"Oddball"? Oi! Watch the Secret Stamp slander! My man Roddy Colt appeared in eighteen stories, which is a pretty good record for a minor hero during the Golden Age, I think.
Glad to see you mention Moonshadow. I still think it, along with Zot! and American Flagg, is one of the best series of the 80s and mostly forgotten today. Do you have any favorite books or runs that are mostly forgotten?
By the way, I'm the person that traded a complete run of the Bendis Secret Invasion for a copy of X-Factor 88 signed by you, Peter David, and Joe Quesada during your trade to get FF #1
Jon J. Muth will always be one of my favorite painters! His Dracula Marvel Graphic Novel (probably more of an illustrated book, I suppose) was one of the most artful books I had ever read! (I discovered his work in Moonshadow a bit after the fact).
In the 1990s there were rumors of DC and Marvel "trading" characters for a year -- the pair I heard was Storm for Wonder Woman. Even if unfounded this seems unfair, since Wonder Woman is one of DC's Trinity and Storm is part of team books. If there were such a proposition nowadays, how would you theoretically decide which two characters were equivalent? (Besides the obvious of "Daredevil is kinda like Nightwing" or 'Harley Quinn and Deadpool are both violent and make jokes.")
"At the end of the day, though, I don’t work with creators that I can’t trust—doesn’t mean that they can’t work up at Marvel, only that I’m not going to be hiring them in my office again."
I guess that ties in with this week's theme of "enemies" although I suppose it's practical as much as personal; I recall you have said you legitimately thought Steve Gerber's Howard the Duck stunt would get you fired.
"When I started at Marvel, it was common wisdom that, if you wanted to pop the numbers on a given title, you could always do one of a few can’t-fail things: a wedding, a death, a costume change, or a change of the lead character. Because these worked, they were used again and again."
The irony being that the more they're used, the less can't-fail they are!
The Last Galactus story anecdote sounds amazing - would love to have seen Ron Lim's take on the complete story.
Would you ever have another creator just complete a story for continuity's sake? Like the Favreau/Granov Iron Man story - say plot by Favreau (if you know it or can get it) and have the story finished off by a scripter and/or another penciller? Or not worth the headaches without the original creators?
Another quick question - as a fan of the Flash - are you reading Jeremy Adams run on the series? it is Wonderfull (just enough ties to DC mythos), fast paced and fun. I am happy to hear he is writing some upcoming Avengers unlimited comics soon. Would love to see more Marvel work from him.
Tom, threading this question with the one above, since it's also related to the Flash:
It was announced that The Flash #800 will be "a celebration of Wally West." As a bigger fan of the Barry Allen-focused stories, I found it strange to hone in so specifically on one Flash for a milestone issue, when Barry and Jay Garrick are so frequently part of recent arcs and are not believed dead.
That's a long lead-up to ask: What do you feel like milestone issues like a #800 should be doing from a story perspective for readers, if anything special at all? If there are multiple current versions of a character, does focusing on just one short-change the overall legacy?
And on The Flash, in particular, since the mantle is sort of a unique case with extended absences for both West and Allen: Is he just a tough character to please everyone with a milestone issue, given how much both play a major role in the Flash's larger story?
It's been a while since I've last commented, but I'm still reading every week. Great work, as always. I've really loved seeing that document by Alanna Smith, I always crave for more about how everything works and these kind of documents are always cool.
Alanna's document was eye-opening! It's a super mundane document whose drama is in how it reveals just how many balls an editor juggles for every title they work on.
I've held a pretty simplistic sense of what the Editorial boogeymen do for most of my reading life. Mainly, I presumed it was to cruelly control the fates of the my beloved action heroes. As mundane as Tom's peeks behind the curtain may truly be, I feel like I'm getting less embarrassingly ignorant the more I learn about the mechanics of the process.
Funnily enough I’ve always been quite fond of the various incarnations of Captain Comet, so good to see him pop up.
