 |
 |
 |
10-20-2004, 07:35 AM
|
#1 |
|
|
PALMIOTTI & GRAY ON THE END OF MONOLITH
 The end came, as they often unfortunately do, with little fanfare – in DC’s solicits for January, the solicitation for Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Phil Winslade’s The Monolith included the two ugly words: final issue. Newsarama has covered the title since its first days, and with regret, we spoke with Palmiotti and Gray about the end of the series. Newsarama: So…what happened? Is this a sales-only thing? Jimmy Palmiotti: As usual, it always comes down to sales. We couldn’t have gotten better reviews and such, but like most new characters, it’s always going to be tough to launch this kind of book. Justin Gray: Right - sales were below the required minimum to sustain a DCU title. We had the pleasure of working to issue 12 and that’s something to be proud of so we are. NRAMA: Story-wise, will #12 be a natural wrap up? JP: Yes, totally…we knew this was coming for months and the series ends the right way and leaves the door open for the characters to make their way into other books in the DCU at the same time, like in the new Hawkman…which we also wrote. Go figure… JG: It’s a sort of Disney ending that ties together the entire run as much as possible. Fans that have been reading all along are in for an ending that makes sense. NRAMA: Looking at it as objectively as you can – why did The Monolith have such trouble finding an audience? JP: We had a really good push with the first issue, sold out the 5000 overprint run as well, and that was it. Sometimes that happens. Other than the initial push, trade support and house ads are very important for a new book. It’s tough for any book to survive in this market, and really, we know DC puts out so many better selling books…we can understand attention for every single title can become overwhelming. I think the trade book would have put us in a much better spot and helped the series gain a larger audience, but we did get 12 great issues of something we are proud of out, so I will always be eternally grateful to DC for that. JG: True story. I recently moved and a month or so after the unpacking, I scouted out my new local shop to ask how they were doing sales wise with The Monolith. The storeowner told me that he’d never heard of it. The Monolith did find an audience only it was too small to be profitable for the company publishing it. That’s what I feel the worst about when a book is cancelled, the people that bought the book and supported it for 12 months. They have our gratitude.  NRAMA: You’d mentioned early on that you were bringing Batman in to boost interest in the book, and you did in issues #6-8, illustrated by Tomm Coker. Did that work at all? JP: As far as we can tell, a little bit but not enough, and not soon enough. JG: If anything Tomm’s art brought a few people to the book. Thanks Tomm! I guess I wanted to write Batman more than I thought it would skyrocket sales. NRAMA: In the same vein of attracting attention, you can’t ignore the character Tilt’s health status. Your storyline of Tilt learning she was HIV positive came at a time just before the same development occurred in Green Arrow. What was your feeling about seeing that book getting all kinds of press an attention when you’d just done the same thing? It could be argued that had The Monolith gotten part of that push, sales may have seen a nudge upward… JP: If you read the book, you’ll see that HIV is something that makes sense with the character and the way she is portrayed…and was not done to get us press or attention, but done for the sake of grounding the characters in reality and having them deal with a very real issue. It is not the focus of the story and never was intended to be. As far as green arrow getting all the press… Judd is a top writer in the industry and Green Arrow is a character that has been around forever. If you were the company, which book would you choose to promote? Sales dictate a lot of what is pushed and not pushed. Again, this is the nature of the business. JG: From the beginning Monolith has dealt with issues ranging from poverty, prejudice, drug abuse, prostitution, domestic violence, corruption and most recently HIV. The decision to bring the topic of HIV into the comic came about naturally as a part of Tilt’s daily struggles and how she could be a hero without any powers or costume. Heroism isn’t living with a disease it’s how you live with that disease, what you do with your life. The Monolith has always been about people and not superheroes—maybe that hurt us in the long run, but I wouldn’t change it. As far as media attention on that scale being dedicated to another book, the general public maintains a specific view of what constitutes the American comic book. That view is primarily superheroes. I’m happy that DC is not only addressing an important topic, but also once again shining a media spotlight on comics as material that is not exclusively for children.  