The Four Color Media Monitor

According to Grace Randolph, the movie adaptations of famous comics is a cause of destruction for the medium back at home. This is true to a certain extent, undoubtably because many of the writers and editors past were determined to make their way into Hollywood at all costs, at the expense of the comics, all the while subjecting them to abuse under the confidence that few of their atrocities would be subject to scrutiny by the mainstream press. Even some of the most well regarded writers have to shoulder blame for failing to speak out against the abusive mistreatment of the books they'd worked so hard to develop in years past.

Unfortunately, Randolph stumbles at the 5th minute when she foolishly claims DC writers like Peter Tomasi and Scott Snyder are worth reading. I think not, and sure don't want to put money into the pockets of micromanagers like DiDio and Harras; it'll only legitimize the poor work they're doing. Similarly, Azzarello's work on Wonder Woman is not worth the cover price.

If she's wondering how comics can go mainstream, the answer is simple as pie: publishers have to prove they can abandon the pamphlet format in print and go for paperbacks/hardcover OGNs instead. They can be long or short, whichever serves the story well, and there can be more creative freedom that way too. That's something still largely unaddressed by many publishers.

Labels: bad editors, dc comics, dreadful writers, indie publishers, marvel comics