Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, Marvel Comics, X-Men | Tagged: cameo, chip zdarsky, Gerry Duggan, House of X, jonathan hickman, krakoa, rob liefeld

Gerry Duggan & Chip Zdarsky Pay Rob Liefeld to Teach Jonathan Hickman

"Seven Eight Seven"... Gerry Duggan and Chip Zdarsky Paid Rob Liefeld to give Jonathan Hickman some tips about writing and drawing comics

Published Tue, 25 Jun 2024 12:57:10 -0500

by Rich Johnston

Last updated Tue, 02 Jul 2024 14:22:46 -0500

Comments

Article Summary

Rob Liefeld advises Jonathan Hickman on comic book structure in a 7-8-7 page tip.
Chip Zdarsky and Gerry Duggan enlist Liefeld's tips for Hickman via Cameo.
Liefeld critiques Hickman's X-Men run, suggesting his formula for success.
A cameo coaching session costs $125, giving Hickman free comic guidance.

Rob Liefeld is no fan of Jonathan Hickman's run on X-Men, the House Of X. He did not care for it. And has said so repeatedly in a Peter Griffin-style voice. But with the end of the Krakoan Age, fellow Marvel writer Chip Zdarsky and X-Men lead writer Gerry Duggan took to Cameo to pay Rob Liefeld to extend congratulations to this "Jonathan" for leaving his day job to create comics…

"Our top salesperson is leaving his job to pursue his dream of writing and drawing his own comics! We know he loves you, the X-Men, Deadpool & graphic design! He won't show us his comic but we know he writes dense, complex stories! Any tips?"

…and Rob Liefeld decided to throw in some tips about how to write and draw successful comic books. Clearly something Jonathan Hickman is in need of. And Chip Zdarsky included it in his newsletter.

@thatrichjohnston ♬ original sound – Rich Johnston

"Here's the deal.. there is a tried and true when you get down to doing a monthly comic… Seven eight seven … what does that mean? Open your comics with seven pages of your character using their power introducing themselves to the reader, doing their cool whatever it is that they do. Then the middle eight pages, is when they go home, they have their school life, work life, getting screwed over, whatever, subplots, character action. girlfriend, wife, that's your middle eight… the last seven pages is the conflict, there's action, more using of the powers and the villain making his move to the end of the cliffhanger so they come back next month. That is my tip to you my friend, seven eight seven."

I have just checked House Of X #1, and it does a 5-6-9 instead, if you ignore the diagrams. Maybe Rob is right? So what comics fit this formula, and which do not? I get the feeling "Seven Eight Seven" may be the comic book catchphrase of the summer and all it cost Chip Zdarsky and Gerry Duggan was…. $125. And Jonathan Hickman got it for free!

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!