I understand locking the first topic, it was a rant.

The second topic was not.

Locking the second topic only makes 88MPH Studios look so amateurish that they cannot own up and give their customer base an explanation.

“In short, it is easy to rant on when you have no perspective.”

No perspective——– explain to me what perspective I should have.

This is the only information I have received:

1. Two failed publishing dates for the hard cover, over 6 missed publishing dates for the comics.

2. No word from 88MPH Studios

3. You lock both topics concerning legitimate gripes over how 88MPH Studios is handling the franchise your messageboard centers around. THe first one I understand, the second one - not so much.

4. You guys more or less promote the fact 88MPH Studios guy reads this messageboard, then refuse to let anyone say anything remotely dis-interested in them.

5. Diamond Comics says they are refusing 88MPH Studios because they failed to give any “information” and “could not meet any of the deadlines”.

6. You tell me to get some perspective before I say anything yet, as I said, I have more perspective on business situations than you can possibly imagine, I will gladly go into detail in private over what I have been doing myself……. and you still assume I don't know anything about business….

7. 88MPH Studios has yet to make any official announcements beyond that “Purchase Order” mix up over 8 months ago.

8. Guy who runs 88MPH Studios seems to be refusing to hire any help.

9. 88MPH Studios had the biggest break out success in comics Diamond has seen in a long time yet……….. they don't have their affairs in order.

10. I worked my ass off the last 12 months trying to get a straight answer from 88MPH Studios. No decent statement has been issued. It's all vauge and inconclusive.

Let's see……………..

Looks to me like the only perspective to be gained is that 88MPH Studios can't handle business end of their business.

And yet, I'm being told to just be happy it'll all work out and for me to concentrate on the real life drama in New Orleans?

A. I signed my name Peter Venkman Jr from 2nd-4th grade (well end of 2nd, mostly 3rd and 4th). Your suggestion that I act like I'm HAPPY with the situation ain't gonna happen any time soon. 88MPH Studios jerked this franchise around. I direct you to UDON publishing (another new comic company). They worked a deal with DDP to produce Street Fighter, and have since made enough money to go on their own. It is clear the owner of 88MPH Studios needs serious and I mean serious business training. IF he were handed enough money to rent the Ghostbusters License from Sony, then he has enough money to get his act straight. I've got less than 5000$ to register my patent with the US Government, Ireland, UK and PCT, and if I can do that with $5k ( let's see you do it with just $5k) then 88MPH Studios can get their comic out on time.

B. You dare to bring up the situation in New Orleans? I bet you don't even KNOW what's been going on with the political levvy fight over the last three years.

New Orleans has been pushing for more government funding for new Levvys since before Bush's re-election.

The GOP touted it as Pork Barreling politics and defeated each of the proposals brought to the senate floor.

Bush was on vacation during the first week after the disaster. Doing spit.

Meanwhile FEMA blows tripple digits on buying a Debit Card system to give out to “survivors” after kicking them out of base camps and shutting down kitchens families were using to feed themselves and neighbors—– the debit card system didn't work, btw, they had to recall it. Peopel are still starving, because FEMA hasn't re-established the kitchens and ration system yet.

Know where 60% of the actual air-lifted aid has come from in the last 4 days? MEXICO!!

Not FEMA

NOT Barbara Bush (who said, and I quote, " will be good for these people…"

It's from MEXICO

What about that situation am I supposed to appreciate, Chad? The fact the incompetent president is in charge of the US and not 88MPH Studios?

I use comic books to escape from reality. I've got a gripe about the piss poor way the Ghostbusters comic has been handled on a ghostbusters messageboard, and I'm being told at least it's not important like the hurricane!

Yeah, ok I guess you're right:

It's not important people voted for Bush (who learned how to handle hurricanes from his father).

It's not important that a devoted fan like myself should just completely forget about people screwing with his favorite franchise because it's not real life.

What is important is that people are dying and we have to give more money to FEMA to thrown down the toilet while we ask MEXICO to bail us out.


Go ahead, lock this topic, I bet you'll kick em too for not agreeing with you that 88MPH Studios shouldn't say anything, I really could give a flying rat's ass anymore.

It's clear that ghostbusters.net doesn't care about the fact 88MPH Studios isn't getting their act straight, and that fans should just take it and ask for more.

Seriously, it's almost as bad as Tom Bateman and Steve Yun with Robotech. I think they successfully hammered the last nail into that coffin last year.


I promise you this, Chad, as long as people like you act as body shields for people like 88MPH Studios, saying “He doesn't need to tell us anything.” Then people like 88MPH Studios will never, and I repeat, never become a success.

The guy who runs 88 needs to learn to start pandering to the customers and to the storefronts.

Why?

Cause we're the people who give him the dough.

