Wow! There sure is consternation over at the cool kids’ table! It’s like the yearbook editor got nominated for homecoming queen, or something.
I’m talking, of course, about some creator reaction to Michael Chabon’s keynote speech at the 2004 Eisner Awards. Graeme McMillan has thoughtfully excerpted some Millarworld remarks from Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar, and others who seem to be striking a shockingly defensive posture.
Their primary gripe, it seems, is Chabon’s suggestion that the comic book industry, having struggled somewhat successfully for respect and a more mature audience, might actually try writing some great comics for kids again. One can easily wonder if they actually read or listened to what Chabon was saying.
Millar suggests that, “Bottom line: Kids don’t want to read this stuff. Old men do.” Which was precisely Chabon’s point… that not enough is being produced that kids would like, not that DC should solicit Watchmen Babies or Dark Knight: The Jhoto Journeys.
Bendis seems a bit disjointed in his remarks. He says comics aren’t too expensive, and follows this contention by saying how much his neighbor kids love to read his complimentary copies. So, unless he’s selling his comps to his neighbor kids at retail price, I don’t see how one follows the other. (And comparing the pricing of a largely disposable entertainment like comics with video games that can offer dozens of hours of diversion doesn’t really stand up that well, either.)
Millar again:
“What’s patronizing to me, Bendis and Hitch here is that Chabon has sold 18,000 copies of his creator-owned book (The Escapist) and is telling everyone this is what the market really wants. We’re out there on the front lines every day (doing this as a full-time job) and taking these books to a genuine mainstream audience.”
Seething hatred of the hyperbolic use of “out there on the front lines” aside, I think he’s missed Chabon’s point entirely. Chabon isn’t calling for the discontinuation of what’s on the market now, and he’s not saying it’s illegitimate. He’d just like to see a wider range of product that can bring new, young readers in the door. (And what entertainment genre doesn’t want to include young people in its audience? What smart one, anyways?)
Here’s what I see as Chabon’s central message in the speech: creators should write stories they love and believe in. They should think about storytelling before sales, crafting the best comics they can and worrying about marketing and demographics later.
It’s fascinating to me that Bendis and Millar would have such a hostile response to this message. But, then, I’m kind of a bitch.