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Chris Geary
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 19 January 2009
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 1158
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| Posted: 17 September 2011 at 3:05am | IP Logged | 1
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I have a strange take on this type of situation, please bear with me.
From about my second year in school al I've ever wanted to do was tell
stories with pictures. At that time it was in the traditional format of a few
pages of text, then a picture. Then I discovered comics (as comics were
considered not of any worth by those that raised me, they were never
bought for me, I discovered them at a friends house when I was about 8)
and I decided that's how I wanted to tell stories. (more drawing in them).
To me there wasn't any difference between the writing and the drawing, it
was all storytelling.
Then when I got into comics a bit more, and learnt how they were produced
I then split them into separate jobs as that's how I thought it had to be
done.
Then I discovered FF#244 (it was in a damaged back issue bin so I have not
clue as to when it came out, I just liked the cover to the previous issue, saw
that this was after and got it as well) and saw that someone called John
Byrne Wrote, Pencilled and Inked the issue. I then checked and saw that he
also did the issue before. So then I switched it back in treating them all the
same.
Then a little while later another friend got the Batman soundtrack and I was
reading the sleeve when I saw that Prince pretty much did everything. 'He's
like John Byrne.'
A few years later down the line and I read an interview with Prince, and the
interviewer asked him a question about playing all the instruments, etc, and
how he can keep the quality up. His reply was something along the lines of,
'Treat them all equally. Play each one to the best of your ability. Most
people don't do that. They'll favour one instrument, and just get by with
the rest.'
Since reading that I have again split the jobs separately. Most of the stuff
that I do, I do everything. Occasionally I'll work with a writer, but no so
much recently.
I don't think about how it's going to be drawn when I'm writing, I don't think
how I'm going to Ink, while pencilling, and I don't think about lettering until
I get to that. I do each job to the best I can, and then 'pretend' that I'm
someone else when it comes to the next part of the process. Sometimes
there's an error in the writing that I don't spot until I'm doing the pencils,
and I'll address that. And sometimes I'll change pencils when I ink.
For me, this is a way that I can work by myself, but also try and keep the
sense of collaboration, as I think they can produce work as equally good as
that by a solo creator. In the end it comes down to trying to tell the best
story the best way you know how. I'm a bit of a control freak, and I don't
like the idea of relinquishing a job to someone else, but I also am aware the
benefits of having someone else's input. This way, I can hopefully get the
best of both worlds.
Sorry for the long post, hope it makes sense.
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Roger A Ott II
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 29 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 5371
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| Posted: 17 September 2011 at 9:27am | IP Logged | 2
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Steve D Swanson wrote:
| That the writer is the 'creator' of the piece and the artist is merely the tool the writer uses to achieve his vision. |
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I wonder if that's more true than you think these days. Back in the day, the Marvel Method allowed the artist to have more input into the pacing and storytelling elements of a comic book. The plot/pencils/script process was a true synthesis of writer and artist collaboration.
Today, most comics are done full script. The artist is more Art Robot than collaborator, taking their visual cues and direction from the script. I'm sure there are cases where the writer gives the artist freedom to draw as he sees fit, but to me the full script method seems very restrictive to the artist.
If I was drawing a comic book, I'd want to word via the Marvel Method.
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Robert LaGuardia
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 15 November 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 1296
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| Posted: 17 September 2011 at 9:53am | IP Logged | 3
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JT a writer can put out a book with a great story and the writer's own horrible art just as a great artist can release a book with terribly written book.
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Mike Murray
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 20 September 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 530
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| Posted: 17 September 2011 at 10:44am | IP Logged | 4
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It seems like a silly question. Someone without any talent or ability (like me) could write and draw a comic book. You'd have 22 pages of story and art. The writing would be terrible, and the drawing would be terrible, but it would be a comic book.
A good comic book writer without the talent or training to draw well could write and draw a comic book. The writing would be good, the art would be terrible, but it would be a comic book.
A good comic book artist without the talent or training to write well could write and draw a comic book. The writing would be terrible, the art would be good, but it would be a comic book.
