(no subject)
Random thing I came across while browsing comic sites, and it really makes me wince.
First, backstory for those who don't already know it.
Dan DeCarlo was a kickass cartoonist; he did some wonderful work in a distinctive style, but is best-known for his work at Archie Comics; he's the one responsable for the 'house style' that most associate with the publisher. He created several characters, including Sabrina and Josie and the Pussycats.
A few years back, when the Josie and the Pussycats movie came out, he (fairly) expected to get something from it, as he did create the characters (Josie being named after his wife, it made things tricky to argue). Archie Comics disagreed, there was a lawsuit, shit happened including DeCarlo ending his contract with ACP. He found work with titles that weren't run by complete bastards, but passed away in 2001.
DeCarlo's style had become what people associated Archie Comics with, so they stuck with it.
Then 'Sabrina' became a pseudo-manga. Now, I am a fan of Manga. I can easily give a thumbs up to a western artist who tries their hand at writing and drawing a comic in Manga format. The way they handled it was icky, though I admit I've only seen a few pieces of art around the web, several just posted by people wincing at it. But it changed from DeCarlo's distinctive style.
Even then, surely, no matter how enraged the big-shots might be with an artist who deigned to lay claim to their own work, they wouldn't destroy the image that the public has of their main series.
Now, sure, publishers might have any number of reasons for changing a well-known style. But currently, I'm feeling 'Really really hates DeCarlo' is one of the top reasons.
First, backstory for those who don't already know it.
Dan DeCarlo was a kickass cartoonist; he did some wonderful work in a distinctive style, but is best-known for his work at Archie Comics; he's the one responsable for the 'house style' that most associate with the publisher. He created several characters, including Sabrina and Josie and the Pussycats.
A few years back, when the Josie and the Pussycats movie came out, he (fairly) expected to get something from it, as he did create the characters (Josie being named after his wife, it made things tricky to argue). Archie Comics disagreed, there was a lawsuit, shit happened including DeCarlo ending his contract with ACP. He found work with titles that weren't run by complete bastards, but passed away in 2001.
DeCarlo's style had become what people associated Archie Comics with, so they stuck with it.
Then 'Sabrina' became a pseudo-manga. Now, I am a fan of Manga. I can easily give a thumbs up to a western artist who tries their hand at writing and drawing a comic in Manga format. The way they handled it was icky, though I admit I've only seen a few pieces of art around the web, several just posted by people wincing at it. But it changed from DeCarlo's distinctive style.
Even then, surely, no matter how enraged the big-shots might be with an artist who deigned to lay claim to their own work, they wouldn't destroy the image that the public has of their main series.
Now, sure, publishers might have any number of reasons for changing a well-known style. But currently, I'm feeling 'Really really hates DeCarlo' is one of the top reasons.