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Post by paulpogue on Jan 7, 2010 10:37:29 GMT -8
Honestly, I'm so dead-ended on trying to think of what to ask, and who, that I'm perfectly fine with Jens hitting the reset button.
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Post by jensaltmann on Jan 8, 2010 2:49:26 GMT -8
Okay. So.
Jesse, I know you already did your five. But I've come up with challenges that are simply perfect for you. You have the right to refuse to answer them and reassign these questions to someone else.
You have been given the Keys to the Kingdom: you are in (almost) complete control of Marvel Comics. Unfortunately, Joey Q has made a deal with Mephisto, so there are some things you can't change, never mind how much you might want to.
1) You can not undo OMG/BND. 2) You have to keep Brian Bendis on at least three major Marvel franchise books. 3) You have to let Mark Millar write at least one status-quo-changing-nothing-will-ever-be-the-same-again miniseries per year.
Your challenges:
1) What do you do to make Spider-Man readable again? The fans want to know. Sony wants to know, because their movies stand the risk of doing so badly that Disney might get the rights back.
2) How do you assign Brian Bendis?
3) What do you do with Mark Millar?
4) You look at all the ongoings Marvel has published in 2009 and you get to pick one to expand into a franchise. Which one, why, and how?
5) Which books do you cancel? Why?
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Post by jessebaker on Jan 8, 2010 22:16:17 GMT -8
Okay. So. Jesse, I know you already did your five. But I've come up with challenges that are simply perfect for you. You have the right to refuse to answer them and reassign these questions to someone else. You have been given the Keys to the Kingdom: you are in (almost) complete control of Marvel Comics. Unfortunately, Joey Q has made a deal with Mephisto, so there are some things you can't change, never mind how much you might want to. 1) You can not undo OMG/BND. 2) You have to keep Brian Bendis on at least three major Marvel franchise books. 3) You have to let Mark Millar write at least one status-quo-changing-nothing-will-ever-be-the-same-again miniseries per year. Your challenges: 1) What do you do to make Spider-Man readable again? The fans want to know. Sony wants to know, because their movies stand the risk of doing so badly that Disney might get the rights back. 2) How do you assign Brian Bendis? 3) What do you do with Mark Millar? 4) You look at all the ongoings Marvel has published in 2009 and you get to pick one to expand into a franchise. Which one, why, and how? 5) Which books do you cancel? Why? 1. Peter and MJ wake up married in bed (bringing them back together while not overturning OMD) after going on a bender together, move to the West Coast, and fight crime in LA with Sandman, turns out to have been a Skrull since the infamous ASM V2 #4. Peter is a photographer again (who specializes in super-hero photos), MJ is hosting a show on A&E doing bios of super-villains, and Sandman is sleeping on their couch while pursuing the Wizard, who framed him for the crime that put him on the FBI's Most Wanted List. Oh and Eddie Brock running around in a non-Venom version of the black Spider-Man costume, as "The Black Spider", fighting evil brutal vigilante-style. Lots of storylines about the super-villain sub-culture, the notion of fame and super-heroism/villainy, nerd subculture in relations to super-villainy as far as nerds looking up to super-villains as idols, and the notion that in the Marvel Universe, you have thousands of super-villains who look up to the Spider-Man villains the same way you had the Club of Villains treating Joker as super-villain royalty. 2. Bendis gets to write the following characters: A. Punisher Max (non-canon non-super-hero Punisher stories) B. Wolverine: The Japanese Years (Wolverine in Japan pre-Weapon X Project) C. Ultimate Spider-Man 3. Force Millar to write kiddie stories, banning him from doing creator owned stuff, and make him write the old Star Comics books (resurrected), with Millar's neck being crushed under complete and utter editorial control as far as making him write those books in the form of the so call "shocking, everything is going to change" style of writing that is also totally and completely neutered as far as nothing really shocking happening and them being written ONLY for kids as far as making Millar write kiddie fluff devoid of his "adult shock" material.
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Post by jensaltmann on Jan 9, 2010 0:50:12 GMT -8
That doesn't quite work, because
1 undoes OMG/BAD
and
3 violates Millar's deal with Mephisto (the mega-crossover-miniseries thing)
Other than that, I like your Spider-Man idea. If I had the Keys to the Kingdom, I'd say "make it so."
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Post by jessebaker on Jan 9, 2010 1:02:28 GMT -8
1. I took your statement as saying I couldn't outright undo the story itself, as opposed to just patching it by having Peter and MJ (re)marry and picking up where OMD left the marriage off, within the confines of BND.
2. Millar writing kids book would be my way of relaunching Star Comics within the MU, which Marvel's already doing and doing "earth shattering" X-Overs which are tightly controlled and forcibly kid friendly works since it gets people talking about those properties. Think Marvel Cosmic, which shakes a lot of stuff up, but aimed for kids who are way too young for Millar's adult-centric writing.
