Changes to the original concept

[Trey Strain Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Trey Strain]

Both DC and Marvel are wretched, and bankrupt of ideas. They create soulless, corporately driven comics with little remaining entertainment value. Their best days creatively are well behind them.

And yeah, Image is the place to be if you want to be free to tell good stories and make great comics.

I blame most of the creative decline in DC and Marvel on two factors.

First, it's the central planning that's become de rigueur in both companies. As in, "Congratulations That's a great story you're telling there. But you've got to work this huge cosmic event into it somehow."

Common sense should tell anyone that that practice produces poor stories.

The second factor is the diversity imperative. How many problems has this caused for DC and Marvel? It would be a huge task even to think of them all and list them. The financial damage from it would be hard to overestimate.

I think the diversity imperative has been sort of like Hillary Clinton. As in, it was unavoidable. It had to happen. And its failure was also unavoidable. It had to happen. The question is, are the people who pushed the diversity imperative and the people who pushed Hillary Clinton going to move on now? I don't think either group will readily do that.

[Big Daddy Dave Skywalker Moisture Farmer Find all posts View Profile Close Big Daddy Dave Skywalker]

The decline for both companies started long before this diversity fad happened. That's just another thing to roll eyes over, but not part of the big picture.

I think big picture, things started to go downhill when the parent companies started taking more direct control of the companies. For DC, it's when WB made Dark Knight and breathlessly realized what the little company they bought in the 70s could mean to them going forward. For Marvel it was being bought by Disney and getting their movies off the ground. Once a parent company takes an active interest in your day to day operations it has an effect on your actual product...like say, moving your base of operations from NYC to California so they can keep a closer eye on you.

Who wants to go to DC or Marvel to give them great ideas when they can put out what they want at someone like Image? Would a comic like Saga happen at DC or Marvel? I don't blame any of the writers and artists for GTFO of Dodge.

[Sylent_Asassin Black Lantern Find all posts View Profile Close Sylent_Asassin]

Who wants to go to DC or Marvel to give them great ideas when they can put out what they want at someone like Image? Would a comic like Saga happen at DC or Marvel? I don't blame any of the writers and artists for GTFO of Dodge.

Nothing like creating or co-creating a character and getting no royalties when it's used by the Company to make millions.

[Trey Strain Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Trey Strain]

That's why the writers keep using the same worn-out handful of villains. If they create new ones, DC or Marvel will own them.

[Star-Lantern Weaponer of Qward Find all posts View Profile Close Star-Lantern]

I would personally never get into comics to just be a penciller or a writer. If you can get regular work as a penciller you can make about $3200 a month, and that's without being a rockstar penciller. Which, depending on your situation, isn't terrible, I guess. The trick is you have to keep that regular work coming in, and while that may last for a while if you're good/lucky/well connected, think of all the people over time we never (or hardly ever) hear about anymore... like... oh... M.D. Bright... or Pat Broderick, or even Daryl Banks.

The smart thing to do is own property, like Robert Kirkman. When you actually own the stuff you're working on, then the sky is the limit with what you can do with it and where you can go with it. Of course, that's not a sure path to success, but I'd be a lot more willing to put a lot of effort into that than drawing books for other people, which will usually only get you so far in the long run.

But getting in comics just to work for DC and Marvel? Nah. Forget that. Breaking into that business is already hard enough. I wouldn't work toward that just to slave for them.

Trey Strain, if you're really serious about writing, I suggest you use your creative energies toward something of your own rather than think of ways to make Green Lantern work (for you). I used to be into writing and drawing Green Lantern comics, too... until I realized Green Lantern is DC's mess and responsibility, and why would I want to work on that when I could just make something I like even more, which would (I think) be a much more productive and beneficial use of my time and effort in the long run.

Let's say that DC actually does take some of your ideas for Green Lantern. All that's going to happen is some other people will profit off of them, you will get no credit, and when you bring it up on message boards, you'll just get ridiculed for being presumptuous. So, from my perspective... I don't see the point in bothering with any of that.

[Trey Strain Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Trey Strain]

I would personally never get into comics to just be a penciller or a writer. If you can get regular work as a penciller you can make about $3200 a month, and that's without being a rockstar penciller. Which, depending on your situation, isn't terrible, I guess. The trick is you have to keep that regular work coming in, and while that may last for a while if you're good/lucky/well connected, think of all the people over time we never (or hardly ever) hear about anymore... like... oh... M.D. Bright... or Pat Broderick, or even Daryl Banks.

The smart thing to do is own property, like Robert Kirkman. When you actually own the stuff you're working on, then the sky is the limit with what you can do with it and where you can go with it. Of course, that's not a sure path to success, but I'd be a lot more willing to put a lot of effort into that than drawing books for other people, which will usually only get you so far in the long run.

