The Beat reported Rob Liefeld quit DC. I managed to read about half the comments before I realized what a colossal waste of time it was to read them. Here's the thing:
I have always done my best work when editors allowed me to go my own way. Every single time. I was blessed that I had many great editors who understood this.
When I was an editor, my dream was to hire writers so good that I wouldn't have to work on their scripts.
I am not at all surprised that DC's editors, most of whom have few if any appreciable credits as writers, are treating their writers like typists. It's the Hollywood model.
One of my favorite Hollywood parables is that of the Hollywood executive who is brought to the most beautiful, most pristine mountain lake you could imagine. He looks at it and then promptly takes a dump in it. Then he says, "Now it's better."
Finally, whether one enjoys Liefeld's work or not - and you know I don't much care for it - I am appalled by the nasty comments from readers who are slavish devotees of the corporation that is DC. Corporations aren't people and they definitely aren't creators. Those clueless mean-spirited readers attack the very people who make the comics they claim to enjoy. They attack the Jerry Siegels and they attack modern-day creators who dare to show even a shred of integrity. They disgust me.
To be honest, Tony, this shouldn't have been too much of a surprise. Liefeld was being given too much to do at once, mostly writing, which has never been his strong suit to start with, and I think he knew the writing was on the wall for the books he was working on, believing that they might inevitably be cancelled.
ReplyDeleteAssuming they keep, say, Deathstroke or Savage Hawkman going, they'll get perhaps a positive upgrade in writing.
It is my understanding that George Perez voiced some of the same complaints Liefeld did. I am not a fan of Liefeld's either, but maybe in this case "where there's smoke, there's fire."
ReplyDeleteRelatively new to comics again since childhood, Liefeld's polarizing work & reputation was shockingly strong upon discovery. Yeah, he draws funny, but he's improved vastly from what I've seen. It must've been disappointing to have your dreams come true and such big success as a kid like that, then half or more of the audience hate you. People are wierd... and sometimes viscious about an artist's work- if he was some nobody doing that out of his apartment, everyone would say he's a genius and it's a shame he's not a household name.
ReplyDeleteWow, Tony, tell us how you really feel! So you don't like readers turning on Liefeld, that our doing so "disgusts you"? Well, I was pretty disgusted when Liefeld, MacFarlane, and the rest of the Image group put out terrible book after terrible book, making a mint off of fans and speculators (the ruination of the industry). And no, I have no love for corporations, I'm a lifelong Democrat and the Supreme Court ruling in favor of corporations - now, that's disgusting!
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