NRAMA: So how do you get past this and move on? Not to be a complete downer here, but you guys have had 21 Down, The Resistance, and now The Monolith go out from under you…in a situation like that, where does the perseverance come from?JP: It’s a difference of perspective. What people might view as failure, we view as gigantic success. We got a whole year of 21 Down books and a trade out. We got a good deal of issues of Resistance out there and now a full year of The Monolith. We got the opportunity to create three worlds of characters, got to work with some of the best creators in the industry and got them published by one of the biggest comic publishers in the world. Really…at the end of the day, we are proud to say we created universes from scratch and although the numbers might have been lower than the regular monthlies out there…our audience reflected a different kind of reader, willing to take a chance on something new . The people who followed these books and follow our work are the most important thing to us. The numbers will grow and the audience will too…and we will keep fighting for every single new project we do. JG: If you don’t have perseverance you’ll never be worth a shit in anything you do. It’s that simple and it’s something you learn to deal with long before you have anything published. Before I wrote comics, I wrote short fiction, articles, ad copy, interviews, and poetry. I did this while working as a chef 50 hours a week. I started collecting rejection letters from magazines at the age of fifteen. I’m a writer, that is what I do and I’d continue to do it if the work dried up and every door was slammed in my face. Having said that, I’m extremely proud of the people I worked with and to have had the opportunity to see those books in print. It is a matter of how you measure success. NRAMA: Speaking from the larger picture, how does this paint the view of diversity within the market? JP: Not so good…not good at all. I think format changes are coming as we learn each and every time something like this happens. JG: My view differs slightly from my esteemed colleague. There is diversity in the market. Look at Oni, AIT LAR, Dark Horse, Image, Slave Labor, Fantagraphics, Tokyo Pop and several others. The question is will other genres reach the point where they outsell or equal the number of franchise superheroes in American comics? Excluding Tokyo Pop. Will they ever be profitable enough to grab a foothold? That’s not up to me; it is up to the people that buy comics to make the determination. NRAMA: Fair enough. So – any hints on how things wrap for the cast of the series by issue #12? JP: Gracefully and positive and we book end the entire series. I am very proud of issue #12. You will understand why when you get to read it. JG: Here’s the idea, you to cry like little babies, weep with joy, smile and laugh and then, at the last panel of the last page you say…damn, that was worth $2.95. NRAMA: Are you two looking to fill the gap in your schedule that The Monolith has left? JP: We have a bunch of new projects coming and dc has been great to us making sure we do not skip a beat… they are a great crew up there and treat us really well. JG: I think we enjoy a great working relationship with DC, they’ve been generous in supporting our original work over the last three years and continue to do so with The Twilight Experiment a six issue series published by Wildstorm, available for preorder next month and shipping in February. |
|
10-20-2004, 08:34 AM
|
#2 |
|
|
Hope somebody offers Phil Winslade a top job after this, because the guy really is as good as it gets in mainstream comics.
|
|
10-20-2004, 08:44 AM
|
#3 |
|
|
what are the chances of a trade?
|
|
10-20-2004, 09:03 AM
|
#4 |
|
|
Well, this just sucks...
First HERO gets the axe shortly after I discover its coolness, and now this. The Monolith is one of the books that I'd look forward to reading early on in my pile on it's release date. I'm sad to see it go.
|
|
10-20-2004, 09:06 AM
|
#5 | |
|
|
Quote:
Of a canceled series that never had much in the way of sales? I'd say, optimistically, just about zero percent. You don't want to hear what my pessimistic side thinks. It's a shame. It was a good book, and Winslade is one of the best artists working in comics today. -Augie |
|
|
10-20-2004, 09:37 AM
|
#6 |
|
|
Its weird that DC has been chopping so many quality series. Monolith, Kinetic, Hero, etc. Can Fallen Angel be far behind? How does Marvel keep launching new unwarranted series (Gambit, Rogue, Nightcrawler) while DC is gunning for anything that shows weakness? Its strange to me. All I know is that there's no way that Doom Patrol has the numbers to survive, but it'll probably continue for quite a while....
|
|
10-20-2004, 09:42 AM
|
#7 |
|
|
Yes, it really is a shame with the titles from Palmiotti and Gray.
