2 Years of EX

It's hard to believe that I've been doing this for two years. Some days it seems like we've only been working on EX for two days, and other days it seems like two hundred years. Time is relative, I guess. But relative to what?
But enough existential posturing and positing. EX has moved through two years of covering Anime on both sides of the Pacific. And I am sure many of you sometimes wonder how (and especially) why we do it. I think that it's obvious that we are at least partially masochistic (otherwise why else would we subject ourselves to this torture?) But it's also because we feel that EX serves a purpose in the anime community.
When we started, we had no idea that we'd have readers from five continents. I think that's pretty good distribution. (I really don't think that any of the penguins on Antarctica have web access yet, but when they do...) And I don't mean just one or two e-mail messages from Australia or Asia. If I were to list all the places that I never expected to get e-mail from, it would start to sound like a geography test.

"By doing just a little every day, I can gradually let the task completely overwhelm me."

—Ashleigh Brilliant

This is probably not really a secret, but EX is a tremendous amount of work. From the planning of the issue to the writing, editing, image manipulation, HTML, and final check before release, many people work many hours to get this right.
But just a little every day isn't always enough. Sometimes I find myself with a list so long that I need to keep it on a roll of paper towels so I can continue making additions. Every time I finish an assignment list, there's always another to be done. Every time an author finishes an article, she has another one to write. It's a sometimes vicious cycle and it takes a lot of work and dedication from the people that work on this publication to make it come out with the frequency it does.

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity."

—General George S. Patton

This is one of the things I believe in very strongly. I had a boss once who was a complete micromanager. As a result, all my creativity was funneled into coming up with new and creative nicknames for him. We actually kept a list.
Needless to say, this is not the role that I imagined for myself at EX. I tend to turn things over to people and let them run with it. And it's worked out pretty well, for the most part. Sure, sometimes I have to step in and remind people that we have deadlines and we can't publish a magazine without articles and things like that, but all in all, I think it works relatively well. And because of the many talented people that are involved with this project, we have implemented some ideas that I still find amazingly brilliant.

"I can only conclude that I'm paying off karma at a vastly accelerated rate."

—Commander Susan Ivanova, BABYLON 5

Damage control is an essential skill when working on any publication, and while the internet affords us a lot of advantages, it affords us disadvantages as well. Just as in the rest of our lives, sometimes things go wrong. E-mail goes down. Someone loses their articles in a hard drive crash. There are many perils that must be avoided every issue. The staff does a good job avoiding a lot of them. Since most of the "crunch time" takes place internally, it often goes unnoticed by our readers. Which of course means we are doing a good job.

"Don't be so humble—you are not that great."

—Golda Meir

I do not want our readers thinking that we've got swollen heads and egos over this. Sure, I'm the Editor in Chief of EX, but, as my father would say, "That and a dollar will get me a cup of coffee." We are pleased that so many of you have come to regard us as the best there is at what we do, but we will keep moving forward to avoid stagnating.
EX is still growing, still working towards its full potential. We are not where I would like us to be, although I am by no means unhappy. EX has a long life left ahead of it. And as we move out of the Terrible Twos and into our third full year of publication, I am excited by what the future holds for us. If things happen as I have planned, then we will be able to deliver some really stunning stuff later in the year. I wish I could say more but I don't want to jinx anything. Just keep reading in the months ahead.
One large change many of you may have noticed is the appearance of banners on our site. A little over a month ago, we were approached by Imagine Media, Inc. about becoming an affiliate for their newest site, the den (daily entertainment network). The offer seemed worthy of consideration, so we began discussions with the folks at Imagine. It seems like a good arrangement謡e provide them advertising space and they provide us with money. In addition, they help us promote our site as well. This arrangement should provide us with the additional funds necessary to keep doing what we do (postage is expensive folks!).
I would also like to thank all the individuals and companies that have supported us in the last year. Without your providing materials, time, and support, things would be very different for us now. The image above, drawn by Scott Frazier, is representative of the time and commitment that many have given.
EX has survived this long on the talents of its volunteer staff (and the electric cattle prod of the Editor in Chief). And as we continue to grow, we are finding that we need some additional people and perspectives in our magazine. We're looking for a few new Contributing Writers, especially those who follow the sometimes rocky path of translated manga here in the U.S. If you're interested in writing for us, drop us a line.
Thanks for reading. Stick around for the rest of the year. I can promise you an interesting ride.

Charles McCarter
Publisher/Editor in Chief