Late Comics: A Thing of the Past?

Question:  What's the easiest way for comic book publishers to lose fans, alienate retailers, and throw gobs of money out the window?

Answer:  Habitually late comic books!

Granted, late comics are nothing new.  Most experienced (i.e. "old") comic book fans remember when an occasional "reprint issue" was sheepishly served up by Marvel or DC when their creative teams blew a deadline.  Of course, the key words to remember are "occasional" and "sheepishly"...since hasty reprint issues were pretty rare occurrences and were almost always acknowledged by an apologetic "We blew it" blurb from the title's editor.

Not so today.  For the past several years, chronically late comics have become much more common...many of which are heavily-promoted "event" comics by high profile creators.  In fact, late comics have become so commonplace, that a large segment of comic fans (and even some company officials) seem to be accustomed to "monthly" comics that are published (at best) bi-monthly or (at worst) once or twice a year.  Their rationale is usually something like "I'll get the comics whenever they come out.  I don't want to compromise quality for quantity"....creating the false dichotomy that late books are somehow better than on-schedule monthlies, or (conversely) that on-time monthlies are inherently lower in quality. This mentality, in turn, only feeds the problem, as habitually "deadline challenged" creators become oblivious and seemingly immune to any negative consequences.

However, according to comic book gossip-hawk Rich Johnston, it looks like that depressing trend might finally be coming to an end.

Leading off his February 18th Lying in the Gutters column, Johnston reports (emphasis mine):

"There's been a lot of fuss of late about late comics. How they damage publishers, retailers, brands and consumer loyalty. Well, DC are taking a stand and it's gong to be brutal for some.

Sources close to freelancers inform me that DC Comics has a new in house policy for pencillers. Aside from very specific contracted creators (such as Jim Lee), any penciller contracted to work on a monthly book must deliver complete turnaround of 22 pages of work in four weeks. Not a month, four weeks. If that schedule isn't maintained, they'll pull pages and assign them to other creators. And you may run short of future work. A reduction in quality is more acceptable than a reduction in quantity.

Specific examples I've been given include the recent issue of "Wonder Woman" was half Dodson and half Ron Randall. Also why Koi Turnball was dropped from "Jack Hawksmoor." And it has been pointed out that there are already three fill-ins on the new "Legion" schedule.

Creators are also being dropped from exclusive contracts over this new regime."

About time!

Some might say, "Oh, Mark...you don't know what it's like to create tons of artwork in such a short period of time!"

Well, as a professional artist for 20+ years...yes I do. 

Creating artwork under extremely tight deadlines is just part of the job for most professional artists.  Part of the "professional" part of that title is the ability to accurately assess if you can (or can't) finish the assignment in the given amount of time. In my case, if it looks at all doubtful I can hit the deadline, I'll be up front about it and say (A) I need more time (B) I may need help, or, if neither of those options are available, (C) I don't agree to the deadline in the first place. At that point, another artist (with more time or speed) is often assigned.

For the past several years, this kind of common sense professionalism seemed to have vanished from the Big Two comic publishers...but if Johnston's account is to be believed, maybe it's making a comeback.  It's easy to see why, since late books represent money publishers won't be making from retailers and their customers. Or maybe it was my Fighting the Scourge of Late Comics post that helped them see the light.

Whatever the cause of the turnaround, it's about time that DC (and hopefully Marvel) will be expecting more professionalism and discipline from their freelancers.  The vast majority of them have nothing to fear, since they're able to hit their deadlines with little to no strong-arm tactics.  But for those who just can't get the job done on time, they have no business in the business of monthly periodicals....just as comic book publishers have no business assigning "deadline challened" artists to monthly comic book titles.

This new policy can only make the field stronger, as retailers and customers get the books they expect, and creators refine their skills to meet the very real demands of the marketplace.

Comments

[Brian Disco Snell]

Given that in the past 9 months DC has had to essentially STOP storylines in 3 separate Superman books AND Wonder Woman, and conclude them months later in annuals, I'm kind of surprised it took this long.

Of course, some of the blame must go to the editorial branch, for assigning their star books to either unproven artists, or artists who already had the reputation for being...ahem...slow. And also for not having back-up plans in place, either fill-in issues or alternate artists ready to leap in with an assist.

Of course, at Marvel, Quesada was both artist and editor, so who was going to bark at him for delaying OMD? Having no Spider-Man book on the stands for almost 2 whole months couldn't have been good for marvel's bottom line--or were they just building demand?!?!

[stephen]

they've lost me on superman because if this late book stuff it's a real and important problem. i'm glad to see dc trying to remedy it now if we can only get marvel to follow suit. i almost dropped mighty avengers because of this problem. part of being a pro is getting your work in on time like a pro.

[Bill S.]

But what if the problem doesn't happen to be the artist, but rather the writer? Is anything in place to correct those delays?

[Mark Engblom]

"Of course, some of the blame must go to the editorial branch, for assigning their star books to either unproven artists, or artists who already had the reputation for being...ahem...slow."

Oh, there's definitely plenty of blame to go around in the editorial department. I think modern editors have overcompensated from the old "autocratic S.O.B." editor model (as personnified by the late, great Julie Schwartz) to a more theraputic "friend of the creator" model...and, as such, find it difficult to crack the whip when it needs cracking...or shuffling creators when the work starts fallling behind or falling short on quality.

So, yeah...I also blame alot of the sliding work ethic on today's lax editorial style...which seems to be more interested in being the creator's pal than representing the interests of the publisher and their paying customers.

[Mark Engblom]

"part of being a pro is getting your work in on time like a pro."

So obvious, yet such an elusive concept to so many in the comics biz.

"But what if the problem doesn't happen to be the artist, but rather the writer? Is anything in place to correct those delays?"

I would hope they'd have writer-specific policies in place as well, though this hasn't been nearly the problem late artists have become. There are probably more options available to an editor when the writing is late...one of which is finishing it off on his own (since many editors have some writing experience...or should at least understand what makes for a good story).

[Z Ryan]

I wonder if this is because DC has had, reportedly, success with weekly titles by different artists. A schedule is a GOOD thing that buyers respond to.

I read somewhere that after Final Crisis DC is changing the way they publish comics... I wonder if these means something like expanding out of the direct market and making a monthly DC comics magazine or something like that.

[Brian Disco Snell]

I'd expect some of it was also the "superstar syndrome." "This guy's the hot new artist, he can sell books, we don't want to be mean to him or he'll go to the other company, etc." Ironic, because they can't move books for you if they never come out.

Re: the writers. I think in most of the instances we've been discussing it's pretty clearly been the artists holding things up, as both Busiek and Johns, for example, were ready to pick up the next storyline immediately after the late ones were postponed.

[Wes C]

Speaking as a graphic designer/illustrator; I can totally appreciate the amount of work and pressure that must go along with creating a monthly comic. That said I also understand the term "deadline". It's called a "deadline", not a "lifeline" for a simple reason, if you cross that line you're dead.

I can't imagine repeatedly telling my employers I'd have something ready for them and then not delivering, time after time...

I understand this, Mark you understand this and I'm sure everyone here gets it. Why, why why can't these hotshots understand it.

I'm sure when they were in school they had to deal with deadlines, why now when they are making money for their work do they drag their feet?

The older I've gotten the more I've come to appreciate artist who's work I don't personally like (style, anatomy, storytelling, etc.) but who were PROFESSIONALS: people who could be counted on to get the work out.

Sal Buscema, Don Perlin, Dick Dillon.

How many times did they turn in a late book?

I'd be willing to bet almost never.

Ok, I feel better now :)

[John Trumbull]

Bravo. Both to DC's policy and to your post.