Talking of John Byrne, in a thread explaining how comic book editors work with creators, he confirms many people’s assumptions about his recent DC work…:
There are two kinds of editors who mark the opposite ends of the spectrum, with an infinite amount of shading in between. At the one end, there are the editors who consider themselves the true creative force, and who look upon the work turned in by writers and artists as merely raw material for them to shape into a finished form. At the other, there are editors who hire people they considered suited to the job at and, then step back and let those people do what they do best. (No prizes awarded for those who can guess which kind I prefer to work with.)
Editors function best as soundingboards and super-proofreaders. There are, of course, some talent — especially those new to the Bizniz — who need a firm editorial hand. There are those who need no guidance at all. The best editors are the ones who know which they are dealing with, and act accordingly.
Specific to DOOM PATROL, Mike Carlin and I have a professional relationship that goes back decades, and we understand each others ticks. On DP I had mostly a free hand.
Hands up all of those surprised by that last line.
March 12th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
Nobody wants to be the one to tell John Byrne that he has to change something.
March 12th, 2007 at 5:28 pm
Well, at least he’s one step closer to accepting responsibility for the failure of the book, and has absolved the editor.
March 13th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
Correct me if I’m wrong, but hasn’t one of John “I Am A Cog In The Machine” Byrne’s supposed objections to the works of Brian Michael Bendis been the fact that Bendis has been, like himself on Doom Patrol, given a “free hand” by his editors?
March 13th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
Byrne said:
“Specific to DOOM PATROL, Mike Carlin and I have a professional relationship that goes back decades, and we understand each others ticks. On DP I had mostly a free hand.”
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Yeah, and it still wasn’t very good.