Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, Marvel Comics, X-Men | Tagged: fco plascencia, greg capullo

Greg Capullo Posts FCO Plascencia Quit Wolverine, Sparks Comics Debate

Greg Capullo posted about colourist FCO Plascencia choosing to leave his Wolverine Revenge comic written by Jonathan Hickman.

A couple of days ago, Greg Capullo posted the following about colourist FCO Plascencia and their work together on the Wolverine Revenge comic book series written by Jonathan Hickman, which has been slipping down the schedules. "Heads up, gang! FCO has quit Wolverine before its completion. Deadline pressures aren't for everyone. I'm certain that we'll find a suitable replacement that will give you the highest quality product possible. Ever onward."

The post caused a fair amount of fuss, was deleted and then Greg subtweeted, "I can't stress this enough to would-be comic creators Unless you're willing to forego friends and hobbies and accept sometimes strenuous deadline pressure, this biz ain't for you. I've been known to work 12-16 hours a day 7 days a week for weeks on end. It's not easy. At times, it's unhealthy! Choose wisely." This was also deleted. As plenty of comic book creators had comments to make, both for and against Greg,

• Aaron Meyers: "Greg is an amazing artist but creators, please don't do this, this is bad advice.
• Fabian Nicieza: "Aaron, you might want to reconsider your use of the word "advice."
• Darick Robertson: "It's not advice, it's reality. These are often the demands of the job."
• Brett Booth: "This isn't advice, this is how the industry works. We don't get days off, we don't work we don't get paid… if you're lucky. Sometimes those checks never come, creators get screwed a lot. You're only other options are to self publish."
• Peter Krause:  "I will just say that I'm in a fortunate situation with a loving and working spouse. I have not worked 12-16 hours a day, seven days a week for weeks on end. I've quit jobs when I saw that the work load was going to be unhealthy. Yes, choose wisely."
• Aaron Meyers: "When I was young I bought into the "work yourself to the bone to get ahead, hustle culture etc". Worked 80 hour weeks, was miserable. Its not a way to live."
• Richard Pace: "Making comics is a usually a collaborative gig. I don't care how popular you are, you just don't sh-t on your collaborators for being human like Greg Capullo just did. He does nifty men in tights comics, but I'm already mostly done with those and past done with assholes like him."
• Nick Davis: "Yet Greg is so late on his pencils that the colorist just quit his book."
• Joseph Michael Linsner: "He is right that comics is a very tough job. The deadlines are murder, but — we get to make our own hours and don't have to deal with morning rush hour traffic. And we can wear whatever we want when we work. Right now I've got on my Batman suit. Tomorrow I'm wearing Thor."
• Patrick Gerard: It's a sh-tty thing to do. Capullo can want a colorist who does ten pages a day and when he's hiring and cutting the checks, he can insist on that and live with the results. But there's ZERO need to trash someone for having a different flow. I love Dan Mora's work when he's doing two books a month. I love Alex Ross' work doing less than one. Either of those approaches may or may not suit certain projects and sometimes that only becomes clear after the fact. Sometimes people leave a project. There's zero need to trash a collaborator for choosing the workflow that suits what they do. It would cost Capullo NOTHING in this case to wish the guy the best on other projects and live with whatever results he gets from having someone with different standards."
• Pete Pantazis: "I don't know Greg. I've worked over 20 years making comics-his point is valid. I don't think it's advice as much as it's a warning. Truth is, making mainstream monthly comics is NOT easy. It just takes one cog in machinery to blow up a deadline/create a no sleep week etc."
• Ben Templesmith: "Don't think this is advice at all. Greg is bang in the money how it is. It's more a warning. I wish it wasn't this way, but it's the reality for many, many creators."
• Chris Sotomayor: "Working in comics is difficult and incredibly competitive, with people rooting for you to fail so they can take your spot. Especially when operating at an elite level. But, the struggle to break in and maintain a career is no excuse for throwing collaborators under the bus."
• Bon Alimagno: "Had a very very long thread planned about comics and burnout. But what do y'all want to know? Because for two years I was one of the folks in charge of keeping every Marvel comic on time. I HAVE SEEN THINGS. Horrors like you wouldn't understand."
• Dave Flynn: "Unpopular opinion maybe, but the fact that successful creators are responding to what Capullo said with 'yeah, that has been my experience' legitimises it as how working in comics can be for some – right or wrong."
• Augie De Blieck Jr.: "My guess is that the dust up that Greg Capullo accidentally started this week is more a generational battle. The 20-somethings versus everyone else…"
• Adrian9: "y'all didn't like the (ugly) truth posted by Greg Capullo, a guy who has been in the industry for more than 30 years, who gave you timeless classics, Spawn, Angela, Court of Owls, X Factor, Creech… what more credentials do you need? be humble, listen to the sensei, and improve"

Greg Capullo later added, "I've just received GREAT NEWS! Secured a heavy hitter to take over color duties on Wolverine REVENGE! Let's roll!". As well as saying first, "My Sicilian grandmother scrubbed floors till she was 76, kept a garden, an immaculate house, cooked for the family, kept going strong after a stroke, knee replacement… this was my example. This is the cloth that I'm cut from. This is the woman that I greatly admired. " and then putting the whole thing in context, "My lovely wife is away on retreat for the weekend. This is the only reason I broke my own policy of NEVER engaging on social media. I ALWAYS regret it. Please, talk amongst your selves. I've got drawings to draw." And someone else to colour them.

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