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COME INTO THE LIGHT, ALL IS WELCOME...
This is the second installment of my comic book "current events" column on Comixology!
HIT AND RUN
Some cute bits to start us off:
"So Robin walks into a bar..."
If Red Lanterns are full of rage, are Brown Lanterns full of crap?
Did a DC Viral Marketer slip up on 4chan? (via
Robot 6 among others)
What is the real truth about the Kazakhstan "Lost Wave" of Super Powers action figures?
WHERE ART THOU, WIZARD? (STAFFER SPEAKS OUT)
More Wizard Magazine schadenfreude hit the news this week, with another long-time employee being apparently let go. I have a special (sentimental?) interest in the fate of Wizard, as that publisher and the late great original Valiant/Acclaim Publishing (whom I worked for in 96-98) were linked by several key personnel. My first impulse is to assume that between the recent news of firings, and what I hear in the ether, the future of this former powerhouse in the comic book industry is in doubt. And when I write powerhouse, I mean a publication that could, if not "break" certain comics, certainly "make" them.
A portion of this online speculation regarding Wizard seems to be written with a hint (or a dollop) of glee, the point being made that this magazine represents everything that is "wrong" in comics. But I have to quibble slightly with this sentiment. The Wizard "vibe" falls exactly in line with the general zeitgeist of "mainstream" comic book media. This zeitgeist feeds and informs the larger "comic book culture" of movies and the like. While Wizard might have exacerbated – or perhaps their creation was merely a symptom of – the speculator rush of the early 90s, I see nothing wrong with the content of their publication today. It's general mass-market encapsulated news & features on the order of Entertainment Weekly.
Is the beating the print market is undergoing a key factor in Wizard's troubles? Yes, Wizard is a print publication: but so are comic books. Wizard Magazine should be a natural, something you buy along with your comics, all happy paper products purchased on New Comic Book Day. If the failure to fully commit to digital is the cause of Wizard's woes, can print comics be far behind?
Or is it Wizard itself, as an entity? I've heard a number of negative things regarding the behind-the-scenes goings-on at the publisher from former staff and on teh Internets. I would say that if I had to make a list of the top three publishers I've heard bad stuff about, Wizard would be in that top three (fill in the other two spots at your leisure). But that's not an iron-clad assessment of who they are, where they are now, and where they are going. And to hope for their failure – in an industry that is shaky enough – makes me feel uncomfortable.
As I searched for a balanced view on the subject, a current Wizard staffer (who wishes to remain anonymous) sent me the following email:
"I saw your call for Wizard insight...I thought I'd chime in. Mostly just to say that, despite all of the bad press lately, there's still some very good, hard-working (or rather, over-worked) people there -- two of which being editors Mike Cotton and Andrew Serwin...Considering that they're now basically the entire Wizard editorial department (management, content/copy editors, staff writers), they need to get at least a bit of credit for taking on the job that once consisted of eight people and still managing to get an issue (and some times two issues) out every month.
Clearly there are a lot of things going wrong at Wizard – A LOT of things – some which are glaringly obvious and others that you'd have to be on the inside to know about (and I'm not saying I have that info), but I just wanted to give a bit of credit to two remaining staffers that actually have a clue of how to do their jobs right."
THE INKWELL AWARDS: NOMINEES REACT
2009 marks the second year of the
Inkwell Awards, recognising the comic book industry's finest inkers. As Inkwell founder Bob Almond (one of the nicest guys in comics) describes the awards on its site:
"Have you ever noticed that the work of a particular inker adds that extra flair or polish to the jobs they do and that you will find yourself pumped to discover that a favorite story or series of yours is being inked by this artist and not someone else? If so, this is where we'd like you to express your appreciation for that quality work."
Comics-Op caught up with a bunch of Inkwell nominees to get their reactions and thoughts:
Jimmy Palmiotti (Nominee, "Most Adaptable Inker Award" for "Countdown" and "Teen Titans")
Well, this is the first I am hearing about it and I am pleasantly surprised…especially with so many talented artists running around these days. It's always cool to be nominated for anything and to be appreciated for the work one does, so yeah… pretty happy.
I think it's important for people to realize just how important the craft is to the making of a comic book and hope the awards open up people's minds to the extent of skill and precision that goes into this a job like this. For too long inkers, colorists and even letterers have been dismissed by people that should actually know better and I think having an award like this may help these individuals understand the difference between a skilled job and a not so skilled one. It helps make people see that inkers are artists as well and especially show companies that, at times, when you have a top in the field of inking working over certain artists, an amazing amalgam of art happens and having this other artist on their book can actually make or break a title.
Nothing is sadder to me as when editors, especially ones with untrained eyes, have no clue what inkers do for a living and it really shows at times in their decisions, as it does with looking at colorists' work as well. Making people aware of the art form and what it takes to do it will only help everyone out in the long run.
