Posted in: Comics, DC Comics, Image, Marvel Comics | Tagged: fanboy rampage, gail simone, howard chaykin

Fanboy Rampage: Howard Chaykin Vs Gail Simone Over The Decades

Fanboy Rampage: Comic book creators Howard Chaykin versus Gail Simone over the decades... and recentyly dug up again

Comic book writer Gail Simone, best known for Birds Of Prey, Uncanny X-Men, Red Sonja and Deadpool, recently posted to Facebook about her relationship, such as it is, with comic book creator Howard Chaykin, best known for Dominic Fortune, American Flagg, Star Wars, and Black Kiss.

"Eight years ago, I had the briefest and oddest exchange with Howard Chaykin, a creator I'd had quite a lot of respect for, for all his justifiably lauded work over the years. Calling out a well-regarded legendary comics pro is just right close to the edge of the last thing I want to do. But he's been bashing me on it for eight years now, resorting to name-calling and fat jokes, some of which were 'liked' by some colleagues I really thought would know better. And since he's the only one telling the story, I'm quite sure a lot of people believe it. Except, his version is wildly untrue. My response to this sort of thing is generally to ignore it. I don't live in the shadow of constant grievance. But while his story has grown considerably in the telling, my few comments haven't altered an iota. And I have receipts, they're all still out there for anyone who wants to see them. He's called me a twat, a hyena, an orangutan, and a sh-tweasel cockbag, among many other things. Quite a few of these are in today's substack. Frothy, but creepy tantrums are not exactly rare in comics. And I haven't really responded. Because I didn't want to bother. That's the truth of it. I don't enjoy decade-long feuds, and even though people tell me when he's posted some new tentacle to his growing story, I get no joy from posting something that might lower their opinion, the way mine was lowered literally within two minutes of meeting him. I also strongly suspect it'll mean years more obsessive insults from a guy I'd just as soon forget, because as he is happy to tell you a thousand times, he carries a grudge forever. So big deal, he's on my list of Pros To Avoid, it's not a long list, but it's a vital one. There's no hate, there's not even a lot of ill feeling. So, in the interest of providing some context to his story, I am in the sh-tty position of telling what actually happened, and again, except for our initial meeting, the details are out there to back me up. I find the entire thing grotesquely embarrassing. More to follow, goddammit."

What was it Howard Chaykin said? This time, I mean? Well, over on Substack, he was revisiting a certain cancellation of his, first for the 2017 satirical comic Divided States Of Hysteria from Image Comics, which came under fire for allegations of being transphobic and specifically the cover to #4 which depicted a man hanging from a noose, genitals mutilated under a racial slur. The Guardian newspaper noticed. Backlash online was followed by Image Comics deciding to delete a tweet asking readers to name their most shocking recent Image moments, when all of the responses were about Divided States Of Hysteria. Image Comics also released a press release for a second printing for the first issue, touting the "industry conversation" sparked by the cover, and featuring a supportive statement of the value of publishing the comic from Image Publisher Eric Stephenson. There were a number of other Image Comics who spoke out against the cover, and one of the many, many was Gail, who wrote, "I don't think people will be surprised to discover I find Chaykin's cover repulsive, but I do." Repulsion seemed to be the point.

So what was it that Howard Chaykin wrote on Substack eight years later? "

"As I've noted frequently, I hold a grudge like a bloodstain on silk. One of these Stalin show trial twats actually had the gall to play the "let bygones be bygones" card a little while back, bereft of anything smacking of regret for her gleeful Madame DeFarge cosplay."

Gall is Gail? Madame Defarge, for you heathens, is the main antagonist of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, a criminal ringleader, a French Revolutionary, and best known for knitting beside the guillotine during executions. She is described as " a stout woman … with a watchful eye that seldom seemed to look at anything, a large hand heavily ringed, a steady face, strong features, and great composure of manner. There was a character about Madame Defarge from which one might have predicated that she did not often make mistakes against herself in any of the reckonings over which she presided." Howard continued;

"F-ck that. Forgiveness must be earned, and none of these shitweasel cockbags has ever had the grace to apologize to me, for f-ck's sake. But, despite it never blowing over, I got over it myself, thanks to the tincture of time, and, of course, my quiet gloating at the professional ineptitude and careers stillborn of so many of those who seemed to think that wanting was the same as deserving, and that bringing me down would invest them with some sort of coup. Comics did, apparently, break many of this posse comitatus, and happily so, for me at any rate. F-ck them. All. In retrospect, if I regret anything, it's that I caved in and provided an alternative cover image to replace one that had generated pearl clutching shrieks of opportunistic outrage by colleagues unable, or perhaps more likely unwilling, to accept that an image in no way necessarily represents authorial approval. That was a mistake in judgment, the sort of which I hope to never make again. And speaking of apologies, it never entered my mind to offer an amends for anything I'd done. F-ck them, and f-ck that."