FYI: He's already out of Diamond Publishing, they don't want him back, it's not a bright outlook!

How can I spread the good word when there is NO good word to spread? In fact, there is NO WORD to spread PERIOD!

I know what it's like to be a passionate fan. However, I also know what it's like to run a startup company on few resources. I see both sides of the coin. I'm not interested in shielding 88MPH, as you so claim. However, I don't think you are looking at the whole picture. Sure, the dates have been pushed back and releases are few and far between. But look what we have, GREAT comics. Their commitment to the franchise is clear through the great art and storyline.

I hate to keep locking your topics, so I will keep this open as a goodwill gesture. But please, get a grip a bit. My comments on getting a perspective were not intended to be analyzed at such levels. Simply put, try to look at what we have rather than what we don't.

If it wasn't for 88MPH we would have nothing. It's not like multiple companies were bidding for the franchise in comic form. It's not the hot commodity it used to be and I feel you are overlooking a lot of care, effort, and quality that 88MPH has injected into their products.

However, I also know what it's like to run a startup company on few resources.

Damn right! i spent thousands of dollars on my bussiness some years ago when it started up. (*ray) When money comes out of your own pocket to produce for the customer your product or service had better sell! I got lucky personally. so until you have to invest in your own bussiness keep some of those comments to yourself because you honestly just dont understand. Its nothing personal from 88mph studios. just bussiness man.
im gone.

We got great comics. Sure, they weren't on time and sure they didn't succeed but they were still GREAT. Great story, great art…what the hell more do you want?

You claim to know so much about business…do you know anything about the comic industry? Do you really? ‘Cause unless your name is DC or Marvel it’s an uphill battle, Bunky.

Sure, we're all a little miffed at how this has turned out, but if you could do better I'd love to see you try. Go over to Weaverhall.com, that's their message board. People've already made topics about it and Seb has answered. An announcement will be coming so just hold your goddam horses.

1. Two failed publishing dates for the hard cover, over 6 missed publishing dates for the comics.

I might be wrong, but I thought a date wasn't given as so not to dissapoint fans if it missed the mark

2. No word from 88MPH Studios

Having word from 88MPH Studios would mean Sebastien would have to take the time to post either here or you a reply by email (I know that is a bad way of putting it, but we don't know just what he has do do on a daily basis, it may exluce him from being able to post on the boards, it might not, but we don't know his personal daily routine. Aside from that, emailing him every week is a little extreme.

3. You lock both topics concerning legitimate gripes over how 88MPH Studios is handling the franchise your messageboard centers around. THe first one I understand, the second one - not so much.

Chad locked them because the first one suggested killing the people concerned and the second one as it didn't seem to be much more rational. Putting a point into civil words is more likely to get a reply then putting in an extreme and ‘dramatic’ rant. Okay, we don't expect you to be a robot… but one side or another, you're talking to a company and they might be more willing to take the time to reply if you don't threaten to kill them.

4. You guys more or less promote the fact 88MPH Studios guy reads this messageboard, then refuse to let anyone say anything remotely dis-interested in them.

It's a Ghostbusters product, we've got to support the products whenever we can get them. You're not being refused to state your opinion, but when you make wild rants, and then not tone them down on the request of the board owner it can provoke exestencial circumstances.

5. Diamond Comics says they are refusing 88MPH Studios because they failed to give any “information” and “could not meet any of the deadlines”.

That's their take on it, we don't know the personal grievances, and some probably don't want to… whatever happened between Diamond and Sebastien is his own business…

6. You tell me to get some perspective before I say anything yet, as I said, I have more perspective on business situations than you can possibly imagine, I will gladly go into detail in private over what I have been doing myself……. and you still assume I don't know anything about business….

Saying ‘more perspective’ won't convince people, especially in the tone it's in. We don't know the specifics of business… I don't know the specifics, but you're not going to convince anyone by claiming outright you're an expert.

7. 88MPH Studios has yet to make any official announcements beyond that “Purchase Order” mix up over 8 months ago.

'Mix up'?

8. Guy who runs 88MPH Studios seems to be refusing to hire any help.

Since when has he ‘refused help’? Sebastien's said he has paid personally into the project, and that buying an additional licence like Ghostbusters, Tron and Transformers would be pretty pricey, and additional staff would require additional money, maybe he can't afford extra help, but as he hasn't posted details, it's a little difficult to ask what sort of ‘any help’ he might need…

9. 88MPH Studios had the biggest break out success in comics Diamond has seen in a long time yet……….. they don't have their affairs in order.

So a company's not allowed to have a mistake even if they had a ‘break’? Mistakes happen and even the best professionals have their worst times.

10. I worked my ass off the last 12 months trying to get a straight answer from 88MPH Studios. No decent statement has been issued. It's all vauge and inconclusive.

