Hollywood writers who deal with comics
The Dallas Morning News talks about writers in Hollywood who've been dealing with comic books, or is that the other way around? The names I see given here are of men who may have first begun in comics, then started taking on TV scripting, such as Mark Guggenheim, Jeph Loeb, and Brian Vaughan.
But they're quite right about why it really doesn't pay to hire people who come directly from Tinseltown:
Hollywood scriptwriters are also a form of "hot" talent, that the companies are relying on far too much because of their ostensible drawing power, and another of many things that the industry needs to move away from using.
But they're quite right about why it really doesn't pay to hire people who come directly from Tinseltown:
For comic book publishers, the attraction of hiring a big-name producer is that it may cause fans of their TV shows to pick up a comic book for the first time. The drawback is that producers may not find time in their busy schedules to finish their comics' scripts.IMO, hiring TV and movie scripters just because they may draw in some moviegoers is pretty tacky, as these people usually tend to do things that may not fit in comic books. Like, for example, they could cook up crass dialogue, as Paul DeMeo and Danny Bilson did when they were writing the third Flash volume, now defunct. And it's pretty lame compared to raising and hiring homegrown talent who, if they've got some common sense, can brew up a much better story than anything these Hollywood screenwriters could ever put together in all their careers.
"The other jobs that they have pay a hell of a lot better than what they make in comics," DC Comics executive editor Dan DiDio said in a phone interview.
Both DC and Marvel, the two titans of the comic book industry, have been burned when dealing with TV talent.
Last year, DC relaunched one of its flagship series, Wonder Woman, and handed the reins to Allan Heinberg. The former producer for The O.C. and Sex and the City was fresh off a critically acclaimed run on Marvel's Young Avengers.
Wonder Woman's initial arc was supposed to last five issues. But around the same time that DC hired Mr. Heinberg, he became an executive producer on Grey's Anatomy.
Wonder Woman No. 1 debuted June 7, 2006. After the fourth issue was published Feb. 21 of this year, DC announced that it was moving on with new writers starting with the fifth issue.
"Grey's Anatomy took on much more of his time than what we originally allotted for," Mr. DiDio said.
Hollywood scriptwriters are also a form of "hot" talent, that the companies are relying on far too much because of their ostensible drawing power, and another of many things that the industry needs to move away from using.
Labels: dc comics, dreadful writers, Wonder Woman
