Looks like Roy Thomas won't be working for DC anytime soon.

[annarose3]

He's an Email Roy Thomas sent to a poster who posts on the DCMB:

Hi List--

My buddy Michael Mikuluvsky sent me this DC board... I ordinarily stay 100 miles away from such things, as I'm busy with my own comics writing and my comics-history work for TwoMorrows Publishing... and I was touched by the outpouring of nostalgia for ALL-STAR SQUADRON, INFINITY INC., and YOUNG ALL-STARS, especially the former. While I am unalterably hostile (sorry) to the idea of "bluetracer" or anyone else but myself reviving ALL-STAR SQUADRON, it is hardly a secret in the industry or among knowledgeable fans that DC has been totally unresponsible to my continuing suggestions that I be allowed to revive ALL-STAR SQUADRON, either with Jerry Ordway or someone else as the artist. There would be little problem, of course, in adjusting the Squadron to what little I know about WWII-set stories in the past few years (ugly as I find the current version of Dr. Mid-Nite, etc.), but I'm simply not wanted... only the characters and to some extent the milieu I helped develop. Years ago on a panel or two I shared with them I got a pat on the back from editor Pete Tomasi and then-JSA writer Geoff Johns, and they've said some pro forma nice things about me... Geoff Johns has even said he'd have liked to work with me, though I've never been made aware of any iota of effort on his part to actually do so... somehow a lot of Tomasi's comments, in particular, seemed mostly designed to get me to read the current JSA, which I would do only in order to research a future series of my own. Otherwise, my interest in the JSA is totally with its first 50 years as a concept, from 1940 through 1989. Others can chronicle, and should, the later work.

One commenter said he is considering now seeking out the first three volumes of ALL-STAR COMPANION. VOL. 1 (2nd printing) is out of print, but would probably be available online (I have copies of both, very slightly different editions, but not at cover price), and TwoMorrows Publishing, at twomorrow@aol.com (note no "s") has VOL. 2-4 available, often at a considerably reduced price as they have sales every little bit. Together, those nearly 1000 pages, despite shortcomings, fairly well chronicle the first half century of the JSA as a concept, although more can always be said...and will be, in future issues of ALTER EGO. In addition, two spring 2010 issues of AE (#93 & #94, May & June) will deal with the Earth-Two stories of the 1961-1985, and #93 even has a new cover by Infantino, an homage to FLASH #123...while #94 uses a 1970s Staton-Giordano drawing as an actual cover for the first time ever. I think there'll be a few surprises in there, even for those who know E2 pretty well.

Yeah, I know E2 is back, after a fashion, but at this stage of my life and career (writing a new RED SONJA series, helping Stan Lee with the SPIDER-MAN newspaper strip, and a few other projects in the works), my interest in new E2 or JSA-related comics is pretty much limited to anything I myself would get a chance to write. I'm ready and eager to do so... and dare I say that I think it's pretty shortsighted of DC not to utilize me in that capacity. Even Dan DiDio, in a phone conversation some months ago, said he was interested in finding a way to revive the JSA/Infinity special or limited series that DC itself had asked me to plot 2-3 years ago and then curtly rejected because it wasn't the story THEY wanted to do... but though DiDio said he'd be back in touch, I said I doubted it. So far, alas, I've been proven right. Well, these guys are very busy... way to busy to remember the guy who reintroduced many of the WWII heroes, including Liberty Belle, back into the DC universe. And who do they think got her and Johnny Quick together in the first place to have all those offspring? Hey, if I expected gratitude--or the hell with that, even fairness--I'd never have gotten into comics any more than done any movie-writing. But I've basically enjoyed my time in the field, and love comics as a medium... I just have limited respect for a number of the people now running it.

Thanks for listening to this one-shot post,
Roy




Bummer. It looks like DC won't be using him anytime soon. Also, in posts on the DCMB last summer all time comics great Jerry Ordway said that DC won't give him regular work either, this despite the amazing stuff he's done for them recently including work on JSA last year, Infinite Crisis, and todays issue of Advenute Comics. Ordway stated that even though he is under exclusive contract at DC, they just won't use him much.

[WorstThingUS]

Wow. What is this gift DiDio has for causing the most seasoned professionals to say the most unprofessional things on the record!?!

[Gothos]

Though I grew up loving Thomas' AVENGERS and SUB-MARINER I don't think his writing would sell to a majority of modern fans today.

But it's stupid and small-minded for an editor who knows his market, as I feel sure Didio does, to encourage an old-time writer while having no intentions of using him.

I suppose there could be another side to this, though I don't know how.

[Drcharles]

What Roy did with the revival of the Golden Age heroes has never been surpassed. His endeavours are to be admired, perhaps there is some envy on certain parties at DC, perhaps he may show them how to write stories that entertain.
Roy not working in comics means, we the buying customers miss out and thats a shame.

[CYOTI]

Originally Posted by WorstThingUS

Wow. What is this gift DiDio has for causing the most seasoned professionals to say the most unprofessional things on the record!?!

Roy Thomas's views on Geoff Johns and DC were public long before Didio got onboard.

[icctrombone]

I have nothing but love for Thomas. It's possible that the PTB are afraid that he might ignore present continuity.