But getting in comics just to work for DC and Marvel? Nah. Forget that. Breaking into that business is already hard enough. I wouldn't work toward that just to slave for them.

Trey Strain, if you're really serious about writing, I suggest you use your creative energies toward something of your own rather than think of ways to make Green Lantern work (for you). I used to be into writing and drawing Green Lantern comics, too... until I realized Green Lantern is DC's mess and responsibility, and why would I want to work on that when I could just make something I like even more, which would (I think) be a much more productive and beneficial use of my time and effort in the long run.

Let's say that DC actually does take some of your ideas for Green Lantern. All that's going to happen is some other people will profit off of them, you will get no credit, and when you bring it up on message boards, you'll just get ridiculed for being presumptuous. So, from my perspective... I don't see the point in bothering with any of that.

I was a big fan of Banks. I think he was the main factor that sold Kyle's comic. I don't remember what happened but I believe he had a falling out with someone at DC. I was an even bigger fan of Broderick, but I suppose that some people at DC found his style too idiosyncratic. I certainly didn't. The last I heard he was doing some sort of commercial art, and probably making more money than he did in comics.

DC has profited from my ideas, most lucratively by going to bimonthly publishing. And I'm glad they have. I didn't like it that Marvel had been drubbing them so badly for half a century, and I wanted to even up the competition. Marvel could have done the same thing but they didn't want to look like they were copying DC, so they just launched a lot of new titles with their star characters. That was a bad counter-move. Now DC and Marvel are running neck-and-neck in comics sales.

I do have other writing projects going on besides the ones I've posted online. I write Green Lantern stories to keep my blades sharp. And I can use those plots elsewhere.

[Trey Strain Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Trey Strain]

Yadda, yadda, Dave. I know. DC didn't get that idea from me. After their not thinking of it for 50 years, they suddenly and miraculously thought it at exactly the same time I did. Sure they did.

[Trey Strain Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Trey Strain]

As a matter of fact, if you took away Star Wars, DC would be drubbing Marvel in comics sales now.

And just wait till DC brings the JSA to the present, which I also thought of. My ideas for a Flash team title and a Charlton team title probably won't be far behind.

[Big Daddy Dave Skywalker Moisture Farmer Find all posts View Profile Close Big Daddy Dave Skywalker]

And just wait till DC brings the JSA to the present, which I also thought of. My ideas for a Flash team title and a Charlton team title probably won't be far behind.

That's dipped in gold right there.

[Ωmega Man Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Ωmega Man]

That's dipped in gold right there.

It's as if none of the JSA books since the 90's have been on his radar, or that LAW mini series with the Charlton characters [that he's brought up before I thought..?]...

I'm calling it, dude's got dementia. Bet he doesn't even know what year it is LOL

~//V\\~

[Ωmega Man Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Ωmega Man]

Yadda, yadda, Dave. I know. DC didn't get that idea from me. After their not thinking of it for 50 years, they suddenly and miraculously thought it at exactly the same time I did. Sure they did.

Or after Marvel comics did it with titles like Amazing Spider-man or Avengers maybe to score a quick buck? Which was YEARS ago..?!?



~//V\\~

[Big Daddy Dave Skywalker Moisture Farmer Find all posts View Profile Close Big Daddy Dave Skywalker]

DC has profited from my ideas, most lucratively by going to bimonthly publishing. And I'm glad they have. I didn't like it that Marvel had been drubbing them so badly for half a century, and I wanted to even up the competition.

Stop! You're killing me!!!

[Trey Strain Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Trey Strain]

I was very happy to help DC out. Everything that's bad about DC is worse at Marvel. The only reason Marvel kept beating DC's brains out was that people were in the habit of buying Marvel and weren't in the habit of buying DC.

[Booster Beetle Will break before he bends Find all posts View Profile Close Booster Beetle]

I'm going to put this in all caps since apparently you can't get it through your thick head.


YOU DID NOT HELP DC OUT. YOU DID NOT GIVE THEM THE IDEA TO GO BIWEEKLY OR ANYTHING ELSE YOU CLAIM THEY TOOK FROM YOU.

[Trey Strain Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Trey Strain]

I'm going to put this in all caps since apparently you can't get it through your thick head.


YOU DID NOT HELP DC OUT. YOU DID NOT GIVE THEM THE IDEA TO GO BIWEEKLY OR ANYTHING ELSE YOU CLAIM THEY TOOK FROM YOU.

Look at the date of this thread.

http://community.comicbookresources....-twice-a-month

Then look at the date of this announcement.

http://www.comicsbeat.com/dc-comics-...g-some-titles/

Take your caps lock off. Case closed.