I had created Dr. DeBunko and written a few of his stories before I learned of the Skeptics Society.
I always enjoyed books that questioned, or looked critically about, claims people have made, whether it involves witches, the existence of monsters, UFOs, conspiracy theories, or literal interpretations of religion. I just never knew where to look for information to fuel my interests.
One day Elizabeth called me while she was driving around town. She had been listening to National Public Radio, and she said, “Honey, I think you better turn the radio on right now. There’s a guy on from this organization called the Skeptics Society, and he’s talking about debunking UFOs and things.”
That was all I needed to hear. I turned it on as quick as I could find a radio in a box in the closet and get it plugged in. Michael Shermer was the guest, and listening to him made me feel like I’d found my home. He made me feel like I was an orphan, and at last I’d found my family. He was putting into words all these beliefs I’d held and never been able to express.
Soon Elizabeth bought me a couple of Dr. Shermer’s books, and now I was really hooked. I visited their website and got myself a subscription to their magazine. And I noticed there was a “contact” for Dr. Shermer. So I wrote to him and told him I had written these Dr. DeBunko stories, and could I send him some copies. I wrote that I thought it was important for both of us to try and gain acceptance in other mediums and spread each others’ messages. His message is for people to try and use common sense and analytical thinking. My message is maybe less bold, but that comics can be a valid artistic medium. I said, if comics readers can learn to become skeptical thinkers, and skeptics (comprising of scientists, doctors, professors) can … well, who the hell knows? read comics? At any rate, to try and cross-pollinate, and support each other. I told him my only disappointment joining the Skeptic Society was that they didn’t send me a card, so that I could say I was a card-carrying Skeptic. I told him I was going to make a card myself, just so I could say it.
He received my stories, and wrote back that until he’s made into a cartoon character on the Simpsons, this was the coolest thing anyone had ever done to honor him or his work. He asked if he could post my letter at his website, which gets a readership of 10,000 hits a week or something insane. I thought this was the greatest.
At this time, I was just getting ready to go to the printer with my first issue of Tabloia, featuring a bunch of stories, and also Dr. DeBunko. My website was up, and the book was ready to order. I started fantasizing in grandiose ways about possibilities with this new union between intellect and schlock pop culture.
I had the gall to resend my original letter, with my website and other printing info in it, so that it would be a better advertisement of my book. He didn’t write back, but he did post the updated letter, and I got an extra thousand hits to my website. WOW! Stars were in my eyes. I couldn’t believe my luck. I couldn’t believe the exposure I was going to get. Stardom, here I come, I was beginning to think once again.
I wrote Michael Shermer and asked if he would mind if, in my comics, I recommended readers visit his website. I asked if I could print t-shirts that said “Dr. DeBunko wants you to join the Skeptics Society.” I even asked if maybe I should redraw the Dr. DeBunko stories, and have Dr. DeBunko look like Michael Shermer.
In the end, I decided against this. I began to realize that my excitement about this union was considerably more than the Skeptic Society’s. And why shouldn’t it be? Dr. Shermer is a bestselling author, and he edits Skeptic Magazine and directs the Skeptic Society. He’s got shit to do besides all this stupid comics junk. That’s how it should be, too.
Amongst the thousand extra Skeptic hits to my website, a few people asked about subscriptions. I had to explain I was a self-publisher, and the first issue wasn’t out yet, and I didn’t have anything to sell at my website, and I would only be putting the issues out every three months or so, but that they could get them at their local comics shop. For some reason, I assumed everyone would be excited to put in this effort, and would regularly check in at my website, and rush down to their comics shop every few months and order my comics, and tell all their friends, and the fire would spread!
Most of them, I just never heard from again. Who knows if they figured out the complicated way of ordering comics at a comics shop. (The way of ordering comics at a comics shop is that they were supposed to order them two months before the book came out, and if they didn’t, the shop probably wouldn’t be able to find the issue, and certainly the book isn’t popular enough that they would carry it.) Most likely, if they tried at all, they couldn’t find it, and just forgot about it. And even if they did find it, Dr. DeBunko was just one of four stories in the comic, and the rest weren’t very skeptical, so they might not have enjoyed them anyways. If by some complete fluke, they picked up the first issue, they probably realized it wasn’t their thing, and didn’t bother to look for any future issues.
I sent twenty or so copies of my first issue to Dr. Shermer, which he said he planned to spread and share. After the first issue, he said it would be fine to just send him one, which I did. I also sent him a t-shirt, which he said he really enjoyed and wears. So eventually things kind of fizzled out with the Skeptics Society … for now …