Certainly, there’s been plenty of examples, particularly in comics, of creators whose work and success shines ever so brightly for a relatively short amount of time and flames out just as quickly. There’s a reason for that, based on a study featured in the journal Management Science about inventors working in the computer hard drive industry, whose brains are hardwired on innovation and creativity.
OK, I know all this sounds a bit esoteric, but stay with me for a moment…
Turns out, success is the culprit among inventors who have experienced it in their efforts to patent inventions. Yes, they’ll continue to generate new patents but, often, they’ll tend to be less divergent from their previous work, meaning you’ll probably see variations of the same ol’ hard drive, or comic book…
One way to get around that creative “obstacle,” according to researchers: “Encouraging inventors to collaborate with one another.” With comics as collaborative a medium as they come, there’s little doubt, for example, a Alan Moore story mixed with, let’s say, the artistry of an Eddie Campbell has the raw potential to become a classic, just as From Hell has become. In other words, the work of two equals can often be far more powerful than the one…
Bet you can think of at least one former fav creator whose career would flourish once again had they the withwhithal or sense to share the marquee with somebody else…
January 31st, 2007 at 11:36 am
Gee, I’m just Byrneing with anticipation to discover who you mean here…
January 31st, 2007 at 1:09 pm
Hey Dan,
Thanks for your comment…
My post-mortem take on the study of hard drive inventors: Just how challenging and hard it is to create something as transcendent and enduring as From Hell (Moore, Campbell) or Sandman (Gaiman, McKean, Driggenberg, Jones III) as a team and doing in solo (Campbell and his classic Alec and Bacchus series), then staying fresh and vital as an artist (McKean’s Mirrormask comes to mind).
That quality exhibited by some in this industry is downright wonderful and, unfortunately, all too rare…
Thanks again,
W
January 31st, 2007 at 4:05 pm
Only one name comes to mind : THE GODDAMN FRANK MILLER.
I heard him on NPR the other day. He sounds nuts, like he’s really living in the same world as Marv.
I could very well see him doing 300/Sin City type stuff with somebody else’s script. As an artist, he is still interesting, IMHO, but as a I writer, he’s just stuck in his hard-boiled mode, which has become both boring and embarrassing.
February 1st, 2007 at 12:13 am
I’m thinking Jim Aparo and Bill Finger or maybe Andi Watson and Joe Quesada.
February 1st, 2007 at 6:35 am
and the other way to avoid is – per the article – to encourage exploration and risk taking. I wasn’t aware of any lack of that in the comics industry.
You know, I really hate it when someone who’s unable to properly understand a bit of lousy research just good enough for a management magazine draws wild predictions for other areas from said research.