How To Character Assassinate A Comic Creator

 

A few posts back we had a video on Don Simpson's X-Amount Of Comics

https://hoopercomicart.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-lost-1963-annual-x-amount-of-comics.html

I decided to have another look at it and not sure why I missed it the first time, probably lack of interest, but it reads as a nasty, spiteful dig at Alan Moore over the whole Image Comics 1963 fiasco which, quite clearly was down to Jim Lee and others. I write that as I checked online and anyone discussing the series is pointing at Moore as the problem. Yeah, Jim Lee is pure, sweet and innocent and not in it for the dollar.

I really hate having to do another post on Moore but I think we are seeing the problems surfacing that have become part of modern comics. 

DC Comics and Marvel Comics editors having arguments with Rob Liefeld and saying "He will never work for us again!!" then a month or two later all smiles as they welcome "Good ole Rob" back to the DC/Marvel team. The arguments were all staged and fake as hell. Playing the comic readers for all they could and no one questioned all of this?

Fantagraphic Books is the publisher of Simpson's nasty swipe at Moore and we know how Fantagraphic's feels about Moore. 

Full disclosure here; I created and wrote two best selling and multiple printings series/comic albums and graphic novels for Fantagraphic's under their Eros Comix banner. They have no respect for a signed contract, will argue, lie and cheat -ie "First printing in English language" rights became multiple reprints without consulting the creators as per contract and even selling foreign rights editions which they had no legal right to do without creators approval. Complain and "Oh, more Hooper hyperbole!" or, once, "F*** off!" And add to that neither I nor the artist of one book or family of the other, has received a cent in royalties from Fantagraphics in over a decade. "People in glass houses" as the expression goes. 

The book itself can be seen as a direct attack on Moore -the name "Al" is used as well as images showing who is being slated here. I liked Simpson's artwork but this book the distraction was the nastiness and it ruined what was looking to be a fun read.  Not that I think this was intended to be fun unless you like slating Moore. And the suggestion that certain comic creators get a big ego is something that boomerangs back at Simpson in this book. The ego has it.

Over all I was sitting here and stumped as to why I had not noticed this all before? The double helping of Johnny Covid? The tons of books I have to review meaning that books I am not reviewing I was not concentrating on?

There is a saying that "we like to build up our idols then tear them down...the nastier the better" and it seems to apply here. The amount of arse-licking Moore when it came to Marvelman/Miracleman and Watchmen is similar to what music and movie stars get. But, oh, once you are no longer new you have to be torn down, spat and stamped on. I was going to give some examples but if you are on the internet you see it daily or weekly and it is all done so that the target of all of this finds it best to stay silent because even "Hi" will be used against them.

Look at Jim Lees career in comics. Not squeaky clean and every move deliberate to make money or take control for self gratification no matter who gets shafted. Good artist but... and there are numerous others both old editors and new who have their cults re-write their parts in comics so they become the "saviours" of the comic industry. Again, if you know anything about the comics industry you know what I am talking about -UK or USA.

"all comic book creators think they're geniuses...a little fan adulation, and they be3come pretentious, insufferable!"

Well written Simpson. Say, have you looked in a mirror at all?

As for huge amounts of money being paid out; the comics industry has a very long, sad and depressing history of comic creators being cheated, ripped off, paid fuck all while some crooked publisher does his dirty deal. How many well off comic creators are there? Not many. How many super rich comic creators? You count them! Moore from what I can find out was not paid a fortune in the case of 1963 and that's where I'm leaving this.

Comics should be fun but things like this sicken me.