JEMAS BREAKS SILENCE - STATEMENT ON HIS MARVEL MOVES

[Anmph]

one: for those of you who are tired of hearing about the goings on in marvel, why did you read the post and why are you waisting our time replying to it. ok...

two: some seem to forget comics isnt fun, its a business. are the facts spun a lil'? maybe. who cares, you dont work there, its not your problem, and you dont deserve to know anyways.

[Mark Millar2]

Hey guys,

The only thing that makes Bill leaving publishing any easier is the fact that I can say something nice about him here without feeling like I'm sucking up to somebody who signs my cheques. I've read so much crap and lies about the guy I had to pitch in and tell people some of the good stuff. You know me: I burn bridges like they're Swan Vesta matches and have a habit of causing a row in an empty room so you know I'm being straight with you here-- I have never, in all the time I've done this job, found a boss I liked as much as BJ. I've honestly never worked for somebody more agreeable, more open to ideas and more passionate about this stuff we love so much at any other point in my career.

Of course, everybody has a gripe with SOMEBODY in the business. There's just too many people and too many strong personalities for this to be otherwise. Bill rubbed some people up the wrong way. Bill often told guys stuff they didn't want to hear, but it bloody well worked! Marvel was a fiscal mess when he was first hired. Google back and see just how close to disappearing the company actually was. It was in BANKRUPTCY, for God's sake, and drastic measures had to be taken. The initiatives and blue sky thinking were unlike anything else I think we've really seen in the medium before. They tried absolutely everything they could think of to make people buy these books again and, for the most part, it actually worked. You want the evidence? Sales are up 30% on this time last year and last year was considerably up on the year before. Bill saw what Joe was doing with Marvel Knights and hired him as EIC, he created the Ultimate line, devised Origin, co-wrote the Spider-Man title that formed the basis of the 800,000,000 dollar movie, turned the trade program from being a joke into the best in the business, got the books in the bookstores and the comics back into major chainstores and created the first serious new talent search the industry had really seen in almost two decades.

The work he and Joe put into the Marvel line not only doubled the sales of most of the main books, but TRIPLED them in many cases. He and Joe went out on a limb and hired people nobody would EVER have trusted on the main Marvel characters and the results have been good news for everybody. Check those sales charts back in 2000 and you'll see that Uncanny and X-Men were the only books with their noses over the 100K line. Now the entire top ten and beyond are above 100K and a whole group of other revitalised franchises are hovering just under it. He got this stuff moving because he had a passion for ideas and was always up for a call no matter what time of the night or day it was. He didn't suffer fools gladly and when something was under-performing he was quick to say (which pissed a lot of people off), but he was always the first guy with a call or a message to say thanks or congrats when something worked out great. There was no agenda with him. He didn't have any of the stupid grudges or weird mind-games going on we've seen at other companies or in Marvel of old. He just wanted to see the books doing well and people TALKING about them.

His bluster was pure theatre. In person there was nobody more easy-going and he used this to great effect in the record licensing deals he signed these last three years, most of which you don't even get to hear about. BJ is a fixer; he comes in and turns a place around when it isn't working and then takes off. You turn a place around when things are going well and it goes back down again, right? I think he'd just reached the point where he had nothing else to do. He and Joe made Marvel mainstream again and have given us the best work from the company since the mid-1980s. Bendis and I have often said that, when the dust clears, this little period will be looked back on with the same affection and love as that brilliant period when Giordano was running DC Comics and breaking all the rules. Bill was a huge part of that and, for the first time in my life, I had a boss I agreed with 99% of the time.

I'll miss him up there. Joe knows exactly what he's doing and people sing Buckley's praises no end, but I'll just miss having Bill around both for his rapid-fire idea machine and the personal sense of fun he brought to the job. He was half the team that saved the ass of Marvel Comics and he always fought our corner. Feel free to attack this guy you've never met all you like, but bear these facts in mind. His legacy's here to stay.

Cheers, Bill!

