While your comments are flattering, guys,
you don't quite understand what I bring to the table. It's really the ability to assimilate the data in question and dissect it objectively and make the connections to figure things out. I'm ALWAYS learning as much myself as I am sharing.
For instance, I'm currently working on a project that suddenly, just before publication, was blind-sided by a new player in comics history. Without even knowing what this new artist looked like, I took the time-frames, the company and the connections given and deduced the style and documented his career. Now HOW could I share that "knowledge" with anyone before the questions were asked?
That's what I do. I answer questions. When somebody asks, I dig up an answer or try to. Mostly I try to answer questions that haven't been asked before, because those are by far the most interesting. But my "knowledge" is strung over thousands of index cards and cross-indexes and notes and tapes shared with Hames Ware and the comics in the boxes in my attic and it is most definitely NOT on tap in my brain. People get very disappointed with me when they encounter me away from my source material (say at WonderCon, for example) and expect me to display my knowledge. The same would happen in front of a tape recorder.
Like a good librarian, I know WHERE to find the answers. I am currently working on isolating the styles of George Kerr and L. Bing on Raggedy Ann and Andy at Dell, filling in a few missing credits for Gary Brown and Alan Hutchinson's Dell Four Color project, helping someone (see, no memory whatsoever) on a Lou Cameron checklist, working with Alberto Becattini on a Matt Baker checklist, updating some Tarzan Annual GCD credits, ID-ing (or TRYING to) some early 1950 Mad-parody art for John Benson, looking over the Marvel Mystery 21-24 Masterworks credits for Doc V, searching out the data to repudiate an erroneous credit in the latest Mystic MM, etc. In every case I'm LEARNING stuff that I didn't know. In every case, someone asked me something we didn't know.
Ask a question, I'll try to answer, but ask me to do a "data dump" and you'll be gravely disappointed.
I hope you can understand the difference. I'm extremely dedicated to getting comics history RIGHT, ONE FACT AT A TIME. Every "history" of comics should be challenged point by point and the author should have a real answer as to why they said what they did. There is way too much that is taken as fact and as "given" that is wrong or misunderstood.
So, if you want to something, I'll try to answer your question and be happy to do so. Just remember, all too often it's going to be "I don't know!"
Peace, Jim (|:{>