As monster / sci-fi omnibuses just came up, I’d love to see a volume collecting the black & white mag “Unknown Worlds of Sci-Fi”. Plus the colour “Worlds Unknown” and bits like Man Gods and UFO Connection from Marvel Preview.
An Epic Illustrated omnibus would also be most welcome, though I suspect multiple rights issues makes that an unlikely one?
If you're curious, unaware of how that story would conclude, and don't mind the spoiler; Byrne outlined the ending on his Byrne Robotics messageboard FAQ:
So I've been reading "The Secret History of Marvel Comics" by Sean Howe, and I have two types of questions.
1. If you've read the book, what did you think? Does it get most of the time you've been there right? I know you're quoted a few times, so I'd hope that Howe got things right, but I'm just curious.
2. Having gotten to the end of the 90s, I've concluded that the Nineties were not a great time to be in editorial at Marvel. Between the pressure to outdo sales each year, the Image defection, the collapse of the direct market, the gut-wrenching layoffs, the bankruptcy...just not a lot of fun there. And yet, you stayed, so there must have been something you liked about the job. What are the best memories you have of working at Marvel during those crazy times?
Sean Howe's book is titled "Marvel Comics: The Untold Story."
"The Secret History of Marvel Comics" is a book by by Blake Bell and Dr. Michael Vassallo. Its a slightly misleading title, because one-half is a history of Martin Goodman and his (often dubious) publishing practices from the pre-FF #1 era; backed with a section that is a parade of creator bios who worked for him in this era.
Note: This book contains an AMAZING infographic of the countless publication shell companies he created to abuse bankruptcy regulations to avoid paying his creditors.
I'd like to piggyback on Ray's question, because I had a similar question about two other Marvel history books…
1. I read The Secret History of Marvel Comics, by Blake Bell and Michael Vassallo I referred to in a separate response to Ray's question. That book had a wealth of references to support its claims, so I'm inclined to broadly believe its accuracy. If you have read it, does its portrayal of Goodman jibe with your understanding of that period of the publisher's history?
2. I'm steeling myself to read True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee. I say "steeling myself" because I find it unpleasant to learn unsavory details about people whose work I'm fond of. But these days I've had to get pretty well-practiced at distinguishing the personal conduct of persons from the merit of their accomplishments. I ultimately prefer unpalatable factual information over embellished myth making. With all that said, did you find that book to be an evenhanded and fair account of your understanding of the man?
Every week I look forward to sitting down and reading through this newsletter, so my heartfelt thank you for investing as much time as you do into this and congratulations on one year doing so!
With that, I wanted to throw you a question outside of comics for #52! I don’t know if you’re a big “movie guy,” but my question is this: What is your favorite film of all time that had a budget of less than one million dollars?
Thanks for your great explanation around the need for ad pages in the 32-page books. Everything you said makes perfect sense to me, and it's giving me a new appreciation for how books are put together.
As a follow-up: What's the decision-making process like when deciding where to place the ads? Double-page spreads are left alone, obviously, but are their other specific spacing or pacing considerations besides? Are certain types of beats/page transitions considered less interruptible than others? Or, do writers dictate a script saying they want a DPS, then a single page, then another DPS, counting on an ad to fill the extra middle page?
Or, in lieu of this sort of story-dependent placement, could the ad pages all be sent to the back of the book?
Thanks for another great newsletter! I loved seeing the Big Workflow Document, thank you and Alanna for sharing it. It reminded me of many of the schedules Shelly Bond shared in Filth & Grammar, a book I found invaluable. I’m sure plenty of people have shared F&G with you, I’d be curious if you have any thoughts on it. (Forgive me if you’ve posted them elsewhere!)
"Oddball"? Oi! Watch the Secret Stamp slander! My man Roddy Colt appeared in eighteen stories, which is a pretty good record for a minor hero during the Golden Age, I think.
Next thing you know, he'll start slagging off Taxi Taylor.
