RICHARD: Stephanie Moore admitted as much when Epic was setting out. To be fair, I thought that naïve approach may have value, not being tied down to certain preconceived ideas. But I can see how it might throw some people. And I've never had anything but kind words from her in conversation. As for Micah, I'm just a British troublemaker so I generally love the way he says things - I can generally guarantee a story every few weeks out of his mouth.

"Bill's playground" is a good summation of what's been expressed by a number of people recently. But isn't he due some credit? After all, Marvel is making money again, overall sales are up, and the core books have never looked better. Isn't that cause for celebration and allowing the guy some slack to get his hands dirty? After all, he might just be right... FELICIA: Okay, this question I like. I was really looking forward to you asking me this. I'm going to paint you a picture, and try and understand what I am about to say: Marvel is the ship in the sea fantasy which editors, artists, pencilers, inkers, colorists, letterers, compositors, fanboys and fangirls are onboard. Bill Jemas is the captain and he's telling Joe, at the helm, basically what course to take. Up ahead, lies a fork which stems out to a dark, murky path where monsters hide and a second way is a known raging river of death. After thinking, Bill decides that the most dangerous one is the most suitable choice. Joe is the one that has to make sure that the boat doesn't sink. Joe has to execute the careful manoeuvres and try to minimize the casualties, if there are indeed any.

You see, Marvel has been doing a great job getting attention these past years, and like Joe said, turning that company around in the two years they were in charge. But he gives Bill way too much credit. Whenever these two men are in a room, and you hear them both speak, you know which one is the genius and which one isn't.

So while I give them credit for things like Origin and launching the Ultimate and Max line, I have to wonder how the ship would fair if Joe was the one that was the Captain and someone like Axel Alonso were at the helm. It's not to say that Bill wasn't involved in some good past business decisions, but it is to say more who is the one that made into a successful reality. I have tons and tons of respect for Joe Quesada, as the man that he was, and still might be... but I have little for Bill because of the way he treats those working under him and the limelight he tries to steal from Joe and others...

I'd also like to add... Joe can sniff out a bad comic book story like a bloodhound. Jeez, this guy is amazing if you saw him in action. They respect him for his talents and ability, when he walks into a room, he carries a presence that Bill does not. This isn't only my opinion. I have plenty of friends that know him that feel the same way. So if Bill and Joe sit around a room and throw ideas around, Joe has a (or had... past tense) a real knack for letting Bill keep throwing darts until he hit the bullseye, then letting Bill feel good about himself, because if you think about it, he has to use a lot of tact when dealing with someone who is over him. Especially someone as demanding as he is. So if I were Joe, I would definitely shift a lot of credit over to Bill. Again not to say that Bill didn't come up with these ideas, but what is that saying about a watch that doesn't work? Or a stopped clock?

 

KINGDOM COME TPB

RICHARD: So what other skeletons is Marvel keeping in its closet?
FELICIA: Hey, now that you reminded me. There is this closet over there where they keep a sweet old woman named Flo. I met her a couple times in the past, a couple years back. I'm not sure what her job is but she is really sweet! Hi Flo!

As far as other closets, well, there are things like this one little man working over there who thinks he has artistic ability. He's in the higher ups and spends most his days firing anyone who he thinks might get in his way. I'll call him Booger.

When Booger asks to make a creative decision about how to treat certain art before printing, the man will say he will get back to you and do something like run upstairs to ask someone else. Then he'll come back down and be like, "well, I was thinking..."... you know. Sort of taking credit for having solved the problem. This is his typical day. He fired a sweet girl who was Quesada's secretary a few weeks ago over some trivial stuff. He's really a pathetic man, and the day he lost his job, I wonder where he would go and what he would do.

It's the ones like him that bring in this overall negative vibe to the inside, which makes for an uncomfortable work environment. You should see how when people like this who aren't creative pretend to be creative just to keep their positions.

As far as creative skeletons, well there is that bombshell we spoke about.

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