Gephyrophillia | Watch This Space #87

Originally Posted on 10/15/2003 by Jeff Harris

Don't know Bill Jemas?

He was the publisher of the most recognized comic book icons outside of Metropolis, the heroes and villains of Marvel Comics. He was a Harvard-educated lawyer who didn't appreciate comics for being just comics, but rather treated them like material for other medias. While there isn't anything wrong with that, the fact that Jemas wanted to concentrate more on the media rather than comics left many people puzzled.

Also just as puzzling was Jemas' insistance of rubbing the fanbase the wrong way as well as a penance for stirring up unneeded controversy with everything from trying to eradicate the Marvel Universe replacing them with the media-friendly Ultimate Universe to media-grabbing fodder like gay cowboys to dead princesses to breaking away from the dated Comic Code Authority (although I'll admit, that one was a hell of a good idea).

Perhaps allowing very adult segments in a mainstream title like Avengers (because I think this site skewers a young audience for the most part, I'll just say that one of the segments involved The Wasp, Giant-Man, and his very inappropriate use of his shrinking powers hinted) was the final straw in the bosses' eyes over at the House of Ideas, and Bill Jemas will be dismissed from his post by year's end.

And the fans went crazy.

Funny thing about the firing. Bill's last big project was the resurrection of the Epic line, Marvel's popular creator-powered unit that published Akira, Groo, and several artsy Marvel titles. Everybody had hoped that the popular 80s creator-friendly outlet would be just as successful a second time around, but Marvel decided that they really didn't want properties they had no ownership in. Now comes word that Epic is not accepting any more submissions. Why? No one really knows. Some feel that the line, which still have several projects on tap in the coming months, is a doomed polliwog, barely developing its legs to stand up on its own. Regardless, Bill's firing and the Epic announcement will likely be the final chapters of a long, strange trip for Marvel Comics.

For those that still want to create creator-owned projects, you could always check out Dark Horse. Mike Richardson, the mainstream indy company's founder, is searching for future comic superstars with a New Recruits campaign in which he'll personally look at every project first hand. Go here to check out what they want to see.

Of course, you could join my quest for creators of worlds. I won't promise you riches and fame, but I'll give you an outlet to play in around these parts. But if working for a novice isn't your cup of tea, go for Dark Horse. I think they'll succeed with their search for new talent.

Speaking of new talent, Tokyopop announced the winner of the Second Annual Rising Stars of Manga contest today. Lindsay Cibos won the grand prize for her story "Peach Fuzz," a tale inspired by her two pet ferrets. Nicholas Liaw won first place with his story "Unmasked." TOKYOPOP has previews of Peach Fuzz and Unmasked, as well as all the other Runner-Up winners, all of which will be published in The Rising Stars of Manga, Vol. 2, coming out in December. If they're anything like last year's entries (I enjoyed last year's titles like Ophelia's Assassination: veritas, from a hometown native Kelli Hoover, and Ben Seto's Sitting Ducks, a lighthearted tale about a comic creator convincing a friend to enter a manga contest ), then Vol. 2 will be worth checking out.

Wow, another update without mentioning televised animation. I must be losing my touch.

*end transmission*

Jeff Harris,
The X Bridge Creator/Webmaster
October 12, 2003