The DC Farewells

As DC leaves it's long native home of New York City, everyone is going through their tearful goodbyes.  I figured, I might as well add one.

I love DC Comics. I learned to read by reading them, I learned what was cool by seeing what I wasn't allowed to read, and, I launched the real second part of my career there. Getting to work on those characters is an honor.  I got to follow in the footsteps of all the terrific people who came before, the brilliant writers and artists who made characters into icons, and, more importantly, icons into characters.

A lot of talk has been made about how moving to Burbank is a fresh start for DC, and, I really hope it is.  The characters they control are the most important piece of mainstream comics. Marvel has made up ground, but, other than Spider-Man, the Hulk, and maybe the X-Men, there was little to know widespread knowledge of those characters prior to the launch of Iron Man.  Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, and Green Arrow, plus the Joker, Lex Luthor, The Penguin, Catwoman, Braniac, oh and don't forget, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olson, Alfred Pennyworth, and on and on.  Those characters are known by my mom, who for the record thought I was writing "Mickey Mouse stories" for the first half decade of my career.  

The people in charge of DC hold the reigns to the most powerful gateway drug on earth.  My four year old knew Superman and Wonder Woman and Batman by the time she could talk, and not just because I work in comics.  Her friends at school love the characters.  An entire generation of kids are literally ripe for the picking to bring them into comics.  

If the New 52 launch taught us anything it's that people want to read comics.  It also taught us that if the content isn't there to back up the medium, it doesn't matter how cool people think folded paper with staples in the middle are. 

I want DC Comics to do great things, and maybe, this time, they will. 

Fialkov Sale! - Comics by comiXology

The fine folks at ComiXology have a 50% off sale on all of my Oni Press books.  Click the image above, or, this super repulsive one below.  

To the writers...

I've got some bad news, writers.  In comics, the artist works harder than we do.  On a simple one to one basis, they just plain work harder.  A writer can easily write a script a week (or at least, should be able to.) An artist has to spend an entire month on the art.  That's a 1:4 ratio.  That means that when there's money to be had, the artist deserves to be paid first.  You, as a writer, can take other jobs.  You can have a day job and still do your job.  An artist, delivering on a monthly book, 99.9% of the time, can't.  It might be 'your idea' and you might have spent 'months researching it' but, this is a collaborative art.  It's a partnership.  You and your artist are married, but, as unequal partners.  You can sleep around with other artists, they're stuck only with you.  

And. They. Should. Be. Paid. For. That. Loyalty.

I've heard a few stories from a few friends who are in situations where there's an advance or a page rate and the writer takes 50% leaving the artist with their 'fair' share, which is not enough money to actually live on AND execute the project.  I was shocked BOTH times, but I suppose I shouldn't be.  

Everyone THINKS they work hard.  Hell, I think I work hard. I'm writing 5 creator owned series, a work for hire comic series, plus working on a tv show and a cartoon series.  And y'know what? I still have more free time than any of my collaborators.  

Should everyone profit from the collaboration, absolutely, but, advances and page rates those are not profits. Those are costs.  Those are the hard costs of the sacrifice your partners are making in order to complete the project.  Do I wish I could get paid up front for my creator owned work? Absolutely.  But you know what I prefer?  My partners making a living wage that allows them to actually MAKE THE BOOKS. 

Caveat, obviously, every situation is different, and in full disclosure, on one of my books, there is no page rate, and the profits are minimal, and the artist and I split that money 50/50, but it's by agreement, not by greed.  Y'see, we've always treated each other fairly, so when we saw what the financial outlook of the book is we had a conversation about it.  I didn't just decide to take that money.  

Long story short. Don't be an asshole. Appreciate that your partners are undoubtedly working as hard, more likely, harder than you are, and give them the support and love they deserve. 

ADDENDUM: The same goes for colorists, inkers, letterers, and, yes, even editors. We are slugs compared to the lives of almost all of our collaborators. Except for publishers.  They're lazy fat cats. Maybe not all of them. 

Wondercon!

I'm going to be swinging by Wondercon in Anaheim this weekend for a single panel, hosted by ComiXology.  It's going to be about their submit platform, self-publishing, and all of that good stuff.  It's at 2pm on Friday in Room 209.   You may also catch me tomorrow at Gabo's table (Small Press SP-90) immediately after that panel. 

And, in case you missed it last week... 

LEGENDARY ANNOUNCES PACIFIC RIM COMICS written by me, drawn by Marcos Marz, and I, Vampire's Marcelo Maiolo!

and

ONI PRESS ANNOUNCES ELK'S RUN 10th ANNIVERSARY EDITION hardcover collecting the original Harvey Award Nominated series.  

And as always, don't forget to pre-order your LIFE AFTER's, BUNKERS, and PUNKS comics!

See you in Anaheim tomorrow!

j.