shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,874
|
Post by shaxper on Sept 21, 2017 19:34:01 GMT -5
The two experiences I've had with Golden were not pleasant. By no means was he rude and surly, but as other mentioned, he's stand-offish. I was doing some charity work at a convention where we were gathering signatures on a guitar from all the guests. My friend and I walk up to his booth and we tell him who we are and what we do. We tell him and then he just says "And why should I sign this?" "Uh.. for charity and just being a nice guy?" "I'll think about it;" and he goes back to his sketch he's working on. We're standing there and we leave. Come back an hour later, and ask him. Letting out a sigh "Fine.. I'll sign" The other time was personal and just asked him to sign a few issue of The Nam; maybe I caught him on a bad day, I don't know... just didn't like him. I met him at Wizard World Cleveland two years back while working Neal Adams' booth. He was definitely stand-offish, but it seemed more shy/awkward than elitist. He seemed surprised and excited that I was actually familiar with his work. I get the sense he spends much of his time having to explain to people who he is and what he's done. That could make anyone stand-offish. Golden isn't exactly a household name to the average comics fan. |
|
|
|
Post by hondobrode on Sept 21, 2017 21:05:52 GMT -5
Absolutely can't believe John Byrne hasn't been mentioned.
His temper tantrums, inflexibility, ignoring others contributions and continuity, "my way or the highway"...
|
|
|
|
Post by shawnhopkins on Sept 21, 2017 21:10:35 GMT -5
I know it hurts because we've bought into the mythology he created for himself, but there are a lot of older creators out there with extremely dim views of Stanley Martin Lieber.
Jim Shooter was also no peach.
|
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Sept 22, 2017 1:30:57 GMT -5
From stories by pros, Kanigher and Weisinger top the list. I've heard several about Julie Schwartz, too, especially from Gil Kane. Shooter had a pretty nasty rep in his latter tenure, at Marvel. Byrne has built quite a rep for ego, in recent years and Frank Miller hasn't exactly done himself many favors in the last several years. Alex Toth could be quite prickly; but, I got the impression that there were mental issues at play there, either grief, depression, or some combination. The documentary about him, on the Birdman and Space Ghost dvds, suggested that he became really hard to deal with for a lot of people who had been friends. Kane is one that pops up a lot. Howard Chaykin doesn't suffer fools. However, I think he's mellowed a bit (and he has been open about substance issues, that probably added to his rep, a bit). Dave Sim has drawn his share of ire.
Now, personally, I have never had a bad interaction with a pro, though I haven't been at any of the really big cons. Heroes Con, in Charlotte, is the biggest and it is a very family-oriented environment and everyone there seemed to be having a good time, fan and pro. I've heard some say they prefer doing it to others, for those reasons. I've had some really nice conversations with people, even just brief ones. The closest I ever came to saying someone was a jerk was in overhearing Mark Gruenwald critique someone's art. It sounded a bit harsh; but, I only caught part of their talk, so it was greatly out of context. In thinking back, and based on what I have seen written about him, it sounded more like he was being brutally honest with someone. It's quite possible he offered him pointers after I moved on.
Now, if you want truly despicable, look no further than Greg Brooks, who drew the Crimson Avenger mini-series, at DC, in 1988. He murdered his wife, with a hammer and dumped the body at a construction site. They had marital issues; but, bludgeoning someone with a hammer is a pretty extreme response to anything, apart from slef-defense in a violent confrontation. She had done coloring work for DC and wasn't exactly a saint herself; but, that doesn't condone murder.
There was a company in the 90s (Majestic Entertainment) that published a book called Legacy. They also printed NFL trading cards, under license. They were pirating there own trading cards and selling them under the table, which ended up getting their NFL license revoked. According to a Comics Journal article, there were some evangelical religious types involved with the company and there were all kinds of violations of employee rights, as well as many fiscal shenanigans. They owed a lot of people a lot of money, when they went belly up. Now Comics, and Tony Caputo were singled out in another CJ piece, over money owed to creators and missing artwork.
In the book, The Comic Book Rebels, Colleen Doran told some stories, without naming names, about some editorial people who tried to exploit her, including one who booked her into his hotel room, at a convention. She also had advances from some people in those positions, as a minor. I've heard stories about someone in an executive position trolling conventions for underage girls, from one of the 80s independent companies; but, don't remember which one.
|
|
|
|
Post by Icctrombone on Sept 22, 2017 5:30:15 GMT -5
For the most part, I've never had a bad interaction with a pro at a con. But I'm of the mind that if you show yourself to be an ass to others at a public place, you might be quite worse in private.
