Jim Lee, on the way things work at DC:
I know it’s controversial, but we always felt that it was part of our books, to try to best reflect the readership and the entirety of people in general. It’s an ongoing thing, and not everything is dictated on a top-down basis; a lot of times storylines get to us from creators. We work with some of the best creators in the business, we support their creative initiative and that’s where a lot of this comes from.
I know, I know: I’m too old-fashioned and traditional in these ways, and I know that this is how these things work now, but “a lot of times storylines get to us from creators”? A lot of times? That doesn’t even sound like it’s the majority of times…
May 24th, 2012 at 9:11 am
If you’ve been paying attention I don’t know why anyone would think it would be the majority of times. It’s also naive to think this is a recent development at all. This is how traditional periodical comic book publishing works.
May 24th, 2012 at 10:15 am
Translation: “When Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns come to editorial with a storyline, we do actually consider it.”
Maybe that’s a bit too harsh, but that’s the impression I get.
May 24th, 2012 at 10:29 am
Case in point: Flash. Manapul and Booch tell it like they were asked to contribute their ideas from the get-go, and that’s how the book’s been running.
May 24th, 2012 at 1:51 pm
If people think that everything in Marvel or DC is “editorially mandated” let them think so. Some have no idea of the creative process while others have imagined this crazy taskmasters beating writers at their keyboards telling them what to write.
May 24th, 2012 at 3:54 pm
How many times have you heard “we are just waiting for a good pitch for X” where X=Cloak and Dagger or Moon Knight or Azrael? I think there are times when there is an editorial mandate for a result (lot fewer mutants, unmarried Spider-man, Avengers just like JLA, Batman “dead”, etc.), but when the mandate isn’t there, they are pretty open (how else would you explain Frankencastle? black Punisher?) as long as it is something that can be reversed if it doesn’t work (and in comic books there aren’t many things that can’t be reversed). Until recently, I would have guessed that they would be more open to new stories as fodder for cartoon/online content.
May 25th, 2012 at 2:20 am
“A lot of times? That doesn’t even sound like it’s the majority of times…”
Here’s a Dan DiDio quote from 2007: ‘I’d say about 75% of the concepts that are being created are editorially driven.’
Context: http://comiksdebris.blogspot.de/2007/07/executive-oversight.html
May 25th, 2012 at 8:18 am
Give me a break guys – what do you think that Stan Lee and Roy Thomas did for years? And that was for (arguably) the best period of Marvel comics? You don’t think that Brian Bendis’ ideas are shaping half the stories at Marvel today? It’s all that same thing – the company wants something that sells and gives the creators directions on where to go. If the creator is hot themselves, then they sell the book and can go wherever they want. Geez, it’s been this way for 50 years in comics.
Stop acting like all of the “bad” work is coming out of DC Graeme – we know that you’ve had an issue with them for years. Both Marvel and Dc are run by mega corporations, so stop acting like you’re surprised when editorial direction is placed on a project.
This is an old and tired argument.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:29 am
Actually, the writing quality (except for the books that are most obviously creator-driven) has taken a hard nose dive since DCnU, and editorial seem to have gone off their collective rockers. It seems more ‘Jim Shooter’ Marvel years than Stan or Roy–I see some truly great writers/creators micromanaged, their unique voices unutilized and unpromoted–with the ‘Catch-22′ of because of sales–while the ‘golden boys’ get what they want. I see a Jim Lee house style dominating, some dreadful early ’90′s costume designs trunkless and ‘ribbed for our enjoyment’–obviously by the same designer–like ALL the damn superheroes go to some Apokolips refugee taylor–and very talented creators grudgingly having to do completely tasteless garbage based on a certain original 12 issue GN that anyone with a conscience would be hard-pressed to attempt, if not for a desire to keep working–and having both ‘lowest common denominator’ fans and editorial gleeful about this fanwank travesty.
Just a little over a year ago, if someone had asked me if I’d like to work for DC, I’d have given an emphatic ‘yes’.
May 28th, 2012 at 4:51 am
We work with some of the best creators in the business, we support their creative initiative and that’s where a lot of this comes from.
http://www.andreaworden.com/