[Peter Svensson]

Roy had a pitch for a JSA story. He was asked to remove a subplot that was designed to explain away Johnny Thunder of the JSA, the western Johnny Thunder, and Jonni Thunder because it wasn't necessary. He decided that if they didn't want Roy Thomas plotting, they didn't want Roy Thomas and left the project.

He talked about that incident in an issue of Alter Ego, the magazine that Roy edits and writes for.

[Shellhead]

I've got two of the All-Star Companion volumes, and they're impressive. And I've always had tremendous respect for Roy's work at Marvel. But I didn't enjoy his later work as much, especially the later issues of Infinity Inc and his West Coast Avengers run. (There was something inherently wrong with WCA, it seemed like everybody who did well on Avengers did worse work on WCA, with the exception of John Byrne.) Anyway, I admire Roy for maintaining his artistic integrity, because he would have certainly clashed with Dan Didio.

[K-DoG7p7]

for a secund there i thought it was Rob Thomas and i thought "Oh god! there will never bee a Veronica Marc comic!"

but then i saw it was Roy and I went like "ohhh he is old and DC is DC.."

[CBikle]

Originally Posted by annarose3

Also, in posts on the DCMB last summer all time comics great Jerry Ordway said that DC won't give him regular work either, this despite the amazing stuff he's done for them recently including work on JSA last year, Infinite Crisis, and todays issue of Advenute Comics. Ordway stated that even though he is under exclusive contract at DC, they just won't use him much.

That's too bad, as his story and Robinson's were the only two readable stories in that godawful JSA annual that just came out.

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

Man, oh man, Roy Thomas is such a dick.

You can like his work as much as you want, but he is such a dick.

[CBikle]

Originally Posted by FunkyGreenJerusalem

Man, oh man, Roy Thomas is such a dick.

You can like his work as much as you want, but he is such a dick.

Why is he a dick exactly ?

Sounds like DC was unintentionally giving mixed signals to the guy regarding new work and he called them out on it.

A little passive-aggressive, sure, but at this stage of his life, maybe he doesn't see why he should mince words.

Also, it's possible that Roy's statement may "force" DC to reach out to the guy.

[Rev. Calibos]

Originally Posted by FunkyGreenJerusalem

Man, oh man, Roy Thomas is such a dick.

You can like his work as much as you want, but he is such a dick.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that this was kind of a dickish thing for him to write.

Which is bizzare because everything else I've seen from him has painted him in a favorable light, it's hard for me to imagine him writing this.

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

Originally Posted by CBikle

Why is he a dick exactly ?

Sounds like DC was unintentionally giving mixed signals to the guy regarding new work and he called them out on it.

A little passive-aggressive, sure, but at this stage of his life, maybe he doesn't see why he should mince words.

It's just his whole spiel about how DC should give him work, but he doesn't have any interest in reading any of their books....
Geoff Johns hasn't done enough to get them working together like he once said they should - yet Thomas can't even be bothered to read the guys stuff!...
Tomasi saying nice things just isn't enough for him...
Thomas spent his career working with other people's creations, yet is hostile to the idea of anyone working on team he created made up with other people's characters...
DC was wrong to reject a pitch of his because it wasn't a story they wanted to do...
And, his bitterness over them not remembering him would go down a lot easier if it was 'the guy who created...', and not 'the guy who reintroduced many of the characters...'

I just often get the feeling he's a little upset he isn't treated with the respect given to Lee, Kirby, Dikto etc, and yet he was just the guy who followed these guys on their books, not the one who created the characters.

Also, it's possible that Roy's statement may "force" DC to reach out to the guy.

"Hey, if I expected gratitude--or the hell with that, even fairness--I'd never have gotten into comics any more than done any movie-writing. But I've basically enjoyed my time in the field, and love comics as a medium... I just have limited respect for a number of the people now running it."

Acting like a sore loser and giving people grief for not letting you write whatever series you want - which would only have limited appeal - isn't going to endear them to him anytime soon.

Originally Posted by Rev. Calibos

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that this was kind of a dickish thing for him to write.

Which is bizzare because everything else I've seen from him has painted him in a favorable light, it's hard for me to imagine him writing this.

I often wonder if it's just me, or I've only seen the bad interviews, but he always comes across as a bit of dick in every interview or piece (not story) I've read by him.

Be it old Marvel interviews where he was bragging about how he writes his characters to sound like real people, claims of his about how he'd always thought, from his first appearance, that Wolverine should be like what Claremont and Byrne turned him into, or stuff like this, he just always rubs me the wrong way.

[Seven_Ride]

Originally Posted by Rev. Calibos

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that this was kind of a dickish thing for him to write.

Which is bizzare because everything else I've seen from him has painted him in a favorable light, it's hard for me to imagine him writing this.

I agree with both of you.

That said, Thomas' position is understandable: His interpretation of the Golden Age characters should supercede DC's. After all, he did more than anyone to push DC to return them to prominence as a fan in the 60s, and as a writer and editor in the two decades after that.

But DC isn't in the historical relevance business. They publish NEW stories, and they don't require the stories to match up with any one view of the characters' history. Even if it's THE expert on them.

No real villains here; just a creator feeling slighted because they aren't being given the control they feel entitled to.