MM

[Tom Daylight]

It's good to hear from Bill again

[manosx]

Anyone know why Mark has to have a 2 after his name? Is there soeone lese here that already registed here as Mark Millar? And is it Millar like Mill-are or like Mill-err?

[manosx]

Originally posted by Mark Millar2
His bluster was pure theatre. In person there was nobody more easy-going

I only have one thing to ask Bill to do actually, in response to this statement. And, no, you don't owe it to us or anything. I'm just asking. If this is true, as many people have said over the years, than please, Bill, now that you are no longer doing what you were and no longer need to play "Bad Cop", give us fans, those who've supported you and those who have vilified you, something. Not a statement meant for you superiors, but something personal to the fans that says "Hey, it's been fun being the bad guy. I appreciate those that see what we were doing for what it was, and for those who couldn't, I hope you all stay true Marvel Zombies. For any I truly offended upon some misstep, all apologies." I honestly think it might go a long way. But maybe it wouldn't. And maybe we don't deserve it, or maybe nobody cares. I would just like to see this same side of you that all your friends say you have.

[Mark Millar2]

Originally posted by manosx
Anyone know why Mark has to have a 2 after his name? Is there soeone lese here that already registed here as Mark Millar? And is it Millar like Mill-are or like Mill-err?

Manosx, I'm afraid I'm a computer moron and lost my password first time. No kidding.

Just think of it like Jaws 2 and Superman 2 and it sounds cooler.

Best wishes,
MM

[Hdefined]

Originally posted by Mark Millar2
I've honestly never worked for somebody more agreeable, more open to ideas and more passionate about this stuff we love so much at any other point in my career.

You and Bendis would probably be the only exceptions. I seriously doubt Peter David, Steve Uy, Mark Waid, Sal Larocca, Erik Larsen, Jim Krueger, Alex Ross, etc etc, share your sentiments.

It was in BANKRUPTCY, for God's sake, and drastic measures had to be taken.

I don't think "selling comic character liscences to movie studios" is all that drastic, nor was it on account of Bill. It would've happened no matter who was at Marvel, because it was that time in Hollywood, post Matrix, Harry Potter and LOTR, when Hollywood wanted superheroes.

The work he and Joe put into the Marvel line not only doubled the sales of most of the main books, but TRIPLED them in many cases.

really Like which? The ones that weren't being PRODUCED before Bill came on board? That, I could understand.

His bluster was pure theatre.

Yeah, and really appreciated among his audience (SARCASM ALERT)

His legacy's here to stay.

I don't think anyone will forget the worst comic of the decade, Marville, or the raping of the concept of Namor for a long time, so yes, I agree with you.

[Tom Daylight]

Originally posted by Hdefined
BLAH BLAH BLAH

RANT RANT RANT

BASH BASH BASH

Just read Alias vol 1. Thank you SO much for that Bill. It's the best entertainment I've had all year.

[manosx]

Originally posted by Mark Millar2
Manosx, I'm afraid I'm a computer moron and lost my password first time. No kidding.

Just think of it like Jaws 2 and Superman 2 and it sounds cooler.

Best wishes,
MM

Thanks for the explanation!

Now about how to pronounce your last name....

[Tom Daylight]

Originally posted by manosx
Now about how to pronounce your last name....

Exactly the same way you pronounce "Miller". You just have to spell it differently.

[manosx]

Originally posted by Fetsur
Exactly the same way you pronounce "Miller". You just have to spell it differently.

Thanks!!

[CylverSaber]

Originally posted by Mark Millar2
Of course, everybody has a gripe with SOMEBODY in the business. There's just too many people and too many strong personalities for this to be otherwise. Bill rubbed some people up the wrong way.

Yes. And no offense, but the people he "rubbed the wrong way" have been around a lot longer, and have done much better work, than the people who are singing his praises. So theri opinion has a tad more weight with me, at least. But we get it. You owe your career to Bill. He made you a superstar, and gave you quite a bit of money. You love him. That doesn't dispel the valid criticisms people have made of him.

