Jimmy Palmiotti has more comic book credits
under his belt than can be sensibly listed in a sidebar biography.
He's done lots. Trust us. We don't lie. Much.
Notable amongst the above mentioned credits
are: Co-creator of 21Down, The Resistance,
Gatecrasher, Ash, and Painkiller Jane. Editor
and founder of Marvel Knights, working on Daredevil,
Black Panther, Punisher, Killraven, and
The Inhumans. Writer/co-writer on Beautiful Killer
and Superboy.
Jimmy is also one of the comic industry's
most popular ink artists, having put his pen to Superman, Batman, Catwoman, Midnight Mass, Codename ; Knockout, Sci -Spy, Punisher, Nick Fury, Brotherhood, and many, many more.
Justin Gray has been extremely lucky in
that he has managed to slide his way into a number of exciting
and interesting situations for which he was distressingly under
qualified. He traveled to the mountains of the Dominican Republic
and mined amber with the local people, spending his nights partying
on the balconies of Santa Domingo. Along with eccentric inventor
Roy Larimer, Justin has delivered previously undiscovered species
of insects to the curator of entomology at American Museum of
Natural Histrory.
Currently Justin is co-creator and co-writer
of 21Down and The Resistance, with Jimmy Palmiotti,
as well as being co-writer of Chastity Re-imagined from
Chaos! Comics.
His upcoming projects include a piece of
sequential fiction for the official Matrix
Movie Website with artist JG Jones.
The year is 2002. We are in the infancy of a new century, one already defining itself as a period of significant and violent change, but we keep looking back over our shoulder at the last century as if to make certain it is still there.
We know that each decade and generation attempts to reorganize itself by means of setting up distinct values, global views and aspirations, endorsing certain careers and life-goals, styles of clothing, music and so on. However, we’re not there yet. Our temporal identity is in development.
Classical philosophy characterizes nostalgia in terms of its relationship with melancholy and humor. It was seen at one time as a pathological sickness, a spiritual and physical deficiency resulting in the withdrawal from modern social customs. It was Kant, writing in 1764, who identified nostalgia as a virtue, as a force, which thrust the individual to seek out knowledge and ultimately develop new creations.
If one looks to the dictionary for nostalgia there are three clear definitions: "Nostalgia. 1. A sentimental yearning for a period of the past. 2. Regretful or wistful memory of an earlier time. 3. Severe homesickness." The first two definitions are outlined above whilst the third neglects the sociological importance of nostalgia.
Yea, but you’re wondering what does this have to do with comics…
We generally expect that our entertainment will “reflect the times” good and bad, by offering up visions that we as a society can identify with. The largest commercial success is something that everyone can relate to in some form. If this is true, then what does it say about the current trend in retro-entertainment?
In terms of defining a Temporal Culture Loop we see that certain themes and products return again and again regardless of a specific generations ideology. What was old is new again in some variant form. Sometimes these themes are repackaged as in the case of the upcoming Treasure Planet, an animated reworking of R.L Stevenson’s Treasure Island, now set in space.
Having researched the recent buying trends in Hollywood for the month of July, I have seen a spike in the green lighting of re-makes. In January of this year there was an ad campaign from Pepsi featuring Britney Spears in a series of decade encompassing commercials. As I understand it Adidas is launching what amounts to retro sneakers under the title of “classic” possibly reviving the fat laces and 80’s style. Everywhere you look there are examples of this reaching back for content.
Relating to comics, that’s why you’re here I suppose; we see a wave of nostalgia pouring into the market. Transformers, Battle of the Planets, GI Joe, Micronauts, Snake Plissken and so forth have begun in earnest. The general reaction is one of familiarity, a connection to a time when these properties embodied childhood fantasies. That childhood can be seen as a time of limited responsibility, expanded freedom and a sense of carelessness that is, as we get older, replaced with a 40-hour workweek, extensive bills, increased stress and a restriction on personal freedom.
One could say that there are no new ideas being offered up, that entertainment companies lack the vision to strike out in new and unexpected directions. One could say that the corporate finance behind the industry prefers a proven formula for profit to the risk of untested ideas. Partially and in far too many cases this is true. However, by stepping back to view the historical perspective, this can be seen as a desperate need for the familiar as we take our first steps into the new century.
