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Daniel Gillotte
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Posted: 16 May 2022 at 3:24pm | IP Logged | 1 post reply

Many of you know a lot of comic details and history that I am ignorant of, so I thought I'd ask here...
Do we know examples when the Marvel method was used at DC? I am most interested in specifically knowing if George Perez and Marv Wolfman used it in their amazing Titans run (and kind of assume that maybe they did since that was a start of a certain "Marvelization" happening at DC.)
Any intel on this? Or other DC series that may have used Marvel Method?
Thanks for your knowledge!
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John Byrne
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Posted: 16 May 2022 at 4:53pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply

I know Len and Bernie’s run on SWAMP THING was done Marvel Style. Bernie told me he noticed every time he drrew somebody with an open mouth Len would give that character dialog. So Bernie started drawing EVERYBODY with an open mouth!
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Greg McPhee
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Posted: 16 May 2022 at 7:31pm | IP Logged | 3 post reply

Marv Wolfman confirms on his website he did The New Teen Titans Marvel Method for the entire run.

Gerry Conway did Firestorm Marvel Method.
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Jason K Fulton
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Posted: 16 May 2022 at 8:54pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply

This might be the stupidest question I've ever asked on this forum, but here goes - is the Marvel Method any different if you're the writer/artist on the book (i.e. JB on FF / Superman / etc)?
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Peter Martin
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Posted: 17 May 2022 at 12:41am | IP Logged | 5 post reply

As I understand the Marvel Method, the steps would be:

1. Writer and artist discuss/agree story
2. Artist tells story in pictures
3. Writer adds words

If it's a writer/artist on the book, then step 1 is all decided in the writer's head and they go straight to step 2.
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John Byrne
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Posted: 17 May 2022 at 12:45am | IP Logged | 6 post reply

The Mthod—plot, pencils, script—is done the sameway, save that it’s just one person doing it!
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Jason Czeskleba
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Posted: 17 May 2022 at 6:50am | IP Logged | 7 post reply

 Peter Martin wrote:
1. Writer and artist discuss/agree story

It's worth noting that you can also have scenarios where the artist plots without input from the scripter, the scripter plots without input from the artist, or the plot is generated by a third party.  It's still Marvel Method as long as the artist is working from a plot rather than a full script, regardless of who came up with the plot.

Another couple of early examples: 
Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson's Manhunter (1973-74)
Gerry Conway and Simonson's Metal Men (1976)

By the early 80s the practice had become much more commonplace at DC.  Roy Thomas did all of his 80s DC work Marvel style.  Gerry Conway did Legion of Super-Heroes that way, and so too did Levitz and Giffen when they took over the title.
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Greg McPhee
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Posted: 17 May 2022 at 10:03am | IP Logged | 8 post reply

When Steve Englehart began his Detective run with Walt Simonson, he was going to do the entire run Marvel Method, but when Walt had to leave unexpectedly, and Steve was planning his sabbatical from comics, he switched to full script as he had no idea who would be drawing the comics.

As luck would have it, Steve said full script worked better for his Batman writing for pacing and effect, and it was "a gift from the comic's Gods" when he saw the work that Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin had done on his scripts.
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John Byrne
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Posted: 17 May 2022 at 12:03pm | IP Logged | 9 post reply

About halfway into our X-MEN run, maybe earlier, Chris and I started doing “phone plots”. There we’d run up Marvel’s phone bill as we chattered back and forth about upcoming story ideas. Then I’d draw what I remembered from those conversations.

This is as a variant of earlier times, when Chris was still giving me long, written plots. More like short stories, they would often be fifteen or sixteen pages for what was then a 17 page story. So I’d read them once and draw what I remembered.

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John Popa
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Posted: 17 May 2022 at 12:54pm | IP Logged | 10 post reply

Perez has said that his relationship with Wolfman on Titans was often the same - they'd have long conversations about the book and Perez would draw his version of the ideas they discussed.
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Steven Myers
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Posted: 17 May 2022 at 2:05pm | IP Logged | 11 post reply

My question is how much the editors reviewed at the different stages. Did different editors require written plots or just look at the pencils? I remember Claremont said he wrote a 1-page "plot" for issue 4 of the Wolverine mini with Frank Miller to send to editorial. But he just talked about it with Frank.
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Bill Dowling
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Posted: 17 May 2022 at 2:50pm | IP Logged | 12 post reply

There we’d run up Marvel’s phone bill as we chattered back and forth about upcoming story ideas. 
************
Where was Claremont? And we’re you still in Canada at the time?

It’s weird to think about long distance charges nowadays, but I definitely remember having to keep long distance calls short due to the costs back in the 70s/80s. I bet those calls cost Marvel a pretty penny (although obviously worth it many times over)
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