You want the evidence? Sales are up 30% on this time last year and last year was considerably up on the year before. Bill saw what Joe was doing with Marvel Knights and hired him as EIC, he created the Ultimate line, devised Origin, co-wrote the Spider-Man title that formed the basis of the 800,000,000 dollar movie, turned the trade program from being a joke into the best in the business, got the books in the bookstores and the comics back into major chainstores and created the first serious new talent search the industry had really seen in almost two decades.

The work he and Joe put into the Marvel line not only doubled the sales of most of the main books, but TRIPLED them in many cases. He and Joe went out on a limb and hired people nobody would EVER have trusted on the main Marvel characters and the results have been good news for everybody. Check those sales charts back in 2000 and you'll see that Uncanny and X-Men were the only books with their noses over the 100K line. Now the entire top ten and beyond are above 100K and a whole group of other revitalised franchises are hovering just under it.

As Peter David said the last time this shtick was dredged up: "Trotting out Bill Jemas' business decisions and implying it lends cred to Bill's writing skills or creative instincts is like saying that because Flipper swims so well, you like his chances running the Kentucky Derby."

His bluster was pure theatre. In person there was nobody more easy-going

Then perhaps he should have demonstrated that publicly. In the end, his abrasive persona came back to bite him in the ass. He obviously thought it was beneficial... it turned out he was wrong.

BJ is a fixer; he comes in and turns a place around when it isn't working and then takes off. You turn a place around when things are going well and it goes back down again, right? I think he'd just reached the point where he had nothing else to do.

See, now that's much better spin.

Bendis and I have often said that, when the dust clears, this little period will be looked back on with the same affection and love as that brilliant period when Giordano was running DC Comics and breaking all the rules.

****

Feel free to attack this guy you've never met all you like, but bear these facts in mind. His legacy's here to stay.

10 years from now, the three things people will remember about Bill Jemas are his abrasive personality, the Ultimate line, and the expansion of the trade paperback program. And they'll look back on the comics of his tenure and say "My god, these stories are padded. I can't believe I followed them for that long" the same way they say "My god, these stories are crappy. I can't believe I followed them for that long" about comics of the '90s.

[WiiGii!]

Originally posted by Hooks
And you would note that each situation is based on the individual. Not every demotion is involuntary.

For example, I work both in the music industry as well as in commercial/industrial real estate, and know several former Presidents/CEOs. One of my co-workers was President for Charles Dunn. He voluntarily left Charles Dunn for a smaller position as an Executive Vice President and Director of Office Services for a competing brokerage firm (the one I work for now) for the sole reason that he wanted to be closer to his family.

Another individual I know used to be the President and CEO of my company, and is now a shareholder, an Executive Vice President, and top producer in investment sales. He also represents our company when dealing with various organizations, including out current association, GVA. The reasons he no longer wanted to be President? He didn't want the responsibilities associated with being the head of a company, and he found more pleasure being an active investor.

Money is not always the issue, but it is a consideration. People make difficult decisions like these all the time, and there isn't always a spin or some hidden agenda, like you people always seem to like to think. Bill Jemas has a family. Bill Jemas has money. Bill Jemas makes enough money where, if the need be, he could take a lesser position, take a smaller salary, and still be able to live comfortably, with whatever stocks or investments he may hold.

With all the talk of conspiracies, spin-doctoring, and whatnot, you'd seem to think that Bill Jemas is some evil mutant masterminding the fall of comic books as you know it. Anytime you people don't like someone, you rant and rave and paint them as evil, creating the image of a "bad guy" against your personal "quest for good." You see the world as a four-colored pamphlet, plotted out and continued in the monthly adventures of Nu-Marvel Publishing, where there's an artist drawing Bill Jemas behind his desk, squinting his eyes at the comic book fandom and speaking of conspiracies to bring down the fall of the heroic and noble fans, where The Fans do no evil, and The Fans know all, as if The Fans wore tight blue spandex and their underwear on the outside, pointing fingers at Evil Jemas and saying "DAMN YOU JEMAS FOR YOUR EVIL PLAN. YOU WILL PAY." Well, here's some news for you:

Real life isn't comic books.

