With the announcement that Hugh Jackman is developing a comic for Virgin Comics, a question I remember being discussed 6 years ago in the DC editorial offices has raised its head again. At the time, we were asked to start brainstorming TV & movie writers and developers we could ask to write and create comics for us. This was a new way of thinking back then (relatively speaking), while today it's pretty commonplace at every major mainstream comics publisher.
A year after that, I remember talking to a freelancer about the situation. He felt that this practice crowded the traditional comic writer out, and made jobs harder to come by.
With directors, screenwriters, novelists, and actors being enlisted in increasing numbers to script and create comics, has the amount of gigs at the major companies for traditional comic book writers really been reduced?
Not that I am at all criticizing the decision made by comic companies to turn to this route. Well-known names like Jodi Picoult, Joss Whedon, and Hugh Jackman are going to be an asset to these publishers. If we are concerned about reaching out past the niche "superhero" crowd and attracting the "masses," this is certainly one way (though not the only way) to do it.
But, the amount of really good comic writing gigs (by which I mean, ones that actually pay a steady paycheck) has been relatively small to begin with. Perhaps this really does reduce an already-small playing field.
There is a similar situation in another area, voice-work for animation. With the advent of big-name stars voicing animated movies and TV shows, traditional voice actors have found that they have less jobs (for a discussion on this in their own words, watch the extra features on the DVD Comic Book: The Movie).
To be fair, comic book writer Marc Guggenheim is working with Jackman on the Virgin Comics project. But again: Guggenheim also does work for TV. Perhaps the key is for comic book writers to diversify their skill set so they are working in multiple media anyway.
I think if Jackman is given the reigns to Runaways or something, we should be concerned. Right now though, it just kind of comes across as a glorified pitch for a movie deal. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if it goes towards someone who is an actual writer, albeit anonymously. Jackman is a multitalented performer, and is rumored to be one of Hollywood's good guys, but has never shown any inclination to writing in any medium.
ReplyDelete"Jackman is a multitalented performer, and is rumored to be one of Hollywood's good guys, but has never shown any inclination to writing in any medium."
ReplyDeleteI think this is what particularly surprised me. It's almost as if Jackman is also diversifying his "skill set," as it were.
Comic books might be a cost-effective alternative for those movie/TV people who want to develop their own properties but don't want to put down the cash right away for a movie or a pilot. A comic book can visually and narratively showcase the developer's idea without having to spend millions.
However, as the freelancer I had talked with about the topic years ago had noted -- every job taken out of the pool of traditional comic writers makes it that much harder to find work.
Obviously, I have no hard numbers to back that up, so I'm going on anecdotes and observations.
Virgin Comics has been doing this for a while now, and it's yet to prove more successful then relying on regular comic book writers (or, you know, successful at all, excepting it's sister relationship to movie-making), so that's one mark against it--the other mark against it, in my book, is that if there was a shift towards hiring 'name' writers, those 'name' writers would have to get paid 'name' wages. If somebody like Chuck Dixon or Tony Bedard got replaced by Hugh Jackman on a bigger book, they'd have to pay Hugh Jackman-wages--and the "celebrity comic writer" hasn't proved to be anymore of a cash cow then it is to just rely on the regular deck hands and their churning abilities.
ReplyDeleteI'm hard-pressed to believe that all those people at Virgin-john woo, cage, burns, jameson were all really sitting around, working in film for all these years because of their dream to participate in ghost-writing lousy comic books. For Virgin's business choices to change the way other comics are published, Virgin has to succeed financially in the market first--or at least appear to be. Right now? Not so much of either is happening.
Well, I like it... scratch that... I LOVE it when the writer in question- for example, Joss Whedon- truly understands the format and produces comics with all the strengths of that medium and with all their own personal storytelling strengths tossed in as well. Whedon is just about the only person with "outside" credentials I feel actually gets comics.
ReplyDeleteSome of those other names... not so much.
So just plugging in a "NY Times best-selling author" doesn't cut it for me. And people picked up from Cartoon Network's shows tend to do even less for me when they're churning out things that strike me as hackwork.
And then there are the names who are good for a big splash but then can't be bothered to even finish their commitment. Late books, unfinished storylines... bleccchh!
No, I wouldn't necessarily dismiss Hugh Jackman out of hand. But neither would I immediately buy something with is name on it.
He's "developing" it. That seems like a weasel word to me.
Does that mean he's thoroughly involved in the process, or did he just get a publicist to send a tossed-off email to Marc Guggenheim who now has to do all the heavy lifting, so to speak?
