Sean? Just a thought...

I just re-read Tom's post from today and stumbled upon one line that made me thinking:

Quesada, who left Marvel on less than amicable terms after a rumoured coup executed by editors that he himself had hired...

Perhaps we should apologize in some form? Not to sabotage BigMoney's plans, but because it's the right thing to do. From the emails he sent me in the last couple of years, he seems like a very nice guy. And I don't want to burn any bridges here.

Oh, and you should tell Steve Wacker that, should BigMoney fall flat after the first couple of months, he's welcome home anytime. Same goes for Patrick.

If Finch is Unappeased

Do I give the title to Jimenez?

Mike, Day 7. First draft.

1.: I ask Molly if Warren Ellis is okay with a fraction of the Symbiote getting back to Eddie Brock and if he prefers including a scene in which the Symbiote leaves a part behind in the pages of Thunderbolts, or if we can borrow Mac Gargan just for a cameo that would take care of this without changing his status quo.

2.: I call David Michelinie and ask him if the problematic part of the page is vital to the story.
If it is, I ask Paul Pelletier if he would mind drawing a patch. I politely remind him of the rating and of the fact that after Spider-Man 3, we are trying to reach new readers of all ages.
If the part of the page is not important to follow the story, I politely remind Paul of the rating and of the fact that after Spider-Man 3, we are trying to reach new readers of all ages. I then ask him if he would mind if we cover that part of the panel with a strategically placed word balloon, since that is the least bit of work for all involved parties. If that is a problem to him, I ask him to draw the patch.
While I have David Michelinie on the phone, I tell him if he has to work in the Mac Gargan cameo or not.

3.: Add Spectacular Spider-Man #45 and 46 to the list of books tying into Balance of Power. I tell Sean, because he is coordinating the tie-ins now.

4.: If Ramon Bachs is able to draw BALANCE OF POWER: FRONTLINES, I'd love to have him on the book. If he doesn't have the time, I ask Paul Jenkins who he'd consider a fitting alternative.

5.: I take care of the remaining phone calls from yesterday.

Going In To Day 8

Wow -- not nearly as big as the problems I figured Tom would throw at us! Maybe he's saving that for tomorrow.

I'll take care of JRJr. I cancelled the previous check, so it's definitely my problem at this point. (Not a big one, though, I don't think.)

Mike, I don't see any major problems on your end at the moment. LMK if you need/want any assistance/advice/intervention on anything.

Phil, you've got an angry David Finch to deal with. I'd be happy to talk with him on your behalf if you like. I think he'd do good work on the project and we're running late on time, so I'd rather not pull in somebody else, but this is ultimately your book. Thoughts?

USPS Replaces Tony Stark as the Number One Villain in the Marvel Universe

That's extremely irritating, Mike and Sean.

As for the varied response to Sean's oversight of Balance of Power... I don't know, man. I thought you were pretty clear that everybody was free to do whatever they wanted under a pretty loose framework, and that they were also free not to take part in the crossover. Tom is stacking the deck seriously against us, and I'm trying to come up with a serious counter-attack to the possibility that Q's going to pull many of the simulated real editors out from under us.

Difficult times lie ahead, Harry. You must now make the choice between what is right and what is easy.

FOR APPROVAL: PHILIP'S DAY SEVEN POST

Tell Amanda that I love her She-Hulk covers and would never willingly have anybody else draw them, and that all I ask of her is plenty of advanced warning if she feels like she's getting swamped and needs somebody to pinch hit on occasion.

Tell David Finch that this Balance Covers thing is a big misunderstanding between me, the EiC and the VP Ops. I'd floated Finch as a possibility for filling in for Amanda on She-Hulk covers to better tie the series in with Balance, and the VP Ops said something about not wanting him on covers for other books, which we somehow misinterpreted as him not wanting Finch on any covers, so we were floating alternatives around but we were still thinking of them as guys who could possibly do variants. The point is that Finch is, in my opinion, one of the most talented cover artists working for Marvel and that any talk of him not doing the covers is irrelevant. Everyone here definitely wants him 100% on the book.

What's more troubling to me is Finch's concern that JMS's script won't allow him enough latitude, and that it won't be visual enough, and that he's been placed on another project ill-suited to his strengths and preferences. As far as I can tell, this is among the most visual stories imaginable, with a crushed and broken world as the backdrop to tense political drama. Finch's art is richly atmospheric, with an eye for detail that we feel will really sell the story's many moments of deep gravitas and desperation. And while I can speak with JMS about making sure the script isn't too smothering to layouts, visuals etc., I'm still very worried that Finch feels he's ill-suited for this project. I wouldn't have considered someone I felt wasn't a good match, and if he really doesn't want this opportunity to provide art for this year's cornerstone Marvel event, he should let us know immediately so we can seek a replacement.

It's quiet...

TOO quiet.

I can see the goal. Just there up ahead. It's a straight shot and there doesn't look to be anything in the way.

And that worries me.

It's that insurmountable fear of the dark we have as children. The knowledge that some thing lurks in the basement, under the stairs. Waiting to snatch us by our ankles as we try to sneak down the steps. Why does the light switch always have to be at the bottom? I'm ten years old again and scared that I won't turn eleven. Something's down there. Waiting. Something that eats small children whole. There won't even be a sensation of pain. Just the sudden awareness that I've become a snack for something very ugly. And then... nothing. I will simply cease to be. Maybe somone will find my bones in a thousand years, but that won't matter. They will have been eaten by then, too. The monster in the darkness. He's just sitting there. Hungry. Waiting for me to step just a little too close. I'm as good as dead. I just don't know it yet. And yet, I'm so close...

This panic attack brought to you by Fear Of The Unknown^TM, scaring the living daylights out of people since the dawn of time.