(X)

fine ill repost since newsarama has a vendetta against me

SHUT UP

its obvious this mongrel knows nothing about business... bill jemas was FIRED because TEH FANS and TEH RETAILORS demanded him gone, and for once marvel LISTENED even though there still screwing up

and mark millar (mister UNTALENTED writer) is just spinning so maybe he can get another raise i bet..

[Mark Millar2]

Originally posted by WiiGii!
fine ill repost since newsarama has a vendetta against me

SHUT UP

and mark millar (mister UNTALENTED writer) is just spinning so maybe he can get another raise i bet..

Oh dear. I think this is where I sign off because I like this business too much to become embroiled in the silliness.

Very best to all,
MM

I know if I was months late in my work I sure wouldn't be kissing my ex-bosses ass. Just finish the ultimates than you can have your fun.

[mpg]

Originally posted by IanZL
OKay, and can ANY OF YOU show me how it WASN'T voluntary? How do you know he didn't want to get out of publishing? How do you know he didn't want to spend more time with his family? How do you know that he just wasn't having fun anymore? How do you know that he didn't like the orders that were coming to him so he asked to be moved? WHAT? YOU DON'T?

we can't.

but all those other senarios , i think most will agree, are highly unlikely. Jemas saw himself as Steinbrenner saving the yankees. eventually what got you there betrays you. Strong opinions and good sense become meglomania.

plus, in this day and age, its all about the spin. i bet its fun for people to release statements that are pure spin. all the parties involved can rate how good the spin was over drinks and have a good laugh.

[manosx]

Originally posted by CylverSaber
But we get it. You owe your career to Bill. He made you a superstar, .

I thought DC and Wildstorm made Mark's career and made him a superstar with his Authority run. You think UXM, Ultimates and Trouble made him a superstar?

[manosx]

Originally posted by WiiGii!
fine ill repost since newsarama has a vendetta against me

SHUT UP

its obvious this mongrel knows nothing about business... bill jemas was FIRED because TEH FANS and TEH RETAILORS demanded him gone, and for once marvel LISTENED even though there still screwing up

and mark millar (mister UNTALENTED writer) is just spinning so maybe he can get another raise i bet..

Every time you think you've read the worst post you've ever read, along comes the worst post you ever read.

[OM]

Originally posted by ReaperFett
And what evidence do you have he is putting a spin on it?

...Oh give me a fucking break here, kid. That entire schpiel stank to hog heaven of a spin doctor's fecal matter. If that's not blatant evidence enough for you, then it's obvious all you're doing is playing "Devil's Retarded Advocate" just for the sake of finding an excuse to be snotty.

If Bill wasn't trying to put a spin fix on his current situation, he would have at least told us whether the doorknob got stuck in his ass on the way out the door...

Originally posted by Mark Millar2
I have never, in all the time I've done this job, found a boss I liked as much as BJ.

...Let's keep our sex life out of this one, shall we? :-P

Originally posted by Mark Millar2
Oh dear. I think this is where I sign off because I like this business too much to become embroiled in the silliness.

Coward! :-P

[CylverSaber]

Originally posted by manosx
I thought DC and Wildstorm made Mark's career and made him a superstar with his Authority run. You think UXM, Ultimates and Trouble made him a superstar?

Hmm, let's see, Authority-- mid-level seller at best, following Warren Ellis' more-acclaimed run... vs. co-creating the Ultimate books, which are in the Top 10 every month. U-Decide.

[manosx]

Originally posted by CylverSaber
Hmm, let's see, Authority-- mid-level seller at best, following Warren Ellis' more-acclaimed run... vs. co-creating the Ultimate books, which are in the Top 10 every month. U-Decide.

I guess from a sales angle yuor rigt, I was going off more of the "Buzz" that i think goes with the term Superstar. I here a lot more about Mark's work on Authority still than I hear about the Ultimate line, with the exception of possibly Ultimates. As a wise man once said, I guess it depends on you point of view.

