Never miss a post! 
Daily Breakdowns 001 - Ostrandcized
Hey, with exactly four seconds of forethought, let's re-re-relaunch my old Breakdowns comics column as a daily bit of commentary on some comics-related something or other. Well, let's call it not a relaunch but a spin-off.
Today, I was directed to an interesting kerfuffle on John Byrne's board, as comics writer Gail Simone posted about fellow writer John (Grimjack, Suicide Squad) Ostrander's failing eyesight and the charitable efforts she and other pros are making to help raise money for his medical bills. First of all, I'm not directing this towards anyone in particular, but I hope the next time someone wants to call someone a sellout for, say, giving up creator-owned work in favor of work-for-hire at Marvel or DC, they consider that for some people, a bit of security and maybe a company health plan outweighs creative freedom, you know?
Secondly, although Byrne's first few replies here are frosty, I have to come down mostly on his side on this one. That is, although he could certainly have been nicer, he's in the right: Gail should have emailed him privately before posting the notice, because it does paint him into a corner. I and most others reading that post, which mentions many other artists who have contributed work for auction to help Ostrander, would naturally read it on Byrne's board and wonder if maybe Byrne is going to contribute something. And maybe he can't or has his reasons why he won't, or maybe he chooses to give anonymously, but now he's pushed into responding to the post--to Gail as a fellow professional and to the fans who visit his message board. I think Gail Simone is a decent person, but as much as she can deny any passive aggression in posting this the way she did, she's too smart a person not to have considered the possible fallout. At least I think so. Bottom line, it's a small episode and an unfortunate distraction from a good cause.
Speaking of unfortunate medical issues, that seems to be some of the impetus for Marvelman creator Mick Anglo's selling his rights to the character to Marvel, as Rich Johnston reported yesterday at Bleeding Cool. I'm feeling better after reading this about the likelihood of the Moore and Gaiman work being reprinted, and feeling better about being excited about it. That is, without guilt, as long as Anglo and Moore and Gaiman feel reasonably well-treated. Stay tuned.
More soon, maybe even tomorrow?
Chris Allen 8/11/09
Today, I was directed to an interesting kerfuffle on John Byrne's board, as comics writer Gail Simone posted about fellow writer John (Grimjack, Suicide Squad) Ostrander's failing eyesight and the charitable efforts she and other pros are making to help raise money for his medical bills. First of all, I'm not directing this towards anyone in particular, but I hope the next time someone wants to call someone a sellout for, say, giving up creator-owned work in favor of work-for-hire at Marvel or DC, they consider that for some people, a bit of security and maybe a company health plan outweighs creative freedom, you know?
Secondly, although Byrne's first few replies here are frosty, I have to come down mostly on his side on this one. That is, although he could certainly have been nicer, he's in the right: Gail should have emailed him privately before posting the notice, because it does paint him into a corner. I and most others reading that post, which mentions many other artists who have contributed work for auction to help Ostrander, would naturally read it on Byrne's board and wonder if maybe Byrne is going to contribute something. And maybe he can't or has his reasons why he won't, or maybe he chooses to give anonymously, but now he's pushed into responding to the post--to Gail as a fellow professional and to the fans who visit his message board. I think Gail Simone is a decent person, but as much as she can deny any passive aggression in posting this the way she did, she's too smart a person not to have considered the possible fallout. At least I think so. Bottom line, it's a small episode and an unfortunate distraction from a good cause.
Speaking of unfortunate medical issues, that seems to be some of the impetus for Marvelman creator Mick Anglo's selling his rights to the character to Marvel, as Rich Johnston reported yesterday at Bleeding Cool. I'm feeling better after reading this about the likelihood of the Moore and Gaiman work being reprinted, and feeling better about being excited about it. That is, without guilt, as long as Anglo and Moore and Gaiman feel reasonably well-treated. Stay tuned.
More soon, maybe even tomorrow?
Chris Allen 8/11/09
Posted by ChristopherAllen at 10:19 PM [Link to this post]
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home