Waiting For Tommy XXIV
By
Richard Johnston
Interview with Bill Jemas |
THE TRUTH #1 – SIGNED BY
ARTIST KYLE BAKER! |
RICHARD:
That is not an answer. Okay, for a start, Mark Millar,
in a previous
interview in this series stated that the Ultimate
books were not intended for children. He said "The Ultimate
line was never about comics aimed at children. Bill and
Joe were very, very clear about this from the start because
they knew, from experience, that these kinds of books
didn't work." Is he lying?
BILL:
I've always said that Ultimates are written for intelligent
12 year olds - you can look it up.
RICHARD:
Okay, there's young readers and then there's young readers.
But can you see a perversity in using comic
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characters
intended for children to tell adult stories? What would your
reaction be to hearing about Disney publishing Winnie The Pooh:
The Crack Years on CNN?
BILL:
How about VH1's, "Behind the Pooh?"
RICHARD:
And the question?. Using characters intended for all-ages
audiences to tell adult stories. Do you see an inherent problem?
BILL:
Yes, I see a problem with the proposition that certain characters
are "intended for all ages" because the relevant "intent"
is that of the person writing the book at hand.
RICHARD:
I look forward to hearing your kids extol the virtues of the
Tigger Video: What He Did With His Tail Next, from Miramax.
Talking
of the intent of the person writing the book, that doesn't
always seem to be what comes through on the printed page.
Your Editor-in-Chief and leading light Joe Quesada said that
the trick of being editor was to hire the talent and then
get out of the way. Given reports from the likes of Steve
Uy on Eden's Trail, Gail
Simone on Agent X and Night Nurse, Mike Grell on Iron
Man, Robert Weinberg on Cable, Brian Wood and David Choe
on NYX, Joe Casey on Uncanny
X-Men, would you say that policy is in effect at Marvel?
BILL:
Did Joe say Marvel is a catcher's mitt? Everybody gets to
write the book they want to write. Then, either the line editor,
or Joe or me - and ultimately the readers - decide whether
their book gets, and stays, in print.
RICHARD:
But in a number of the stated cased, it's more about editorial
changing the work, so creators leave or ask for their name
to be removed. It's not just a case of whether a book gets
printed or not.
BILL:
You are relying on rumors, and this one has a very low rating.
RICHARD:
Very specifically, Gail Simone left Agent X over creative
differences with the editor. Steve Uy has talked in detail
about the changes made to Eden's Trail, and asked for his
name to be taken off. Other creators have told me the similar
stories (though not wishing to be named). I am not relying
on rumors, Bill. The creative freedom extolled by Joe is enjoyed
by some, not all...
BILL:
Rich, I know you'd like a nice juicy quote or two, but you
are barking up the wrong vine. The more you understand about
the creative process, the more you know that the editor/writer
relationship can't be boiled down to slogans like "creative
freedom". Gail and Steve are talented people, but those two
projects didn't work.
Continued
here...
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