quote:Announced today during the Cup O' Joe panel at Wizard World Chicago (coverage to come shortly), Marvel Comics unveiled a new company initiative dubbed the Young Guns. Simply put, the company has identified six up-and-coming artists who will help pave the way of Marvel's future. CBR News spoke with Marvel Comics Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada to learn more about the initiative, its origins and which artists make up the Young Guns.
"The Young Guns initiative is quite simple," Quesada told CBR News earlier this week. "Over the last year or so I've been noticing a wave of young artist coming through the door who just have this particular vibe, a certain energy, you know, that X factor that you just can't define, that makes a future superstar penciler. It's that magic that you feel when you first see someone like J. Scott Campbell or Travis Charest. You know these are talents who, with proper career management, will be the next super stars to drive fans to the stores, fill our books with excitement and keep retailer's registers ringing. To be quite honest I don't think I've seen a current wave of talent like this since the early nineties."
The artists making up the Young Guns are Jimmy Cheung, Olivier Copiel, David Finch, Trevor Hairsine, Adi Granov and Steve McNiven. Each artist is exclusive to Marvel. Quesada talked briefly about each artist.
"...I can't tell you how proud I am of this first group," said Quesada. "You'll also notice that a few of the names on this list aren't exactly brand new guys to the industry, so let me explain.
[snip]
"Olivier Copiel: Since day one at Marvel I coveted having this guy on our team. Another one of the best-kept secrets in comics. Olivier was working for another publisher and I kept shaking my head because I knew he was being miss cast and placed on books not worthy of his A list talent. Books that no one was reading. As soon as he became available we snapped him up and you've only seen the very tip of what he can do. His upcoming issues on Uncanny are going to be the breakthrough book he's needed.
Arrogant son of a bitch! If I wind up droping Marvel titles all together, it'll be because of the bastard running the place. Yeah, Olivier is good but he got that way by working on the Legion. You can't tell me, back when Legion of the Damned was being done, that Quesada would've give Olivier a second look.
He wants to call anything unworthy he needs to look at the crap they are going to be calling the Avengers or most of their X titles.
From: Utah | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Lightning Lad: Arrogant son of a bitch! If I wind up droping Marvel titles all together, it'll be because of the bastard running the place. Yeah, Olivier is good but he got that way by working on the Legion. You can't tell me, back when Legion of the Damned was being done, that Quesada would've give Olivier a second look.
He wants to call anything unworthy he needs to look at the crap they are going to be calling the Avengers or most of their X titles.
quote:DC VP Sales and Marketing Bob Wayne said: “It was mentioned at this panel that DC had turned down a Batman/Daredevil crossover, and that DC didn’t want to publish it. In the course of the conversation between Brian and me, it was clarified that actually DC would love to be able to co-publishing various projects with Marvel, but we’re looking for a change in Marvel’s management team prior to going ahead with any new projects.”
Asked if Bendis comments about DC President and Publisher Paul Levitz objection to doing the project specifically due to Marvel’s Editor in Chief Joe Quesada were what Wayne meant by “management team,” Wayne said, “I certainly wouldn’t want to argue with Brian. It seems that Brian would be a very astute observer. Again, we’d love to do a crossover with Marvel, but we’ll have to wait until there’s a change in management.”
Looks like DC agree with ye.
[ August 13, 2004, 07:31 PM: Message edited by: Sanity or Madness? ]
-------------------- My views are my own and do not reflect those of everyone else... and I wouldn't have it any other way.
posted
Well, of course Quesada's gonna say that -- he's promoting Marvel after all.
And to be honest, he wasn't totally off-base. When Coipel and DnA signed on, remember that the Legion was on the cusp of being cancelled. "Legion Lost" helped bring the title back as a regular, but I don't think the numbers were necessarily stellar when "The Legion" debuted.
But I agree though, that it was his Legion work that made him who he is.
From: New York, NY | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
Wait till Grey sees this...
From: Turn around... | Registered: Jul 2003
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
Wasn't it Geoff John's influence that led to Coipel being hired by Marvel anyway? This "I always had my eye on him" kind of crap seems like massive revisionism.
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
All I know is that this is the same Quesada who, initially started trimming down the 'X-line' because it was (and I agree, to an extent) too populated. So what's his answer now, years later, when the books are still selling? Solo series for everyone! Oy, my pockets. And dead means dead? Nah, that doesn't apply to big, super-star writers. This is one fellow who needs to stick to his guns on certain company issues and not be so up-tight while dealing with other, more multi-company events.
The ironic thing is, if these guys are so coveted, why keep spiriting them away to different books? I know Coipel has his scheduling problems, but they didn't even let him crank more than, what, two arcs out on Avengers before shipping him to Uncanny? I can see something similar happening to him there with how rotating artists have worked on that book. Coipel IS a good artist (I personally love his work), and I don't think he and Marvel's other "Young Guns" should be constantly shipped around to dazzle every book of their talent. Let them find their own niche, like it looks like Jim Cheung will get with "Young Avengers." ...unless he catches Marvel Penciller syndrome himself and leaves after the first story arc.
Just a rambling soapbox; I apologize. Hopefully I didn't sound too offensive to any Joe Q supporters.
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
I gotta agree, "not worthy" is a bit of a slur, and a man in Qesada's position should know better than to casually alienate his customers like that. Yet it IS modern advertising technique to rudely slander the competition while preaching the lowfat/locarb/added fiber wholsomeness of your own product. A sad thing isn't it?