I don't think anyone- celebrity, TV writer or novelist- wants his or her name slapped on a pile of dog poo... but it's happened far too often and recently, for whatever reason. It's so hard to break in as a writer it doesn't seem fair sometimes that having written Hi Hi PuffyAmiYumi and Teen Titans cartoons gets you a free pass to write really dreadful comics. Seems like there are computers or smart chimps somewhere who deserve as much a shot as some of these people, and would probably do as good a job. There must be some crackerjack high school kids or college kids who could do some kind of intern program or something.
There must be a pool of truly capable people out there just dying to get the same fair shake.
Still... if the story's good it's good and we all benefit in that case. Basically, to me it always boils down to the quality of the finished product. Not "name recognition."
I can see how having Hollywood's Wolverine's name on a book will pique someone's interest, though. It's probably a sound financial strategy even if it's a little sketchy from an aesthetic standpoint.
And I'm firmly on the side of the voice performer traditionalists too, so my viewpoint is probably skewed to a certain extent. I'd rather hear Billy West or June Foray than Ashton Kutcher or Angelina Jolie in my cartoons, thank you very much.
Yet I'm also the guy who got all excited because Trace Beaulieu of MSTK3K was writing a comic. Here Come the Big People. I proudly own a copy and I enjoyed it!
Oh and I think you're right on the money about the cost-effective alternative point. Hollywood has been mining comics properties for a while now, pre-dating the current superhero movie boom. It stands to reason some of these Tinseltowners would want to get their ideas out there in some form or other as part of some eventual "package" deal or something.
ReplyDeleteIs that synnergy?
I understand the worries, but it's not a zero-sum game. There's always room for another comic, if it's good enough. And a popular book like Astonishing X-Men (helmed by TV writer Joss Whedon) can continue as a high-profile gig under comic writer Warren Ellis. Before Whedon showed up, Astonishing didn't exist. Similarly, Meltzer raised the profile of JLA, which McDuffie can enjoy.
ReplyDeleteBut it's certainly a good idea for everyone to diversify their talents into other media. Why limit yourself?
why discriminate a writer because he writes another thing besides comics.
ReplyDeleteif you`re a good writer you should be able to write comics , movies videogames etc. If you get a job writing thats because you`re the best for the job.
by the other hand if Paris Hilton writes "archie" or wonderwoman probably is going to sting but will sell like pancakes just because she`s famous and for her talent.
About voice actors I dont care I live in Mexico and of course I`ll see it dubbed, the international market doesnt care about the original voices
I'd rather read a well-written comic put out by a comic book writer than a so-so book written by a Hollywood writer. The TV guys (and comic guys who wish they were TV guys) tend to write long, talky scenes that would play well with moving visuals but don't work so well with the static comic page. While I have nothing against Kevin Smith personally, his style of writing has biased me against Hollywood writers doing comics. Another problem is that the "big names" sometimes see writing comics as an interesting diversion from their real jobs and if the deadlines clash, well, it's just funnybooks. While publishers these days don't seem to care if a book comes out late, a late script means an artist is sitting around waiting and not bringing in any money. Someone who actually writes comics for a living is more likely to understand this and, thus, more likely to finish the job on time. There are exceptions to all of this, of course.
ReplyDeleteBut... yeah, Jackman's not writing it. John Woo didn't write 7 Brothers, Ed Burns ain't writing HellGoon, Jenna Jameson isn't writing Pornblade, and Nicolas Cage didn't write... Ghost Rider New Orleans or whatever the hell. And it's not even a ghost-writing situation, since all the real writers are being properly credited. Heck, this is just barely a step up from "Quentin Tarantino presents: Some Movie".
ReplyDeleteI don't think there is any cause for worrying. Milligan started in comics, then went to write some soap operas, then came back to comics. Scott Lobdell has writen some scripts in both media. Brian K. Vaughan is currently in Lost, and Loeb has been for a long time a half-screen, half-panel guy.
ReplyDeleteI think these four examples show that there are good and bad writers, regardless of the medium they start at. The only concern I have is that writers with little experience in comics, them being a different language and all, are probably less prone to experimentation and to pushing the medium forward. However, most of these TV and movies writers are coming into commercial comics, and one could argue that these demand more general writing skills than specific sequential art expertise.
Oh good grief, if Jackman really does have any kind of creative input its going to be one dorky comic, probably involving lots of random musical numbers.
ReplyDeleteI think it's really just that the career path has changed. It used to be that the way to get a job writing for Marvel or DC was to start out in the editorial offices, doing production work and offering suggestions, waiting for a point where an inventory script was needed in a hurry and stepping in to help out.
ReplyDeleteNowadays, the best way to get a job writing for Marvel or DC is to begin by making a name for yourself elsewhere, either by writing for an independent publisher or in another medium altogether, building up credits until you're recognized as a reliable creator.
I don't think either one is better or worse, but I do think there's no question that the guys who flourished under the old system are getting slowly forced out by the guys who made it in the new way.