Andrew Pepoy (Nominee, "Props Award" for "Fables")
It's nice to be recognized for my work, especially by other inkers. I've really enjoyed working on "Jack of Fables" with Tony Akins, who I've known for over 20 years, since before I broke into comics, and hope that fun I'm having shows through in the work. Also nice to see other good guys in the same category, especially my fellow Fables inker (and a really nice guy), Steve Leialoha.
I'm glad Bob and his gang put this together. As he says on the website, inking and what it brings to comics art doesn't get the attention or credit it once did, and as time goes on, fans, and even people in the biz, seem to have less understanding of that magic that comes from the mix of the right penciller and inker team. I sometimes describe myself as an "Also With"; it's like when you go to see a big band and there's an opening act. That opening act may not be the big star, but it contributes to the concert as a whole. If it's a good mix, everyone has a great time.
With many awards not having an inking category (sometimes only as a combo with a penciller), and many people losing sight of the improved quality we can bring to even the best penciller, I hope the Inkwells will remind both fans and biz of our contribution to the art.
Amanda Conner (Nominee, "All In One Award" for "Terra")
WHAT?!? I had absolutely no idea that I had been nominated! Right now I am just pretty much speechless. Or maybe that's just the exhaustion kicking in. Wow.
I think many people don't realize how important inkers are, and how much an inking job can make or break a project. This is a great way to acknowledge that. Holy crap, I can't believe I got nominated.
Tom Palmer (Nominee, "Joe Sinnott Award")
I'm honored to be nominated this year, you keep your head locked into the work at hand and any acknowledgment of your efforts is always satisfying.
Pencilling, inking, and coloring, are all parts of the graphic production of comic books, being recognized for the work you do in any of these categories has to be fulfilling to the nominee, they should have a "Palette" award for the great coloring going on that makes us all look good!
Wade Von Grawbadger (Nominee, "Favorite Inker" for "Ultimate Spider-Man")
I actually didn't know I was nominated for an Inkwell award until receiving your message. How could I not be totally blown away by being nominated? I think that the Inkwell Awards are great and anything that can bring attention to what people do and do well, no matter what the field, is a good thing!
The group of nominees is incredibly strong and my chances of winning are slim but any time one is recognized by their peers in the community, it's an enormous thrill! In my case, I am incredibly fortunate to be working with one of the best pencils in the business in Stuart Immonen! He can draw in so many different styles that each project is a challenge and a joy!
I know several of the others that are nominated and try to learn from each of them whenever possible so you just can't go wrong with this group. I just hope if I do win I get a better song to sing in the finale than the one from American Idol! This IS televised, right?
Terry Austin (Nominee, "Joe Sinnott Award")
I can only say that it's nice to be nominated for something, as I'll assume it reflects the approval of some of my peers, and, as such, I'm very grateful.
See a full list of the Inkwell Nominees (and vote!) at this link! The results will be posted when voting ends on midnight (EST), June 30th.
DWAYNE'S DEPARTURE
My regular blog's readers had surprisingly strong opinions regarding Dwayne McDuffie's departure from "Justice League of America." Just to recap, McDuffie on his forums
recently announced that he was let go from the series:
"I was fired when "Lying in the Gutters" ran a compilation of two years or so of my answers to fans' questions on the DC Comics discussion boards. I'm told my removal had nothing to with either the quality of my work or the level of sales, rather with my revelation of behind-the-scenes creative discussions."
It was my opinion that the firing probably had less to do with the actual message board revelations, and more about his independence and strong devotion to quality storytelling. Further, I felt that as the creative force behind the classic Justice League Unlimited animated series, it was a damn shame that DC couldn't completely work with him to satisfaction to create something of that caliber again. To me and many of my friends, those cartoons are the pinnacle of what can be done with the Justice League.
Arturo Garcia wrote:
"From a business standpoint, DC was perhaps not "justified," but within its purview to kick D. McDuffie off JLA; after all, can't have a writer underscoring how obsessed DC Editorial has been with BIG EVENTS over the past couple of years. But the posts I read via LITG...seemed more illuminating than inflammatory into the nature of the creative process (take those last three words as you will). Two things, though, that stick in my craw about this:
a) I haven't read *all* of the posts in question, so maybe you can help me with this, but I haven't gotten the sense that Editorial gave him a cease-and-desist order before kicking him off the book
b) It's worth noting that McDuffie's run was beset by near-constant crossovers and the re-disintegration of the League, while Silver Age enthusiast Brad Meltzer basically got a clean slate to play with."
(Well Arturo, seeing as Grant Morrison got a "pass" to initially bitch publicly about how Final Crisis was allegedly botched, one would think that a person of McDuffie's caliber and achievements would have gotten the same consideration.)