I'll bet his Spiderman would look really cool. -Spiderman the Damned-
From: Smallville Sector : Greater Metropolis | Registered: Jun 2004
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posted
Let me profess that I can admire aspects of Copiel's work, but I think it is ENORMOUSLY over-rated: his story-telling needs drastic improvement, and his anatomy is wildly inconsistent, even on the same page.
But regarding Quesada's comments...
quote: "Olivier Copiel: Since day one at Marvel I coveted having this guy on our team.
This is a poorly worded statement. Whose "day one"? Quesada's or Copiel's? Obviously, Quesada's "day one at Marvel" came way before Legion of the Damned. Does he mean then Copiel's "day one at Marvel"? How can you covet someone when he's already on your team? I guess Quesada means since Copiel's first work on "Legion of the Damned" (how about learning how to express yourself clearly, Joe?).
I'm willing to agree with EDE and regard this statement as revisionist..., but then again, maybe Quesada looked at Copiel's work on "Legion of the Damned" and "Legion Lost" and saw a diamond in the rough, someone who can be a star in the industry if given the appropriate book. It sure took Marvel long enough to sign Copiel exclusively to them.
If Quesada has been reading Copiel since "day one," does this mean that Quesada is in the habit of reading EVERY DC title? Why would he bother reading DC books that "no one was reading"?
quote:Olivier was working for another publisher and I kept shaking my head because I knew he was being miss cast and placed on books not worthy of his A list talent. Books that no one was reading.
On one hand, I dismiss this statement as typical Quesada pissing on DC, and typical Quesada stroking the egos of his artists.
And of course, the statement is going to rub us here at Legionworld the wrong way...,
but the statement is NOT inaccurate, really.
He's right. Sales on "Legion of the Damned" and "Legion Lost" and "The Legion" were relatively poor. Sanity produced the data a few months ago. No issue of "Legion of the Damned" sold more than 18,400 copies. No issue of "Legion Lost" sold more than 22,500 copies. No issue of "The Legion" drawn by Copiel sold more than 26,000 copies.
That's poor.
So, again, Quesada may have pissed on our favorite mag, but he isn't off-base.
-------------------- Omega Chase, available in stores in September: http://th3rdworld.com/comics.php
From: Long Island, NY | Registered: Apr 2004
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
I agree that the "nobody was reading" comment really wasn't that inaccurate, considering Legion sales.
What I find strange, however, is the notion that hot artists need to be put on the most popular titles. Aren't artists suppposed to draw in readers? If Coipel's so damn good, why does he have to be put on the title that everyone's already reading in order for anyone to notice what he's doing?
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: If Coipel's so damn good, why does he have to be put on the title that everyone's already reading in order for anyone to notice what he's doing?
Yeah, I agree, but I can understand why publishers want to place "top talent" on their best books in order to maintain value and profit. Inversely, as a publisher, you wouldn't want to place inexperienced writers and artists on Batman or Superman or X-Men or Spider-man, would you? Yes, maybe the titles "sell themselves" to a great extent, but poor quality in story and art will drive readers away.
I love the stories from the late 60s and early 70s of artists asking to be assigned to the worst-selling books in order to see how much they can improve sales on those books. In the late 60s when Neal Adams moved from DC to Marvel, Stan Lee wanted him to draw Avengers, but Adams asked he first wanted to tackle their worst-selling book in order to get his feet wet in the "Marvel style." When Adams asked Lee what book was about to get cancelled, Lee responded, "X-Men." 'Nuff said.
Similarly in the early 70s, Jack Kirby attached himself to Jimmy Olson in order to prove to himself that his work can sell comics.
-------------------- Omega Chase, available in stores in September: http://th3rdworld.com/comics.php
From: Long Island, NY | Registered: Apr 2004
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
quote:Originally posted by capt._dallas:
quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: If Coipel's so damn good, why does he have to be put on the title that everyone's already reading in order for anyone to notice what he's doing?
Yeah, I agree, but I can understand why publishers want to place "top talent" on their best books in order to maintain value and profit. Inversely, as a publisher, you wouldn't want to place inexperienced writers and artists on Batman or Superman or X-Men or Spider-man, would you? Yes, maybe the titles "sell themselves" to a great extent, but poor quality in story and art will drive readers away.
Agreed. But note that that's exactly the opposite spin from which Joe Q is putting on the situation. He's not proclaiming the benefits as far as keeping Uncanny top notch, he's proclaiming it as a benefit for Coipel, to get his work the attention it deserves.
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: He's not proclaiming the benefits as far as keeping Uncanny top notch, he's proclaiming it as a benefit for Coipel, to get his work the attention it deserves.
Good point.
-------------------- Omega Chase, available in stores in September: http://th3rdworld.com/comics.php
From: Long Island, NY | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
I guess in this day and age of moving to greener pastures, I can understand why Marvel would get Oli. Heck, the guy learned the ropes on the Legion issues he did. Just when he was getting better, Marvel swoops him in from under DC's noses. It wasn't as if DC was offering him an exclusive.
Thing is, Marvel has a knack for getting great artists. Trevor Hairsine, Stuart Immonen, the guy doing the DOC SPECTRUM mini-series, John Cassaday (tho not exclusively). I guess with most of their titles skating on thin ice as far as stories are concerned, it's much easier to divert people's attention by making something up like this "Young Guns" gimmick.
As always, time will tell.
-------------------- Igee The Mighty!
From: Manila, The Philippines | Registered: Jul 2003
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