Teeth Come Out

In the last two weeks the teeth have come out.

You know the ones. Those familiar pearly-whites, the ones that can be flashed through a smile, hiding greed or pity. The ones gritted with rage and want. Even the ones that are a threat of things to come, like sharks in the water.

Come to think of it, if I ever see Alan Moore smiling, I should probably run.

Lawsuits abound and fans frustrated, I find myself willingly putting on blinders as I try to focus on the roots of creativity, but at current there's a fair amount of ill-will circling my favorite industry. Personally, I look forward to Before Watchmen. DC has assembled a talented pool of writers and artists for the prequel series and even if they're terrible (some might be, some won't) it certainly won't affect my enjoyment of the original material. What Moore and Gibbons made was bulletproof in my mind. 

But these lawsuits, oh man these lawsuits.

Replacing the show "Comic Book Men" with more of this.

Jeff Parker posted a humbling response on his blog today regarding his experiences in co-creation. In it Parker makes some deft observations stating that every contributor, no matter how small, can believe their contribution to be the master stroke that completes the project. He's not wrong and reading his approach in dividing royalties and ownership is quite informative.

Being the ego at the center of our worlds it's sometimes hard to put get into the headspace of another craft, let alone one we haven't spent years perfecting. I agree with Parker, when it comes to optioning off rights of collaborative projects to media adaptation the 50/50 is a solid decision but when it comes to publishing, where does balance swing? Does it stay 50/50? Certainly not when an artist spends longer hours to draw the project -- but what about crediting the idea? What if one party is phoning it in while the other spends hours travelling around the city to stores to setup signings? These disputes that have taken root in the news lately are all about entitlement.

There isn't a solve-all for crediting creativity anymore than there's an explanation on how to become a good writer (or artist). It's the same problem as when you take a course or hear a lecturer discussing their process: we learn by doing. The options are really a) exploring the challenge and talk with your co-creators over how to weigh contributions or b) Be afraid to work with others and back out. I can assure you, nothing's ever accomplished sitting around doing nothing.

I love collaboration. I love it. It's a teaching tool for myself and my talents as much as for the other party involved. Growing up as an only child I was one of the few who enjoyed sharing his toys for others to play with. I sincerely hope that I never become a crotchety old man who blindly rants against working with others, conscious of the bottom line. Not because of the money, or the fame. No.

Because by then my teeth would be coming out.