Elijya
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thanks to Auburn Tiger from Comicpriceguide.com for posting this, some interesting food for thought here:
While reading The Question #1 from 1987 I came across an interesting column on the inside cover of the book, which I've copied here:
In My Opinion, by Richard Bruning
The End of the Never-Ending Story . . .
There have been a lot of changes in the comic industry in the last 10 years. We're seeing a lot of the new formats: limited or mini-series and one-shots like graphic novels.
What seemed like a gimmick at first may be the salvation of the industry. The limited series may be the way we can attain and maintain a higher standard of material and extend the working lifespan of the creative people. Not every artist is a Jack Kirby, it was a different world back then with different demands. The industry has to be able to grow and change as do the needs of our creative people and buyers.
One way to do this is phase out the domination of the ongoing series, at least in the way they're handled now. I had the pleasure, for a number of years, of working with a man who most consider to be one of the best artists ever to work in the business. Yet he has regularly gone through a great deal of frustration and anguish over his inability to "crank out" the number of pages necessary to meet the dreaded monthly deadline doom. It's one of the things that could drive him to work in a less continually demanding field, which would be a loss for all of us. (And believe me, he feels he's a failure despite how hard he tries.)
All commerical writers and artists work under deadlines, but I know, as a former freelance (non-comics) designer and cartoonist, that general commercial work comes and goes. You have your busy periods and your slack periods, allowing one to cool off before entering the fray again. The comics industry is almost entirely set up for monthly publications with basically a never-changing amount of pages. When you get on a monthly book, you're starting to run a race that has no end in sight. It's an imposing job. Not impossible, but there's damn few that can do it for any length of time. It causes burnout and frustration in the creative team and also for the company and fans.
As a lifelong comic fan, I know how you want the same great team to be there every month when you go to the stands. And it better be there, dammit, on time! Still, the toll it takes not only on the artist but also the writer must be considered. Though I know the artist has a more grueling physical task for him or herself in drawing these continuing opuses, let us think of the writers.
At times it seems they've got it easy. Most of them are able to handle more than one title a month, unlike the vast majority of artists. They have it easy, no? No. How many writers can you think of that have been around for more than 15 years? How many ever last that long? There are numerous practicing artists in their 50s and 60s, but I can name the writers of that status on one hand. An artist often seems to find his style and pace, enabling him to make a lifetime career out of comics, even if he doesn't last 100 issues on the same title.
The writers, though . . . Now there's a burnout. Why should this be? Well, you try coming up with two, three, or four interesting stories every week for 30 years. The result? Well, they either get out of the field entirely, a common occurence; or even more common, and worse for them and this medium, they crank out the same story in a variety of ways, going nowhere. The never-ending story. One beginning, no middle, and certainly no end. The characters become worn-out, the situation hackneyed, and after a while, who cares? A new comic reader comes along and is put off by a storyline that's been going on for 10 years. Talk to someone who never reads comics. They almost always comment on that aspect.
Now, look at something like Dark Knight or Watchmen. (I'm using these examples because the material itself has to be good enough to warrant "outsiders" attention.) I've seen more non-comic readers get into these two series than ever before. They may get impatient having to wait a month or more for the next chapter, but they can get into what's going on, knowing there's a beginning and an attainable conclusion. Like a book or movie, knowing a story is inexorably rolling to a finale allows your interest to remain high. Anticipation builds! Culmination! Satisfaction is achieved!
Though writers and artists knock themselves out on those series, they can look towards the conclusion, with the possiblity of a breathing period before starting the next project.
Another advantage to these self-contained stories is one the rest of the world has long appreciated and explored: compilations. Collecting the whole thing into one nice big volume. You can have an ongoing character, like Asterix, where there's a new story every year. It's published in installments, and then collected into one volume at the end of the story. This way, someone can take this down off their shelf and read it at their leisure, like a real book.
Graphic novels and limited series . . . it could make the comic storytelling medium a major entertainment force in this country . . . and keep our creative folks alive and ticking for a lifetime of exciting work.
