“From the first issue on, I was essentially benched by Harvey Richards and artist/writer Scott McDaniel. All of my ideas and suggestions were met with disdain, and Scott McDaniel lectured me on how my method for writing was wrong because it wasn’t what the Robert McKee screenwriting book he read told him was the way to do things. The man who’d never written anything was suddenly more expert than me and the editor was agreeing with him. Scott had also never read a Static comic book, nor seen the cartoon series, yet was telling me that my dialogue didn’t sound true to the character and would “fix it.”

—

Former ‘Static Shock’ Writer John Rozum on ‘What was Really Going on Behind the Scenes’ - ComicsAlliance | Comic book culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews

Reading this article  just breaks my heart.  I would catch the Static Shock cartoon frequently while in college (yeah, I’m old, whatevs) and found it charming.  That the character is part of an underrepresented minority in comics just made me want this book to succeed even more.

But, from the first issue on, the reviews were so-so at best.  Even my friendly neighborhood Local Comic Shop owner, who knows my taste and is a good resource for finding new titles to read, advised me to steer clear.  And that’s someone who actively wants my money.

I hope that Didio et al. will give Static another shot at some point.  I hope that the criticisms and failures of the New 52 will be a learning experience.  

I fear my hope is misplaced, though.

(via collababortion)

If this is true (and since it’s one side of the story, I can’t definitively say it is or isn’t), it’s a fascinating look at the costs of writing by committee.  When you create something for the sole purpose of selling it, rather than to tell a good story or convey something you find important, it shows.

(via hamburgerjack)