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Thursday, 9:17
2006-07-13 11:27:59

Let's talk about another uncomfortable reality about the comic book business for a while: nobody is owed work.

This is an entertainment business, a very Darwinistic system. It doesn't matter what you did a year ago, five years ago, ten years ago, it only matters whether people want to read your stuff now. And by "people", I mean the majority of readers--every creator has a small following of devotees.

Just like movies, just like television, comics tend to be a young man's game. You can be cruising along, doing your thing and thinking everything's fine, and then suddenly, tastes change and you find yourself by the side of the road. And given history, it's likely to happen. It's very rare that any creator stays on the top of the heap for very many years. The ones that do have this type of cache tend to be the ones who leave the industry at the height of their career, and then pop back in every now and again in the years thereafter. Folks like Frank Miller and Alan Moore.

Writers tend to be more vulnerable to this effect than artists. Chris Claremont is the only writer of his generation still getting steady work--everybody else who was writing comics at the time he started is pretty much done and gone, save for an occasional project here or there. That's a testiment to the strength of Chris's work. And this isn't meant as a condemnation of any of those other writers--this is simply a process that happens more often than not. Like the music business, you maybe come in as a hot young star, your career builds up to some cresendo, then suddenly you're not the center of attention anymore as the spotlight shifts to the next new guy, your career starts to settle, and eventually you're either out of the business doing other things or still doing your thing, but for a smaller and more dedicated audience if you can manage it.

There are many more people who want to be working in the field than there are jobs available, so you're always, always, always competing against everybody else, not only those within the industry, but those people on the outside with the drive to try to break in. You can't ever rest on your laurels for too long--the world will pass you by if you do.

And it's HARD to do this. Making comics seems very simple and enjoyable from the outside, but it's a difficult business. You're holed up, largely by yourself, for hours every day, trying to find the inspiration and idea and visuals to turn into stories that the readership will relate to. And it's a grind, thirty days an issue, twelve issues a year (if not more!) It's no wonder that people burn out, work their way through the bucket of good ideas they walked in the door with, grow weary. Almost every reader thinks that they could write comics "if only I had the time to do it." But they're wrong--and some of the samples you see from prospective writers bear that out. The same thing is true to a lesser degree with artists. This job is difficult.

That's why I love guys like George Perez. George is keenly aware that he's in constant competition with everybody else at all times, and so he attacks each assignment with everything he's got--motivated in part, I expect, by those days when his reputation for productivity wasn't the best, and he had to rehabilitate himself. But this doesn't mean that even George is bulletproof--if, for example, he developed arthritis, and it affected how he holds his pencil, this might impact on his physical ability to do the work. Or if he started playing around with his sense of page design, trying to adopt some of the tricks that the younger generation of artists are using, and he wound up breaking the strength of his compositional style. Or whatever.

This isn't ageism we're talking about, it's performanceism. Every creator needs to be able to convince those in a position to hire them that they're the best person for the job--and then deliver the goods in terms of reader response and sales. If you can do that, then you've got a shot at maintaining a career in this business long term. If you can't, then it really doesn't matter how many comics you used to sell a decade or two ago.

Nobody is owed work.

More later.

Tom B

I'm surprised that nobody has replied yet
I disagree with that last statement, to a degree.

"Certain" creators should be owed. Stan Lee should always have a job within Marvel's ranks, making tremendous amounts of money, even if he's not doing anything. You guys "owe" that empire to him.

John Byrne is a creator who deserves the respect of being owed something. Marvel still earns money off of John Byrne work in trade paperbacks, but won't hire him over "personal" reasons. That's like Pete Rose not being allowed in the Hall of Fame.

Most of the legendary creators, such as Jim Starlin, Walt Simonson, George Perez, John Byrne, Frank Miller, Todd McFarlane, and Alan Moore, currently don't appear to have any interest in Marvel, and perhaps it's because of having that outlook and not having enough respect is why.