I loved 21Down and Resistance was also very good. And now "THE END OF MONOLITH", thats not fair.  Please guys, don't wait for the trade (i never will understand why). If the series is good, buy it. Thats all you have to do. |
|
10-20-2004, 09:50 AM
|
#8 |
|
|
I never read the book, but I did kind of resent the way Monolith (and his supporting cast) was shoe-horned awkwardly into the last issue of Hawkman. Unfortunately, I don't think the writers did a good enough job of making the characters interesting enough to get me to pick up the book.
Not that it mattered anyway, considering the book's cancellation was obviously on the board by the time that Hawkman issue hit the stands. Aaron |
|
10-20-2004, 10:00 AM
|
#9 |
|
|
Monolith was a strange product, with a lot of significant ideas in an original mixure. In my opinion the final result wasn't perfect sometimes, but everyone could notice creators' hard and involved work. Winslade's art is supreme. And Palmiotty and Gray did a perfect story with the Batman arc.
Today is a bad day for the good and socially meaningful comics' lovers. But We still have four issues to read, luckily! |
|
10-20-2004, 10:23 AM
|
#10 | |
|
|
Re: Well, this just sucks...
Quote:
HERO got cancelled? |
|
|
10-20-2004, 10:40 AM
|
#11 | |
|
|
Quote:
It's not that strange. Monolith = new character; Kinetic = newwcharacter; Hero = new character. Gambit = X-Men; Rogue = X-Men; Nightcrawler = X-Men. DC seems willing to try out new concepts for its books a bit more than Marvel does these days. Not that I blame Marvel, because DC's new initiatives, unfortunately, haven't met with a lot of success. |
|
|
10-20-2004, 10:40 AM
|
#12 |
|
|
Yet another example of why the major companies - especially DC - need to re-think the standard 32-page, monthly single model for offbeat or unknown material.
|
|
10-20-2004, 10:51 AM
|
#13 | |
|
|
Quote:
Still sometimes the known characters don't work out either. Thanos should never have had a series. Runaways which was an entirely new idea enjoyed much success and critical acclaim. Hero wasn't a new idea, but the whole concept has always revolved around new uses of the dial each time. Customers at my store don't really seem to be discouraged to the point that theu don't try anything new from DC though. For now anyway. |
|
|
10-20-2004, 10:53 AM
|
#14 | |
|
|
Quote:
It took me a second to consider this, but I think you may be right. Its like why even release a monthly comic series if you're pretty sure that it won't generate the market it would need to survive based on sales not acclaim. I'd love to see more Monolith, Hero, and Kinetic as the occasional graphic novel in the future. Soft cover only of course. Some things just don't need to be hardcovers even though DC loves to sell both. |
|
|
10-20-2004, 10:58 AM
|
#15 | |
|
|
Quote:
I don't know about that. If Monolith had come out as a 112-page graphic novel, selling for, say, $14.95 -- a new character, solid, but hardly ultra-popular creators, not really super-hero -- how many copies do you think it would sell? I think DC is constantly putting out interesting and varied comics to the market where some stick and prosper (Y, Fables, Losers) and most others don't. I think they gave Monolith a chance to find an audience and it didn't. |
|
|
10-20-2004, 11:25 AM
|
#16 |
|
|
a shame
I've been loving Monolith since the first issue, and this is pretty sad news(but not unexpected considering the numbers). I'm glad it will get a proper ending at the very least.
