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Interview:
Talking Infamy (continued)
By Adam White
Published: 05 Feb 2006
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ADAM: As an art form, comic books seemingly suffer a lack of
respect among the general public and even among many within the
industry and readership. Why do you think that is, and what can
creators and readers do to overcome it?
GREG: Despite that comic books have, in fact, become more
geared to a more ’mature’ audience, it seems as though it
will never shake the image of being kiddie fare. Most people see comic
books as Superman and Spider-Man, meaning grown men in Halloween
costumes with outrageous powers. I doubt the general public is hip to
the fact that films such as Road to Perdition, History of
Violence, From Hell, heck, even Men in Black have
their origins as comic books. As creators and readers, all we can do
is try to elevate the awareness that comics have stories of every
genre for all ages.
Actually, at my recently-departed day job, when I informed a friend
there I was leaving to pursue art full-time and that I would be
drawing comic books, she asked if they still made comic books any
more! YAAARGH!
DERIC: It’s very strange, there are some fantastic
amazing writers and artists in the industry but just because
it’s labeled a comic book within the normal public, they just
don’t get the respect they truly deserve compared to other forms
of literature and entertainment. But I think that’s slowly
changing with the growing influence of movies, manga and anime among
the younger readers that hopefully will revitalize the industry in a
new direction.
BEN: I think people are inherently closed-minded and
unwilling to see beyond the parameters of what they perceive and,
therefore, believe. Respect is something you have to earn. But you
can’t earn something that someone’s not willing to give.
So how do you change that? Revolution.
RMB: Unfortunately, I don’t think the perception of
comics will ever change here in America. Unlike the Japanese or
Europeans, which have literally thousands of years of comic tradition,
in America, comic art was always a disposable art, to be enjoyed
fleetingly, then cast aside. Even such tremendous events as
MOCA’s ongoing show on the history of American Comics here in
Los Angeles isn’t going to change that.
ASHLEY: I disagree with the premise of the question. Take a
look at just how much money Hollywood pours into comics every year,
and take a look at the size of the return on their investment. And
I’m not just talking about the obvious projects like Batman
Begins or Superman Returns or even Hellboy and
Sin City — I’m talking about brilliant little gems
like Cronenberg’s A History of Violence. Dude,
you’ve got Christopher Nolan and David Cronenberg making comic
book films… on what planet does that constitute a lack of
respect for the medium?
I’m also not convinced it’s necessarily a problem even
if comics are considered a “lesser” art form. First of
all, that’s not true — comic book art is every bit as
compelling and important as art in any other medium when the level of
artistry is comparable. Secondly, comics will always suffer in some
sense for the same reasons that television does: it’s raison
d’etre is most commonly perceived as commerce (and let’s
not shit ourselves, it’s true). So comic books and television
— even when they’re creatively amazing and groundbreaking
— have to get past a perception gap with the uninitiated. Part
and parcel with this is that comics are bound by a production
schedule… unless you’ve achieved some sort of fanboy
apotheosis, no one is going to sit around and wait eleven months for
the next issue of Green Lantern. And now we’re back to Da
Vinci and abandoned art, only in this case we have to abandon it a
hell of a lot sooner to stay in the Diamond catalogue.
Finally, 99% of everything is crap. There’s a lot of product
on the market, and picking through said crap to get to the pony in the
middle of the pile can be an exhausting and demoralizing experience.
But none of that takes away from the artistic merit or the
achievements of the creators who pour their heart and soul into their
projects. Seriously, if you want to write, draw, film, act, paint, or
become a mime for your personal validation and recognition of your
genius… you’re probably in the wrong business. You do it
because you love it, and the rest of the world be damned.
“There is value in John
Cassaday’s name and his distinctive visual style gracing our
book…
That’s the kind of thing that gets you onto
store shelves — not sucking between the cover pages keeps you
there.” —Ashley Miller
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ADAM: With the Big Two companies focusing their marketing on
gargantuan crossovers, do you think self-contained and small press
books that focus on quality storytelling are getting lost in the
shuffle?
DERIC: Absolutely small press books sometimes get lost in
the shuffle mainly because the smaller independent companies
don’t have the capital to bombard the masses with crazy hype
year round. But you hype something too much and too long, smart
readers will eventually grow tired of it and begin to look beyond the
"hype" books and just focus on "good" books no matter what company is
publishing.
GREG: Boy, that is a tough one. A lot of comic readers
probably rarely venture outside the Big Two or so. Hopefully, through
websites and interviews such as this one, the word of books produced
by smaller publishers can be spread to a gaggle of fans ready to
embrace quality comics no matter the size of the publisher with open
arms. Can you imagine how it would be trying promote a small-press
book without the tool of the Internet? Brrrr. Me likey technology.
BEN: It’s hard for small publishers, that’s for
sure. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard retailers
say they can’t or won’t carry a small press book —
even those with a distinctly mainstream aesthetic and concept —
because they need to devote shelf space to the bigger publishers and
their latest multi-title wank-fest. It’s a sad statement, but
hey, that’s business. I think it’s incumbent upon the
small presses to figure out new and interesting ways of getting
attention for their books. You just have to outfox your competition
with some kind of viral, guerilla-style campaign and then you just
might capture not only readers’ attention, but their cash, too.
