(no subject)

[yendi]

Quote from Joss Whedon on Fray:

"Oh God, I will [finish], I promise, I'm sorry," Whedon said in an interview. "I don't know the date. I think I'm just marginally ahead of the artist on pages, because he went to CrossGen [Comics], and because my life imploded. We both got really behind. I'm so embarrassed about it, but it will only take me a couple of weeks to finish the last issue and a half that I have left to write. Then it's a question of how we can schedule him to do the pages. I really want to get it out. I'm very embarrassed about that. I've known the ending since I've started it. All I have to do is write it down."

You heard that right. He hasn't fucking finished writing the series, and the art is in limbo. This is a fucking eight-issue mini-series, but they couldn't plan for it properly.

Folks, it's things like this that are driving folks away from the industry. It's things like this that are making folks decide to wait for the graphic novels, because we can't rely on companies to produce the issues in a timely manner, and we don't want to wait on a cliffhanger for eight months.

I actually blame the publisher more than I blame Joss. Joss may have time management issues, but Mike Richardson (head of Dark Whore) was the one who decided to solicit the series before it was finished. He's the one who made a judgement call on his freelancers, and decided that they could turn in something in a timely manner, and he was clearly wrong. I don't hold the creators responsible because that's a contract between them and the publisher, but I do think there's an implicit contract between the publishers and me, and too many of them break it.

Next time I hear Joe Quesada or any other pro whine about folks who just wait for the graphic novels, I'm going to whap him upside the head with a copy of The Dark Knight Strikes Again #2, shove a copy of Fray #6 where the sun don't shine, and pick any random issue of Quesada and Smith's Daredevil run to shove down his throat.

Comments

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

This is why my plan has always been to have six issues of Shayara, which I'm thinking will start out bimonthly, in the can before soliciting issue #1. So we can be absolutely assured of hitting every deadline.

[yendi]

*nod* 'cuz with an indie title, the blame does rest on the creators (Martin Wagner and Tara Tallan come to mind), since they're the publishers, too. Especially since Dave Sim has proven it can be done for a damned long time.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Exactly. And it's hard enough just to get sufficient attention to attract readers to an indie title - I don't want to piss the readers off by not keeping deadlines!

Something to keep in mind for deadlines......

[dslartoo.livejournal.com]

Most readers don't care what your deadlines are as long as you meet them. I mean that it doesn't matter whether your book comes out every month, or every three months, or every week, as long as you stick to your advertised schedule. I read a pile of webcomics and got fed up with three of them (Cool Cat Studio, Avalon and Joe Average), despite the fact that all three had excellent art and storylines, because they simply would not keep to the schedule they promised. I told all three of them the same thing: "we don't care what frequency you set as long as you stick to it, but don't promise us five days a week and then only do three!" Or whatever.

Just a thought. :)

cheers,
Phil

Re: Something to keep in mind for deadlines......

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Right, see above: I plan on a bimonthly schedule. Mouse can *probably* hit a monthly schedule if there's not massive chaos in her life; she can *definitely* hit a bimonthly schedule. But I still want 6 issues complete before we solicit #1.

Re: Something to keep in mind for deadlines......

[settsimaksimin.livejournal.com]

yup. complete in advance would be my vote, unless you're explicitly on an "it comes out when it comes out" schedule.

and to hit a topic higher up, i'll nominate THE LOST #4 as my candidate for Annoying MIA (assuming that MIRACLEMAN #25 is right out).

Re: Something to keep in mind for deadlines......

[yendi]

I figure Miracleman is kind of an exception, since the delay has to do with bankruptcy and Toad McFarlane being an asshole.