I've been trying to convince my wife to read this title, but she keeps telling me she wants to wait for a trade so she can read it straight through. I guess that won't be happening. I for one would pick this up as a trade. |
|
10-20-2004, 11:27 AM
|
#17 | |
|
|
Quote:
Losers actually had lower sales in August than Monolith. The reason I bring this up is because from what I understand Losers, Sleepers and Human Target are still around because they do so well in the TPB sales. There was even a comment by Brubaker indicating the same thing. It seems that the more adult and offbeat characters do better in the mainstream market than in the direct market. I truly wish more publishers realized this and would start changing their publishing model to reflect this trend. Plus, I prefer graphic novels  |
|
|
10-20-2004, 11:44 AM
|
#18 | |||
|
|
Quote:
The most recent numbers have Losers slightly ahead of Monolith, and I suspect that that number will widen as the Losers' sales are consistent and Monolith continue to drop. Quote:
That may be true, but Monolith really wasn't in the same category as those comics. It was an all-ages book set in the DC Universe, and it included various super-hero guest stars. There may be different criteria to have a DC comic put into a trade vs. a Vertigo one. Quote:
This probably won't work because of the creator cost involved. Say you have a 112-page graphic novel. DC has to page for 112 pages of new material from the artists and writers and colorists and letterers, and none of that money is recouped with advertising. So, my estimate of that same graphic novel costing only $14.95 is very low. It would probably be $24.95, and that's even making it softcover. Now, solicit that book -- $24.95, new character -- to comic shops and see how many they order. Do the same with Borders or Barnes and Noble and see how many they order. Believe me, it wouldn't be financially feasable. The problem with comics today is not the format. |
|||
|
10-20-2004, 11:49 AM
|
#19 |
|
|
I was quite sad to see the sollicits for Monolith...
I really enjoyed the relationship between the characters and the off-beat slant to the work. Looking forward to any and all new JP & JG works. (I still don't have my Cloudburst tho', supposed to be in backorder, but no sign of it). Speaking of the Resistance, whatever happened to the interior artist on that one? I don't remember his name right away, but man, did he make that series shine or what? That was a series I was into after it got cancelled, but the art was stunning & consistent. Where is he & when's he coming back? On a sidenote: I was overjoyed at the same time when I saw there wasn't a 'last issue' caption for Hard Time. By far my favorite new book, the best Focus book (and the only one still kicking). Please, anyone who reads this, let me keep my youngest lifer in prison comic book. Support Hard Time! Do it now. I'm sure Jimmy & Justin would agree. Right guys? Sorry for the slight rant, but it's all kinda related to the topic. |
|
10-20-2004, 11:50 AM
|
#20 | |
|
|
Quote:
This is EXACTLY the reason that DC had titles like SHOWCASE back in the day. If one story didn't work, the next issue they'd try something new. And if it REALLY worked (the Flash, Green Lantern, Lois Lane, etc) it went on to it's own ongoing series. |
|
|
10-20-2004, 11:55 AM
|
#21 |
|
|
Thank You Jimmy, Justin and Phil
Thank you Jimmy, Justin and Phil for producing an absolutely excellent book. It was elegantly written, beautifully drawn and inked and conceptually innovative. I've been with you from the beginning and hoped to see issue #100 of this book.
Best wishes to all of you. I'll look forward to your next project. Larry |
|
10-20-2004, 12:44 PM
|
#22 |
|
|
Also sad to see it go - it was a thoughtful book that was also interesting. Maybe if they had made the history and mysticism of the character incredibly confusing and depressing it would have worked at Vertigo.
Like what another poster said about Showcase; that would only work today if you had top name creators on every issue. But, it could work. Hero was kind of like a Showcase - new hero and villian every issue (or three); I think it lost a little momentum in the last storyline, but it was also a solid read every month. And art that let you follow the story. Oh well, just gives me more money to spend on crappy X-books. |
|
10-20-2004, 01:05 PM
|
#23 | |
|
|
Re: Thank You Jimmy, Justin and Phil
Quote:
Couldn't have said it better myself. Great job on the book guys!!! Looking forward to your future projects... |
|
|
10-20-2004, 01:33 PM
|
#24 |
|
|
It's NOT that the books are no good.....
They're TOO EXPENSIVE... to try new books all the time! At 3 bucks a pop...it's hard to add everything I'd like....and I would have REALLY LIKED TO TRY the MONOLITH.... something for DC and MARVEL to think about....but probably don't care about! |
|
10-20-2004, 01:54 PM
|
#25 | |
|
|
Quote:
21 Down was traded... |
|
«
Previous Thread
|
Next Thread
»
| Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
| Display Modes | |
Linear Mode
|
|
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:25 PM.
