"I'd Be Happy To Tell You Exactly Where To Screw In That Lightbulb ..."
Back in the day, I worked in a comic book shop. Well, I ran the place while the boss was off being a landlord. I gave up taking his tennant calls when one of them demanded my boss drop what he was doing and change a lightbulb. "Is it in the hallway? One of the security lights outside?"
"No," the caller answered in full indignation, "it's my personal lamp and I want him down here now." My Idiot Meter needle went into the red zone, the receiver slammed down on the phone on my end, and the boss got an earful about taking his own calls from then on. But I digress.
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| "Okay, I write a college-level manual for light bulb extraction and replacement, then I sell the movie rights ..." Photo courtesy Creative Commons. |
"What I Didn't Do Over My Summer Vacation"
In that same comic shop, we all talked about what we'd do if we'd wrote adventures for Superman, The X-Men, Spider-Man, Batman, THUNDER Agents, Miracleman (actually, we didn't talk about books like the last often because we knew we'd never be close to Alan Moore's writing skills), etc. Some of us even went so far as to dream of breaking into that hallowed market.
Only a handful of us actually worked up samples and made an attempt to reach out to the editors. Digression #2 (and a possible subject for a future blog).
One conversationalist during one of these bull (and that's just half the story) sessions announced that upon the end of the semester, he would go to New York City, walk into the offices of Marvel Comics, and get a writing gig.*
*No, it's not that easy or I'd have done it, along with several thousand fans at any given time.
He further announced, "And I'll become the writer on Uncanny X-Men ..."
Keep in mind that at the time, this was Marvel Comics' #1 selling book and the writer, Chris Claremont was the main creative force on the title, just like Jack Kirby on the early Fantastic Four or Steve Ditko on The Amazing Spider-Man. He would continue to helm the title for a number of years as he had before. Chris wasn't going anywhere soon.
Even we poor, frequently-deluded comic fans knew that. Well, all but one, it seemed.
"-- and I won't take anything else," the person announced with the confidence of predicting the sunrise. "I'll just take my services elsewhere." By the way, this person never made it to New York, didn't even leave campustown, and Mr. Claremont kept his job for another decade.
But what's wrong with starting at the bottom?
I spent three years working in Public Broadcasting, but that came from volunteering for the five before at the television division. I worked in comic retail for three decades, using my endless supply of media trivia gainfully. However, that journey began with being a customer and building a relationship with the owner -- we'd call that "networking" today.
Not everyone can be a J.K. Rowling, hitting financial paydirt with their first major published work.
Many novelists started out writing short stories. Mario Puzo wrote The Godfather at night while grinding out copy for men's adventure story magazines during the day. I can remember John Travolta in a TV ad for Band-Aid Band Adhesive Strips long before Welcome Back, Kotter or Saturday Night Fever. Jack Kirby, before he became the artistic standard of the comic book industry, worked as an "in-betweener" for Max Fleisher's animation studio, filling in movements between drawings other artists had made.
But you've got to get your foot in the door, right?
Regardless of the venue, you have to give every work your best efforts because that's part of your resume that shows you are ready for bigger and more rewarding creative challenges. When was the last time you heard of someone being called into an HR office to be told, "You drove your forklift into the boss' new BMW before crashing both of them through a brick wall ... that's the sort of initiative we're looking for in a Overseas Shipping Manager"
Timely Publications' Martin Goodman hired his cousin-in-law Stanley Lieber as an office boy to run errands for the staff. One day in 1941, a comic book needed a quick text piece to be written for Captain America #3 (in those days, the Post Office would not allow a publisher to mail magazines at a special bulk rate unless the magazine contained at least two pages of text).
Seventeen-year old Stanley ran to a typewriter and pounded out a serviceable prose tale that kept the comic on schedule. Goodman allowed Stanley to continue writing and eventually to become editor and art director of the comic book line while writing not just super-hero tales, but also westerns, war stories, romances, horror, and comedy.
By the time Goodman changed the company name to Marvel Comics, and Stanley decided to write the stories he wanted to read before leaving the industry to create The Great American Novel, the writer had long ago left his real name behind. Now everyone knew the topkick at The House of Ideas as Stan Lee.
Stan went on to succeed Goodman as publisher at Marvel before becoming a media mogul, TV and film star, and perhaps one of the most influential writers in comics history. And that all started with a two-page short story ... and Stan still hasn't written his novel.
As profiic as he was, Stan didn't scrimp on the effort. It didn't matter if the story was about Steve Rogers, Simon Garth, Millie Collins, or Johnny Bart. You shouldn't hold back on the talent either.
Every creative thing you do should be with your dial set to 11. Every comic book cover should be drawn as if it's destined for the Louvre. Wrap those SEOs with the most readable, repeatable prose you can conjure up. Be the ensemble actor that the audience can't stop watching.
And if I had to replace that goof's light bulb, I'd treat the job like I was doing open heart surgery on my best friend. Even if the pay stinks, the payment you get from a job excellently done can't be put into mere numbers.
Do your best because you never know where it may lead.
Is there ever a reason for not doing your best? Write me or comment below and let's talk this out.
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| "We must be doing something ... WRITE!" |
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In December, expect news about our first Kindle publication and tell your costuming friends to keep an eye out for it. We'll also have announcements and other insane ramblings on our Facebook page (give us a LIKE while you're there, if you would, please) or on Twitter as @BrianKMorris. You'll be glad you did. Trust us.
As we hurtle towards the end of the year -- slipping, slipping, slipping into the future -- you'll hear more about those diabolical Mayans ending the Earth just because they didn't have room on a rock for more years. You don't hear anyone predicting the end of all existence when we reach the last page of our Hello Kitty Calender, do you? It pays to research before jumping to conclusions.
Until next time, be good to yourself, be good to each other, and stay creative!
