Over on the Newsarama boards, another important question has been raised:
“Do you ever feel strange when a creator you hate turns out to be incredibly nice? How about when a creator you love turns out to be a douche?”
“The top two guys in each category arent really any surprises (Ive mentioned both before):Liefeld: Let’s just say Im not a huge fan of his art work. But ever since I heard his Fanboy Radio interview from some weeks back, Ive been a fan of the guy. He doesnt hide from his critics and isnt afraid to get his hands dirty doing what he loves. I can respect that. Class act. Im buying the new Onslaught just because of what I heard in that interview. If I can boycott books by creators I think act like jackasses (Byrne) then I can certainly support the ones who treat the fans with respect. Kirkman: Walking Dead is the be all end all for comic books as far as Im concerned (Fables too actually). Sadly, (and maybe Ive just caught him on off days) Ive met him two or three times at conventions and he’s been an ass hat each time. Very disapointing.”
“I only hate Pat Lee. And from those I met I was only disappointed by Bart Sears (don’t give autographs with a hangover from German beer. No sir, makes you all grumpy) and Jim Lee (who… was pretty awkward).”
“Joe Quesada is the biggest asshole I’ve met in person, but I still dig his art and think he’s done a lot of good for Marvel. The only other creator I’ve met who was kind of a dick was Adam Hughes. The others I’ve met have all been terribly nice, standouts being Kyle Hotz, Paul Jenkins, Bendis, Mack and Oeming.”
“Bendis is probably one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. Apparently he was in the area a week ago and stopped by a LCS that had him signing about 2 years ago out of the blue. He signed some stuff for them but really just wanted to see the new building they had moved into. That’s a class act. The only person I’ve met that I didn’t care for was Alex Maleev. He signed my book, tossed it on the table like it was a dirty napkin and didn’t even bother to really say anything to me even after I said thanks. I was also into ink wash in my drawing class at the time so I was trying to see what he was drawing and he hid his drawing from me, probably as a joke, but by then, I wasn’t thrilled with his crappy attitude.”
“Claremont was douchey to me, but I still love the guy’s classic X-Men work.”
“I’ve only ever met two creators who were a-holes. Cam Kennedy and Fabian Niciecza. Both went out of their way to be jerks to me.”
I love that last one, if only for the idea of Fabian Niciecza thinking “Yeah, it’d be easy to be nice to this complete stranger, but I’m gonna go the extra mile to give him the full Fabian experience and be a jerk. Why? Because that’s what I’m willing to do for complete strangers.”
November 8th, 2006 at 1:25 pm
There’s only one comics professional I’d consider a grade A-hole. I’ve seen creators be testy, short, but I’ve only met one whom I’d say, “Wow, I really hope this jerk leaves comics.”
Sometimes creators are tired or in a bad mood at cons. You shouldn’t judge a person by con behavior. Every time I’ve met Alex Maleev he’s been cordial and funny. I’ve seen Nicieza be a little snappish, but generally he’s a cool guy.
November 8th, 2006 at 2:17 pm
My one A-hole story comes in the form of Denys Cowan. Back when he was drawing The Question (and I was a big fan of his work), I went to a local convention and asked him to sketch a character of mine whom other artists had been happy to draw at the same show.
He looked at my character and, in an obvious attempt to impress the folks with him, said, “You mean I should LOWER myself to draw this for you?” It got a big laugh from the posse.
You can tell I stopped being a fan of his after that, right?
November 8th, 2006 at 2:36 pm
I have no a-hole stories, but Mario Gully and Ethan Van Sciver are both very friendly.
November 8th, 2006 at 2:46 pm
I haven’t met a creator who wasn’t nice at a signing - but then again, that may be because I meet most of them at library conferences, not at comic cons. Standouts for fun repartee and all-around niceness: Terry Moore, Mark Crilley, John Gallagher, Jimmy Gownley, Judd Winick, Eric Shanower, Jane Fisher (WJHC), Trina Robbins, Mario Gully, Neil Gaiman, Wendy & Richard Pini, Josh Blaylock. I’ve interviewed several over the phone whom I would love to meet, because they came across as such good people: Jeff Smith, Mike Kunkel, Scott Morse, Stan Sakai, Scott Sava.
November 8th, 2006 at 3:28 pm
I agree with the Quesada comment. Not the EiC part, though. He’s an a-hole with that too.
November 8th, 2006 at 4:08 pm
I’ve been lucky in that none of the creators I’ve met have been anything but nice. It helps if you are nice to them (and I’ve seen some fans that aren’t).
However, we’re buying their products, not them. If one was a douche, I’d be disappointed, but if the product was still good I’d buy it.
November 8th, 2006 at 8:09 pm
Kirkman: “Ive met him two or three times at conventions and he’s been an ass hat each time. Very disapointing.”
That tends to happen when you become the most overrated creator in comics.
November 9th, 2006 at 12:43 am
I agree on Bendis and Mack, particularly. If only I threw in Oeming and I’d have the entire MOB.
November 9th, 2006 at 12:43 pm
My favorite creators cons? Bendis (of course!), Brian Wood (did TWO sketches), and my personal favorites Brian Azzarello and Jill Thompson. Brian came across as a bit of a jerk when we first met him but we actually talked to him for a while the second time while waiting for Jill and he was really cool. Jill Thompson is the epitome of class and sweetness. All around awesome couple.