Following on from Rich’s rumor about DC’s new deadline policy, the Bendis Board wonders how this will affect the comics themselves:
“Marvel are going to get a bunch of new exclusives I bet.”
“i like that they’re addressing deadlines among their creators. not sure if i’m a fan of mix-mash art in single issues unless there is a point to it (ie, one penciller for the flashbacks and another for the main part) but interesting none-the-less.”
“I believe in quality. But that’s going to drive alot of people over to Marvel. It’s nice that they’re trying to get things in on time but come on.”
“What a typical - cack handed idiot move by DC. By next year, all of their books will be drawn by fast as all hell, but shitty as shit artists - rush jobs like Scotty McDaniel and Daimon Scott. And I’m not going to bother. From now on, everytime DC boots an artist I like off a book - I drop that book. The concept of ‘late’ books is laughable. People should appreciate talent, and read their books, WHEN they come out.”
I’m the only one who thought it was an interesting, but flawed, idea, then…? Okay.
February 19th, 2008 at 10:30 am
DC is in a “damned if they do, damned if they don’t” situation here. I’m constantly seeing complaints that late books hurt sales and alienate readers. Now I’m expected to believe that replacing artists who can’t meet a reasonable deadline will do the same? Boy, comic fans sure are fickle.
As to the notion that DC books will be flooded with “fast as hell, but shitty” artists, last I looked there were PLENTY of artists capable of meeting a deadline who weren’t getting much work lately, not to mention talented newcomers who could use a break. I suspect DC books will look just fine.
February 19th, 2008 at 10:48 am
I for one am all for this new policy. Comic books are for the most part, MONTHLY PERIODICALS. This means there needs to be a SCHEDULE and as such an appropriate DEADLINE. Comic book publishing is first and foremost a business, and producing work on TIME is the professional thing to do.
Here here DC, crack the freaking whip.
February 19th, 2008 at 10:52 am
I’m with Dorian. Plus, I wouldn’t expect to see reasonable opinions about DC on the Bendis Board. Perhaps this new policy is related to the Kuberts (next article).
February 19th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Seems pretty fair to me. I certainly don’t keep employing people who, talented as they undoubtedly are, repeatedly prove that they can’t manage the pre-agreed rate of work, and I’m not sure why DC would either.
I also can’t see Marvel snapping up slowpokes either - if you’ve been let go from your previous contract because you repeatedly couldn’t fulfill it, why would another company in the same industry expect you to suddenly be able to manage it for them?
Having to produce 22 pages of art a month is a massively demanding job, particularly for an audience as critical as comics readers, and the artists who manage it have nothing but my undying respect. However, as a reader, there are few things more likely to turn me off a book than it being spliced between 2-3 different artists, or a constant rotating door on the creative team.
(Also, Damian Scott’s Batgirl was damn awesome)
February 19th, 2008 at 11:30 am
I’m completely behind this policy if it’s implemented. I’ve grown tired of all the late books and, when they finally DO come out, they’re nothing to write home about (so I don’t necessarily buy the “quality vs. quantity” argument).
Modern pros are probably the most pampered generation of comic book creators, and it shows in the “maybe I will, maybe I won’t” work ethic of many of them.
February 19th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Anyone who thinks that having books ship on time will lose sales is living in fanboy lala land.
Retailers have been saying for years that books not showing up on time is destroying their sales, so I think the drop in sales to a few obsessive fanboys will be more than made up by all the people who actually prefer to read a comic that comes out regularly and have no idea who writes and draws it.
And if this means comic creators realise that they are not rock stars, I’m all for it.
February 19th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I prefer books with good art to books that ship often. If I have to wait two months instead of one between issues, so be it.
February 19th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
“I prefer books with good art to books that ship often.”
That’s a false dichotomy if I’ve ever heard one. It doesn’t necessarily follow that books shipping on time will have poor artwork, or late books will always have superior artwork. That’s a canard perpetrated by lazy creators and their “give ‘em all the time they want” fans.
If anything, habitually late titles would have a higher vulernability to poor artwork by having a slowpoke artist feeling the heat from a frazzled editor and trying to shovel it out faster.
February 19th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
This is very easily solved.
Put the slow artists on miniseries, specials, etc., that aren’t tied to current continuity.
Put the faster, more reliable artists on the monthly books.
I think they were doing that, years ago, when there were more Elseworlds and other “prestige format” books.
February 19th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
i wonder why Japan rarely has this problem. Toriyama cranked out 10 years worth of weekly Dragon Ball stories with practically one assitant.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
People should appreciate talent, and read their books, WHEN they come out.
