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I don't know how many of you read the increasingly repetitive Savant each week. I began reading it ages ago, back when it was helmed by a troika of guys and seemingly given validation by the then-golden hand of Warren Ellis.
Savant talked a lot about how modern comics are embarrassing. How they say little, nobody reads them and how, generally, any of us could probably do it better. One of these moaners was a guy called Matt Fraction. And - possibly because of his bitching - he was finally given the chance to put his money where his mouth was. He was given the opportunity to write a comic and have it published.
That comic was Rex Mantooth: Kung Fu Gorilla. It was embarrassing, said nothing, didn't sell and, generally, any of us could probably do better. It was, to me, a mark of the difference between the fan and the professional, made all the more painful because, having finally been given the opportunity to set an example, Fraction wrote about a fighting ape.
But somehow Fraction wound up creating a name for himself. He won exposure through a (massively self-indulgent) column at Comic Book Resources. Larry Young, recently accused of being increasingly hostile toward fans and other professionals, gave him a multi-book deal despite closing his company to submissions.
In short, Fraction parlayed his internet fame into professional work - apparently based solely on his name and online following rather than his IMO incredibly shaky writing resume.
Now, I don't know Matt Fraction; as a person, I have no opinion about him. I don't want this thread to be about him. I am using him as an example, one that raises a bunch of questions.
Do fans necessarily make good writers? Is it true that the only comic readers left are those who want to break into the business?
How has the accessibility of professionals online blurred the line between fan and pro? Does the internet level the playing field, making a Michael Doran equal to a Joe Quesada?
How does the cult of personality that springs up around internet presences (fan or professional) impact comics?
Does it really remain a question of who you know, rather than skill? Is this why Joe Casey continues to find work?
Is online comics criticism seen as a way to advance one's career rather than its own end (Fraction, the Pop Image book, the swelling number of column collections)? |
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