[William Coate]

This is actually quite hilarious. Some of the statements here are so ridiculous. Why couldn't it be voluntary? Sure there were plenty of mistakes along the way but success counts for a lot. So if you can't see that then you're simply flying blind.

Some people might ask what are these successes? Well the Ultimate line, the trade paperback program and books like Supreme Power and 1602 might count as success.

The next question might be well who's responsible for these projects? Well Quesada did answer to Jemas and I'm sure there was a melding of minds on plenty of ideas so Marvel as a team along with Jemas came up with some interesting concepts. Sure I didn't like them all but they sure were trying. And while I actually buy more DC (Vertigo & Wildstorm) then I ever did before I recognize that Marvel has accomplished a lot.

Something to think about.

William Coate

[Riliss]

I like Bill Jemas' comments and his work. Best of luck to you, sir.

[colorknow]

Originally posted by Mark Millar2
I have never, in all the time I've done this job, found a boss I liked as much as BJ. I've honestly never worked for somebody more agreeable, more open to ideas and more passionate about this stuff we love so much at any other point in my career.

Bill often told guys stuff they didn't want to hear, but it bloody well worked!

always up for a call no matter what time of the night or day it was.

There was no agenda with him. He didn't have any of the stupid grudges or weird mind-games going on we've seen at other companies or in Marvel of old.

He was half the team that saved the ass of Marvel Comics and he always fought our corner.

As far as Bill returning calls from other freelancers I can attest to the fact that he did not return calls when most Marvel colorists where pink slipped.

Bill brought in a colorist who was a personal friend of his to take over several titles which had guide artists that had been told that once Marvel made the move to full digital coloring they would retain their jobs. These are guys who had been in the industry for years, were doing kick ass stuff and were all ready to seperate their own guides (some of which where already working on the computer). I myself would call my editors and ask them about when the shift was going to occur so I could finally sep myself at Marvel like I was at other companies.

A week or so before Christmas a letter was sent out to most of the colorists stating that their services where no longer required. Imagine our surprise when we find that the books we where being told by our editors where ours where mysteriously already under contract to a seperation house.

This was all attributed to marvel wanting to save money and start a bidding system wherein all colorists would have to submit a bid if they wanted to continue to work for Marvel.... now, I understand the need for trimming the fat, and some of us were making some really good money, but not all of us..... the problem with this theory is that Bill's friend, who was taking on some of these books, was actually the highest paid colorist Marvel had at the time. He even replaced a colorist who I personally know was not getting paid anywhere near what this guy was after the dust settled. So does that sound like an agenda,,, I don't know.

This situation was compounded by the fact that some of the out of work colorists were then approached by Bill's friend and asked to color books, in his name, for less than page rate. So, the only way they would be getting work from Marvel was through Bill's buddy, as by this time all the books except for special projects had been contractually spoken for. The other option was to work for one of the other seperations houses, also with no credit and for less pay.

Imagine working on a book you had been doing guides for, and had been promised seperation work on, but not getting your name on it and getting paid less, sounds fun doesn't it? Well it didn't to several of us so we picked up and decided to move on. A few of us left the industry all together. Either way we all continued to wish Marvel well and tried not to take it personally. After all our time working with Marvel we still retained several friends there and wanted the company to excell. This is why I personally agree with almost everything you have said about Bill Jemas.

Bill was there for Marvel when they really needed him. He has done fantastic things that have affected the entire industry positively, but is he a good guy to work for? That depends on who you are......

[ReaperFett]

Originally posted by OM
...Oh give me a fucking break here, kid. That entire schpiel stank to hog heaven of a spin doctor's fecal matter. If that's not blatant evidence enough for you, then it's obvious all you're doing is playing "Devil's Retarded Advocate" just for the sake of finding an excuse to be snotty.

No matter what Jemas said you'd say he spun it. Your opinion on what was written is not "blatant evidence".