Month: October 2014

On Writing Aquaman

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

digresssmlOriginally published September 21, 2001, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1453

To a great degree, I look upon my time writing Aquaman as a spectacularly ambitious failure.

I took on the series for two major reasons: First, The Atlantis Chronicles remains, all these years later, some of my favorite work. When the series was being produced, DC’s top people—and I mean top people—spoke enthusiastically about it being a perennial favorite, kept perpetually in print a la Watchmen with additional spinoff titles and even merchandising. None of it ever materialized. DC remains resolute in not even offering a trade paperback collection, despite fan request (and with Bob Greenberger over at Marvel now, the only person there who ever continued to spearhead a collection movement is gone.) So I was hoping that by taking on Aquaman, and incorporating storylines and elements which originated in Chronicles, that it would finally spur a TPB collection of that series. Still hasn’t happened. By this point, I’ve given up hope. Ostensibly the project is simply undoable… despite the fact, interestingly, that they managed to collect it just fine in Italy.

Failure number one.

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Undistinguished Competition

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

digresssmlOriginally published August 31, 2001, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1450

Although intercompany rivalry and jabbing between Marvel and DC is hardly anything new, in the past it was always done with a sense of… I dunno… style. And humor. Cast your recollections to the days of “Our Distinguished Competition,” which always sounded to me like a southern lawyer sparring with a northerner. Or just calling the competition “Brand Echh,” in a send-up of commercials at the time which wouldn’t compare themselves directly to competitors but instead use a generic substitute (as opposed to now when Advil will not hesitate to tell you it’s better than Excedrin, Bayer, Tylenol, Dristan, and sex all rolled into one.)

And DC occasionally took shots back, mostly aimed at Stan’s ego… and, most memorably, Marvel expatriate Jack Kirby basing the characters “Funky Flashman” and “Houseroy” on Stan Lee and Roy Thomas. As a young reader, that went right past me without ruining the stories, as the best in-jokes should.

But now, though… the kid gloves seem to be coming off. Friendly feuding is rapidly being replaced by what seems to be genuine dislike and personality clashes, at a time when the industry still needs a ton of work to become genuinely healthy. Under those circumstances, watching DC and Marvel wail on each other is kind of like watching a T-Rex and a triceratops going at it while sinking into a tarpit.

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Some X-Factor comments

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

First of all, I want to make clear that I very much appreciate the kind comments and even outrage from many fans who are objecting to X-Factor being cancelled. I think it’s swell that people have started a “Save X-Factor” Facebook page and tried to get “SaveANXF” trending on Twitter.

I would also like to say something to the people who are declaring that I’m obviously angry or petulant or whatever because I mentioned that the “wait for trade” attitude leads to books being canceled.

I love how people keep saying that I’m upset. That I’m complaining. That I’m whining. That I’m castigating paying customers. No, I’m really not, and if you people think I sound angry, then I am frankly astounded at the low tolerance level of an Internet that thinks nothing of posting the most vicious, nasty, mean-spirited and typically anonymous comments about creators in the industry and then howl with indignation when any creator (not just me, but any others on countless occasions) says anything that can be remotely construed as hostile.

No, I’m not upset. I simply stated truth. There are some titles that are considered must-buys on a monthly basis and the rest are “I can wait for the trade” and that latter attitude leads to books being canceled. That is simple fact. Now if people want to get angry with me simply because I’m speaking the truth, fine, go ahead. I really don’t care.

PAD

X-Factor

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

This isn’t a secret because I announced it back at Dragon*Con, but Bleeding Cool seems compelled to announce it incorrectly by stating that X-Factor is cancelled with #19.

Which is not true. It’s cancelled with #20.

Also for some reason Bleeding Cool is associating it with the fact that Quicksilver will be returning to the Avengers and that’s why the book is going away. No, it’s because not enough people are buying it. Which is exactly the reason they cancelled “Gambit” as well, so it’ll probably be a long time before he gets to star in another book.

All I did was write a book that got tons of positive write-ups. Which I guess is enough to encourage people to buy it when it comes out in trades, oblivious to the fact that books get cancelled when you do that. Whatever.

Me, I remember when Rich Johnston used to write to me for confirmation before running stuff. Apparently that’s no longer the case.

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