I had the exact same impression about this week’s Marvelous Mrs. Maisel--I thought I was watching the series closer, and I was happy about that. I’m curious to see where the next three episodes might go, though I share your suspicion that this episode might have hit the “grand finale” button too early.
Since you mentioned him, I’m curious about your opinions of Jim Shooter’s post-Marvel output. I really enjoyed Valiant at the time. I recently revisited the Defiant line, and I think it was one of the most promising attempts at world building I’ve ever seen in comics.
Curious how you manage things when multiple books have similar concepts. For example the latest volumes of Hulk, Amazing Spider Man and Fantastic Four started with the protagonist being hated by people at large because of some mystery event. Or Moon Knight and Scarlet Witch both opening with the protagonists working in a new location as a neighbor hero working in their community. Or the Avengers Celestial base coming alive and being a significant part of both AXE and Avengers Assemble. When is an idea too similar to something you have in the works and when is it alright to have overlap?
"These days, even Stan Lee would have a tough time performing his shtick and making it work—the audience is just too jaded and cynical to easily get swept up in stuff like that for the most part."
It seems like the common denominator among the most effective pop culture evangelists (whether it was Stan Lee back in the day or someone like James Gunn today) is that they come across with genuine, unguarded enthusiasm, and appear not only to not be jaded themselves, but also somehow immune to negativity from those who are jaded. To take the James Gunn example, he seems to shake off such negativity easily and displays excitement for his projects, as well as works he just loves, in an unreserved manner (even though history might lead us to expect him to be a little, uh, Gunn-shy, with social media). Of course a large part of what people who have those skills do is performance, but that's irrelevant; the bottom line is they're so good at it, that all but tiniest, most extremely negative faction buy into it, and that kind of enthusiasm is infectious. Contrast with someone, for example, like Paul Levitz or Dan Slott; intelligent, knowledgeable, their expertise and love for comics and superheroes is top tier. But are they as effective salesmen/spokespeople as folks like Lee and Gunn? They are not, because they don't quite have that same un-self-conscious, fearless positivity that automatically overrides any negativity they are faced with (and to be sure Gunn faces a LOT and so did Stan). So in many cases the person editing or writing the best books may not necessarily be their best hypeman. I think it's just a talent people either have or they don't.
This was a great read and really shows a wide range of this genre. I agree that Stan Lee would find it challenging but feel that there is stuff out there to be had. Brilliant 🦸♀️
Great timing with E-Man Tom. I’ve been picking up issues of that book recently, and scooped up that one (and one other) while scoring my free Marvel stuff yesterday (Marvel back issues acquired included Collectors Items Classics, Journey Into Mystery and Marvel Super Heroes).
Let me know when you're finally ready to embark on some D&D adventures, Tom. It would be a pleasure to run an adventure for you and a few of our friends and it's easier than ever thanks to online connectivity. I'm in a semi-regular games with industry people and they work surprisingly well even with players in different time zones thanks to the convenience of Zoom along with digital dice rolling. and the ability to share images/maps/stats with a click.
It's a nice escape and doesn't have to be a long term commitment either. One of the groups I'm in has been doing 1-4 session self-contained games with a rotating crew of players exploring different games/genres. Casual, friendly and super fun - If people can make it, great. If things get too busy and there are other commitments, no problem.
Just a thought, but why not ask if Jon & Adi are interested in finishing IRON MAN: VIVA LAS VEGAS? If they are, you could just release the whole thing, issues 1 through 4, as a hardcovered graphic novel. Seems like the interest would be there, regarding sales...
After weeks of reading, I have finally caught up with these newsletters, so a very kind thank you for being so open and available to fans.
I have many questions for you, which I now know haven't been asked. I'm currently reading every comic featuring Spider-Man ever written, so I'll start with some questions about him.
I first heard your name when it came attached to a manifesto about who Spider-Man should be post-One More Day, and what the core of his character is. I believe this was you then working as editor for this run.
I'd love for you to talk on that, how you feel about what you said now, in hindsight, especially seeing how fixated on One More Day some fans have become. Do you agree with past-you's approach?
But more specifically, I'd love to know more about the writer's room approach you mentioned.
So many writers struggle writing Amazing Spider-Man because of the bi-weekly schedule and your approach seems like a good way to fix that. I know that a Spidey Brain Trust happened, so I'd love to know what worked well about that approach and why it ended up back as a single writer.
Who facilitates translations when an English-speaking writer is working with an artist that doesn't speak English? How much does this impact the production schedule?
Thanks for another great newsletter! I love when you share behind-the-scenes paperwork, such as that Roy Thomas memo on your blog. The first idea listed, of a random hero turned traitor, sounds like it might have laid the groundwork for Armageddon 2001, though I’ll admit that’s a broad concept. Thanks again!
This is a fantastic newsletter and am happy to have found it on Substack!
