[Eric Paddon]

The only reason I'm writing this is because due to the loss of four years worth of posts, something I said in this thread in response to a couple posts of Martok's on this issue of "fandom" are lost. Because an earlier post on the subject is there, I'm only providing a bit of on-the-record counterpoint.

Those who write good fanfic should not be under any illusion that their efforts will ever impress people in actual power. But at the same time, I think there is something to be said for keeping up the good fight in our own creativity and not cede the playing field to people who keep churning out, let us be blunt, utterly BAD comic book series and novels that have not a clue about the nature of the original series. I have yet to be entertained once by the garbage Dynamite Press has put out, and that's because I see people writing stories that think TOS should be filtered through a prism of GINO attitude about TOS as one-dimensional kiddie fare and where there is no understanding of what TOS fans want to see (does ANYONE really think that horrific crossover universe saga that ends with Commander Cain, under Iblis's spell killing Sheba is good TOS storytelling?). To me, it is no coincidence that the reason why Realm Press and the first two Max Press miniseries are still damned good is because they were written before GINO came along to infect every subsequent author's perception of what TOS is ultimately all about.

I don't consider it being a 'victim' to hold to these kind of standards or "falling into a fanboy trap" because I feel I can do better than these hack writers for hire at Dynamite when it comes to entertaining myself and hopefully others in the fan community who are willing to give good fanfic a try. Yes, a lot of it is to please myself but I've found it has managed to please other people too. That to me is as good a point as any to continue with a personal creative vision in a realm where officialdom has failed miserably. Ten years after I stopped writing fanfic because I thought I'd run out of ideas, I've returned to it now and am having more fun than ever.

Anyway, that's off my chest.