However, Jeff Kraschinski felt that McDuffie must have known what he was stepping into:
"Yes our boy Dan is a jackass, but to be fair McD got exactly what he should have expected.
Certainly the JLA situation was handled deplorably by the editorial staff with way too much interference by people who aren't a tenth the writer McD is, just as you wrote, and that cannot be argued. BUT McD was wholly inappropriate by criticizing it in such a public manner on the Net. It's one thing to grumble about your job in the lunch room, to your significant other, or in private. It's quite another to do so in front of the public. If you're a salesman at say, Best Buy, it's one thing to bitch about your job to other employees privately, but to do it to the customers? How long would you honestly expect to be still working there before your bosses took action.
Fact is, this was a truly deplorable situation handled badly by all concerned including McDuffie and ended in the only way such events can. Not anything like 1984 at all, but there is ALWAYS an expectation of confidentiality when you work for a company, and McDuffie ignored that. In a good cause to be sure, but such an act would only ensure his martyrdom in any workplace, DC or otherwise."
But in the end,
McDuffie had the last word on his forum to concerned fans regarding the whole episode, and seemed ready to move on:
"Thanks for the support, but it would be foolish and counter-productive for DC to bring me back, they have a publishing operation to run, and many other factors to consider. It's their book, they can hire and fire for whatever reasons they wish."
A class act.
THE COMICS-OP QUESTION OF THE WEEK
(a.k.a. "filler"):
"Doctor Who Vs. Doctor Doom: who would win?"
Tony Lee (writer,
"Doctor Who")
The Doctor, all the way (I'll have to explain here of course that 'The Doctor' could still mean either - but whereas Doctor Doom is known as, well, Doctor Doom, or more personally Loretta, The Doctor is the correct term for the Time Lord many call 'Doctor Who'.)
But why would this Time Lord win? Easy. All he has to do is point at a place behind Victor's left ear and go 'Now Reed! Kick him in the happy sacks!' and Doom will turn, going 'cursed Richards! I will kill you yadda yadda yadda' as The Doctor drops a truck on him with a carefully planned collection of spacial awareness, chronal ambivalence and a trusty sonic screwdriver.
Glenn Haumann (ComicMix)
Doctor Who, of course. Doctor Doom is a fictional character.
@elicab
Considering Dr Doom loses all the time in his stories you have to give it to Dr Who as he never loses
Kevin Colden ("Fishtown," "I Rule The Night")
Doctor Doom could easily clobber a guy who can't tell the difference between personal and interrogative pronouns.
A. David Lewis ("Some New Kind Of Slaughter")
Dr. Who would win, because, while both have tragedy and brilliance on their side, Doom only has magic, while Who has lunacy.
Danielle O'Brien (Comic Book Goddess)
Doctor Who Vs. Doctor Doom, the Doctor wins. Sure, Doom has the ability of magic and talks in all capitals, but the Doctor is, well the Doctor. He's defeated Daleks and Daleks trump Doom. Plus, he wears a suit with converse and has a sonic screwdriver. The Doctor totally wins!
@manekochan
Dr. Who! He could come back if he died. o_o
Bob Greenberger
Both are arrogant and supremely confident in their skills. Dr. Who knows when to be scared, Dr. Doom is too arrogant to ever admit something or someone can bother him. That may make all the difference in the world. While the sonic screwdriver can disassemble his armor with ease, Doom's current use of dark magic may actually be something the Time Lord cannot combat. Also, Doom has been known to actually throw a punch or two so I give him the edge.
MoCCA MADNESS
This weekend is the MoCCA Art Festival and I'm completely not prepared! In fact, if I don't get some sort of free/discounted pass, I'm not even sure how I'm going to afford to get in! But I'm not letting that stop me from having the very best time I possibly can at this once-a-year extravaganza of the best (and sometime "eh") in the world of independent comics (a.k.a. "comics that the rest of the world reads").
At MoCCA (or thereabouts) I will be looking for:
- Truly original stories about awesome comics and creators!
- Gossip!
- Swag!
- Drinks!
If you see me, say "hi!"
AND FINALLY,
In response to the call on my blog for "Passionate Responses" to the news that Archie will be proposing marriage to Veronica, Chris Haley from "Let's Be Friends Again" sent in the following comic:
And thus Betty's revenge is completeth.
THIS HAS BEEN...
...the second installment of what I hope will be as big a comic book tradition for you as bitching about the summer events. You can catch me at my blog, Occasional Superheroine, twit me up on Twitter, or email me at valerie dot dorazio at gmail dot com.Valerie D'Orazio is a former editor at DC Comics, is presently president of the Friends of Lulu and is probably best known as the Occasional Superheroine
Comics-Op is ©2009 Valerie D'Orazio
