Apparently, I’m easily upset and “Rigid” as an artist. I just read an interview with a writer I worked with a few years back on a pitch for a comic book, and while I was never mentioned, I WAS lumped in with a bunch of easily upset and “rigid” artists he’s worked with, and I guess it put a bug up my butt. (However, the writer in question will remain unnamed.)
A couple of years ago, I was approached to step in as artist on a comic being pitched to Image. The original artist had done character designs but had to step aside, leaving a big ol’ gap in the art department. I was asked to jump in and handle the art chores, and as a fan of the writers past work, I was more than willing to give it a shot.
The project was fun to work on, and the art I’d created I’m VERY proud of even though the book never happened. After months of work that amounted to about 7 pages fully illustrated, some characters designed and logo development, the pitch was shot down by the publisher almost immediately. While I have no direct proof of it, I don’t think I EVER had a shot, as the publisher was interested in the project under the aegis of the original artist, and I wasn’t him. The time between my submitting the final art and hearing it had been shot down was minute, so I don’t really think it was ever really looked at seriously, and it bugs me to this day that I busted my hump for a project that (I feel) was doomed from the get go.
So, was I “rigid” and inflexible to changes? Well, I re-did an entire page on request of the projects editor, and redrew entire panels more than once. I spent days going back and forth on special effect styles and was gracious every time. HOWEVER, I did commit the sin of openly disagreeing with some of the editor’s ideas. I MADE the changes, but also made my own thoughts be known, so I guess that makes me rigid and difficult. Fine, I’ll own it… I’m rigid.
When the project was shot down, I was politely told that “Maybe you should just stick with the humor stuff… you’re not cut out for superhero stuff.” Now THAT is what hurt the most… being pigeon holed like that by a writer that came to ME, looking for MY art. Well, when I look at the new projects he’s got going, I can see what he really wanted was a copy artist. His original artistic collaborator moved on a while ago, but all his replacements share one thing in common: Their ability to mimic his look almost exactly. I can’t do that, so maybe I’m NOT cut out for that kind of project. But the dismissal still stings.
Since then, I’ve reaffirmed my position of doing my OWN comics MY way. I have no interest in being anybody else’s art monkey. I have a day job where I have to bend over and create things exactly how others want me to and it’s painful every day. I’m NOT going to allow that to work it’s way into my comics… I love this medium too much to ever hate it again because of rigid editors that think they know everything and writers that say they want ME, but really want me to ape someone else.
Posted on April 23, 2008. Copy this Permalink to link to this entry.