Perez Recounts Frustration Over "Superman" Writing Experience

[Namtab]

This thread was from June...just be aware of that when you start quoting people that may or may not reply.

[OldSchoolfan]

Yes letting Morrison write both Action and Superman would probably have been best.

Confusion the plot story telling great! always nonlinear clear with points that Double aren't stupid.

[R0NIN]

Yes letting Morrison write both Action and Superman would probably have been best.

Good god no!!!!

[Aquacatlungfish]

Good god no!!!!

Better than Perez's run. But Morrison would never write the same character twice at once, that's unusual for most writers. Morrison would only write the same character twice if it was the same story from two different perspectives with a climax ala Return of Bruce Wayne and Batman and Robin Must Die.

[Kymeric]

Thats the job, should we feel bad for him cuz he couldnt handle it? I liked his arc but what did he expect? Its not like DC isnt known for this. WAAAH I TOOK A JOB BAKING MUFFINS BUT I HATE SWEET CAKES. The only way I could sympathize is if they were using his name to sell the title on his name alone. But they wernt, cuz its freaking Superman. God help him if he ever joins the advertising industry or any other a hundred creative fields where your boss changes your work COMPLETELY all of the time. I always loved his art and I liked this story but geeze, you got paid didnt you? If I was the guy who hired this writer I would be seriously worried about how my boss would be questioning my hiring decisions in the future.

[HXHAlex]

Didn't the Superman books recently get a new editor? Or was that another section of DC?

[Dubbilex]

Thats the job, should we feel bad for him cuz he couldnt handle it? I liked his arc but what did he expect? Its not like DC isnt known for this. WAAAH I TOOK A JOB BAKING MUFFINS BUT I HATE SWEET CAKES.

Well, considering that he was made certain promises that weren't kept, and that the last time he was asked to revamp a major property (Wonder Woman) he had a lot more free reign -- both of which were mentioned in that very article, by the way -- then, yeah, I'd say he had reason to expect other than what the actual working conditions were.

I always loved his art and I liked this story but geeze, you got paid didnt you? If I was the guy who hired this writer I would be seriously worried about how my boss would be questioning my hiring decisions in the future.

Yes, because as long as you're paid, there's no reason whatsoever to quit your job.

[The Duke]

Without besmirching his character in any way, the George Perez of 2011/12 is not the George Perez of 1979/80 who is about to embark on the New Teen Titans. The fire even goes out inside the greatest comic book professionals.

It could be like Howard Beale says in Network, he "just ran out of bulls***"

[OldSchoolfan]

Without besmirching his character in any way, the George Perez of 2011/12 is not the George Perez of 1979/80 who is about to embark on the New Teen Titans. The fire even goes out inside the greatest comic book professionals.

It could be like Howard Beale says in Network, he "just ran out of bulls***"

I don't agree with this at all. George Perez produced a Superman arc that had a clear beginning/middle and ending. The conflicts were there, the characterization was there, every thing that a good writer needs to include was there. You may not have liked what he did, but it was well written. On the other hand, I am very curious to see how these last couple of issues sort out the mess Grant Morrison created in Action Comics. I have always maintained that he was going to give us HIS version of the character, and a terrible choice to write a foundation for Superman for the next generation.

[OldSchoolfan]

Didn't the Superman books recently get a new editor? Or was that another section of DC?

Please let this be so.

Fire Dan Didio and Jim Lee while you are at it.

[Fate's Faith]

I don't agree with this at all. George Perez produced a Superman arc that had a clear beginning/middle and ending. The conflicts were there, the characterization was there, every thing that a good writer needs to include was there. You may not have liked what he did, but it was well written. On the other hand, I am very curious to see how these last couple of issues sort out the mess Grant Morrison created in Action Comics. I have always maintained that he was going to give us HIS version of the character, and a terrible choice to write a foundation for Superman for the next generation.

I don't the issue wasn't he didn't have a plot or was misinterpreting the characters. Its what he was doing was boring. From the first issue. The only interesting thing he did for me was what was happening with the Daily Planet and I figure that was editor mandated. Perhaps much was editor mandated but this was the Superman title for the next generation and he gave us a story that would have been boring during Bryne's initial arc.

[Sacred Knight]

I don't agree with this at all. George Perez produced a Superman arc that had a clear beginning/middle and ending. The conflicts were there, the characterization was there, every thing that a good writer needs to include was there. You may not have liked what he did, but it was well written. On the other hand, I am very curious to see how these last couple of issues sort out the mess Grant Morrison created in Action Comics. I have always maintained that he was going to give us HIS version of the character, and a terrible choice to write a foundation for Superman for the next generation.

The fact you're looking for this pretty much guarantees your disappointment, because there is no mess to sort out. There's a story to conclude, but no mess. It has just as clear a narrative as the Perez arc, the only difference being that the themes are more conceptually vast. And before I get jumped on for being a Morrison junkie, one, I'm not one, and two, the fact his story is more "high concept" is not to necessarily say that means its a fact that its better (in this case I believe it is, but just pointing out that the two ideas are not mutually exclusive).

[Fate's Faith]

The fact you're looking for this pretty much guarantees your disappointment, because there is no mess to sort out. There's a story to conclude, but no mess. It has just as clear a narrative as the Perez arc, the only difference being that the themes are more conceptually vast. And before I get jumped on for being a Morrison junkie, one, I'm not one, and two, the fact his story is more "high concept" is not to necessarily say that means its a fact that its better (in this case I believe it is, but just pointing out that the two ideas are not mutually exclusive).

You know, Morrison and Perez could have given us the two sides of the character. Morrison with his out there storyline and Perez with his personal character driven one. I think that would have been a nice balance. And people shouldn't think its just Perez having this difficulty. Check out the first issues of World's Finest from Levitz. Such a boring rebirth for these two heroines and this was well past the questions just how hard the new 52 reboot was going to be that Perez had to deal with.

[Mat001]

Better than Perez's run. But Morrison would never write the same character twice at once, that's unusual for most writers. Morrison would only write the same character twice if it was the same story from two different perspectives with a climax ala Return of Bruce Wayne and Batman and Robin Must Die.

Not just that, but DC wanted a Superman that was part of the JLA and the rest of the DCU, while Morrison wanted to start at the beginning. So even then, it was less likely to happen.

Didn't the Superman books recently get a new editor? Or was that another section of DC?

Not quite. Eddie Berganza returned to the editor's chair for the Superman titles, replacing Matt Idelson who stepped in when he left.