That’s right, you bunch of jackals! You should take the books WHEN and IF they deign to throw them to you. Because DELAYS = QUALITY. I for one can’t wait because Ulty Hulk vs. Wolverine #3 is going to be so good it will raise the dead. And who’ll be laughing then, buckos?
February 19th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
As a guy who is seeking a break in the industry as a writer–I would think timeliness would be next to Godliness in any print medium.
A lot of people I’ve talked to have been astounded by how fast I type up projects.
If I were an artist–I would want to hone my craft to be the fastest it could be without losing any craft or technique.
I’m glad these policies are coming…it will make people work and the work produced will hopefully benefit everyone from fan to retailer and the publisher.
February 19th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
This conversation brings to mind a comment by Jeph Loeb from a few years back regarding the number of late titles. He said “It’s unfortunate that books ship late, but they are not gum.”
Well, that’s true…but at the same time, they’re not exactly the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, either.
February 19th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
can’t believe some of those comments! getting books out on time a controversial issue? creators living up to their word when they take on a MONTHLY assignment!
of course a Marvel person like Bendis would take a shot at DC for asking their talent to live up to their deadlines. if the likes of KIrby,Infantino,Swan,Kubert,and Ditko could make a monthly deadline,at times on more than one book,is it asking todays pros to do the same? Hell Bendis has been spoiled by working with Bagley for over 110 consective issues. I know that the later the Mighty Avengers came out the less I cared about it. hey creators if you can’t do 22 pages a month don’t take the assignment. by the way where is Hulk #2/
February 19th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
C. Towns, Toriyama cranked out weekly 8-10 page black and white (with little to no shading or toning stories) for 10 years with his 1 assistant doing backgrounds, which can take just as long or longer than figure art.
No disrespect to Akira, but you’re comparing apples to oranges here.
February 20th, 2008 at 12:53 am
I think the comments that are against this policy are simply trying to say that quality is more important than timeliness to them.
I’d be worried that a Dodson would lose out to a Randall, when I much rather see 9-10 issues from Dodson with a few fill-ins than 12 issues of Randall (no offense to Randall, who does very good work). DC’s policy seems to be that even talented artists that can’t stick to an issue every 4 weeks will find themselves without DC work. That’s throwing the baby out with the bathwater, IMO.
I have to doubt how legit Rich’s reporting is, here. The whole “losing pages” as a hard policy/strict punishment on Wonder Woman? Dodson apparently had an injury, so it seems more like a practical way to deal with an understandable delay than an example of their harsh new policy in action.
February 20th, 2008 at 2:47 am
I think they should have a model with both companies where they have something completely finished and in hand before it’s set to come out for a good while and get a year ahead of where they should be. DC has some of the shittiest artwork I’ve seen and that’s why they fall behind and everything seems so stale and crappy compared to Marvel books.
February 20th, 2008 at 7:31 am
I think I should say something here.
I’m the guy who write that comment
“People should appreciate talent, and read their books, WHEN they come out.”
And funnily enough - I got banned from the Talk section for stating that in a heated discussion. Funny how this site works out.
And yes, I stand by my assumption. I assume you will too when DC/AOL decides to hold a gun to Ethan Van Sciver’s head to force him to meet deadlines.
February 20th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Dave, you keep trying to pin quality and punctuality into either/or columns, when that’s not really the case. Talent can be appreciated without it having to come in a delayed book. You just read like a pompous art snob with that reply.
And Van Sciver’s a lost cause. The guy likes posting on the internet too much to get work done.
And quit assuming. You know what they say when you assume.
February 20th, 2008 at 9:45 am
//DC’s policy seems to be that even talented artists that can’t stick to an issue every 4 weeks will find themselves without DC work.//
Talent isn’t an excuse. Skill and discipline are required as well, especially when your lack of those affects a whole chain of people from the publisher to the writer to the retailer to the reader.
Artists are grownups too and and grown up things like performing a job responsibly should be expected of them.
This is ridiculous anyway. Can anyone who read comic books 20 years even imagine DC having to institute a policy like this? I’ve got boxes full of comics from that time and earlier. I bought them new when they appeared monthly (like clockwork) on the comic rack at my local store and the art was no better or worse then what is in comic books these days.
February 20th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Talent can be appreciated without it having to come in a delayed book.
-Quality can be appreciated without holding a gun to an artist’s head. Look at Countdown Arena, drawn by DC;s favourite artist - Scotty McDaniel - barely comprehensible in place, but hey, it came out on time. Am I supposed to accept this as the standard? Piss off.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:34 am
And now we know why Dave got banned.