the Negation appreciation thread

[ratzo]

I have so many things I want to say about this book, and I want to be able to organize my thoughts properly before I do, but for now I just want to start this thread because a Tony Bedard forum would be incomplete without it...

[Arvandor]

One of my favorites is #10, where Charon was testing Baby Memi's invulnerability, with everything from lasers and vcious monsters, to dropping nukes on Memi's head. It was so funny.

But everything about this series was great. EVERYTHING just came together perfectly.

[DocZulu]

It was a great series and I was greatly saddened that we never got to see it complete its run.

Kaine was the coldest hero I'd read about in years. Simply put, he was more intellegent then Captain America and he was allowed to make mistakes. You rarely see that in comics.

[atorifan]

Negation is one of the CGE's books i wished would have been picked up. It was my favorite, probly of the whole lot. But it needed the same creative team, whoever bought the book, at least to get to it's end. then if another team, 'restarted' it, it'd have been more tolerable to get into it.

[camax]

NEGATION, the entire run, plus what we got of the war, may well have been, in my opinion, the greatest comic run ever. It transcends comics for me. For as rich of a sci-fi story as it is, it stands next to Aliens, Pitch Black, Farscape and Star Wars to me as the best science fiction stories ever. I still love it as I reread it from time to time. Bedard & Pelletier. Love it!

~Cam

[Tony Bedard]

It helped that we started from scratch and didn't have any preconceptions to deal with. That's one of the things that makes it a little harder to do such a book at one of the Big Two publishers with characters you already recognize.

I also like isssue #10. Then there was issue 18 (I think) when Westin and Lizard Lady had an adventure, and issue 20 or 22 (I think) when Matua died. Those were also high-points.

Paul and I were also proud of the two-parter where Kaine and Komptin were stuck on the weird world of the "butt-monsters." God, I miss Komptin and his dog! >snff< >snff<

me and paul and Negation inker Dave Meikis still get together for lunch regularly here in Tampa. I can't say enough good things about those guys.

By teh way, anyone who liked Negation should also go back and read Baron and Rude's NEXUS. It's absolutely required reading, folks! It was a huge influence on me -- my favorite comic during my college years. And I think they're re-releasing it as a hardcover lately. Damn, i'm gonna go pick one of those up today!

[ratzo]

One of the primary themes of the book, from the way I see it anyway, was what it means to be a soldier. Kaine and Komptin are both career military men, both of them identify with that kind of life and the people within it more than anything, even their families (Kaine never really talked about his family much and his reaction to seeing Zaida breastfeed Memi in the Prequel issue makes me think he never seriously considered settling down). Both men were made to believe that the state served the greater good, and that there was nobility in serving the state, indeed, that it was its own reward. Both faced crossroads where they had to choose between loyalty to the state or loyalty to family/friends, and the decisions they made were irrevocable.

I think this is a very important theme, especially now. With the US government being camera-shy with the corpses of its own soldiers when they come home to rest; with the crusade of Cindy Sheehan as she and others like her continue to ask what it was their children died for in Iraq; with the continuing denial by the Bush administration of the use of torture when the evidence is pretty strongly suggesting that yeah, it sure looks like it's being done; what it means to be a soldier these days depends entirely on who you ask. With Kaine, it was all about his comrades and doing what it took to keep them alive; with Komptin, it was all about himself and the void within his life that only serving the state filled.

[OZZ]

Wow...

Negation... Oh how I miss thee.
The title that introduced me to my favorite Writer/Artist tandem (I should say Trio cause Dave was great too. I never really had an appreciation for inkers until I sat and watched all the CG guys ink our pencil sketches at Megacon.).

Ahhh..

I need more Sci-Fi action from Bedard and Pelletier... *sigh*



One of my favorite moments Tony already mentioned. Matua's issue. So good.
I should get those back out and read 'em sometime..

AH well.. here's a Charon sketch that brings back the nostalgia: BOB (http://www.parisblairs.com/scott/sketches/minnie/2003wwc/ww03-charon.jpg)

[bert]

if you ever get to meet Tony at a con (I met him at CAPE in Dallas), ask him to tell you how Negation was planned to end.

bloody good ending, and a shame we never got to see it

[Tony Bedard]

But, y'know, maybe NEGATION is like James Dean-- taken from us in the its prime. Maybe it's for the best that the book didn't have a chance to go down the tubes or overstay its welcome.

Anyhow, Pelletier and I still have a good time on EXILES. We're doing a story right now with an all-Wolverine team that's just about the wackiest story ever.

[Lucky]

Yeah, Negation was without a doubt my favorite series. I'm studying in France right now, and about a month ago, I had my dad get out the box with all the Negation and Negation related issues (Mark of Charon, Lawbringer, etc) and start reading them (He'd just finished Watchmen and wanted something else to read). He'd e-mail me a few times a week and let me know where he was getting, and he got really into it. He just finished reading it last week and loved it, so the series is still finding new fans (though yes, it is just my dad, but family members are the easiest to get into this stuff!).

Also, for those that don't know, I run a Negation fansite at http://www.negationspace.com and Tony was kind enough to do two interviews with the site over the years, the last one conducted after the series ended, so anyone interested should check them out.

[Mycroft]

Also, for those that don't know, I run a Negation fansite at http://www.negationspace.com and Tony was kind enough to do two interviews with the site over the years, the last one conducted after the series ended, so anyone interested should check them out.

Very interesting, particulary the one about the end of Negation War.

Edit : I wonder how many pages of issues #3 and #4 Paul Pelletier did before the cancellation ?

And, if you're looking for Negation's avatar, I used this one sometimes ago : http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/Vorkosigan/Charon80.jpg

[Red Jack]

Very interesting, particulary the one about the end of Negation War.

