Done? Great.

Those faces are the writers here at CWR. Notice anything about them? Take a second.

Right. Not exactly the classic stereotypical group of dopey-looking white guys that run and/or participate at most comics websites, eh?

It’s been said that comics as a medium cannot survive by pandering to the same audience over and over and over- that they must diversify and reach out to everyone. Because fandom and professionals, regardless of the final product that hits the shelves, is comprised of people from every possible gender and ethnic background. And that would be a lot more pronounced if there was more material to appeal across all lines.

CWR is a perfect example of this. Look at those faces again.

The funny thing is: it all kind of happened as an accident. I met Vince, Bryan and Matt through a mailing list we participate on. I met Brandon and Jessica through another friend. Brandon introduced me to Elliott and Steven. Elliott was friends with Avril and Saurav. Friends making more friends, basically. The way it played out, making us look like an ad for the United Colors of Benetton, was a happy accident. And I mean that literally- I love that we have something completely different going on here as far as points of view go. I think perspective is important, and most comics sites have the same perspective… over and over and over again. Bleah.

There was only one deliberate choice, and that was Jocelyn. Vince spoke to me and pointed out that we were lacking the voice of the black female comics fan, a readership that is not only strong and growing, but one that has been responsible for pointing out some of the more egregious character abuses going on in mainstream books the past couple of years (special respect to the amazing Cheryl Lynne a/k/a Digital Femme who is required reading). Jocelyn also brings a perspective on mainstream comics that I think we lack at times, as I no longer really read Marvel or DC books on a consistent basis.

The one thing we all have in common is a passion for the medium. We’re here because we dig comics, and we have thoughts and ideas about them that we want to share. We have a group of talented, dedicated writers committed to providing quality content 24 times a year. And we hope that when you see us, maybe you see a bit of yourself, and you commit to joining us on that journey every two weeks throughout 2009.

Happy holidays… and see you next year!

Marc Mason