So back to Gail, who told the original tale, under the title "What Happened Before. Part One." We haven't had a part two. Yet.

"I want to stress a couple things before I respond to the eight years of rage Howard Chaykin has sent my way.
Note that I have barely responded to any of it, not the excessive embellishments, not the name-calling, none of that.
I promise to attempt to explain this without tantrums or histrionics because good lord, we seem to be well full-up on that account. Every word is accurate to my recollection, but I will admit that said recollection can be flawed. If I have forgotten something, I am happy to be corrected and include it in the record.
The facts that aren't in dispute, I believe, are that Howard Chaykin drew a very controversial cover, featuring a trans person in severe distress. When asked about it, I posted two tweets. One where I expressed that I thought the cover was revolting, and a second one linking to Howard's defense of the cover, because that seemed the fair thing to do.
For eight years, Howard's been railing about this, doing his best to actually attempt to do what he's accused me of doing; trying to damage the reputation of someone who was momentarily critical.
For my two tweets, only one of which was critical, he's invented a massive and bizarre obsession, a persecution so enormous that he seems unable to concentrate on any other topic without mentioning it.
Except, I don't talk about the man. I just don't. It makes me sad to be the target of a guy I once respected, but my interest in the pathology of it is pretty low. And if I lost my mind at every pro who'd said an unkind word, I'd never get anything done.
I plan to talk about this, but I'll say in advance and for the record: I hate it. I don't care enough about this topic to keep it going and I am enough acquainted with the internet to know that;
1) It's only going to encourage more insults from the man, and
2) Those who wish to curry favor with him will side with him regardless.
It is a thing about this industry that they tend to fall over themselves to forgive the transgressions of the people whose work they like. I don't think this will be much different.
But I think eight years of hearing this nonsense is enough.
So I want to put a little context in here.
This isn't about the cover, I'll cover that debacle next.
This is just a bit of context for why I put Howard on the "What the f-ck is he on about?" list.
All right. To start, I like Howard's art, I think he's a fantastic artist and a brilliant designer. I had zero ill will towards him before meeting him. In fact, I was excited to meet him and talk to him for a moment at a busy convention we both attended.
My husband and I were taking a break. I was swamped and needed to get away from the signing line for a moment. I rarely go to panels, but I had this little signing break and I wanted to see Howard's panel. I don't want to get too much into this, but it was definitely not my kind of thing. There was a lot of bashing other pros, a lot of decades-old grudges.
I'm sure most of it was deserved, and certainly, the audience around us was eating it up. Couldn't get enough.
I thought it was tacky and kind of risk-free, bashing people who were either dead or not present to defend themselves, but what the hell, maybe it was all well-earned ire.
Anyway, I stayed to see the next panel, which I believe was Neal Adams. After, Howard's signing booth was right outside the panel room, and I thought it'd be nice to meet him and introduce myself. I actually wanted to tell him that his SCORPION comic, which I'd read as a little kid, created an interest in pulp heroes that continues to this day.
Folks, that is not what happened.
This is probably going to sound surreal, it might even sound made up. If anything, I am actually underplaying the exchange.
It's not a felony, it is at best a professional misdemeanor. It's also to this day one of the most weirdly unpleasant exchanges I've had with a creator I admire.
We walked up, I was smiling, happy to meet someone as important to comics as Howard. He seemed jittery, like he was wired up for some reason. No idea why.
I introduced myself and said I was a fan. He came out hot for reasons that I still can't even guess at. He asked what I was working on, and I told him I was writing Wonder Woman.
Nothing else, just, "I'm writing Wonder Woman."
To say he flipped out is putting it mildly. It was the most unprovoked bit of hostility imaginable.
He started yelling that Wonder Woman was a ridiculous character, and he repeatedly said, "There is NO REASON to be publishing a Wonder Woman book."
This point seemed wildly important to him, like he was trying to get me to agree. Keep in mind, I've known him for a total of ninety seconds and had only managed to say two sentences.
Oh, also? He forgot to articulate WHY Wonder Woman had upset him so much. He just kept saying how ridiculous she was and how she was underserving of being published.
I was still new enough to be excited about writing her, working with my great friend Terry Dodson on art. But I didn't get to say any of that because Howard tends to dominate the discussion, apparently.
My husband isn't intimidated by nerds as a rule, and he made it clear that it was time to go. And Howard actually followed away from the table just to grind on about Wonder Woman for a while longer.
"Great to meet you, have a nice con, please quit yelling about Wonder Woman, strange person I only just met!"
We walked away and couldn't help but laugh, it was just so ridiculous. If it sounds pointless and odd in the retelling, I can only say the actual incident was worse.
Needless to say, he went on the 'approach with caution, or not at all,' list. Not a big deal, just a funny oddball encounter.
From that day forward, whenever I was in proximity to Howard (which was never intentional, but cons pack people together) he was always putting someone down (on the bus he had a lot of unkind things to say about a favorite artist, deceased) or berating them (a poor waitress at a restaurant with a bunch of pros who should have stopped him).
Maybe he just was having a strangely coincidental series of bad days.
So, big deal. A ton of pros don't like me, there are a few I avoid like the plague. I don't think any of that's worth noting, let alone obsessing over for most of a decade.
The next actual encounter, I wasn't there for. My husband was at breakfast at a hotel in, I think it was in Norway. He found Howard more interesting than I did, and asked about him to a mutual friend. Basically, 'Is he always like that?'
I wasn't there for this, again. But he says Howard came up and started talking about the event, but in a totally mirror-universe manner from what we had both witnessed.
In Howard's version of the encounter, he was calm and articulate and stated his case with astonishing eloquence and not at all just repeating the same two sentences completely without context to two complete strangers.
My husband listened to this for a while, then came a conclusion and said, "You are crazy," and left.
I also forgot one funny moment after the original meeting. My husband asked, "What is he even working on right now that Wonder Woman is so awful?"
And I said, "I don't know, I think Hawkgirl?"
Which seemed pretty funny at the time, if true. Famously, that ultra-relevant character of Hawkgirl presented a challenge far more culturally significant than Wonder Woman, who a few years later would make over a billion dollars at the box office and whose ABSOLUTE version is a top seller and award-winning title.
Anyway, if it had been more effective or from someone more in control, I might have thought it was an attempt at bullying for god knows what reason. But the truth is, to this day I have no idea what set him off. And it was a subject of howling hilarity and endless bafflement in our house for a long time.
Needless to say, it was far more bewildering than intimidating.
So that's my first experience with Howard.
It gets weirder."