I am interested in your thoughts about what I would call “fan impatience”, it seems that (and maybe it’s only on the internet), that readers are critical before a storyline is complete. Then it seems to be about what’s next. I’d imagine it can be discouraging at times and do editors and creators speak about this?
This may be an unanswerable question since you weren't in legal, but with the plethora of homage covers going back years — I don't think I could even count the number based off UXM #141 — it's unclear why they would spike one based off the Conan book that originated inside Marvel. Instead I'll pivot to ask how the idea for homage covers typically arises... Does the artist ask to do it? Is it an editor's request? And are there any considerations for what might be "off limits"?
Trade paperback question: Sometimes a collection's title will be that of the multi-issue story it collects. Sometimes it'll just be the book's title and Vol 1. Sometimes it'll include the name of the creatives. And sometimes the name will be original, and not the title of any story in the collection. Who decided how a trade paperback gets named?
Not that anyone asked for this, but it seemed natural that someone needs to define the platonic DC artist of each era as well. The 60s and 70s are easy for me, but every other decade gives me a lot of trouble...
1940s - Jerry Robinson?
1950s - Wayne Boring? Dick Sprang?
1960s - Carmine Infantino
1970s - Neal Adams
1980s - George Perez? Young Keith Giffen?
1990s - Weird answer, but I'm going to go with Richard Case, who drew an issue of almost every big Vertigo book and embodied the more offbeat approach to superhero art that DC seemed to embrace at the time. Otherwise maaaybe Howard Porter
Tom! Finally picked up the first two issues of Hellcat this weekend and WOW! Absolutely blown away by the craft involved with this story so far. Cantwell continues to be one of the most exciting writers in comics right now, but Alex Lins is a revelation. Masterful storytelling. Keep giving this man jobs! What a dream book for Martin Biro too! I wanted to send him a congratulatory message, but I don't believe he's online in any public way. If you're out there Martin - WOWZA! What a book, man. Thank you for the stories!
Your post about Fraction/Larroca's Invincible Iron Man got me thinking, can you think of another Marvel book (or even DC) in the last 15 years that had 1 creative team do that many consecutive issues? Not only did they not miss a month, they knocked out 63 issues in 4 1/2 years. On top of it, Sal did every cover. I guess the previous record might be Bendis and Bagley on USM, but I hadn't looked back to see if there were any fill in artists along the way.
I had the exact same impression about this week’s Marvelous Mrs. Maisel--I thought I was watching the series closer, and I was happy about that. I’m curious to see where the next three episodes might go, though I share your suspicion that this episode might have hit the “grand finale” button too early.
Since you mentioned him, I’m curious about your opinions of Jim Shooter’s post-Marvel output. I really enjoyed Valiant at the time. I recently revisited the Defiant line, and I think it was one of the most promising attempts at world building I’ve ever seen in comics.
Curious how you manage things when multiple books have similar concepts. For example the latest volumes of Hulk, Amazing Spider Man and Fantastic Four started with the protagonist being hated by people at large because of some mystery event. Or Moon Knight and Scarlet Witch both opening with the protagonists working in a new location as a neighbor hero working in their community. Or the Avengers Celestial base coming alive and being a significant part of both AXE and Avengers Assemble. When is an idea too similar to something you have in the works and when is it alright to have overlap?
"These days, even Stan Lee would have a tough time performing his shtick and making it work—the audience is just too jaded and cynical to easily get swept up in stuff like that for the most part."
It seems like the common denominator among the most effective pop culture evangelists (whether it was Stan Lee back in the day or someone like James Gunn today) is that they come across with genuine, unguarded enthusiasm, and appear not only to not be jaded themselves, but also somehow immune to negativity from those who are jaded. To take the James Gunn example, he seems to shake off such negativity easily and displays excitement for his projects, as well as works he just loves, in an unreserved manner (even though history might lead us to expect him to be a little, uh, Gunn-shy, with social media). Of course a large part of what people who have those skills do is performance, but that's irrelevant; the bottom line is they're so good at it, that all but tiniest, most extremely negative faction buy into it, and that kind of enthusiasm is infectious. Contrast with someone, for example, like Paul Levitz or Dan Slott; intelligent, knowledgeable, their expertise and love for comics and superheroes is top tier. But are they as effective salesmen/spokespeople as folks like Lee and Gunn? They are not, because they don't quite have that same un-self-conscious, fearless positivity that automatically overrides any negativity they are faced with (and to be sure Gunn faces a LOT and so did Stan). So in many cases the person editing or writing the best books may not necessarily be their best hypeman. I think it's just a talent people either have or they don't.
This was a great read and really shows a wide range of this genre. I agree that Stan Lee would find it challenging but feel that there is stuff out there to be had. Brilliant 🦸♀️
Great timing with E-Man Tom. I’ve been picking up issues of that book recently, and scooped up that one (and one other) while scoring my free Marvel stuff yesterday (Marvel back issues acquired included Collectors Items Classics, Journey Into Mystery and Marvel Super Heroes).