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Post by jensaltmann on Jan 9, 2010 1:36:45 GMT -8
1) Ah, okay. I took your opening line as opting for the Bobby Ewing in the Shower resolution. Having them remarry is definitely okay.
What about 4 and 5?
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Post by K-Box on Jan 9, 2010 1:54:31 GMT -8
Watching you two haggle over the terms of this is like watching Dethklok negotiate with the Blues Devil in Metalocalypse. Say what you will about Jesse, but with his mind for technicalities, I wouldn't want to be Mephisto facing him in a deal.
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Post by jensaltmann on Jan 9, 2010 2:14:39 GMT -8
To be honest, I was mostly disappointed. I had expected some more creativity from him. I should have given the questions to Jard, as I'd originally intended, but when I was done I thought that considering these are all Jesse's hot-button topics, his answers would be more fun.
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Post by jarddavis on Jan 13, 2010 12:15:33 GMT -8
I've been waiting my turn. Yeah. Give me my five questions. BRING THEM TO ME!
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Post by jarddavis on Jan 13, 2010 12:24:13 GMT -8
Matt Keeslar.
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Post by jessebaker on Jan 13, 2010 15:05:09 GMT -8
I'll give you your five questions Jard, after I finish Jens' questions he gave me.
I'd do a "Guardians of the Galaxy" spin-off/franchise. Gamora gets her own book, as does the Wendall Vaughn Quasar and Starhawk, so we can resolve the big dangling plotline from the 90s GOTG series regarding Eon's kid and move both X-Factor and Thunderbolts to Marvel Cosmic as far as having Nova, Baron Zemo, Songbird, Speedball/Penance, Beetle/MACH-X, and Fixer go into outer space for fun as the Thunderbolts, while moving X-Factor members Maddrox, Strong Guy, Rictor, and Shatterstar into outer space to re-hook up with Havok and Polaris as a comedy themed space book to balance out the grim and gritty space stuff.
I'd also cancel Dark Avengers and New Avengers and relaunch Avengers at the first available milestone issue (#575) of the original numbering. Cancel Deadpool's ongoing and the spin-off books so as to relaunch Marvel Team-Up with Deadpool as the core of said book.
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Post by jessebaker on Jan 13, 2010 15:53:39 GMT -8
As for Jard, here is your questions!
1. Which sport would you pick to be the designated sport that the New Avengers and the Mighty Avengers teams would play against each other, once a year every year henceforth, to the point that Bendis/Slott must sidetrack ANY storyline plans they might have as far as being made against their will to stop their storylines dead in their tracks so as to do a special gimmick X-Over once a year where both teams play each other in said sport?
2. Which male super-hero costume would you consider wear to a super-hero costume fetish party? For bonus points, domino mask or full face hood with eye/mouth hole, or full face hood with no mouth/eye hole?
3. Which do you take: the Rage Fueled Red Ring of the Red Lanterns or the Hope Inspiring Blue Ring of the Blue Lanterns?
4. How do you make Wonder Woman relevent as a character as well as truly the third most important character in the DCU behind Batman and Superman?
5. NBC hires you to cast the in the works "Law and Order: LA" and want you to cast the five main roles with sci-fi genre actors. You have to pick two male actors to play the detectives, one police captain (any gender), and two ADA/Prosecutors (one male and one female). Oh and Carrie Fischer has already been signed for the role of the District Attorney character. Who would you cast?
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Post by jarddavis on Jan 13, 2010 20:50:27 GMT -8
"1. Which sport would you pick to be the designated sport that the New Avengers and the Mighty Avengers teams would play against each other, once a year every year henceforth, to the point that Bendis/Slott must sidetrack ANY storyline plans they might have as far as being made against their will to stop their storylines dead in their tracks so as to do a special gimmick X-Over once a year where both teams play each other in said sport?"
Roller Derby.
Seriously.
"2. Which male super-hero costume would you consider wear to a super-hero costume fetish party? For bonus points, domino mask or full face hood with eye/mouth hole, or full face hood with no mouth/eye hole?"
The Comedian. Been There. Done That.
"3. Which do you take: the Rage Fueled Red Ring of the Red Lanterns or the Hope Inspiring Blue Ring of the Blue Lanterns?"
Red.
"4. How do you make Wonder Woman relevent as a character as well as truly the third most important character in the DCU behind Batman and Superman?"
I'd like to make her the second most behind Superman. I think Superman should always be number one. Batman Number 3. Because out of the 3 of them, I love it when people point out to me how's he's the most real. Yeah, cause real people walk away from Skull Fractures, Broken Backs, Multiple broken bones, gunshot wounds, stab wounds, etc, so they can go home to their untold billions, the huge mansion and the multiple gorgeous babes.
I'd hire Grant Morrison to write and Jim Lee to draw. And I'd have her kick the crap out of Batman over something, and make it look easy. There are two things Morrison can't do. He can't have her lose her powers for any reason. And he can't have her back out of a potential relationship over some stupid morality thing.