ASHLEY: It comes back to the pony in the pile of the crap.
Small press books have to put everything they can into being the pony
that somebody somewhere discovers and then tells all his friends
about. In the meantime, it’s the publisher’s job to engage
in asymmetric warfare with the Big Two — that means viral
marketing, a lot of hustle and going out of your way to tell your
readers that if they give you a chance, you’ll give them
something special. For example, it’s not an accident that we
went to the artists who created our covers. There is value in John
Cassaday’s name and his distinctive visual style gracing our
book. That goes for Howard Chaykin, Chris Bachalo and Tim Sale as well
— all of whom turned in what I consider to be beautiful,
poster-quality work. That’s the kind of thing that gets you onto
store shelves — not sucking between the cover pages keeps you
there.
RMB: Well, as a lifelong DC fan, I’m quite enjoying
the Infinite Crisis. The stories are great and the lead-up to
the event was extremely well thought out. The problem with the small
press, even when doing a very mainstream super-concept title like
Infamy, is simply one of exposure. Since we’re new and only
publish one book, no one knows who we are, that we even exist. Most
fans are not even looking for our book. So it’s a complete
uphill struggle. Even printing great promo posters and appearing at
events like the San Diego Comicon are no guarantee anyone will see
your book. This is why the online press is so important.
ADAM: What are your thoughts on creator-owned characters vs.
corporate characters? What creator-owned books do you enjoy, and are
there any corporate characters you’d want to write/draw?
DERIC: With creator-owned you have a lot more freedom to see
fit how the characters will evolve and grow. With corporate, I think
you’re pretty much locked in to certain parameters with the
characters.
BEN: Over the past thirteen years, I’ve had the good
fortune of writing many corporate characters I grew up loving…
X-Men, Green Lantern, Hawkman to name a few… But the one
character I have yet to write (aside from a guest appearance) is
Aquaman. The guy takes a lot of ribbing for that whole talking to the
fish thing he’s got going on, but he’s still one of the
coolest characters DC’s got in their arsenal. I’m looking
forward to seeing what Busiek does with him. I hope he can bring him
back to what I consider his long-lost glory… Though as I
understand it, it might not even star Arthur Curry… What is up
with THAT?
It’s always fun to build your own sand castle, but sometimes
it’s cool to play with someone else’s. Which is why I like
writing both creator-owned characters and the corporate ones.
They’re two very different experiences with their own benefits
and drawbacks. Of the creator-owned characters out there, Hellboy is
definitely a personal favorite. Invincible, too. Those are
just good, fun books.
DERIC: I dig Invincible, love the Burlyman books,
Doc Frankenstein and Shaolin Cowboy. I know there are
other books out there that I pick up, but right now I’m drawing
a blank.
GREG: I just love GOOD comics, period. I love seeing the
characters I grew up with such as Spider-Man and the X-Men still going
and seeing different creators take their shots at them. I love
creators enjoying the freedom of their own creations with no limits
and just having a blast! I mean, can you imagine if Hellboy was a
Marvel comic? Sheesh, he’d be guest-starring in every book out
there because Hellboy is the coolest! I bet he’d be in the
New
Avengers! Nexus was always a favorite of mine (somebody call Baron and
Rude and get them an offer). Goon. Eric Powell is some kind of wacky
genius. Walking Dead. I have never been a big fan of zombie flicks,
but I love this comic. So many out there.
ASHLEY: I think both have the potential to be great or suck
equally. “Ownership” is an interesting word, because I
think it has to apply to more than just dollars and cents. When an
artist creatively “owns” his work, it doesn’t matter
who collects the revenue stream — you can always tell. So I
don’t hold up my nose at the Big Two, or pretend that something
about a book being “independent” magically makes it good.
It just doesn’t.
That said, I love pretty much anything Alan Moore touches. The guy
is a genius and he’s prolific, which just boggles the
imagination. Of his recent creations, I’d say I resonate most
with Tom Strong — I’m a retro sci-fi nut, and I love the
idea of playing with pulp material in new, different and potentially
shocking ways. On the corporate side, it’s a no-brainer: Batman.
Is he crazy? Is he suicidal? Is he a sociopath? Or is he just this
deeply wounded little boy who is desperate to embrace his parents
again, angry at himself for taking the time he had with them for
granted, and angrier still for what he considers his role in their
death? Plus, he kicks ass.
RMB: I’d love to write Moon Knight. I love Moon
Knight. I can’t wait for the new Marvel series. As for
creator-owned series, I was extremely happy to see both Jon Sable and
Grimjack come back to store shelves, two of my favorite characters
from the eighties. Mark Waid’s revamp of the
Legion of Super-Heroes
is terrific, as is Geoff John’s Titans. I don’t
care who owns a character as long as I’m getting great art
coupled with a great story. [continued on page 4]
—CCdC—
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