Marvel doesn't give enough chances to established veterans of over 20 years. David Michelinie and Bob Layton paired with somebody like John Byrne on pencils would far outsell anybody that's been put on that book. Roger Stern knows his way around the Avengers characters, Cap, Spider-Man, the Hulk, , Fantastic Four, X-Men, etc..., yet he isn't getting offered any assignments. Why? Roger Stern paired with an artist like J. Scott Campbell on Spider-Man would sell big.
If John Byrne or Walt Simonson were attached to any high profile and well advertised comic series, it would sell great. If it was something like Walt returning to Thor or Byrne drawing Fantastic Four or Alpha Flight again, it would probably be HUGE in sales.

I do think some inner politics could be deciding "who" gets to write and who doesn't.

Your thoughts?

Posted by Larry C on 2006-07-13 15:44:34

Old Folks?
Tom- Since you stated bluntly that it is not ageism that is the problem, I'm wondering if it's freshness. An ability to connect and inspire the readers of Right Now rather than "when I was a boy". Suppose a 'new' writer came along, never worked in comics, and had all sorts of chops. But that writer was 70. Somehow, miraculously, that writer became the 'new hot thing' on the block. Would you then consider this person competitive with the young turks?

Posted by Miqque on 2006-07-13 16:36:58

That was deep
Now I gatta think about that whole thing about thinking if I could last in the business...

Posted by Bearpod91 on 2006-07-13 17:23:55

how much green u make again??
bear everything tom does is deep u know it's cool and i have too say this comics were the oringinal video game

Posted by tarhaun on 2006-07-13 18:27:20

I concur
I agree with everything that Tom has said there. I'm working on getting into comics as a penciller, and I am constantly aware of the competition I am up against. Take a look at any of the forums around the net and you will see how many people are wanting to get into this crazy industry.
Sure, you could be forgiven for thinking that a lot of those people out there just want to do their own creator thing and not necessarily work for either of the Big Two, but I know I am still in competition with them. Because it's not always about how many pencilling jobs going within the company.
Let's say one of these creator owned comics takes off. Goes ballistic in terms of sales. This person's book is the biggest thing since Superman and Spider-Man. Sales drop off from the Big Two whilst this guy is making heaps. Books at the Big Two get cancelled due to dwindling numbers, and all of a sudden, this guy that you thought wasn't competing with you has just cost you a job.
For myself, I have no idea if I have what it takes to keep up with a change in demand, but I sure as heck know I'm going to try. I love these characters too much to give up now...

Posted by astrosapien on 2006-07-13 21:16:56

Its True.
Its true, so many people want to get into this industry and everything you have stated is just the cold hard truth. And nothing is harder to swallow than the truth, is it? I have friends who are trying to get into the industry and am already watching them struggle just to get to a level that even their professors will say "Yes, thats good." And these are people who have won awards for their art. But as you've said Tom, its just such a competitive industry that just being good isn't worth much. You have to be better than good, and on top of that be consistent at that level of 'better than good.'

I must admit that I have always said that I wanted to get into the industry as well. However I have to be realistic, I am more of a writer than an illustrator, but even so when I think about it, I know that I would have a hard time trying to keep up with the heavy demands and that my creative juices would probably dry up long before the average writer.

I guess I've always just wanted to be involved in some way in the process. Are there any jobs that one like me could look into, in this industry ? For example is there a high demand for someone to go around and sweep up the little eraser bits? .......^_^ In all seriousness however, my question is quite sincere.

Posted by TwilghtDragon on 2006-07-13 22:08:13

what brought this on?
By no means do I disagree with the post, but... was there someone somewhere suggesting that creators ARE owed work? Did somebody from the seventies call your office demanding a run on the Ultimates this morning?

Posted by Jimski on 2006-07-14 00:41:28

Competition
Thank GOD we don't just farm out available titles to the 'old school'. If we did, we'd never discover NEW talent. I may love a great piece of Perez or Claremont but i also crave new stuff from NcNiven and Millar - you know what I mean? When it comes down to the $$$ - i ususally spend it on stuff i'm excited about NOW, not out of an obligation to creators who have entertained me in the past.

Posted by NewChad on 2006-07-14 04:41:46

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