Chris Roberson On Creators' Rights, "iZombie" & "Memorial"

**CBR News** · 04-27-2012, 11:58 AM

Chris Roberson spoke with CBR News about his public departure from DC Comics based in part on its treatment of Alan Moore, the cancellation of "iZombie," his creator-owned book "Memorial" and the ethics of comics.

Full article here.

**CMBMOOL** · 04-27-2012, 01:25 PM

So should we place the blame of DC Comics for losing this great writer or not ?

**FanboyStranger** · 04-27-2012, 01:53 PM

We're not really losing him. He's still got Elric: The Balance Lost at BOOM! and Memorial at IDW. Basically, iZombie is ending, and he doesn't want to work for DC anymore. It's not like he's leaving the industry altogether.

**pogofan** · 04-27-2012, 01:54 PM

I know this is off the topic of the interview, but did Star Trek / Legion really bring Roberson more devoted followers? The last time I felt so let down by a miniseries was when DC/Wildstorm published a "Top Ten Season Two" without telling anyone that it was 5 issues of a 10-issue story whose second half they had no plans to publish (and still haven't!). Here, the dialogue sometimes didn't flow from one speaker to the next; the resolution was a deux ex machina (initiated by a great leap of logic by Spock that was just silly); and most of all, it was SLOW. I couldn't believe how little was happening (until the end, when literally nothing had happened).

**The Adventurer** · 04-27-2012, 02:03 PM

I don't think its been spelled out clearly, but at this point DC is still going publish iZombi up through 28 I assume? So it will have been finished. But Robinson has been pulled from Fairest?

**SJNeal** · 04-27-2012, 02:13 PM

I could have sworn I read an interview with Roberson stating that iZombie was not being canceled, but rather coming to its planned conclusion (like most Vertigo titles)...?

But I could be wrong.

**FanboyStranger** · 04-27-2012, 02:36 PM

Originally Posted by SJNeal

I could have sworn I read an interview with Roberson stating that iZombie was not being canceled, but rather coming to its planned conclusion (like most Vertigo titles)...?

But I could be wrong.

He mentions in this interview that he had been expecting the title to be cancelled for awhile, and he always had an ending in mind that he could fit in within a few issues. He figured they might make it to issue 30, so losing two issues from that expected total didn't effect him that much.

**Circleoffire** · 04-27-2012, 02:10 PM

Originally Posted by CBR News

Chris Roberson spoke with CBR News about his public departure from DC Comics based in part on its treatment of Alan Moore, the cancellation of "iZombie," his creator-owned book "Memorial" and the ethics of comics.

Full article here.

Chris Roberson needs to get with the program! Alan Moore, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Joe Simon, etc. All great creators but if their work was not expounded on, was not further explored, what would we have today? We need other creators to go in and discover new areas of characters that were never explored or thought out by the previous creator or creative teams.
Roberson to me sounds like he can't commit to a position/job for very long without getting bored or he can't take constructive criticism from the people in authority over him (or authority in general). He needs to grow up and put his heart and soul into his creative experience or else eventually he's going to be one of those people you think to yourself, "Whatever happened to........".

**Kiel Phegley!** · 04-27-2012, 02:14 PM

Originally Posted by Circleoffire

Chris Roberson needs to get with the program! Alan Moore, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Joe Simon, etc. All great creators but if their work was not expounded on, was not further explored, what would we have today? We need other creators to go in and discover new areas of characters that were never explored or thought out by the previous creator or creative teams.

This post has to be some kind of put on, right?

**Circleoffire** · 04-27-2012, 09:40 PM

Why would it be a put on? Even if you have a creator owned property you still have people you work with and unless you own your own company, people you work for. Even then, you listen to the fans feedback or you don't stay in business very long. Alan Moore made his name with Marvel U.K. and then D.C. Now, he spends his time writing subpar material and railing against the system for events that happened nearly thirty years ago! I'm glad D.C. is finally getting off their duff and doing something with the Watchman property! Alan Moore and the rest of his ilk need to get over it.
That being said, Chris Roberson is NO Alan Moore and dare I say I don't think he will ever be in Alan Moore's (of thirty years ago), class! 'Nuff said!

**Mbast1** · 04-28-2012, 07:32 AM

Originally Posted by Kiel Phegley!

This post has to be some kind of put on, right?

I would hope, but it's hardly the first time I've seen that attitude. Or people saying they're going to keep buying the books anyway. Poe's law sucks.

**Rhymer** · 04-27-2012, 02:42 PM

Originally Posted by Circleoffire

Roberson to me sounds like he can't commit to a position/job for very long without getting bored or he can't take constructive criticism from the people in authority over him (or authority in general). He needs to grow up and put his heart and soul into his creative experience or else eventually he's going to be one of those people you think to yourself, [...].

Man, you sound like a really wise man. One feels that you studied Roberson's arguments quite a bit and analyzed it to the bone. The whole problem is about authority. That's the key. Why didn't I think about that before? One should be "grown up" and obey. That's the message. Got it.

**aleph** · 04-27-2012, 10:48 PM

Originally Posted by Circleoffire

Chris Roberson needs to get with the program! Alan Moore, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Joe Simon, etc. All great creators but if their work was not expounded on, was not further explored, what would we have today? We need other creators to go in and discover new areas of characters that were never explored or thought out by the previous creator or creative teams.

This article was more about respecting Creatorship rights than whether Before Watchman was a good move or not.

Roberson to me sounds like he can't commit to a position/job for very long without getting bored or he can't take constructive criticism from the people in authority over him (or authority in general). He needs to grow up and put his heart and soul into his creative experience or else eventually he's going to be one of those people you think to yourself, "Whatever happened to........".

Where did you pick this up? He just said that his history of quitting jobs was due to dubious ethical practices by his employers.

**Circleoffire** · 04-27-2012, 11:32 PM

Originally Posted by aleph

This article was more about respecting Creatorship rights than whether Before Watchman was a good move or not.

Where did you pick this up? He just said that his history of quitting jobs was due to dubious ethical practices by his employers.

Every job and company he has worked for has had dubious ethical practices?!? I find that hard to believe.

At the center of the controversy is the new Watchman material, that most of D.C.'s top talent seem to think is worth exploring. I applaud them and hope after these mini-series are completed, D.C. will produce post Watchmen material as well!