Why aren’t praised creators of the 80s and 90s on big books for the big two?

[KurtW95]

I’m not talking about those who choose not to work on big books anymore or have essentially left the industry, but those who are still very much in the game. Why should Fabian Nicieza be relegated to stuff like the Black Panther Lexus book and the Northop Grumman/Marvel book that was later cancelled? Why isn’t DC giving Marc Wolfman anything bigger than the Raven and Cyborg solos? Why hasn’t Marvel given Chris Claremont any work apart from that bit in the Wedding Special? What happened to Roger Stern, Don McGregor, J. M. DeMatteis, George Perez, Kevin Maguire, Louise and Walt Simonson, Karl Kesel, Alan Davis, David Michelinie, Bob Layton etc? Surely they couldn’t have all decided en masse to stop accepting big projects from the big two.

Feel free to correct me if any of the people I listed have chosen to stop working in comics or the big two, retired, is in a bigger position, has been at work for the big two, choose to work on smaller titles, or anything else that is due to their own volition. I wouldn’t want to mischaracterize anybody’s circumstances. Just curious as to why so many of the most talented comic creators aren’t on big titles and many mediocre nontalents are.

[MRP]

Walt Simonson is doing his own creator-owned stuff (Ragnarok) with IDW lately and seems to prefer to work at his own pace rather than deal with monthly deadlines at this point in his career, doing what he wants not what he has to do to pay the bills. Alan Davis just did a 128 page Thanos OGN with Jim Starlin for Marvel that was times to come out with the release of Infinity War so that would qualify as a big project for the big 2 as well. Maguire is doing part of the Bendis relaunch Man of Steel mini, a pretty high profile project. George Perez has been fighting health issues and has failing eyesight making it hard ofr him to do art on a deadline for a big 2 project.

But the simple answer is tastes change, especially in entertainment media. How many big name music artists from the 70s and 80s are still headliners and producing chart topping music? How many directors/screenwriters etc. from that era are still producing big projects on television or for movies for the big studios? Audiences change, tastes change, times change, and sometimes older voices don't resonate with newer audiences. Some do, and they keep getting work, others don't and fade away to make room for a new generation of creative voices. Some choose not to take part in the grind or have told all the stories they want to tell with "big" properties and want to focus on smaller stories or characters. Some no longer have networking ins with the new generation of editorial. There's no one answer and you would have to look at each individual creator's situation to find out the answer for them.

-M

[KurtW95]

Good to hear about those few, but I wouldn’t say tastes changing is really responsible for shutting them out give the reception of the newer generation of creators at large and dwindling comic sales. I’ve found that it’s not a generational thing with audiences either. Younger comic fans still gravitate towards stories of the past over the abundance of terrible stories we get now.

Are their ideas wrong for the time?

What do you mean by that?

[DrNewGod]

Good to hear about those few, but I wouldn’t say tastes changing is really responsible for shutting them out give the reception of the newer generation of creators at large and dwindling comic sales. I’ve found that it’s not a generational thing with audiences either. Younger comic fans still gravitate towards stories of the past over the abundance of terrible stories we get now.



What do you mean by that?

I don't want to speak to any specific creator Germaine to the question, because I'm interested in others' answers, rather than my own. Instead, I'll speak to a different example.

For almost all of the 1960s, it seemed Jack Kirby could do no wrong. After that (allowing for the possibility that he lacked the right co-author), what excited him seemed to excite only him (and a small audience with specific tastes; The Eternals is a particular example).

So, has the preferred creative direction of some of the 80s-90's superstars fallen out of step with today's audience?

[Mister Mets]

The 21st Century came with a cinematic widescreen style that some of the older writers weren't as adept at, so that's one reason many aren't in the biz any more.

Another factor is that they have different options. Regular comics work comes with a lot of headaches (meeting deadlines, adjusting to events, social media scrutiny) so if JM DeMatteis is offered a Hellblazer straight to DVD animated film, it makes sense for him to take it.

[comicscollector]

Jim Starlin and Alan Davis,so these are two praised creators that did comic books recently.
And props for all the stories that Gerry Conway wrote not so long ago for Marvel(Spiral storyline in Amazing Spider-Man and the last Carnage ongoing comic book)
But by the other hand there are writers like Roger Stern that i wish would write way more new comic books,he wrote a great story arc in Amazing Spider-Man back in 2010 and wrote a point one story as well.But other than that i am still waiting to know about more comic books writen by Roger Stern.
So i guess the answer vary depending of the creator we are talking about,but is disapointing to not read new comics by say Roger Stern,Chris Clameront and J.M.DeMatteis when Reading the last comics they wrote i am of the opinion that the stories are as good (If not even better) that the current comics books writen by another generation of writers.

