Subcultural engagement for the 21st Century...
Barbelith is a new kind of community (find out more)...
You can login or register.

Was There Pressure to Get the Last “Invisibles” Done on Schedule?

Chuckling Duck

14:47 / 14.08.01

I’m waiting impatiently for the concluding issue of Alan Moore’s Top Ten. It’s taking a loooong time to finish, presumably because the creators want to get it all just right. That’s fine with me, ‘cause I’d rather have it done right than done on time.

Anyway, I got to thinking about all the art problems in that last issue of the Invisibles. Does anyone know if Morrison & co. were forced to compromise on quality in order to get it out on time?

Sandfarmer

14:53 / 14.08.01

I never got the feeling that Morrison was rushed for the deadline. He did have a self imposed goal to meet (having the final issue land in 2000) but I just don't see him as the type of writer that rushes to meet editor's deadlins. (If so, I would expect his track record would be better.)

However, I do think the production of the last few issues was rushed. Not so much the artists themselves but the editors in assembling the thing. The only thing I think was rushed artisticly was probably the colors. Vozzo had done a fine job on the series up to that point but the last few issues (with the exception of the final issue) were just horrible.

That just my opinion as a reader, I don't have any behind the scenes info. Cameron Stewart might shed a little light on this for you.

Our Lady of The Two Towers

15:51 / 15.08.01

Didn't Phil Jiminez quit because he was irritated with Morrison's scripts being late?

Sandfarmer

17:52 / 15.08.01

Not that I know of. I don't think there was any plan for Jiminez to do anything on vol. 3. He was pretty busy with a bunch of Titan's stuff at the time I think.

The final issue by Frank Quitely was great. Not rushed at all I don't think. Maybe not his absolute best work but still damn good.

Saint Keggers

19:17 / 15.08.01

I really enjoyed the first volume but found that quality in the other 2 was dissapating the closer we got to the final issue. It seemed like he was trying to get too much into a limmited amount of pages. I think that he could have expanded it into at least 2 more volumes.

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

00:37 / 16.08.01

I think that the constantly changing artist problem hurt the series over time. And while many issues seemed rushed, I wonder if it more that the artist didn't quite get everything that was in the scripts.

And it was my understanding that Jimenez quit comics altogether for a time and that was why he left the Invisibles. It was never a book that payed royalties.

rizla mission

10:48 / 16.08.01

I think the whole 12 issues countdown-to-the-millenium thing crippled volume 3.

Deserved about twice as many issues and less of the ropey artwork in the last few.

Tiki's Sifting Jewel Mansion

16:03 / 16.08.01

quote:Originally posted by Rizla Year Zero:
Deserved about twice as many issues and less of the ropey artwork in the last few.

I agree with the twice as many issues. Possibly three or four times as many issues, and I'd still be reading it.

But what do you mean by "ropey artwork?" Does this mean you didn't like all the different artistest near the end? If so, I think all the different styles was supposed to symbolize the multiplicity of reality and all that.

If that's not what you meant, at least I got to write a big sentence like multipilicity of reality.

…

sleazenation

16:58 / 16.08.01

issues 12-5 of vol 3 were fantastic-- in fact they were what convinced me to get into the invisibles after being really dissappointed by the first two first issues.

the artist jam was a brave experiment that was interesting until issue two where the quality of some of the artwork really hindered its ability to service the script.

Our Lady of The Two Towers

13:39 / 18.08.01

quote:Originally posted by Sandfarmer:
Not that I know of. I don't think there was any plan for Jiminez to do anything on vol. 3. He was pretty busy with a bunch of Titan's stuff at the time I think.

Didn't mean that. My understanding was that Jiminez was initially supposed to do all of series 2 but got pissed off because Morrison was always turning his scripts in late so that meant Jiminez had less time to do the art and got Weston to help with the finishes. He eventually decided 'enough is enough' and quit, and Weston took over full art duties.

Sandfarmer

11:48 / 19.08.01

I've actually read Jiminez say that Morrison's scripts were some of his favorite to work off because they are so detailed but that he did usually get them late and was under a lot of pressure. I've never heard hims say anything unfavorable about GM though. If you remember back to the time Vol. 2 and 3 were being done, that's pretty much the same time Jiminez started following in George Perez's footsteps and started getting a lot of mini-series and cover art work in the mainstream DCU. I'd say the guy got to busy and had to go where the money was. It paid off for him. Now he's got Wonder Woman pretty much all to himself and its great.

H3ct0r L1m4

01:04 / 31.08.01

--Didn't Phil Jiminez quit because he was irritated with Morrison's scripts being late?--

Yes, Jimenez actually stated this in his http://www.sequentialtart.com intreview, as far as I remember. Morrison was also writing JLA, Flash (with Millar) and Vampirella at the time, so scripts were really late.

Add Your Reply