Glad to see you mention Moonshadow. I still think it, along with Zot! and American Flagg, is one of the best series of the 80s and mostly forgotten today. Do you have any favorite books or runs that are mostly forgotten?
By the way, I'm the person that traded a complete run of the Bendis Secret Invasion for a copy of X-Factor 88 signed by you, Peter David, and Joe Quesada during your trade to get FF #1
I bought a copy of Moonshadow for a non comic reading fan last year and he loved it.
Jon J. Muth will always be one of my favorite painters! His Dracula Marvel Graphic Novel (probably more of an illustrated book, I suppose) was one of the most artful books I had ever read! (I discovered his work in Moonshadow a bit after the fact).
In the 1990s there were rumors of DC and Marvel "trading" characters for a year -- the pair I heard was Storm for Wonder Woman. Even if unfounded this seems unfair, since Wonder Woman is one of DC's Trinity and Storm is part of team books. If there were such a proposition nowadays, how would you theoretically decide which two characters were equivalent? (Besides the obvious of "Daredevil is kinda like Nightwing" or 'Harley Quinn and Deadpool are both violent and make jokes.")
"At the end of the day, though, I don’t work with creators that I can’t trust—doesn’t mean that they can’t work up at Marvel, only that I’m not going to be hiring them in my office again."
I guess that ties in with this week's theme of "enemies" although I suppose it's practical as much as personal; I recall you have said you legitimately thought Steve Gerber's Howard the Duck stunt would get you fired.
"When I started at Marvel, it was common wisdom that, if you wanted to pop the numbers on a given title, you could always do one of a few can’t-fail things: a wedding, a death, a costume change, or a change of the lead character. Because these worked, they were used again and again."
The irony being that the more they're used, the less can't-fail they are!
The Last Galactus story anecdote sounds amazing - would love to have seen Ron Lim's take on the complete story.
Would you ever have another creator just complete a story for continuity's sake? Like the Favreau/Granov Iron Man story - say plot by Favreau (if you know it or can get it) and have the story finished off by a scripter and/or another penciller? Or not worth the headaches without the original creators?
Another quick question - as a fan of the Flash - are you reading Jeremy Adams run on the series? it is Wonderfull (just enough ties to DC mythos), fast paced and fun. I am happy to hear he is writing some upcoming Avengers unlimited comics soon. Would love to see more Marvel work from him.
Tom, threading this question with the one above, since it's also related to the Flash:
It was announced that The Flash #800 will be "a celebration of Wally West." As a bigger fan of the Barry Allen-focused stories, I found it strange to hone in so specifically on one Flash for a milestone issue, when Barry and Jay Garrick are so frequently part of recent arcs and are not believed dead.
That's a long lead-up to ask: What do you feel like milestone issues like a #800 should be doing from a story perspective for readers, if anything special at all? If there are multiple current versions of a character, does focusing on just one short-change the overall legacy?
And on The Flash, in particular, since the mantle is sort of a unique case with extended absences for both West and Allen: Is he just a tough character to please everyone with a milestone issue, given how much both play a major role in the Flash's larger story?
It's been a while since I've last commented, but I'm still reading every week. Great work, as always. I've really loved seeing that document by Alanna Smith, I always crave for more about how everything works and these kind of documents are always cool.
Alanna's document was eye-opening! It's a super mundane document whose drama is in how it reveals just how many balls an editor juggles for every title they work on.
I've held a pretty simplistic sense of what the Editorial boogeymen do for most of my reading life. Mainly, I presumed it was to cruelly control the fates of the my beloved action heroes. As mundane as Tom's peeks behind the curtain may truly be, I feel like I'm getting less embarrassingly ignorant the more I learn about the mechanics of the process.
Funnily enough I’ve always been quite fond of the various incarnations of Captain Comet, so good to see him pop up.