[PaulBullion]

What do you mean by that?

Read X-Men: Gold.

[KurtW95]

Read X-Men: Gold.

What does that have to do with anything?

[Brian Cronin]

Why wasn't Arnold Drake working in the 1990s? Or Bob Kanigher? Or Bob Haney? Or Steve Ditko? Or Alex Toth? Or Curt Swan? Or Dick Ayers? Or Sheldon Moldoff?

Older creators are often replaced by newer creators. 'Tis the circle of life.

That's why it's particularly odd to be like, "Why is Marv Wolfman only writing two series in his 50th year as a comic book writer?" We should be thrilled that he is getting that much work.

[ed2962]

What does that have to do with anything?

I'm sure Paul is half joking but the artist for that title was fired for sneaking in anti-jewish and anti-christian messages into the comic.

[PaulBullion]

What does that have to do with anything?

X-Men Gold is only using ideas from the 80s and 90s and it's not working at all.

[DrNewGod]

I do not know, but I wonder about a few things:

• As established Big Names, do they demand too much money?
• Are their ideas wrong for the time?
• Has age diminished their performance? (Perez was sporting an eye patch not long ago)
• Did any of them make mortal enemies that turned out to be Important Personages?

[Kees_L]

Why aren’t praised creators of the 80s and 90s on big books for the big two?

Because those artists and creatives delivered work pretty significantly with those companies during the 1980s and 1990s already?

With as of 1992 more and more of such artists or contemporaries finding opportunities to be creating comics away from the Big Two?
During the witnessable shift or decline to advertising in print with the rise of non-printed media both as the internet since the mid-nineties?
Eventhough I've heard creatives and people having lived the 1960s state they thought photography would kill commercial art off way prior.

I'm not an expert but editors catering to getting quality creatives on board isn't happening at the Big Two, as they nowadays seem mostly
focused on redoing existing properties on TV or the big screen.
Mainly because the advertising for print or monopolizing distribution channels won't be bread and butter eversince what, 20 years already?
I'd think it wouldn't be the established legends but new talents publishers should cater to, and in case of the Big Two I hardly feel to see
any such catering altogether, but what do I know.

I would applaud the Big Two for any new titles with new and upcoming talents they could muster, but I don't feel the target audience, if
only since I enjoy buying stuff by those older generation artists, mainly. Especially non-Big-Two-type of stuff. I feel never need to read new
Batman or Spider-Man done by folks who have already thrived at doing those way back when. Do something new or at least what inspires such
artists personally the most. I still read Batman or Spider-Man, like the handful of favorites of those I can pick off a shelf if I feel like a re-read.
Of inspired new non-Big-Two stuff I haven't got everything I need just yet .

[Carabas]

I’m not talking about those who choose not to work on big books anymore or have essentially left the industry, but those who are still very much in the game. Why should Fabian Nicieza be relegated to stuff like the Black Panther Lexus book and the Northop Grumman/Marvel book that was later cancelled? Why isn’t DC giving Marc Wolfman anything bigger than the Raven and Cyborg solos? Why hasn’t Marvel given Chris Claremont any work apart from that bit in the Wedding Special? What happened to Roger Stern, Don McGregor, J. M. DeMatteis, George Perez, Kevin Maguire, Louise and Walt Simonson, Karl Kesel, Alan Davis, David Michelinie, Bob Layton etc? Surely they couldn’t have all decided en masse to stop accepting big projects from the big two.

How about they're older, wiser, and some of them richer, and while they may do the odd mini here and there for characters they really like, they'd rather drop dead than get back into the monthly deadline grind of a major Big Two book, the warring with editors etcetera. There are people in their 60's and 70's.

And of course Chris Claremont lost whatever writing ability he had about 5 years before he ended his 15-year X-Men run.

[KurtW95]

How about they're older, wiser, and some of them richer, and while they may do the odd mini here and there for characters they really like, they'd rather drop dead than get back into the monthly deadline grind of a major Big Two book, the warring with editors etcetera. There are people in their 60's and 70's.

And of course Chris Claremont lost whatever writing ability he had about 5 years before he ended his 15-year X-Men run.

Some writers may not be interested, but I’m sure plenty of them are. And I seriously can’t think of any writer today that Claremont (present version) couldn’t write under the table.