Okay, so while I was out at Jimmy Jams doing a public appearance to promote the vote for our Metro Med project in Small Press Idol, our main competitor went from 50 votes behind, to DEAD EVEN, to 12 votes behind, and now out in front. As I write this at 12:53 Central time, they have gone from one vote ahead to 8 votes ahead! Who the heck picks up 8 votes in the space of minutes on a Saturday night?

I’d like to thank all of the Fanzing readers who responded to our old mailing list’s request for votes. We climbed 90 votes on Friday, from third place to first.

But folks, I’m tapped out. I’ve e-mailed everyone I know and every contact I have. Phil’s e-mailed everyone he knows, and most of his relatives aren’t on the Internet so that’s already a disadvantage. (It doesn’t help that the entry we’re trying to beat is made up of THREE people, each with their own circle of family and friends to approach for votes. Of course, seen in that light, the people who do the writing and art by themselves are at even more of a disadvantage than we are, so should I complain?) I spent a day at Des Moines I-CON and a day at Jimmy Jams passing out solitary fliers to attract votes, but the numbers of votes I’m trying to get has grown to more than the total number of fliers I printed! I’m at an end here.

The only thing I can do now is beg. I’m on my knees now. Okay, I’m not really on my knees, as I wouldn’t be able to type and my knees couldn’t take it, but if not literally I am on my figurative knees. I need your help.

If you’ve not voted, please vote today. Voting ends Sunday night. But more than that, I need you to tell your friends and family to vote. It doesn’t matter if they like comics, just that they like you and will spend thirty seconds clicking on something if you ask them to. Just have them go to http://www.dimestoreproductions.com/vote/vote.asp, click on “Phil Meadows and Michael Hutchison” and hit “Submit!”

Voting ends at Midnight EASTERN (Dimestore is located in Ohio).

I have no clue how the “Fly Guy” team seems to gin up dozens of votes at a throw. Even if they were Chicago meatpacker union thugs getting expired citizens to vote, the dead generally can’t get separate IP addresses.

But at least I know where our votes have come from. They’ve come from the people I’ve gotten to know online since I took over Fanzing in 1997. They’ve come from people who looked at our fliers and our sample pieces at Minnesota MicroCon, Des Moines I-Con and Jimmy Jams’ Free Comic Book Day Event, who shook our hands and wished us luck. They’ve come from the good folks at the Minnesota Comic Book Association, The Source and Cup of Kryptonite who helped spread the word. And just today, Tom Nguyen promised to vote for me.

So what if the Fly Guy Guys are ahead? At least we have the inker on JLA voting for us!

Just remember:
Read more about Metro Med
and
Vote for us!