Tag: comic book creators

Comic Book Creators are More Impressive Than Hollywood Celebrities

Aug. 26 Comics, News no comments

Hands down, comic book creators are more impressive to me than Hollywood celebrities.  I have met (and interviewed) multiple Hollywood celebs over the years. I have also had the opportunity to meet (and interview and party with) many comic book creators. There are basic differences between the two types of people which stand out in my mind.

pencilsDon’t Get Me Wrong

I have met Hollywood celebrities which have been great people and hold many of the same qualities as most of the comic book creators I have met. Adam Baldwin, Steven Yeun, and Tony Todd are  great people who have not allowed celebrity to overtake them (at least in my eyes). At the same time, I have met comic book creators which are complete [Censored]. I am just not going to name any names. For the sake of argument, though, I am lumping all Hollywood celebrities and comic book creators together.

Hollywood Celebrities vs. Comic Book Creators: Approachability

I have always found most comic book creators are more approachable than Hollywood celebrities. If you were to try to walk up to Brad Pitt to compliment his work, chances are good he might say thanks, but would spin off to see who he could see. A comic book creator is likely to thank you, and then find out what you like about his or her work along with what your favorites are. I have had few beers with Hollywood celebrities, but have forgotten portions of the night when partying with comic book creators. Don’t believe me? Head to a comic book convention and see how the celebrities act differently than the comic book creators.

Hollywood Celebrities vs. Comic Book Creators: Acceptability

Hollywood is notorious for creating celebrities which are detached from their fans. Sure, they might pop something out on Twitter, but if you think following a star’s Twitter account is some type of actual attachment, you are sadly mistaken.

Comic book creators are more accepting of their fans for various reasons. The comic book market proves time and time again that if your product does not sell, you will not be on the block very long. Sure, there are mishaps and miscues, but the average comic book creator cannot stay around after too many failures. Because of this, comic book creators try to listen to their fans more often than Hollywood celebrities would.

Most comic book creators are fans as well. I have been at comic book conventions where mid-level creators are as nervous about meeting the A-list creators are the fans are. Comic book creators have more of a love for the genre than the average Hollywood celebrity, creators are kids and fans at heart who like to share their favored genre with others just like we do. Don’t believe me? Head to a comic book convention and see how the celebrities act differently than the comic book creators.

Hollywood Celebrities vs. Comic Book Creators: Appreciation

I have many friends who are comic book creators and have heard them say about how a particular fan really made them feel special at a convention. I have heard them talk about how they were overwhelmed by the fans over a weekend or about how they made fans into friends.  Statements such as these show me how appreciative comic book creators really are of their fans. You would be hard-pressed to find a Hollywood celebrity genuinely acting the same way. Don’t believe me? Head to a comic book convention and see how the celebrities act differently than the comic book creators.

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Why Did Creators Use Pennames in the 1960s?

Aug. 14 Comics no comments

I was asked an interesting question yesterday which many of you might not know the answer to. I am paraphrasing by saying the question was, “Why did so many creators in the 1960s use pennames instead of their own names?”

pencilsThe History

Before we had comics, we had the pulps. These short story magazines paved the way for the medium we have grown to lover over the years. While many adults and children read pulps, there was a certain stigma which hung over the heads of the writers and artists used in these magazines. Publishers outside of the pulp market believed that pulp writers wrote schlock which was simply used to fill the pages of the pulps. These publishers grouped writers such as H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, and Clark Ashton Smith with the people who popped out whatever they could simply to make a paycheck.

This stigma continued for short story publication writers into the 1950s and 1960s. Writers such as Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke and Fritz Leiber were overlooked for a long time because they wrote for these smaller publications.

Enter Comics

When comics first came out, they were geared towards children. The “funny books” gained the same type of stigma as the short story magazines which were disappearing each month for newsstands. Many comic book creators did not want the chance of losing out on a job opportunity at a non-comics company so they used pennames. According to the book The Ten Cent Plague, many creators kept their work from their families so they did not have to deal with the social stigma at home.

The Congressional Investigations

Don’t forget, the comic book market gained another stigma during the congressional investigations. If you were a creator who was looking for money, would you want to be associated with a market which Congress kept a watchful eye on?

What Changed?

By the late 1960s and early 1970s, the comic book market had taken off and on their way to becoming a respectable form of entertainment and learning. The pennames were dropped in many cases as creators realized they had a future in the medium or could at least show off what they could do in the confines of the printed pages.

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