|
|
|
|
Post by MDG on Sept 22, 2017 10:20:23 GMT -5
...Alex Toth could be quite prickly; but, I got the impression that there were mental issues at play there, either grief, depression, or some combination. The documentary about him, on the Birdman and Space Ghost dvds, suggested that he became really hard to deal with for a lot of people who had been friends.... I always felt that Toth beleived that comics could be so much more and so much better and constantly felt frustrated and let down. Unlike someone like Joe Kubert, he didn't find a berth where he could be happy doing work he wanted to do. |
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Sept 22, 2017 11:03:05 GMT -5
...Alex Toth could be quite prickly; but, I got the impression that there were mental issues at play there, either grief, depression, or some combination. The documentary about him, on the Birdman and Space Ghost dvds, suggested that he became really hard to deal with for a lot of people who had been friends.... I always felt that Toth beleived that comics could be so much more and so much better and constantly felt frustrated and let down. Unlike someone like Joe Kubert, he didn't find a berth where he could be happy doing work he wanted to do. Well, there's that; but, in interviews, people like Mark Chiarello and Bruce Timm made vague references to major falling outs with Toth, that seemed to be based on emotional issues he was having. His kids talk about him shutting himself off from others; but, coming out of it, towards the end. It sounded like depression, based on experiences I've had with my wife, in part due to the death of his wife. Both Toth and Gil Kane could be harsh critics of modern comics and the editors, based on how they held back the development of more mature and challenging material. CC Beck also did a bit of that, in a regular column in the Comics Journal. However, I would say they were less antagonistic and more critical of the editorial mindset and publisher fear. |
|
|
|
Post by shawnhopkins on Sept 23, 2017 4:26:19 GMT -5
From stories by pros, Kanigher and Weisinger top the list. I've heard several about Julie Schwartz, too, especially from Gil Kane. Shooter had a pretty nasty rep in his latter tenure, at Marvel. Byrne has built quite a rep for ego, in recent years and Frank Miller hasn't exactly done himself many favors in the last several years. Alex Toth could be quite prickly; but, I got the impression that there were mental issues at play there, either grief, depression, or some combination. The documentary about him, on the Birdman and Space Ghost dvds, suggested that he became really hard to deal with for a lot of people who had been friends. Kane is one that pops up a lot. Howard Chaykin doesn't suffer fools. However, I think he's mellowed a bit (and he has been open about substance issues, that probably added to his rep, a bit). Dave Sim has drawn his share of ire. Now, personally, I have never had a bad interaction with a pro, though I haven't been at any of the really big cons. Heroes Con, in Charlotte, is the biggest and it is a very family-oriented environment and everyone there seemed to be having a good time, fan and pro. I've heard some say they prefer doing it to others, for those reasons. I've had some really nice conversations with people, even just brief ones. The closest I ever came to saying someone was a jerk was in overhearing Mark Gruenwald critique someone's art. It sounded a bit harsh; but, I only caught part of their talk, so it was greatly out of context. In thinking back, and based on what I have seen written about him, it sounded more like he was being brutally honest with someone. It's quite possible he offered him pointers after I moved on. Now, if you want truly despicable, look no further than Greg Brooks, who drew the Crimson Avenger mini-series, at DC, in 1988. He murdered his wife, with a hammer and dumped the body at a construction site. They had marital issues; but, bludgeoning someone with a hammer is a pretty extreme response to anything, apart from slef-defense in a violent confrontation. She had done coloring work for DC and wasn't exactly a saint herself; but, that doesn't condone murder. There was a company in the 90s (Majestic Entertainment) that published a book called Legacy. They also printed NFL trading cards, under license. They were pirating there own trading cards and selling them under the table, which ended up getting their NFL license revoked. According to a Comics Journal article, there were some evangelical religious types involved with the company and there were all kinds of violations of employee rights, as well as many fiscal shenanigans. They owed a lot of people a lot of money, when they went belly up. Now Comics, and Tony Caputo were singled out in another CJ piece, over money owed to creators and missing artwork. In the book, The Comic Book Rebels, Colleen Doran told some stories, without naming names, about some editorial people who tried to exploit her, including one who booked her into his hotel room, at a convention. She also had advances from some people in those positions, as a minor. I've heard stories about someone in an executive position trolling conventions for underage girls, from one of the 80s independent companies; but, don't remember which one. Doran specifically told The Comics Journal that Julie Schwartz tried to fondle her in a limo when she was a teen trying to break into comics. She complained to D.C. but they did nothing. Other women have similar stories. |
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Sept 23, 2017 10:12:28 GMT -5
