Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: Birds of Prey, Comics, constantine, dc, i vampire, saucer country, superman family adventures

Blood In The Water

I understand there are more retro-firings off DC comics to come. I also need to write a big article concerning the current state of DC Comics and apparent editorial/creative issues, but that will take considerable research, question and fact-checking. While for now, I can just cut and paste from blogs and Twitter. So guess what I've done.

Jim Zub was far more concilliatory over the situation.

Obviously I'm disappointed, but I also know this isn't any kind of personal judgement about me, it's a business and creative decision that came late in the process. I've been working in and around the comic industry for the past ten years and know it can be a wild ride. This is still a step forward for my career, just not as big of one as I'd hoped.

And on Twitter;

A lot of people are asking if I have other writing work at DC/Marvel. Short answer: No. I'm not scripting or pitching anything right now.

Long answer: I finished a digital-first script for DC (a one-shot) and that's it for now. My fingers are crossed for down the road.

Robert Venditti was magnanimous.

Congrats to my good friends @JeffLemire and @rayfawkes on the Constantine job. I'll be first in line to read it!

Paul Cornell blamed low sales but added;

I've opted to complete the arc as planned, with maybe an added 'end of season' feel, and finish Saucer Country on an 'end of volume one' note, with a big outcome decided (the last three issues are set on election night) and one enormous (and complete) reveal of the truth behind one of our mysteries. But this will not be an ending, and you won't learn what really happened to Arcadia on the night she was abducted.

I know that'll disappoint our loyal audience. So I make this promise to you: I will, one day, finish Saucer Country, in one way or another, in a dramatically satisfying way. That is to say, I won't just put up the remainder of the plot on my blog or something, I'll find a professional means to actually complete the story, ideally in comic book form, or as a novel or, hey, go on, a movie. The rights revert to me reasonably soon. We'll work from there.

Joshua Hale Fialkov tweeted;

Yep. I, Vampire is done as of 19. It's been an amazing ride. Thanks to all of my collaborators and stay tuned for the kickass conclusion. I've known For almost four months and got to write the ending I wanted. No complaints. I'm going back to Disneyland now. I'm sure ill have an exit interview somewhere soon. Best thing you guys can do is say Thank You to @DCComics for keeping us around so long and support the teams other books.

But one person working on the books was willing to kick off a little. Just the one, mind.

Well, that stinks! I really enjoyed lettering this book and it was extremely well written…bleedingcool.com/2013/01/14/dc-…#JoshFialkov#Ivampire

— Patrick Brosseau (@droog811)

The more vocal objectors were what you might describe as ex-DC Comics writers. Who didn't have future work to protect.

Nick Spencer:

Seeing lots of "that's how it is in this business," stuff in regards to the day's news. It really isn't, and it certainly shouldn't be. To be a little more direct: the way DC treats a lot of their freelancers is absolutely abhorrent. When it happened to me on SUPERGIRL, I didn't say much, because I didn't want to dwell on the negative. But when you see it happen to so many good people, and the damage it does to their careers, their incomes, etc… it's just not okay. I don't understand the need for it, & I wish it were otherwise. I love DC, love the characters, & I know I did some of my best work there. And I'm VERY happy for my friends who have been successful there. But I would tell any creator– especially newer, younger ones– to be extremely careful in doing business there.

Mark Waid

On behalf of dear friends: It is UNCONSCIONABLE for publishers to fire creators through the pages of PREVIEWS. At least pick up a PHONE.

Yes, he's talking about DC. Sterling Gates wrote;

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! WORST EFFING NEWS EFFING EVER! EFF TODAY! Seriously, that's so g**damn upsetting. One of the most-consistently brilliant and enjoyable books on the market. You know what sucks? Everything. :( I love Superman Family Adventures, and I'm incredibly sad to see it go. Sigh. Well, at least in good news NO WAIT THERE IS NO GOOD NEWS SUPERMAN FAMILY ADVENTURES IS CANCELED

And seemingly separate from this was Chris Roberson's rant which demands that at every comic convention people must buy him large flagons of beer with vodka chasers.

In the LA Times a few months ago, Joe Michael Straczynski was quoted as saying about Superman;

What makes him interesting other than that he's really, really strong? That question led me to want to redefine Clark in ways that made him more interesting and more flawed as a person. Not in a dark, mean, cynical way, because that's way too easy. But as a true outsider whose heart is vulnerable. I wanted to emphasize the loneliness of a kid growing up knowing just how different he was from everyone else, who had to keep his distance for their protection and his own.

Responding to it being reposted, Chris Roberson, who was credited as co-writer on much of the Superman: Grounded arc, and was fired from DC after criticising the Before Watchmen project, tweets;

That this nimrod is still writing Superman and @MarkWaid isn't is all that need be said about what's wrong with DC:

In this guy's head, Superman crying over a dead kitten shows his love of life, but passing out guns is a learning experience for volume 3.

Some day I'll be drunk enough to post the one page of sloppy "outline" that was handed to me for Grounded (and which I ignored completely).

But he still gets half my royalty check for every sale, even though he had nothing to do with it. Maybe that's what he means by "morality"?

I'm going to send round a case of Merlot and just sit on Twitter, waiting…

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