Edit : I wonder how many pages of issues #3 and #4 Paul Pelletier did before the cancellation ?

And, if you're looking for Negation's avatar, I used this one sometimes ago : http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/Vorkosigan/Charon80.jpg

YOU wonder?

Holy, Charon. Can anybody say what the states of all the defunct CROSSGEN properties are now? Who owns them?

[Rev. F. David Swallow II]

Disney.

They bought them all out with only having intents of using Abadazad, which they have(Two books out now, with 6 more to come, good stuff too.)

Now i have also heard they were considering a TV show based on Meridian, but who knows....

[Red Jack]

You mean the very same DISNEY that just licenced GARGOYLES to SLG?

Tony.

Are you listening, Tony?

There's someone at the door, says her name is Opportunity.

[Tony Bedard]

Might not be a bad idea, Red Jack. I'll see if I can get contact info for someone at Hyperion.

And someone was wondering how much of issues 3 & 4 Paul drew. The answer is none.

PS- don't miss the all-Wolverine issues of EXILES Paul and I are doing. It's the most NEGATION-esque thing we've done since CrossGen!

[Lester C.]

With the exception of Meridian I have everything Crossgen put out and even hunted down a copy of Crossgenesis. However I really haven't read anything since the second issue of Negation War shipped because of all stuff that went down in Florida. every time I go to read some of my back issues I feel guilty and stop. I was wondering should I feel guilty and not read my back issues or should I proceed to enjoy some of the best told stories ever regardless of all the crap I found out about what went on behind the scenes?

[Rev. F. David Swallow II]

read them, of the 300+ issues of Crossgen i have read only 2 i didn't like, and they were both Code 6. Its sad that people got screwed out of money, the least you can do is enjoy their art.(Or maybe send them a couple bucks....)

[ratzo]

By all means continue re-reading them! I admit, I get a tinge of frustration and sadness re-reading Negation and not being able to see the end of the war unfold as it should have, but I can still enjoy everything that leads up to it. I still re-read Scion, my second favorite CG book, from time to time as well (though I'll concede that the first 27 issues might be all one really needs).

BTW, I was contemplating dropping Exiles after the World Tour ends, but now Tony's got me intrigued with this Negation-like Wolverine story...

[siuntres]

I loved Negation, my favorite Crossgen title.

[Tony Bedard]

Lester,

Go ahead and read all those issues you passed on...or else stop reading comics entirely. Over the last 15 years, I've worked for 9 different publishers, and what happened at Crossgen wasn't anything I hadn't seen before. This doesn't excuse nonpayment or broken promises, but for better or worse this is part of the big picture in the business.

I started out at Valiant, and you'd be amazed at how similar the Crossgen implosion was to the Valiant implosion. At the time, when I was let go from Valiant, I thought it was the worst thing that ever happened to me. I've since come to realize it was among my most valuable experiences.

I look at all the people who got their start at Crossgen and benefited from its creative atmosphere and are now doing great (Steve McNiven, Andrea DiVito, Frank D'Armata, Morry Hollowell) and I see the industry veterans who were taken for granted and breathed new life into their careers (Steve Epting, Butch Guice, Paul Pelletier, Greg Land...me) and I know that place did a lot of good to a lot of people. Look, I calculated that I was owed close to $20,000 in unpaid wages there, and I KNEW I'd never see that money, but I have zero regrets about taking the job or the time I spent there. So I invite you to enjoy the fruits of our labors and allow that at some point in their careers, most creators will be screwed/disappointed/let down by their publisher, and that in the end it might be an experience that strengthens them.

[Winslow]

With the exception of Meridian I have everything Crossgen put out and even hunted down a copy of Crossgenesis. However I really haven't read anything since the second issue of Negation War shipped because of all stuff that went down in Florida. every time I go to read some of my back issues I feel guilty and stop. I was wondering should I feel guilty and not read my back issues or should I proceed to enjoy some of the best told stories ever regardless of all the crap I found out about what went on behind the scenes?

Meridian is great, and reads mucho better in a trade rather than monthly (the story pacing is character-driven and can be a little slow for most comic fans).

I re-read Negation last weekend. I fell in love with it all over again, although the as a re-read, it's obviously not quite as thrilling since the surprises are, uh, well not surprising.

But the humor really stood out more to me, especially the way Paul would often weave humor into the background or foreground panels. Good stuff.

So I say enjoy 'em again!

[Ugoff]

Are there any tradepaperbacks out there for Negation? I cant remember what happened to the issues I had.

[Tony Bedard]

There's 2 trades: "Bohica!" and "Baptism of Fire"

Sadly, the series actually got better as it wore on, but those issues weren't collected. :(

[torippu]

I look at all the people who got their start at Crossgen and benefited from its creative atmosphere and are now doing great (Steve McNiven, Andrea DiVito, Frank D'Armata, Morry Hollowell) and I see the industry veterans who were taken for granted and breathed new life into their careers (Steve Epting, Butch Guice, Paul Pelletier, Greg Land...me) and I know that place did a lot of good to a lot of people.

This is so, so, so true Tony. I know that if not for Crossgen, I don't think that I'd bother looking forward to the next book that you're writing or what McNiven/DiVito/Epting/Pelletier/Perkins/Cheung are penciling next or looking out for some of the colorists that graced the pages of all the Crossgen books that I loved for that 2~3 year period. I have a lot more respect these days for solid pros who are able to crank out quality material in a timely manner and I'm very happy to see that most everyone has found new homes (for the most part, at Marvel, on books that I am absolutely loving) to continue their creative careers.

Btw, whatever happened to Jeff Johnson, James Rochelle or Caesar Rodriguez? It doesn't look like they are in the comic industry any more.

Trip

[ratzo]

Jeff Johnson's in animation now. Not sure about the others.