Surely we've all read comic books that fit pretty comfortably into all three of the above categories. But they're all comic books.
Edited by Mike Murray on 17 September 2011 at 10:46am
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Mike Murray
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 20 September 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 530
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| Posted: 17 September 2011 at 10:55am | IP Logged | 5
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Matt Reed wrote:
| Hate to mention it, but Bendis! gained much of his early indie fame from his self published comic books featuring his own art...and no one would call him an artist by any stretch. |
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Matt, have you read FORTUNE &GLORY? I'd think it might be right up your alley. Bendis' art style for that, while cartoony, is certainly of a professional quality and in looking at it now - just took it down off the shelf - I can't imagine anyone denying that he's an artist.
Anyone who doubts that, please read this page.
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Monte Gruhlke
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 03 May 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 3303
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| Posted: 17 September 2011 at 11:35am | IP Logged | 6
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I think you do need writers, and fortunately there are a handful of artists/creators who are also great storytellers. But to discount writing as frivolous is akin to shooting a golden goose.
Take this to a different medium where television producers who wanted to cut writers out of the equation. From this we got a s***storm of reality shows of every shape and form. Thanks to this, comedies and dramas have a hard sell at the networks. More often than not, if a new series doesn't grab an audience by 2-3 shows, it's pulled and reality show re-runs are tossed in.
Is that a world you want to live in? Not me. But sadly, it is. |
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Dave Braun
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 12 July 2009
Posts: 1064
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| Posted: 17 September 2011 at 11:54am | IP Logged | 7
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I think the answer to the question on pure technicality is, no. I think that is obvious. You do not NEED a separate writer to make a comic. JT, you seem to have had the answer when you asked the question, so I'm not sure why you asked it. Has the entire industry of comics from day 1 benefited in quality and quantity immmensely from the fact that there have been artists who only write, their stories illustrated by other artists who draw? I think the answer to that is obvious, too. You could argue that, I suppose, but I would say, resoundingly, yes. I'm not sure the question you asked is the right question to get the answer you are really looking for....I don't know what that is, but since you asked a question that you already know the answer to I am guessing you are really looking for something esle.
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Craig Robinson
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Joined: 28 November 2010
Location: United States
Posts: 1756
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| Posted: 18 September 2011 at 8:36am | IP Logged | 8
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In short, no. And I learned this the hard way. Long ago in a high school far, far away, myself and a cabal of comic enthusiasts, spurred on my Eastman and Laird, began discussions of starting our own garage comic. I can write, script, edit, etc etc, but I could not draw a straight line if my life depended on it. To wit, I cannot draw a straight line using a drawing implement (just ask my old drafting and architecture teacher!). So I was fairly reliant on the artists of the group to get this project started. We couldn't agree about well, anything really, and I was essentially SOCIAL NETWORK'd out of the process. Without my enthusiasm, and money contribution, the wheels came off the wagon and nothing ever became of it (other than sout grapes betwixt us all). Ok, that wasn't short, so much, but the song remains the same, as the wise men said; writers are not essential.
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Mike Murray
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 20 September 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 530
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| Posted: 18 September 2011 at 1:33pm | IP Logged | 9
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I thought you said the book didn't get produced once you left the project. It sounds like you were essential.
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Bill Lancellotta
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 07 March 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 157
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| Posted: 18 September 2011 at 2:16pm | IP Logged | 10
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Essential? Maybe not ... but I wouldn't want to live in a
world without Stan Lee.
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Mike Bunge
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 10 June 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 1335
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| Posted: 18 September 2011 at 3:12pm | IP Logged | 11
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Mark Haslett - "...and you would never get to anything that addressed what I actually posted." Your kind of snobishness never realizes when it's being refuted. Mike
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Roger A Ott II
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 29 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 5371
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| Posted: 19 September 2011 at 2:39pm | IP Logged | 12
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Bill Lancellotta wrote:
| Essential? Maybe not ... but I wouldn't want to live in a world without Stan Lee. |
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'Nuff said.
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