Pixel Scroll 12/28/18 Baby Is 3.14159

I’m still recovering from the flu, however, here’s a curtailed Scroll to help keep the conversation moving.

GUFF INTERVIEWS. The Get-Up-and-over Fan Fund (GUFF) ballot for the 2019 race is available online. Voters will choose an Australasian delegate to attend Dublin 2019 in Ireland (August 15-19). There is an option for the delegate to also attend the Eurocon (Titancon, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on August 22-25).

The candidates are Lynelle Howell, Simon Litten, and Nicole Murphy.

GUFF co-administrator Marcin Klak has posted interviews with all three candidates

NASA AFFECTED BY SHUTDOWN. Cnet points out that space mission press coverage will be handicapped if the government shutdown continues — “NASA shutdown: Agency could be dark during historic New Year’s missions”.

NASA’s live stream is currently offline, however, and the agency is redirecting people to NASA TV, which it states will show live events. The NASA public relations team is unable to publicize the events and send out press releases during the shutdown because they aren’t exempt from the furlough.

Previous government shutdowns, in January and February this year, lasted no longer than three days. But this shutdown could continue into the new year. As recently as Thursday, at least one US senator suggested there’s “no end in sight”. 

LEARN TO RUN A COMIC CON. Ithaca College will offer the “First College Course on Running a Comic Convention”.

Ithaca College, a mid-size nationally-ranked private college, will offer a course on running a comic convention in the Spring 2019 semester, the first time we’ve heard of a college course on the topic.  Students taking the course will plan and manage Ithacon, the second-longest-running comic convention in the nation.  The course, Creating and Promoting Ithacon, will be co-taught by Ed Catto, formerly of Bonfire Agency (see “Rotterdam, Catto Start Bonfire“) and Reed Exhibitions, currently a lecturer in the Department of Management; and English professor Katherine Kittredge, who’s the coordinator of Ithacon.

Students will plan, manage, and market the convention, and do post-event analysis.  Other topics of the course will include publishing, filmed entertainment, licensing, collectibles and fan communities.

BLEEDING COOL TOP 100 POWER LIST. This week Bleeding Cool has been dribbling out its “Top 100 Power List” of the comics industry’s influential figures. The list came to my attention because Vox Day is grumpy that he’s not on it — despite having (unintentionally) managed to get a Bleeding Cool editor fired this year for publishing an interview with him – which he figures represents some level of industry power….

This attempt to list the most powerful people working in the English-speaking comic book marketplace is, of course, flawed. It is judged by all manner of attributes, the ability to influence what comics exist and sell, but also the willingness to use that power in the industry to affect things, and the ability to retain said power if a job is taken away. Which is why you will see a number of people on a higher spot than their bosses.

…It does not measure talent or likeability, respect or fairness, and it does not intend to represent diversity or balance. All it does is note power, used for betterment — or detriment — in the English speaking comic book world.

96. Eddie Ibrahim

Director of Programming at San Diego Comic-Con – it may come but once a year but Eddie holds the fortunes and plans of many comic book publishers and creators in his hands. His whim can see a publisher given the chance to expose the world to what they are working on. Or denied the chance and remain in relative obscurity. Also, it may be down to him to see if the panel you have arranged will be full of your fans or people waiting to see Critical Role.

74. Ethan Van Sciver. Leaving DC Comics after prominent creators refused to work with him anymore, he used the usual mixture of Comicsgate virtue signalling, identity politics and mocking hater videos to raise over half a million dollars on Indiegogo, for his still-upcoming Cyberfrog comic revival. The highest amount raised on crowdfunding by any comic creator in the year, it helps that he can actually draw. This helped him take the position as leading Comicsgate figure as Richard Meyer stepped back, due to his legal case with Mark Waid, and not wanting to give the defence further ammunition.

53. Gail Simone. Leading comic book writer, advisor, social media presence and whose Women In Refrigerators continues to impact all over the place, Simone has also become showrunner of the Lion Forge line of superhero comic books. With a massive social media following and an uncompromising attitude, Simone always brings a lot to the party.

