Who Is Under the Hood?

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So as folks may or may not have noticed, we are getting fewer and fewer links from comics blogs as time goes on. However, it doesn’t seem to have affected our traffic; on the contrary, we’re getting slightly more hits, if anything.

Which brings up the question — how are you all finding us? I’m curious to know. Do you follow us through twitter or facebook or through our feed? Did you find us through a google search? Do you have us bookmarked?

And, as long as we’re asking, what do you like (or dislike) about the site? Is there something you read us for in particular? Is there something you wish we’d cover that we don’t?

I realize this may not be of interest to anyone else…but I was curious, so I thought I’d ask. In any case, whether y’all want to talk to me here or not, I do really appreciate that you are finding us somehow or other, and that you’re taking the time to read us.

19 thoughts on “Who Is Under the Hood?”

  1. I originally found you through tcj.com, and follow you through the RSS feed in Google Reader. I’d say so far my favourite posts have been the discussion of orientalism in Habibi, and the Bound To Blog series. I don’t subscribe to a huge number of comics sites (you, TCJ, Bleeding Cool, Mindless Ones, FA Online and the School Library Journal’s Good Comics For Kids).

  2. I was linked here by Tim O’Neill.

    I cannot recall how I was first directed to his page, though.

    I don’t have you bookmarked, but you’re in my Google Reader feed. I find the whole thing interesting as a sophisticated discussion of comics. Sometimes your site is a wee bit pretentious; sometimes it makes presumptions about its audience/intelligent readers of comics. In short sometimes it’s a little too up-its-own-ass-grad-school-liberal (in my opinion); but it’s never boring or merely fanboyish. So I stick around.

  3. I found HU through the Comics Journal connection; I think I was checking up on a claim in the mag that “Noah Berlatsky does not blog.”

    I gotta say, much as I enjoy smarty-pants critique of pop (and sometimes not so pop) culture, the main connection I have to this site is that it’s taught me to regard differing art/entertainment interests, ideas and attitudes as a chance for interplay and (generally) civil discussion, rather than winner-take-all I’m-right-you’re-wrong conflict.

  4. I started reading you at tcj.com, and now I visit the site every day. I think it might have been Kailyn who first mentioned you to me. I love the site because, while I often have differing feelings than those being written, everyone is incredibly articulate and open to discussion.

  5. I started reading when you were still linked to tcj.com. I’ve bveen a constant lurker ever since, this is pretty much the only blog I read more or less frequently on the net.

    I’m having nostalgic flashbacks often when I read you, because I was once a philosophy student interested in postmodernism… After some time I changed my mind and dismissed all of that (and studied mathematical logic)… To see years later discussions about Heidegger on a comics blog is somehow fitting…!

  6. I discovered HU through the article “The Solution to the Scanlation Solution” and soon after added the feed to my feedreader. This is the only comics blog/site in it, by the way.

    I don’t like a type of articles in particular. On the contrary, I like how it sometimes seems like an “arbitrary” collection of reflections on culture.
    I don’t follow the “music for middle-brow snobs” column, though, but that’s just me.

  7. Thanks for commenting, everyone, and for the kind words about the blog (and for John’s not entirely kind words as well!)

    It’s interesting that so many people found us through tcj.com. It seems like they did us a real favor by hosting us, even if only for a year.

    Aaron; yes I was premature in stating I didn’t blog, obviously! I think I barely knew what a blog was when I wrote that tcj bio. Ignus, I am pleased that we can provide Heidegger nostalgia. Josselyn, trust me, you are not alone with the music for middle-brow snobs disinterest; I think that’s one of the least popular things we do. It’s just a self-indulgence on my part; I like making mix tapes.

    Funny; just as I was saying we don’t get a ton of links, Tom Spurgeon gave a nice link to Kailyn’s Duncan the Wonder Dog piece. So we’re not completely out of the loop!

    Thanks again for responding, everyone. And if others are lurking, please feel free to add a note yourself!

  8. I came via a Comics reporter link; I was delighted that you were talking up the Haney/Aparo B&B.

    But while I came for the opinion I agreed with, and stayed for the ones I disagreed with! Which led to Tintin and beyond…

    –Alex

  9. I came to The Hooded Utilitarian through the Mangablog of Brigid Alverson – first when you were still at the tcj.com site and now as standalone. I have you bookmarked and try to see nearly every day if there is something new.

    Although I am reading more mangas (I therefore like especially the contribution of Kinukitty and Erica Friedman) I have learned quite a lot about comics through your site. Especially regarding superheroes comics – being raised in Western Europe in the 80s I knew of course the big names (Superman, Spiderman and Batman) but available were mostly only the french/belgian comics and Peanuts.

  10. Found out about HU via TCJ, like almost everyone commenting here. I follow the twitter account of yours: That´s an easy way to get updates (and spread them as fast as well). Also enjoying to follow Music for Middle Brow Snobs because that´s a real challenge – and I´m suffering from a wide range in musical tastes (similar to those in comics) that come close to the eating habits of pregnant women sometimes. Finally “It’s BDSM day every day at the Hooded Utilitarian”, right? (Please excuse the short comment, I´m not in the essay mood right now.)

  11. I can’t remember how I found the site…possibly through TCJ? I wanted to get an idea of what kind of intelligent things were being said about comics, and overall, even though I probably disagree with the articles on HU a lot more than I agree with them (I find squabbling about morality/ideological “rightness” in fiction to be a little tiresome and reductive), I can’t begrudge that this site is usually intelligent. At the very least, it provides something to argue with in my head (and occasionally the comments thread).

  12. I can’t remember how I found the site either; it’s too long ago (haven’t you been around forever?). It was probably looking for criticism of some Important Comic or other. That is still mostly what I come to the site for. Recently I’ve got more and more interested in the comments thread discussions between you, Matthias, Caro, Domingos and others. Some of those are great.

  15. I came here a few months back. I think I may have found you guys after searching for indie comics or indie comic book conventions or something like that.

    The one thing I’d say I don’t always like is one of the reasons I keep coming back. I think some (a lot) of the analysis on here is trying too hard to be deep or otherwise trying to give comics more depth than they really have.

    However, the ultimate result for me is still worthwhile as this makes me think about the subject. And there are plenty of times where the analysis was actually just the right amount!

    I do see that the goal seems to be to give comics more merit in the art world beyond “I don’t like Rob Liefeld’s feet” and I do appreciate it!

  16. I was looking for Vom Marlowe and followed a Google hit here. Actually as it turns out Vom wasn’t really who I was looking for (that was vito-excalibur, I’d just mis-remembered the name) but I stuck around anyway because I like the combination of confrontational writing style and attempts at inclusion (of women especially) on this site.

    RSS in Google Reader.

  17. “Attempts” sounds sad or half-hearted, what I really mean is “commitment to inclusion”. It’s appreciated!

  18. It was your Wonder Woman blogs. Fascinated on your perspective. I also found your opinions to be thoughtful and your mind open. I have you on a list of sites I regularly visit.

    I must confess, your hippie views on word definition, your site also talks about popular culture in an almost scholastic way without being dry or just so scholastic that I roll my eyes.

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