Hey, gang! Ali T. Kokmen here (in case my name doesn’t pop up properly on that “Posted by…” line above.) Now, I don’t usually pop in on the blog because, well, I guess there isn’t a good reason, other than the fact that Dallas and Tricia have much more interesting things to say than the marketing minutiae that consumes my manga days and nights, of course. But something’s recently come up that I just needed to address, so I hope you’ll indulge me.
As you know New York Comic Con and New York Anime Festival are fairly new to the manga/anime convention scene, but have already become major forces in our world. Their success is largely due to the efforts of one of their staffers, the indefatigable Peter Tatara. Peter’s filled with ideas to promote his shows, his city, and his hobby. Of course, some of those ideas can become reality. But some cannot.
Over on the official show blog, Peter has made a recent post claiming that I am responsible for preventing him from implementing one of those ideas. Specifically, he claims that I objected to his proposed “Peter’s Tie of the Week” blog feature as a ripoff of our own occasional “Ali’s Tie of the Day” feature.
OK. Yes, there was an argument. But the fact is that I am not the reason you won’t see “Peter’s Tie of the Week” over on his blog, and I (mildly) resent the implication that I’m responsible. Especially when the real reason is so much more enlightening.
The real reason is this: Peter Tatara can not tie a tie to save his life.
A Windsor Knot? Forget about it. Four in hand? Not a chance. The Pratt Knot? A disaster. And don’t even get me started on he can mangle a bow tie. Even clip-ons–I once saw him nearly give himself a tracheotomy trying to get one of those things on. It really is kinda sad.
But, here’s the thing: It’s just not that big a deal. It just doesn’t matter. It’s not as if his inability to master a simple knotted cloth that has informed masculine fashion identity since the days of ancient Chinese and Roman emperors makes him less a man or anything. It just doesn’t matter. There’s no reason he should feel at all inadequate because his fingers lack agility enough for a task about as complex as tying a shoelace. It just doesn’t matter.
But it obviously matters to Peter, so self-conscious about his lack of tie-tying ability that he has to deflect blame on me over on his blog. And it shouldn’t.
Anyway. I just wanted to set the record straight. If there won’t be a “Peter’s Tie of the Week”, that’s not my fault. Regardless, Peter’s still putting together a whole lot of awesome for New York Comic Con and New York Anime Festival 2008. And Del Rey Manga will be at both shows, and if you’re in the area, you should drop by our booth and say hello.
Look for me. I’ll be the one in the tie.
