STATEMENT OF INTENT

THIS IS THE BEGINNING:
By Matt Fraction, Alec Austin, & Dave Potter

• Savant will sing the praises of the following: Great Comics, Great Creators, Great Retailers. Our passion for these things is relentless and total.

• Savant shall distribute regular and vigorous beatings to the following: Shit Comics, Shit Creators, Shit Retailers. Our rage against these tumors knows no bounds of Genre, Fame, or Reputation. And our rage will be known in no uncertain terms.

• Savant will be intellectual freeware, packaged in both HTML and in PDF format for download and distribution by its readers. Print issues out, leave them in stores, post Savant on your site; just don't change anything. THIS INFORMATION WANTS TO BE SEEN, TO MOVE, TO SPREAD.

• There will be a web site.

• Savant will be twice monthly: Autopsies and analysis, slander and gossip, and Big Thoughts for the New Millennium, bimonthly (that's twice a month, you philistines!).

• Savant's content will be divided by the following categories:

a) Start (The introduction to the week. Howdy.)
b) Essential (Trades that everyone should own.)
c) Reviews (These will be reviews of recent, still on the stands comics.)
d) Interview (This will be an interview. It will be infrequent, we bet.)
e) Quick Takes (A round table discussion and analysis of What's Happening Now.)
f) Essay (This will be an essay. Who knows?)

There will be other content, too.

• Savant is built for Speed. It will be created fast and will spread faster. It will be over-the-top, out of control, manic, angry, nervous, and above all, genuine. It will be incendiary and passionate and raw. It will stir shit up. It will start arguments.

• Comics are sick. Savant will be an antibody. Savant shall be a forum to celebrate the good and condemn the moronic; a testing ground for theories. We want what's good in comics to be fruitful and multiply so that it may push out the wretched and weak. Evolve or Die.

• We're going to swear. We're going to be funny. We're going to offend people. We are not afraid of these things. Punches will not be pulled. Most importantly, we're going to talk about why comics are great-- so listen up, monkey-men.

• Savant will celebrate creators as well as their creations. Savant will not be sycophantic; it will be filled with awe and wonder. Savant will not take shit lying down.

• Welcome to the era of Rock Star Comics. Welcome to Savant.

Discuss this column on the SAVANT forum.