Broken Frontier

Check this list out:

Damon Lindelof. Reggie Hudlin. Joss Whedon. Allan Heinberg. Daniel Knauf.

Recognize these names? Lindelof will soon be writing “Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk.” Hudlin writes “Black Panther.” Whedon writes “Astonishing X-Men.” Heinberg writes “The Young Avengers” and “Justice League of America.” Knauf will soon be writing “Ironman.”

So what? A bunch of comic book writers in a column about writing for comics. Well, not exactly. That’s because each of these writers came to comics from television. Lindelof co-created “Lost.” Hudlin has directed “The Bernie Mac Show” and “Everybody Hates Chris.” Whedon created “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Heinberg writes for “O.C.” and Knauf created “Carnivale” for HBO.

What really worries me is that I’m quite certain this list isn’t exhaustive. I’m sure there are many other writers and artists who came to comics from other realms of the entertainment biz (George Romero, Orson Scott Card, Eric Red). And I know there are many comic writers and artists who have gone the other way (Frank Miller).

It doesn’t bother me so much that there is such a thing as cross-over. I imagine that it would be quite a temptation to behave in the same way if I were in the same position. What does bother me is that every hire a publisher makes from another business represents a lost opportunity for a newcomer.

The same is true when musicians and actors publish children’s books (such as Madonna and Will Smith). Think about it. The publisher is far more certain of a return on their investment from Madonna’s children’s book -- just because it has Madonna’s name on it -- and so will spend more of their advertising budget promoting her book. How would you like to be the first time author whose book is coming out from the same publisher at the same time?

I know. Publishing is a tough business these days. It’s expensive. Bets need to be hedged by bringing in recognizable names. Then we get those banner-style announcements that say things like “Written by Damon Lindelof, co-creator of Lost!”

I’ve never met the guy, but I’m fairly certain he has enough money to start his own comic book company if he wants to write comics so badly.

I guess what I’m getting at is that there’s something about most of these endeavors that I don’t trust. I don’t like to pigeon-hole people, but many of these projects feel like little more than a whim designed to cash in. I’d rather get my stuff from people who are dedicated to it, not from people sold on an opportunity by their agent. I want to read comics from people who eat, drink and sleep comics, not some TV writer who’s cashing a golden ticket so they’ll have something to hang on their wall. Most artists dedicate themselves to their first love. Hence, they “make it” in the area they most want to pursue. That should be reward enough. But I guess it isn’t.

Am I crazy? Is this just the green monster of envy rearing its ugly head? Tell me what you think in the forum.

Until next time, keep writing. You can always turn that unsold comic script into a TV pilot, I guess. Maybe then Marvel will pick it up.