To the Editor (28-Nov-2008)

Well, I can't see that email address listed in the magazine. You can't just make up email addresses, you know!

I don't have a direct contact for Panini. Anyhow, they probably don't like us very much since we're often rude about the dumb plotlines in their stories!

They do have a physical mail address printed in the magazine which they say you should use for sending competition entries and fan content like letters and photos. Yeah, I can't remember either how to send letters. I know my mum used to send them. Do they still have post offices these days? If so, send the post office an email and ask them to send you a PDF instruction booklet on how to post letters.

My daughter writes poems. In crayon. Who should I contact?

Actually, she writes about ponies.

In black crayon.

Dead ponies.

Hmm... maybe I'll call a psychiatrist.

So... people will come to our site... and stay longer... but they will spend that extra time in a chat room. Watching ads?

Dammit! Doesn't anybody here have any questions about Spider-Man?

So... DS games, you say?

I'm not sure we can help you with much of that. As per our Inclusion Guidelines we don't actually track an information about foreign language versions of Spider-Man, unless they feature an original story that isn't otherwise available in a U.S. edition.

As for Marvel Policy for protecting their copyright... well, that's whole 'nuther story. We always tend to err on the side of caution here, and Marvel has never complained. The "Fair Use" rights allow you to review material, and to reproduce limited parts of comics for academic or critical purposes. But if you're planning to scan and offer entire comics, then there's no doubt that is illegal. On your own head be it.

Well, no, we don't include action figures in the database - despite having a Spidey action figure fanatic (Mike Fichera) on the staff.

We could easily add an "Action Figure" section. That's the easy part! But then we'd have to put some content in it. And since I don't own any figures, Mike is too busy with work for Marvel, the section would sit there empty and out of date. A bit like our Spider-Man Software section.

It's all well and good to want a section, but who has the time, energy and skills to enter the data? It takes all the focus of our current staff just to try and keep the comics database mostly up to date!

But I'll make you a deal if you like. I'll create the Action Figure section, then you have three months to enter complete lists of figures, dates, and photographs of all 128 figures you have. If you do that, then the section can stay. Otherwise, at least you'll better understand why we don't currently have such a section!

Interested?

Hey, that's a really kind offer. Unfortunately, I'm not actually a very interesting speaker, and I have a kind of insipid, whiny sort of voice that is painful to listen to. I also tend to ramble terribly, in spite of (or perhaps because of) the fact that I don't tend to have anything much to say.

I really don't think I'd help your ratings very much.

Oh yeah, and there's the Tourette's Syndrome too...

Well, yes and no. I take your point. I understand that he's not Stan Lee's registered agent. But he is out there trying to get money out of people by using Stan's name. He's selling "intimate" chats with Stan, and trying to get people to sponsor those chats - essentially sponsoring Stan to appear in those chats.

So we can argue semantics. But Agent or Not Agent, what he is doing is quite clearly "Selling Stan".

You're no doubt thinking of The Amazing Spider-Man (1990 Paragon Game). Once upon a time way back we did have a cracked EXE of this 25-year old classic PC game available for download. However, we pulled it as part of our drive to be 100% squeaky clean on the legal front.