hello, Tom.
I don’t want to miss out on any of your issues of Hologram! After reading the Heroic: Heroes Past and the two mini-comics of the Hologram that you sent me, I definitely want to stay up with any new issues! You were so nice to give me so much information about your company (Phoenix Productions) on the inserted flyer! That was very professional! I am attempting to do what you have already accomplished! I need to get myself a website for characters I’m working on and have a name for my comic company! I love what you are doing! Please let me know if you have a subscription for new issues of any of your books, especially Hologram.
Somewhere in my studio, I have a few issue of different Synapse Comics! I have a couple issues of The Light and a few issues of some other comics. I would love to know how many issues of the different fanzines that you produced under Synapse Comics.
Thank you for the great reads! I hope to hear from you soon! Take care!
Naturally,
George A. Lane III
Oh wow, what kind words! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the books, George. While I love the nostalgia and presentation of the old characters in the collected volume of Heroic: Heroes Past, I must admit that I’m more excited about the new presentation of the characters in the modern-day Hologram and forthcoming Patriot books. (And I still have three more characters in different stages of development. Anyone wanna draw some stories? I’m serious…If you can draw and like what you’ve seen from Heroic: Heroes Past and Hologram, let me know. I’d love to get the other characters rolling!)
Hologram especially has been fun because I think that the experiment of “chunking” out a larger story into minicomic-sized chapters is working. We have a lot of ground to cover with our buddy Joe on his journey of self-discovery, and “Counting The Days” is proving to be a lot of fun.
As to subscriptions: You know, I never really intended to sell individual issues. My plan was to post them digitally on this site and then print only enough for giveaways (like with Heroic: Heroes Past), for review copies and perhaps for trade shows like Bob Corby’s S.P.A.C.E. show coming up in May ’22. But Larned and Steve mentioned that I should be printing/charging for the books…and now you have asked about subscriptions. I don’t know as I’ll ever go as far as subscriptions, but I am posting extra paper copies of the books for sale in the Order tab on this site. As new material posts, I presume I will add them to the Order tab.
Your comments on the website and company identity are very gracious, George. I’m trying to thread the needle of being a small, independent publisher with having enough presence online to give people a place to go to read all of my work. This seems to be the easiest and least expensive way to do so. If you ever want tips, let me know!
Lastly, Synapse Comics. Synapse is the label owned by my old friend and publishing compadre, Matt Kanaracus. We had a lot of bleedover; Matt would draw for some Phoenix material (and was a design godsend, artist and reviewer on Fandom back in the day), and I would write for some of his books like The Light and Patriot. I did write a few other stories for Matt and Synapse; you can find them down at the bottom of the page on the Library tab.
(Side note: Matt again wound up being instrumental in helping me pull the various pieces of Heroic: Heroes Past together. He found the original scripts, the unpublished Patriot piece and some of the spot illustrations. Not to mention, he proofed the whole book a couple of times and also drew the front cover! I am in his debt and told him that when he’s ready to compile his Synapse books into a volume like Heroic: Heroes Past, I’ll be right there to help. Wouldn’t a Helgramites collection be fantastic?!)
So there you have it…a kind letter from George combined with a little on subscriptions and Synapse Comics.
Phoenix Productions 