From Batman, to Batwoman, to Wonder Woman and Wolverine, I’ve been a big fan of Greg Rucka’s work at DC and Marvel. Shamefully I haven’t really read his indie stuff like Queen & Country and Stumptown.
I suppose I better get on that, because for the foreseeable future indie stuff is all Rucka’s going to be doing — he’s quit both DC and Marvel and seems pretty intent on burning his bridges with both. Greg Rucka recently did an interview with Mark Millar’s CLiNT magazine, and he didn’t mince words about his dissatisfaction with both DC and Marvel comics. Hit the jump for some quotes…
Most of Rucka’s ire seems to be directed at DC.
“I’ve reached the end of my Work For Hire rope. I’m enjoying The Punisher, but that’s not mine, it’s Marvel’s, and l knew that going in. I have spent a lot of my comics career in service of other masters, – and I’ve had enough of that for now. I’m sick to death of the way the Big Two treat people.
I gave seven very good years to DC and they took gross advantage of me. That’s partially my fault, but not entirely. At this point, I see no reason why I should have to put up with that, I can sink or swim on my own.
Dan DiDio has gone on record, and this is the same man that said Gotham Central would never be cancelled as long as he was there, telling people what a great book Gotham Central was, but it never made any money.
Well, take a look at your trade sales! That book has made nothing but money as a trade. What I’m now being told is, ”lt was never worth anything to us anyway.”So, you know what? They can stop selling the Batwoman: Elegy trade and stop selling the Wonder Woman trades and everything else I’ve done, because clearly I’ve not done anything of service and those guys aren’t making any money off me.”
DC isn’t Rucka’s only target though — he’s also upset at Marvel over how his run on Punisher was handled.
“My run on Punisher ends on #16, and we are then doing a five-issue mini called War Zone and then I’m done. That’s it! The Powers-That-Be at Marvel, without talking to me, decreed that he’s going to join a team on another book.
That’s their choice, they own him, but I don’t have to be happy about it. I am glad I had the opportunity to work on the character and I’m proud of the work I’ve done.”
Finally, Rucka diagnoses what’s wrong with the Big Two…
“You are seeing a grotesque Hollywoodisation of the two main companies. There was at least a period where I felt that the way they wanted to make money was by telling the best story they could; now the quality of the work matters less than that the book comes out. There is far less a desire to see good work be done.
Despite what the publishers say, their interest in the talent is minimal now, the interest is only in promoting the financial worth of their properties. That was not the case as of two or three years ago, when there was an ‘Exclusives war’, but that’s all gone by the wayside now. Ultimately, they are saying, “We don’t need you,’ because they can get a million more just like you.
For every person who passes on the opportunity to write Spider-Man or Superman, I guarantee there are 5000 hungry writers who would give their eyeteeth to do it. But just because they want to do it, it doesn’t mean they are capable of doing it.”
So yeah, guess it’s time to catch up on Queen & Country for me.
via Bleeding Cool