In comics, I have heard many variations on what is essentially the same philosophy -- "You're not paid to erase." "Close enough for comics." "Get it right the next time." Each one of these acknowledges that the task at hand is to produce the best comicbook possible under the circumstances. And chief among those circumstances is Don't Miss the Deadline. You fuck up a lot of other people if you do.

Andy Smith wrote:
"Every artist is different and works at different rates of speed period. Just because JB can do 3 pages a day or Joe Kubert has been known to do 6 doesn't mean that everyone can or should. Joe's sons Adam and Andy produce generally one page a day, does that make them less of an artist than their father...not at all."

Not at all, but if they fall below that production rate, I'd not recommend them for job on a monthly title, even if the resulting work (when it arrived) looked as if made by Michelangelo.

Incidentally, and tying into various kinds of domino effects mentioned by JB, I think one of the really big problems with late delivery in the current climate on the big two, is that so many titles (almost company wide) so much of the time seems tied up with crossover events and nitpicky continuity that a delay on one title may in effect cause delay on several other titles. Basically, to negatives enforcing each other in a very bad fashion... and the effects rippples onwards.

<Well atleast it's a beginning. Now to come up with a better plan is the next step. Instead of taking are away from them how about taking away money from them.>

If pages are taken away from an artist that is taking money from them.
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Andy since i'm not in the way of knowing certain things let me ask. Are most artist paid per page they draw or is it per title ?

I was thinking it was per title.If it's per page then ok pay them only for the work they've done. THe holding back of art can hurt a bit. But of course thats hurt only comes if and when they are able to sell the art.

we got into the Biz purely for the love of it

Sigh. The Biz has certainly changed over the years, and not much for the better....

If I was blessed working in comics, I'd repeatedly kiss whoever signed my paycheque and do a dance of joy <lol>.

Ari - I think it's one of those things best not to think about. Because inevitably your thoughts will come around to the fact that those are far from only six pages in a day, they are six Joe Kubert pages*, and that's when the swooning madness really begins.

* Apropos of JB's point about perfectionists who could keep a deadline.

As I read the back and forth on this one I am reminded of the single best piece of advice I ever picked about writing. The quote is "The art of writing is applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair."

I wonder how much the "time spent" producing a page or less a DAY is actually spent on the work at hand. I know I am more then capable of doing ANYTHING other than writing--like spenting time on this board. Should this count as my work day? Should sharpening pencils? Especially since I do all my writing on a computer. Time spent on the phone?  The point being that very few artists and writers actually spent a full day(however one defines it) actually working.

I think when you look at guys like Joe Kubert, Jack Kirby, John Buscema, and many of the most prolific artists I have known, yoiu have to take into account that they did not come into the industry as FANS... they were not making big bucks drawing comics... they had families to feed, so they had to get fast. I too do not buy into the perfectionist theory. I have worked with too mnay of those perfectionists, and I can tell you that there first draft of a pages was often as good(sometimes better) then the page they noodled with for a week.

Just my opinion. What do I know?

H