Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, DC Comics, Netflix, streaming, TV | Tagged: Adrian Glynn McMorran, bodies, mcm

Why No Mention of the Artists in Netflix's Bodies Panel at MCM?

I went to the MCM panel for Bodies based on the comic by Si Spencer, Dean Ormston, Phil Winslade, Meghan Hetrick, Tula Lotay & Lee Loughridge

I always stick my oar in it, don't I? A little bit, anyway. I attended the MCM London Comic Con panel for Bodies called From Page To Screen. Around the new Netflix crime/sci-fi drama based on the graphic novel by Si Spencer, Dean Ormston, Phil Winslade, Meghan Hetrick, Tula Lotay and Lee Loughridge, which, like the show, is set in four different time zones, with each artist telling their period piece, and all lining up. But the Netflix show is credited as being "based on Si Spencer's graphic novel", and writer Spencer gets an "in memory of" credit at the top of the end of the show after his tragic death in 2021. But they only get a mention far down the end credits, passed the moment where Netflix skips you to the next episode.

The panel, made up of Paul Tomalin (lead writer and series creator), Marco Kreuzpaintner (director), Will Gould (exec producer) and Sophie McClancy (producer), talked about the collaboration on making the show at length. But also working with the late Si Spencer and a desire to fulfil what Si Spencer would have wanted, but there was no mention of the artists or the art at all. The team talked about referring to the original graphic novel for so much of the show, from the distinct period shooting to emulating "camera angles" from the graphic novel, preferring higher or lower shots rather than eye level, weird angles, as well as how the graphic novel was colour coded for eras, more Western for the 19th century, of film noir for the 1940s. As well as checking how the book solved narrative issues they had trouble with. But there was no mention of the art or the artists.  I know Si, if he'd have been on the stage, would have been talking about Dean, Phil, Meghan, Tula and Lee from the off. So, given that this panel was called From Page To Screen, I asked why there was an absence of artist mention, and if they had been involved in the show at all.

Will Gould, who had been with the show the longest, took the question and also found me afterwards to follow up on what he had said. Will confirmed that, no, the artists weren't involved at all in the making of the show; they only dealt with Si, and they didn't have access to Si's contacts, e-mails, and the like after he died. They have involved Si's widow, who is in touch with the artists. He knows the collection is being reprinted by DC Comics in the light of the show, and he hopes this means that more people can see the original artists' work. He told me that he has been aware of certain criticism regarding this, with the lack of credit for comic book artists on other shows and movies, and told me that he would do things differently if he were to approach another gra[hoc novel adaptation.

Bodies is available for streaming on Netflix now. Bodies, by Si Spencer, Dean Ormston, Phil Winslade, Meghan Hetrick, Tula Lotay and Lee Loughridge, will be republished by DC Comics on Tuesday. Man, the artist credits on that Amazon listing also need fixing…

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