From stories by pros, Kanigher and Weisinger top the list. I've heard several about Julie Schwartz, too, especially from Gil Kane. Shooter had a pretty nasty rep in his latter tenure, at Marvel. Byrne has built quite a rep for ego, in recent years and Frank Miller hasn't exactly done himself many favors in the last several years. Alex Toth could be quite prickly; but, I got the impression that there were mental issues at play there, either grief, depression, or some combination. The documentary about him, on the Birdman and Space Ghost dvds, suggested that he became really hard to deal with for a lot of people who had been friends. Kane is one that pops up a lot. Howard Chaykin doesn't suffer fools. However, I think he's mellowed a bit (and he has been open about substance issues, that probably added to his rep, a bit). Dave Sim has drawn his share of ire. Now, personally, I have never had a bad interaction with a pro, though I haven't been at any of the really big cons. Heroes Con, in Charlotte, is the biggest and it is a very family-oriented environment and everyone there seemed to be having a good time, fan and pro. I've heard some say they prefer doing it to others, for those reasons. I've had some really nice conversations with people, even just brief ones. The closest I ever came to saying someone was a jerk was in overhearing Mark Gruenwald critique someone's art. It sounded a bit harsh; but, I only caught part of their talk, so it was greatly out of context. In thinking back, and based on what I have seen written about him, it sounded more like he was being brutally honest with someone. It's quite possible he offered him pointers after I moved on. Now, if you want truly despicable, look no further than Greg Brooks, who drew the Crimson Avenger mini-series, at DC, in 1988. He murdered his wife, with a hammer and dumped the body at a construction site. They had marital issues; but, bludgeoning someone with a hammer is a pretty extreme response to anything, apart from slef-defense in a violent confrontation. She had done coloring work for DC and wasn't exactly a saint herself; but, that doesn't condone murder. There was a company in the 90s (Majestic Entertainment) that published a book called Legacy. They also printed NFL trading cards, under license. They were pirating there own trading cards and selling them under the table, which ended up getting their NFL license revoked. According to a Comics Journal article, there were some evangelical religious types involved with the company and there were all kinds of violations of employee rights, as well as many fiscal shenanigans. They owed a lot of people a lot of money, when they went belly up. Now Comics, and Tony Caputo were singled out in another CJ piece, over money owed to creators and missing artwork. In the book, The Comic Book Rebels, Colleen Doran told some stories, without naming names, about some editorial people who tried to exploit her, including one who booked her into his hotel room, at a convention. She also had advances from some people in those positions, as a minor. I've heard stories about someone in an executive position trolling conventions for underage girls, from one of the 80s independent companies; but, don't remember which one. Doran specifically told The Comics Journal that Julie Schwartz tried to fondle her in a limo when she was a teen trying to break into comics. She complained to D.C. but they did nothing. Other women have similar stories. That's one I hadn't heard. It's not unique to comics for people in power to abuse their position; but, a lot of the comics people created a public persona in editorial pages and at conventions and the real person was hidden away, until others started talking. In that, they are probably more akin to actors, who turn out to be real a-holes, when they aren't on the Tonight Show. |
|
|
|
Post by dbutler69 on Sept 26, 2017 11:49:13 GMT -5
I too met Suydam at a convention and he was quite nice. Golden was standoff-ish, but all right. I got autographs and a commissioned Baron Karza from him. That's awesome. The only thing better would be a commissioned Acroyear! |
|
|
|
Post by Rob Allen on Sept 26, 2017 15:42:05 GMT -5
One of Bob Powell's assistants said something like, "We called him 'Sweet Old Bob'. Sometimes we just used the initials."
|
|
|
|
Post by Cei-U! on Sept 26, 2017 16:11:08 GMT -5
Well, there was the time back in the early days of CBR when Peter David informed me that he had a much better grasp of the psychology of the physically handicapped than I did (I had dared suggest that Aquaman's reaction to losing his hand was unrealistic). That was a fun exchange.
Cei-U!
I open the old wound!
|
|
|
|
Post by Prince Hal on Sept 26, 2017 17:03:07 GMT -5
Well, there was the time back in the early days of CBR when Peter David informed me that he had a much better grasp of the psychology of the physically handicapped than I did (I had dared suggest that Aquaman's reaction to losing his hand was unrealistic). That was a fun exchange. Cei-U! I open the old wound! I don't know why this doesn't surprise me. Always wanted to like the guy the way others seemed to. Read his column in the CBG for years, thought he sometimes made sense, but just never could warm up to him. Have to say that I never read his comics, not on purpose, just never did, and to be honest, reading his column never persuaded me to give any of them a try, either. I wonder if his health problems since have made him rethink his remark to you. |
|
|
|
Post by Hoosier X on Sept 26, 2017 17:25:02 GMT -5
Well, there was the time back in the early days of CBR when Peter David informed me that he had a much better grasp of the psychology of the physically handicapped than I did (I had dared suggest that Aquaman's reaction to losing his hand was unrealistic). That was a fun exchange. Cei-U! I open the old wound! I don't know why this doesn't surprise me. Always wanted to like the guy the way others seemed to. Read his column in the CBG for years, thought he sometimes made sense, but just never could warm up to him. Have to say that I never read his comics, not on purpose, just never did, and to be honest, reading his column never persuaded me to give any of them a try, either. I wonder if his health problems since have made him rethink his remark to you. I thought Peter David came across as very egotistical in those columns a lot of the time. I read enough of his work - Hulk, Supergirl - to comfortably call him a slightly above average comic book writer, but I'm not comfortable with saying that it meant very much to be a slightly above average comic book writer, particularly in the 1990s. |
|
|
|
Post by Icctrombone on Sept 26, 2017 17:47:55 GMT -5
Interesting. This past year he was in a jam owing about 70K to the IRS and asked for a gofundme account to help him out. I donated some money but always wondered to myself why his stupid handling of his finances were our problem.
|
|