While reading The Question #1 from 1987 I came across an interesting column on the inside cover of the book, which I've copied here:
In My Opinion, by Richard Bruning
The End of the Never-Ending Story . . .
There have been a lot of changes in the comic industry in the last 10 years. We're seeing a lot of the new formats: limited or mini-series and one-shots like graphic novels.
What seemed like a gimmick at first may be the salvation of the industry. The limited series may be the way we can attain and maintain a higher standard of material and extend the working lifespan of the creative people. Not every artist is a Jack Kirby, it was a different world back then with different demands. The industry has to be able to grow and change as do the needs of our creative people and buyers.
One way to do this is phase out the domination of the ongoing series, at least in the way they're handled now. I had the pleasure, for a number of years, of working with a man who most consider to be one of the best artists ever to work in the business. Yet he has regularly gone through a great deal of frustration and anguish over his inability to "crank out" the number of pages necessary to meet the dreaded monthly deadline doom. It's one of the things that could drive him to work in a less continually demanding field, which would be a loss for all of us. (And believe me, he feels he's a failure despite how hard he tries.)
All commerical writers and artists work under deadlines, but I know, as a former freelance (non-comics) designer and cartoonist, that general commercial work comes and goes. You have your busy periods and your slack periods, allowing one to cool off before entering the fray again. The comics industry is almost entirely set up for monthly publications with basically a never-changing amount of pages. When you get on a monthly book, you're starting to run a race that has no end in sight. It's an imposing job. Not impossible, but there's damn few that can do it for any length of time. It causes burnout and frustration in the creative team and also for the company and fans.
As a lifelong comic fan, I know how you want the same great team to be there every month when you go to the stands. And it better be there, dammit, on time! Still, the toll it takes not only on the artist but also the writer must be considered. Though I know the artist has a more grueling physical task for him or herself in drawing these continuing opuses, let us think of the writers.
At times it seems they've got it easy. Most of them are able to handle more than one title a month, unlike the vast majority of artists. They have it easy, no? No. How many writers can you think of that have been around for more than 15 years? How many ever last that long? There are numerous practicing artists in their 50s and 60s, but I can name the writers of that status on one hand. An artist often seems to find his style and pace, enabling him to make a lifetime career out of comics, even if he doesn't last 100 issues on the same title.
The writers, though . . . Now there's a burnout. Why should this be? Well, you try coming up with two, three, or four interesting stories every week for 30 years. The result? Well, they either get out of the field entirely, a common occurence; or even more common, and worse for them and this medium, they crank out the same story in a variety of ways, going nowhere. The never-ending story. One beginning, no middle, and certainly no end. The characters become worn-out, the situation hackneyed, and after a while, who cares? A new comic reader comes along and is put off by a storyline that's been going on for 10 years. Talk to someone who never reads comics. They almost always comment on that aspect.
Now, look at something like Dark Knight or Watchmen. (I'm using these examples because the material itself has to be good enough to warrant "outsiders" attention.) I've seen more non-comic readers get into these two series than ever before. They may get impatient having to wait a month or more for the next chapter, but they can get into what's going on, knowing there's a beginning and an attainable conclusion. Like a book or movie, knowing a story is inexorably rolling to a finale allows your interest to remain high. Anticipation builds! Culmination! Satisfaction is achieved!
Though writers and artists knock themselves out on those series, they can look towards the conclusion, with the possiblity of a breathing period before starting the next project.
Another advantage to these self-contained stories is one the rest of the world has long appreciated and explored: compilations. Collecting the whole thing into one nice big volume. You can have an ongoing character, like Asterix, where there's a new story every year. It's published in installments, and then collected into one volume at the end of the story. This way, someone can take this down off their shelf and read it at their leisure, like a real book.
Graphic novels and limited series . . . it could make the comic storytelling medium a major entertainment force in this country . . . and keep our creative folks alive and ticking for a lifetime of exciting work.