Wonder Woman as a strong role model for the 21st century woman. Able to kick the crap out of everyone but Superman, and then fuck them to death when she's done.
5. NBC hires you to cast the in the works "Law and Order: LA" and want you to cast the five main roles with sci-fi genre actors. You have to pick two male actors to play the detectives, one police captain (any gender), and two ADA/Prosecutors (one male and one female). Oh and Carrie Fischer has already been signed for the role of the District Attorney character. Who would you cast?
LA Cops... Science fiction actors. Oy.
Victoria Pratt and Malcolm Jamal Warner as the cops.
Ed Quinn and Clancy Brown as the Legal. Sorry. I'd rather go with Deborah Farentino as the DA though.
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Post by jarddavis on Jan 13, 2010 20:59:42 GMT -8
Jens...
1.) You're placed in charge of Marvel. How do you bring back readers like me to the fold, who left because of idiocy such as OMD/BND?
2.) The Kindler Gentler DCU has rape, mutilation, death, and people getting their arms ripped off willy nilly. What needs to be done to solve this dilemma
3.) You are working for one of the big two. You are told to make an event. You have four years to plot. Total control. But so much has been done before. What do you do which will draw readers and attention away from the competition?
4.) What steps does the industry take to prepare for the eventual death of the Print industry?
5.) Name a title not made by either Marvel or DC that need to be made into a series by the BBC?
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Post by jensaltmann on Jan 14, 2010 1:11:21 GMT -8
1.) You're placed in charge of Marvel. How do you bring back readers like me to the fold, who left because of idiocy such as OMD/BND? The easy way would be to let Warren do that end times mini and use that as a launching pad to reboot the MU. But as we've seen with DC several times, that's only a short term solution. I would start out by hiring Jim Shooter as an editorial consultant. In my opinion, Marvel was best under his reign. I'd also stop the gimmick creator thing. Bendis and Millar would find themselves out of work, because I think they exemplify what's wrong with the industry. The same goes for all those TV- and movie writers. Unless they bring a solid understanding of the characters and solid storytelling, they can work for Dark Horse or IDW. I'd make the editors do their job. There's a hot superstar artist who works for us who can't meet deadlines? Don't put him on a monthly book (indeed, only use such people on monthlies who can deliver good work on schedule), have them exclusively on minis and don't solicit until that mini is actually in the bag. Restore the readers' faith in getting good product when they expect it. Also, no more writing for the trade. I don't care how long a storyline is, so long as it flows naturally. Shooter's "maximum 2 issues" rule is too restrictive, but the current "pad it to 6 issues minimum" goes too far into the opposite direction. (As much as I like Brubaker's Cap, I'd also tell him to occasionally end a story instead of Claremonting.) Finally, I'd declare a moratorium on events. No big "nothing-will-ever-be the-same" for a year or two. The creative teams on the respective books get that time to get their act together and really thrill the readers with what they're doing -- instead of having to interrupt their plans all the time in order to cater to eventitis. When the events return, I'd have them on a somewhat smaller scale. No company-wide crossovers, but somewhat more limited in execution. All in all, I think that this would result in less flashy but more solid storytelling. I would expect to lose readers during the first couple of months, but by getting the creators out to tell people of the new creative approach, and with the buzz that I expect the more storytelling- and reader-friendly approach will generate, the long run should be more profitable. From what I gather, DC is already addressing the problem with their planned JLI relaunch and their Brightest Day event. Generally, I'd go back from the grim & gritty, and have the heroes remember they're heroes. While I don't like the fact that Barry Allen is back, he would be the perfect lynchpin for the realignment. "I didn't die for this!" and "Barry Allen, you have the ability to inspire great hope..." If they actually do what they said, Flash will be a Silver Age hero in a grim & gritty world. I would move things in a direction where his example reminds the other heroes what being a hero is all about. I'll get back to you on this. This requires more thinking. What the industry needs is a business model for digital sales and distribution. Right now, the problem is that they are all so afraid of digital piracy that all digital models have massive DRM restrictions. It means that reading digital comics is a bother for the reader, because they can't easily put them on their mobile devices to read on the bus or in the waiting room or wherever. The catch to this one is that we're actually actively involved in something that I think might be one answer. I don't know if you've heard of Alex Decampi's Valentine series. www.valentinethecomic.comAkiko translates it into Japanese, that's our involvement. I think Alex is on the right path with this one, and the comics industry as a whole should keep an eye on what she does and expand on that concept. BBC? Oi. I have no idea what kind of stuff BBC do. (Do they do Doctor Who?) I'm picking one of my old favorites here that I think wouldn't be too difficult to adapt to a TV format: Delta 99. It's a Spanish comic from the 1970s, about a spy from outer space who teams up with a female Chinese pirate. Think Star Trek's Gary Seven, from Assignment Earth. smurfswacker.blogspot.com/2009/06/carlos-gimenez-early-years.html
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