It is redundant to say these are “times of uncertainty”. All time is uncertain. The world has already changed and will continue to change rapidly as war with Iraq seems to be inevitable; bioengineering is picking apart our DNA and offering up the eventuality that we can redesign ourselves as something more than human.
Realize that at some point everything around you now, will become someone’s nostalgic memories. Your grandchildren will remember with fondness when cell phones were portable devices and not neural implants capable of conference calls even while waterskiing. They might rummage through garage sales searching for dumb machines, simple household items that lack the ability to speak or adjust to your personal schedule, in much the same way people search for vinyl records now.
Every generation looks back at what came before and imagines that it was better, cleaner, and safer. Unfortunately, each generation felt the same about the decade before and the decade before that. Rewinding, culturally, to a point before 911 is a natural reaction, one further compounded by the entering of a new century, but it won’t last long, it never does. Eventually you’ll make your peace with the past. Change is coming. Embrace it. Make it yours.
Rather than looking back at a world that no longer exists, why not create a new future, one that outshines all others in its creativity and beauty? The past exists as a tool of learning not as a blueprint for tomorrow.
-Justin Gray 8-13-02
This past May, the weekend Spider-Man opened in fact, Amanda (Conner) and I were at the annual licensing show at the Jacob Javitz center in N.Y.C. Our purpose for being there was to sell some of our non-comicbook properties to interested parties in the film and television industry. Some were animation ideas and TV series proposals and so on, but each one offered a new perspective and attitude. Because we are fortunate to have some degree of reputation in the comics industry, we lined up a number of meetings with various studio heads almost immediately. With pride, excitement and determination, we hit each meeting, showing the work we have amassed during the previous year. At each meeting we were greeted with the same response, “We are looking for established icon characters…things that already have a built in audience”.
Translation: a guaranteed formula based leeching off the success of others. Not very creative.
You know what they offered us as viable properties just waiting to astound and thrill new audiences - The Smurfs and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. These properties were repeatedly tossed in our faces and, to be honest, it depressed both of us. In their minds, the studio heads, the audience and market are so limited that all they want is a constant rehashing of old, retread properties. Either that, or no one in the film and TV business believes the industry can give them something of value. Why leave the safety zone and experiment on finding the next big thing? Well…I didn’t have to look far to understand this trend or why they might see us that way. Here in our own business we are stuck in the same place and happy as hell to keep going back to the same old same old.
Just like Justin has said above…the top books are the same old thing. Different writers, different artists, but the same old mutants and revamped costumes. And what’s new and exciting? Some old 80’s shows brought back into comic form…oh god, please, don’t get me wrong, I love that these books are so hot. In some way they can translate into new readers and market expansion, but what is that saying to the people that ask us to create?
Lets look at the top 100 for the month of June and look at what new ideas are out there, something that isn’t an established superhero or a TV spin-off. Lets look at something totally new, less than a year old. Here is the total list out of 100 books that fall into that category; Call of Duty, Alias, The Filth, The Hood, Ruse and The Path. So out of 100 books that sell between 20,000 and 131,000 copies, we have only seven percent of that market share dedicated new books. Think about that…where do all the new ideas go? Fewer than 20,000 copies barely break even for the publishers. This is so pathetic…but it reflects what Justin has made note of…nostalgia, the safe zone and more importantly the need for innovation.
The lack of vision here is rapidly becoming an issue for you to think about and act on. Clearly the department heads are looking to shovel the redesigned material you’ve always known is there. You, the readers, the buying audience decide what gets placed on the shelves. If having five more mutant comics or Avengers yellow is all you want, I fear I am wasting time here. If you want comics to grow up and offer you new visions, well, you are going to have to cut your comic umbilical cord and try something new. Stop living in the past. Drop a book that is offering you the same old crap and give something new a try, see what everyone else is talking about and try another company, a smaller publisher, a different genre…hell, order something besides a burger for a change. If you want to see a new generation of readers helping to fuel this industry, then start acting the part. Demand something besides nostalgia; let your voice be heard.