54. Ta-Nehisi Coates. Writer of Black Panther, as well as a literary activist, he has brought attention to this comic alongside the release of the movie, and has created a small but new fanbase for Marvel comic books.

46. Kelly Sue DeConnick. Writer of Bitch Planet and Pretty Deadly, a strong voice in the comics industry fuelled with the Captain Marvel movie based on her take on the character, she remains a font for advice, support and comradeship, and her production company with Matt Fraction, Milkfed, continued to develop new comics and adapt and represent them for other media.

[Thanks to JJ, John King Tarpinian, Chip Hitchcock, Cat Eldridge, Mike Kennedy, Martin Morse Wooster, Carl Slaughter and Andrew Porter for some of these stories Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Daniel Dern.]

2019 GUFF Voting Begins

The Get-Up-and-over Fan Fund (GUFF) ballot for the 2019 race is now available online.

Voters will choose an Australasian delegate to attend Dublin 2019 in Ireland (August 15-19). There is an option for the delegate to also attend the Eurocon (Titancon, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on August 22-25).

The candidates are Lynelle Howell, Simon Litten, and Nicole Murphy.

Ballots will be accepted until April 22. The candidates’ platforms, general information about voting, and the online ballot can be found here. A PDF ballot for printing is also available. Votes are not valid unless accompanied by a contribution of at least GBP6, EUR7, AUD10, NZD10, or an equivalent amount in other currencies.

GUFF, the Get Up-and-over Fan Fund or the Going Under Fan Fund, depending on which direction it’s running, GUFF exists to provide funds to enable well-known fans from Australasia and Europe to visit each other’s national (or other) conventions and get to know each other’s fandoms better.

The winner will take over the administration of the fund for the next northbound and southbound races.

Here are the candidates’ platforms:

Lynelle Howell (New Zealand)

Hi, my name is Lynelle Howell and I’m a fan. I’ve been actively involved in fandom for over 20 years at both local and national level. I’ve chaired two natcons, helped set up SFFANZ (the Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zealand). I have administered the Sir Julius Vogel Awards (SJVs) for more than 10 years. I’m currently the FFANZ (Fan Fund of Australia and New Zealand) administrator and am on the Executive for CoNZealand, the 78th worldcon in 2020.

I’m running for GUFF as I’m keen to attend more international conventions (including Eurocon and Dublin 2019) and meet new friends

Nominators: Australasia – Norman Cates (NZ), Julian Warner (Aus), Lorain Clark (NZ) and Roman Orszanski (Aus); Europe – Kylie Ding (UK) and James Shields (Ireland)

Simon Litten (New Zealand)

I am a New Zealand fan with 30 years involvement in organised fandom, having helped found and served on the committee of both the local SF club and NZ’s national SF body SFFANZ.

I have helped organise two national SF conventions; and have served on a Hugo awards subcommittee for the “best series” category.

I enjoy travelling and meeting fans from other countries.

I would be honoured to be the GUFF delegate and to represent antipodean fandom at the Dublin WorldCon.

Nominators: Australasia – Lucy Sussex (Aus), Gillian Polack (Aus) and Ross Temple (NZ); Europe – Nina Horvarth (Austria), Claire Brialey (UK) and Esther MacCallum-Stewart (UK).

Nicole Murphy (Australia)

I love conventions! Since joining the committee for Conflux 1 in 2002, I’ve sat on the committee for 9 out of 14 Confluxes (including chairing Conflux 4, co-chairing Conflux 9 and after a break, programming Conflux 14). Additionally, I’ve run a couple of online mini-cons and convened the Aurealis Awards twice. Today I’m employed as a professional conference organiser! I look forward to meeting amazing Dublin Worldcon and Belfast Titancon participants and, in particular, the opportunity of bringing my experience, creativity and Australian sense of humour to GUFF. We will most definitely have a ball!

Nominators: Australasia – Cat Sparks (Aus), Kaaron Warren (Aus) and Rose Mitchell (Aus); Europe – Jukka Halme (Finland) and Mihaela Marija Perkovic? (Croatia).