The Four Color Media Monitor

I recently looked at the archives of Comics Beat, and discovered that neither a few of the creators who worked with the disgraced Dark Horse editor Scott Allie, nor CB, in recent interviews with them, seem particularly disapproving of his offensive acts after nearly a year since the headlines were originally written. For example, in this June 16 interview with Chuck Palanihuk:

COMICS BEAT: You’ve also been working with Dark Horse again on something unexpected yet not out of the realm of surprise when it comes to someone with your level of creativity. Bait: Off-Color Stories For You to Color published by Dark Horse Books is very much an adult coloring book in every sense of those words. What was the inspiration to do this second collection of short stories as a coloring book?

CHUCK PALAHNIUK: My inspiration? All the glorious variant covers that artists did for the single issues of ‘Fight Club 2’. They left me panting to do projects with all of them. Writing “Bait” allows me to work with eight artists, collaborating with editor Scott Allie, all of us egging each other to greater heights of depravity. The reader will be the final collaborator, bringing our ideas to fruition. [...]

CB: There were some fantastic covers I hope will be shown in the collected edition of Fight Club 2 and it would have been fantastic to see Amanda Conner draw one of those short stories in Bait. Good news is the book doesn’t lack any artistic talent.

You have quite a line up of incredible artists drawing these stories such as Lee Bermejo, Joelle Jones, and Duncan Fegredo to name a few. Did you handpick this line up or did Dark Horse pitch these artists to you?

CP: This dream team was chosen by me and Scott Allie. And God bless Joelle, especially, because she’s swamped with work and still agreed to help us. The images the artists delivered convince me that I’m not insane – at least not the most-insane of the insane. Such a comfort.

Again, my inspiration came from seeing the variant covers. The second consideration was people’s availability. If we didn’t wrangle someone for this collection, Scott and I will campaign to include them in the next. I’d love to publish a new heavily illustrated collection – bound beautifully, more like a Medieval illustrated manuscript – every year.

He referenced Allie otherwise sans condemnation for his revolting behavior, and Comics Beat's interviewer asked no questions about the whole scandal. If he's working with Allie without reservations, he's done a huge disfavor for all victims.

Then, in an interview on July 18 with John Arcudi:

CB: On the topic of your partnership with Mike Mignola, how has it changed you as a storyteller?

JA: Scott Allie and Mike allowed me to tell long-arc stories, and that’s what I’m best at. I got to develop that skill here in the HBU, so I’m better at it and that makes me happy. Most publishers want slam-bang-get-in-get-out kinds of tales, and I can do that but it’s a lot more fun to really nurture a cast along and see them through.

I think it's in poor form to cite such an awful man after what he did, since it runs the gamut of giving him credence when he doesn't deserve any.

Then, in an article about Mike Mignola on July 23:

[...] Between just a very few writers, they’ve been able to create this world and this history. Between Mignola, Arcudi, Scott Allie, and now Roberson, this is a team that is based on a love of history, folklore and mythology. [...]

But one of that team does not base his MO on love of civilized values, and the writer of this piece does no favors by turning a blind eye to that fact.

Then, in a July 29 interview with David Mack:

CB: So there was quite some time wher Brian thought you might have been crazy. What about the experience of being part of Fight Club 2?

DM: It was great working with the entire team: Chuck, Cameron Stewart, Dave Stewart, Nate Piekos, and Scott Allie. Everyone at Dark Horse has been incredible with the Kabuki stuff and with the Fight Club stuff.

Even after what Allie did? Wow, he is a disgrace.

Even this August 9 interview with Chris Roberson bothers me:

COMICS BEAT: You’re no stranger to collaborating with the top writers and artists in the industry, but most of your career as a writer has been spent developing your own properties. Was there any kind of culture shock about how Mike Mignola works or writing in an already established universe when scripting Rise of the Black Flame, Witchfinder, or Hellboy & The BPRD 1953?

CHRIS ROBERTSON: It came pretty naturally to me, actually. I’ve been an enormous fan of Mike’s work for ages, and have followed the exploits of Hellboy and company since I bought the first issue of Seed Of Destruction the week it was released. So when Scott Allie gave me the opportunity to pitch a Witchfinder miniseries to him and Mike a couple of years ago, I jumped at the chance. But as time has gone on, I’ve realized that things like my Witchfinder miniseries and Rise Of The Black Flame are exactly the kinds of stories that I’d be doing on my own if I had the chance, but I’m lucky enough to set them in that established universe and make use of all of that fantastic backstory and mythology.

The chance to do an assignment or a favor for creep whose list of assault victims included Joe Harris? Ugh. He may not have known prior what Allie was doing behind the scenes. But if I were in Roberson's position and found out, I'd turn it down immediately. Yet here he went posting an uncritical comment about the man, and just couldn't get a clue that it's better not to lend validity to such perverts.

And this is why these reprehensible antics have the potential to continue - because even the comics press is sweeping them under the rug, and doesn't seem very dedicated to proving they're against violence behind the scenes. The problems will never be solved if neither contributors nor press takes any kind of a solid stand, all because they're presumably afraid of being blacklisted. They just don't get that some prices are too high to pay for fame and fortune.

Labels: bad editors, indie publishers, misogyny and racism, violence