While we wait for part two, a few other comics folk chipped in…

• John Layman: "I met Howard Chaykin when I was 19 in 1987 at a signing at a store in Long Beach. I was in line with a sketchbook and when I reached him he refused to sign my sketchbook. Said he could tell by looking at me comics was just a fad for me and I'd be done with it in a month or so so he was not going to waste his time. I was shocked and stunned and didn't know what to do, I kinda froze, and I think maybe it looked like I was about to cry. Finally he grabbed my sketchbook and wrote "see you in hell, pal." and signed it."
• Richard Pace: "I was friends with him for a few years, despite another pro I greatly respect warning me Howard wasn't to be trusted. I didn't have to wait long for evidence. Our falling out was over his public insistence anyone opposing genocide was either a moron or brainwashed by Hamas. To be fair, early on he insisted he was a coward, so doing this much bitter and petty smearing from such a remove is in character and another example of when someone tells you who they are…"
• Retailer Rick Shea, "Howard Chaykin is garbage. He's my literal least favorite comic creator interaction and I've been lucky enough to meet almost everyone in the industry over my 35 years of selling comics. He was a real jerk to me when I was a kid and I've ordered his stuff accordingly (subs only) since then. F-ck that guy.
  Meanwhile, you've been a pleasure to deal with at every interaction. You've constantly boosted other creators and retailers. You genuinely love and do more to promote this industry by bringing new fans to comics. Thanks for all you do, Gail!"

I get the feeling there will be more to come. Maybe this post will grease those wheels… Fanboy Rampage was a blog by Graeme "Graham" McMillan dedicated to the funniest, most ludicrous and most inappropriate comic book back-and-forths online. McMillan then moved on, becoming a proper journalist for the likes of The Hollywood Reporter and Wired, before returning as one of us for Popverse, but he gave permission to Bleeding Cool to revive his great creation.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!