PIPELINE COMMENTARY AND REVIEW #92
07 March 1999
by Augie De Blieck Jr.
http://www.nic.com/~augie/pipeline
PIPELINE IDIOT OF THE WEEK
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you J. Scott Campbell. Artist. Gen13
co-creator. Danger Girl "artiste." Professional excuse-maker.
He posted a long message to the board over on Dangergirl.com to explain
some things. And while some of it rings true, other parts of it just make
me cringe. So I'll hit you with both the good and the bad, with a helpful
helping of quotations here:
It has been a very long time since I have posted on this website. A
long time ago I decided that I would no longer involve myself
personally in any more online discussions. As a matter of fact, it's
very rare for me to visit this site any more at all for two reasons:
#1 because it's hard to find the time and more importantly #2 because
of all the constant venom and abuse so regularly spewed out on this
board. A lot of you guys sure know how to make a guy feel UNwelcome.
This part is probably true. I marvel at how some creators stick it out on
the fan boards and on USENET. I'm really glad when they do and very
appreciative, and can understand it now when they choose not to.
So we're starting off well.
The following points go to the question about when the fifth issue of
DANGER GIRL might come out:
Partly to blame for the additional wait is due to a month long D.C.
production schedule that all of us at Wildstorm now have to contend
with rather then the old Image turnaround of just two weeks.
Granted. However, this is the one and only time he can use this excuse.
If he tries to pull it out when the next issue is late, don't trust him.
Also, lets not forget that #4 came out just barely two months ago.
Uh-huh. Which means that right now the book is "just barely" LATE.
I am currently finishing up the last half of issue #5 now
Shouldn't the second half of the issue already be in DC's hands?
Particularly if you're going to cite DC's turn-around policy as a delaying
influence on this issue. It's been two months. If you're producing a book
on a bi-monthly schedule, you should be done with a book every other month,
don'tcha think?!?
I would hope that you would all understand that we were all just
starting #5 around the holidays when a lot of us, just like you, were
enjoying some much needed vacation time with our families.
I can give him that, but why wasn't there ever any warning about this prior
to now? When Erik Larsen was getting married, he told us in the second
issue of the original SAVAGE DRAGON mini-series that the third issue would
probably be delayed due to this. I think fans can be reasonable to Real
World demands, so long as they're planned for in advance and not as an
after-thought.
end, only D.C. can officially tell you the correct release date of a
particular issue. Once I've finished penciling it, it is out of my
hands.
Mayhaps, but you haven't even finished it, Jeff!
I understand it is difficult but please, be patient. #5 is definitely
on the way and it will be well worth the wait I assure you.
Immaterial. It reminds me of the hypocrisy of Peter David. He lambasted
Image in its early years -- and rightfully so -- for blowing deadlines and
being chronically late on their books. But when his own SACHS & VIOLENS
mini-series was chronically delayed due to its creators (PAD and artist
George Perez), he offered up that it would at least the extra time would be
visible on the page. (I'm sorry; I can't find the original BUT I DIGRESS
column on that to get you the exact qoute.) That's not the point. The
point is that the book was solicited for a given date and did not arrive
within 30 days of that date. (Back then, I think Diamond was even more
lenient with 60 or 90 days, to boot. It was still late.)
I take a lot of pride in DangerGirl which is why it was increasingly
difficult for me not to take an active role in the development of both
the DG toy line from Todd McFarlane and the continued involvement with
the DG videogame, not to mention the other high quality line of
products baring the DG name.
You think there's a problem here? You think part of the reason the book is
chronically late might be because he's doing busy working on things NOT
related to the book? YA THINK?!? Hey, Jeff! Draw the damned book first.
THEN you can worry about licensing it. Nobody licenses characters who
aren't in a comic book. And usually people don't buy comics that rarely
come out.
I want as many people as possible to know about DangerGirl,
I thought you wanted to produce a high-quality comic book, which is the
reason you were never going to do a monthly comic again? If your book
ain't monthly, you're going to lose people. If your book is bi-monthly,
you'll probably keep most of your base, but you sure as hell had better
produce the book every other month!
And, despite the overwhelming negativity overflowing from this board,
my excitement for the DangerGirl comic is as high as ever.
Too bad that tide has already washed out for all but the most hard-core
fans. We've given up on the book and spend our money elsewhere.
Ask yourself, if you were me would you continue to embarrass yourself
by regularly putting in the standard "Issue _____ was late because of
____" column in the back of every issue.
heh. Hey, Jeff, I've got an easy solution to this one: Don't put the book
out late. We can understand medical emergencies. We can even understand
the Christmas holiday. I'll grant you that. But being too busy doing toy
and movie deals is not going to satisfy the comic book fans.
All that said, I like DANGER GIRL. When it comes out I think it's a great
comic book. And I'll pick up the issues as they come out, but it's tough
for me to get excited about the book anymore. It's become something of a
treat when the comic comes out, instead of an highly-anticipated event.
It's a nice surprise instead of a regular part of my comic book routine.
While I'm picking apart J. Scott, I think this would be a nice time to
revisit the editorial he wrote in the letters column of fourth issue of the
original Gen13 mini-series, in which he disparaged WIZARD for declaring
that all top-selling books are a combination of the following four points:
1. Fill the cast with teenagers; kids relate to this.
2. Clad the babes in the groups as scantily as possible, to capture the
pervert market.
3. Get a guy who draws like Jim Lee to pencil it.
4. Hype it up almost a year in advance, do a #1/2 issue, and preview
several pages in Wizard.
If this were updated today, number #3 would probably say "guys who draw
like a manga artist." Aside from that, it looks like J. Scott Campbell has
an unqualified hit on his hand. The Danger Girls are scantily clad and
revel in this. There's really only one teenager in the cast and she's made
out to be the nerdy dweeby one, so I suppose he gets around that. Campbell
started as an Art Adams clone and has evolved his style to something with
more of a manga influence. And as for #4 -- it sounds just about right to
me. There's an Art Adams-drawn special coming up, and the #1/2 issue was
packaged with WIZARD, if I'm not mistaken. The book was hyped up for a few
months ahead of time, if not a year. And there's been generally more hype
than product since then.
Campbell then points out his winning formula for putting together a winning
comic book magazine:
"1. Put a bunch of limited-edition trading cards and other collectibles in
the magazine."
While there haven't been any trading cards bagged with DANGER GIRL, there
have been alternate covers galore. (But those were only to excite the
fans, not to get them to buy extra copies or start a feeding frenzy.
Campbell was "giving back" to the fans with alternate covers. Puh-leeze.)
#2 has to do with ridiculous price guides.
"3. Get the hottest artists in comics to contribute covers..."
At last count, Campbell has recently contributed covers to DAREDEVIL,
WIZARD, BATMAN, and WILDCATS, but has had not enough time to draw an actual
issue of DANGER GIRL. (I'm sure he's done more covers, but those are the
only ones I could name off-hand.)
Hmmmm...
He signs his editorial, BTW, "Jeff Scott Campbell, who will never, ever be
on the Wizard top ten list. Ever."
He's #4 in the most recent issue. Ironically, Jim Lee is #8 and Art Adams
is nowhere to be seen.
NEXT WEEK: Maybe I'll actually review a real comic book!
And issue #100 is just around the corner. Any ideas on what I should do in
honor of the occasion?
-Augie
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