Let me know when you're finally ready to embark on some D&D adventures, Tom. It would be a pleasure to run an adventure for you and a few of our friends and it's easier than ever thanks to online connectivity. I'm in a semi-regular games with industry people and they work surprisingly well even with players in different time zones thanks to the convenience of Zoom along with digital dice rolling. and the ability to share images/maps/stats with a click.
It's a nice escape and doesn't have to be a long term commitment either. One of the groups I'm in has been doing 1-4 session self-contained games with a rotating crew of players exploring different games/genres. Casual, friendly and super fun - If people can make it, great. If things get too busy and there are other commitments, no problem.
Just a thought, but why not ask if Jon & Adi are interested in finishing IRON MAN: VIVA LAS VEGAS? If they are, you could just release the whole thing, issues 1 through 4, as a hardcovered graphic novel. Seems like the interest would be there, regarding sales...
After weeks of reading, I have finally caught up with these newsletters, so a very kind thank you for being so open and available to fans.
I have many questions for you, which I now know haven't been asked. I'm currently reading every comic featuring Spider-Man ever written, so I'll start with some questions about him.
I first heard your name when it came attached to a manifesto about who Spider-Man should be post-One More Day, and what the core of his character is. I believe this was you then working as editor for this run.
I'd love for you to talk on that, how you feel about what you said now, in hindsight, especially seeing how fixated on One More Day some fans have become. Do you agree with past-you's approach?
But more specifically, I'd love to know more about the writer's room approach you mentioned.
So many writers struggle writing Amazing Spider-Man because of the bi-weekly schedule and your approach seems like a good way to fix that. I know that a Spidey Brain Trust happened, so I'd love to know what worked well about that approach and why it ended up back as a single writer.
Thanks for your time.
Who facilitates translations when an English-speaking writer is working with an artist that doesn't speak English? How much does this impact the production schedule?
Thanks for another great newsletter! I love when you share behind-the-scenes paperwork, such as that Roy Thomas memo on your blog. The first idea listed, of a random hero turned traitor, sounds like it might have laid the groundwork for Armageddon 2001, though I’ll admit that’s a broad concept. Thanks again!
This is a fantastic newsletter and am happy to have found it on Substack!
I am interested in your thoughts about what I would call “fan impatience”, it seems that (and maybe it’s only on the internet), that readers are critical before a storyline is complete. Then it seems to be about what’s next. I’d imagine it can be discouraging at times and do editors and creators speak about this?
This may be an unanswerable question since you weren't in legal, but with the plethora of homage covers going back years — I don't think I could even count the number based off UXM #141 — it's unclear why they would spike one based off the Conan book that originated inside Marvel. Instead I'll pivot to ask how the idea for homage covers typically arises... Does the artist ask to do it? Is it an editor's request? And are there any considerations for what might be "off limits"?
Trade paperback question: Sometimes a collection's title will be that of the multi-issue story it collects. Sometimes it'll just be the book's title and Vol 1. Sometimes it'll include the name of the creatives. And sometimes the name will be original, and not the title of any story in the collection. Who decided how a trade paperback gets named?
Not that anyone asked for this, but it seemed natural that someone needs to define the platonic DC artist of each era as well. The 60s and 70s are easy for me, but every other decade gives me a lot of trouble...
1940s - Jerry Robinson?
1950s - Wayne Boring? Dick Sprang?
1960s - Carmine Infantino
1970s - Neal Adams
1980s - George Perez? Young Keith Giffen?
1990s - Weird answer, but I'm going to go with Richard Case, who drew an issue of almost every big Vertigo book and embodied the more offbeat approach to superhero art that DC seemed to embrace at the time. Otherwise maaaybe Howard Porter
2000s - Scott Kolins or Jim Lee
2010s - probably Capullo
Tom! Finally picked up the first two issues of Hellcat this weekend and WOW! Absolutely blown away by the craft involved with this story so far. Cantwell continues to be one of the most exciting writers in comics right now, but Alex Lins is a revelation. Masterful storytelling. Keep giving this man jobs! What a dream book for Martin Biro too! I wanted to send him a congratulatory message, but I don't believe he's online in any public way. If you're out there Martin - WOWZA! What a book, man. Thank you for the stories!
Your post about Fraction/Larroca's Invincible Iron Man got me thinking, can you think of another Marvel book (or even DC) in the last 15 years that had 1 creative team do that many consecutive issues? Not only did they not miss a month, they knocked out 63 issues in 4 1/2 years. On top of it, Sal did every cover. I guess the previous record might be Bendis and Bagley on USM, but I hadn't looked back to see if there were any fill in artists along the way.