If your approach has been similar to ‘death threats’ or being extreme, I can't fault 88MPH for taking their time with their reply… but it is a comic book, it's not vital you get it straight away and it's certainly not a worthy reason for all the problems caused by your not phrasing things a bit more civily.


Ugh– Look, I understand your frustration, but shouting and posting multiple topics isn't gonna help you find your answers…

Hey, I'm still waiting as well… do you hear me complain about it? Nope Just wait and see We know the company exists… the comics exist… it's just a matter of time and patience.

Yeah I have to agree with Spengler7. Just be patient and the comics will come eventually.

To me, the bottom line is that 88 succeeded in the area that mattered most to fans - putting out a great comic - but failed on the business end. And in the non-fandom world, the latter is obviously the most important. I think it's a very unfortunate outcome, because when the first issue came out, people were talking about it - and I mean non-GB fans. It had a buzz, at least in New York comic shops. Then things got seriously derailed with reprinting the first issue. Seb said after it's all done, he'd publish a missive on competing in the indy world of comics. I'm interested to read this particular section and see what he saw differently involving readership and $$$. Methinks it didn't work out as he had planned. It was almost amateurish, in retrospect, to reprint issue #1 because it had sold out. People had to wait extra long for issue 2, the demand was oversaturated rather than just met, excitement and buzz thoroughly died down, and it just got worse from there.

I think it's totally predictable and almost amusing that no one has received copies of the overpriced graphic novel so far. I have no clue what the circumstances behind the wait are - I have never worked in publishing, though I think the argument that “you've never done it before means you can't criticize” is thoroughly ludicrous, because EVERYONE does it on a daily basis. (“This chicken sucks”; “man, have you ever raised a chicken? got it out of the egg and into the incubator? fed it till it grew up? chopped off its head? defeathered it? gutted it? packaged individual parts for resale? THEN SHUT THE FUCK UP TILL YOU HAVE AND ENJOY THAT CHICKEN!”). Bottom line is that we aren't even getting updates to generate some sympathy - best we get are hints that updates are forthcoming.

So here's hoping that the business end of 88 gets its act together. If I honestly thought that contributing money for the graphic novel would help get another issue out, I really would buy one.

I’m no business expert, but even I know that you have to keep your customers happy in order to succeed. A few delays with the first and second comics were fine, even possibly expected. But when you have paid good money (which you might not have been able to afford to lose) for something that just doesn’t come no matter how patient you are, you should expect people to be irritated and to complain. I was among those who waited, and I got bored of it. My order for the hardcover was cancelled late last month, and I brought the trade paperback instead.

I know there are those of you out there who have infinite patience, but you need to realise that not everyone is the same. Some people have genuine and very valid concerns, and they aren’t being listened to by either Seb or fellow fans. The only reason I can fathom for such hostility toward other fans whose only sin is to have paid for a comic which they have waited for months on end for with no updates or information, is that they have touched a very raw nerve. If people have emailed 88mph and not received a response, then I think they have every right to be pissed. Let’s face it, everyone knows that the longer the delay, the more people are going to jump ship and there are a lot of you who are placing the blame on fans for daring to complain about it instead of the man who has taken the project on. From the email response I received when I cancelled my order, even Graham Crackers seemed decidedly unimpressed with 88mph. Unfortunately, for good business, however wonderful the comics are, it is useless when they don’t come out on time and the pre-orders are not honoured for months on end. Customers will give up, customers will cancel orders, comic store owners will stop selling, and the comic will die. That is the problem we have here, not the quality of the comics. I don't know why that even needs to be explained to anyone, because it is pretty obvious.

The hardcover is basically the entire mini-series plus the Zeddemore Factor with a few bells and whistles added on for measure, so why the long delay? It’s not as though the hardcover needs to be scripted, drawn and painted from scratch. I realise Seb is a one-man show, but as the saying goes, the customers should come first. If Seb can spend precious time redesigning a website for just a handful of regular members, then I’m sure he could spare a few minutes in his very busy day to respond to his customers. A simple, single email response sent to all his customers detailing the problems he has shouldn’t take any time at all, especially when that email could mean the difference between a sale and a cancellation.

I find it quite ridiculous that people are telling those with legitimate concerns to effectively shut up and be happy with what they’ve got because tomorrow a Hurricane could blow their house to pieces and they’ll have nothing! For goodness sake! I don’t know what is more embarrassing – the constant delays, or those people with their heads in the sand.

Well maybe if the complainers didn't act like they put up their first borns as collateral we wouldn't tell them that. Frankly, the way THEY act is embarrassing. Frankly I'm starting to regret being a Ghosthead these days because of those assholes. Death threats against the company? COME ON! Betcha Trekkies get along…