As monster / sci-fi omnibuses just came up, I’d love to see a volume collecting the black & white mag “Unknown Worlds of Sci-Fi”. Plus the colour “Worlds Unknown” and bits like Man Gods and UFO Connection from Marvel Preview.
An Epic Illustrated omnibus would also be most welcome, though I suspect multiple rights issues makes that an unlikely one?
Yes to Last Galactus Story being finished though.
If you're curious, unaware of how that story would conclude, and don't mind the spoiler; Byrne outlined the ending on his Byrne Robotics messageboard FAQ:
https://www.byrnerobotics.com/FAQ/listing.asp?ID=3&T1=Questions+about+Aborted+Storylines#57
Tom, I just want to be clear: I consider you more of a "frenemy"
So I've been reading "The Secret History of Marvel Comics" by Sean Howe, and I have two types of questions.
1. If you've read the book, what did you think? Does it get most of the time you've been there right? I know you're quoted a few times, so I'd hope that Howe got things right, but I'm just curious.
2. Having gotten to the end of the 90s, I've concluded that the Nineties were not a great time to be in editorial at Marvel. Between the pressure to outdo sales each year, the Image defection, the collapse of the direct market, the gut-wrenching layoffs, the bankruptcy...just not a lot of fun there. And yet, you stayed, so there must have been something you liked about the job. What are the best memories you have of working at Marvel during those crazy times?
A friendly, and minor clarification…
Sean Howe's book is titled "Marvel Comics: The Untold Story."
"The Secret History of Marvel Comics" is a book by by Blake Bell and Dr. Michael Vassallo. Its a slightly misleading title, because one-half is a history of Martin Goodman and his (often dubious) publishing practices from the pre-FF #1 era; backed with a section that is a parade of creator bios who worked for him in this era.
Note: This book contains an AMAZING infographic of the countless publication shell companies he created to abuse bankruptcy regulations to avoid paying his creditors.
I'd like to piggyback on Ray's question, because I had a similar question about two other Marvel history books…
1. I read The Secret History of Marvel Comics, by Blake Bell and Michael Vassallo I referred to in a separate response to Ray's question. That book had a wealth of references to support its claims, so I'm inclined to broadly believe its accuracy. If you have read it, does its portrayal of Goodman jibe with your understanding of that period of the publisher's history?
2. I'm steeling myself to read True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee. I say "steeling myself" because I find it unpleasant to learn unsavory details about people whose work I'm fond of. But these days I've had to get pretty well-practiced at distinguishing the personal conduct of persons from the merit of their accomplishments. I ultimately prefer unpalatable factual information over embellished myth making. With all that said, did you find that book to be an evenhanded and fair account of your understanding of the man?
Every week I look forward to sitting down and reading through this newsletter, so my heartfelt thank you for investing as much time as you do into this and congratulations on one year doing so!
With that, I wanted to throw you a question outside of comics for #52! I don’t know if you’re a big “movie guy,” but my question is this: What is your favorite film of all time that had a budget of less than one million dollars?
If you have one, of course!
Thanks for your great explanation around the need for ad pages in the 32-page books. Everything you said makes perfect sense to me, and it's giving me a new appreciation for how books are put together.
As a follow-up: What's the decision-making process like when deciding where to place the ads? Double-page spreads are left alone, obviously, but are their other specific spacing or pacing considerations besides? Are certain types of beats/page transitions considered less interruptible than others? Or, do writers dictate a script saying they want a DPS, then a single page, then another DPS, counting on an ad to fill the extra middle page?
Or, in lieu of this sort of story-dependent placement, could the ad pages all be sent to the back of the book?
Thanks for another great newsletter! I loved seeing the Big Workflow Document, thank you and Alanna for sharing it. It reminded me of many of the schedules Shelly Bond shared in Filth & Grammar, a book I found invaluable. I’m sure plenty of people have shared F&G with you, I’d be curious if you have any thoughts on it. (Forgive me if you’ve posted them elsewhere!)