HA: AUTHORITY #3 NOT COMING?

[MattBrady]

Though it's been said to be on the Wildstorm table...somewhere by Jim Lee and others at DC, Authority artist Gene Ha said in his recent e-mailer, that he doesn't think his and Grant Morrison's collaboration on Wildstorm's premiere super team will continue - ever.

Ha wrote:

"First off, I don't think The Authority #3 by Grant Morrison and Gene Ha is ever coming out. Grant is busy redesigning the DC Universe and I've moved onto new projects. Most importantly, it seems that editor Scott Dunbier has been forced out of Wildstorm. There is no #3 script, there may never be a #3 script.

"(Hey Scott, contact me when you start contacting people again! We miss you! I want to read more stuff you edit too).

"I am currently working on my second poster for the Illinois Library Association. After that, I'll start on the Zander Cannon scripts and layouts for a new Top 10 series. The story is set in the same time period as the Smax miniseries. This means that Smax and Toybox won't show up during my four issue run. I actually did a lot of sketching and research coming up with an updated costume for Toybox. Obviously, I won't get to use those concepts. I'm a little disappointed about that but the scripts are good enough to make up for that.

"If you see Zander at a convention ask him if he'll show you the layouts. They've got dialog penciled in and everything!

"And that's all I have scheduled for sure. I've got a pitch at DC for a project but I don't know if they'll bite. Or if they'll bite two years from now. I'm considering making a pitch to a French publisher like Humanoids or Soleil. If I do a project for the French I'll try to maintain my American comics schedule, with the equivalent of one issue's work every 2-3 months. It would be an original story with an American writer so I don't know if they'll be interested either.

"If all of those ideas fall through expect me to seek some Marvel work and some DC Bill Willingham scripts. I love that man's writing."

For those looking to commemorate and own a piece of what was, when it was, Ha is selling pages from The Authority #2 at his webstore.

[pop monkey]

Wow. The WILDSTORM "universe" certainly got off to a grand start, didn't it?
It's two flagship titles , WILDCATS and AUTHORITY have yet to reach their 2nd and 3rd issues (respectively) in... how many years?

Definitely looking forward to more TOP TEN stuff, though!

[Gokitalo]

Actually, hasn't even been a year since the last Authority issue came out, although it's almost been a year since the last Wildcats issue came out.

[Godfather]

And this is where DC needs to step in, bite the damn bullet, and replace the creators.

[kingofcities]

I wish someone from Wildstorm would just put out a Press Release about this already. Something that says hey, this is what happened and we're sorry about that. Just leaving the fans twisting in the wind indefinitely is very disrespectful.

[SpyGuy]

Originally Posted by kingofcities

I wish someone from Wildstorm would just put out a Press Release about this already. Something that says hey, this is what happened and we're sorry about that. Just leaving the fans twisting in the wind indefinitely is very disrespectful.

Agreed. Some form of official statement is way overdue.

[durkadurka]

Somebody please just give me Planetary #27. That's all i really want from WildStorm. I will be totally content if somebody would just get it to me. Please!!

[Eric Palicki]

Originally Posted by kingofcities

I wish someone from Wildstorm would just put out a Press Release about this already. Something that says hey, this is what happened and we're sorry about that. Just leaving the fans twisting in the wind indefinitely is very disrespectful.

Ultimately, I feel as though Wildstorm owes me $9.00.

I enjoyed what I've read well enough, but when I go to see a really good movie and the reel breaks midway through the film, it's reasonable for me to expect a refund from the theater...

[kingofcities]

Originally Posted by Eric Palicki

Ultimately, I feel as though Wildstorm owes me $9.00.

I enjoyed what I've read well enough, but when I go to see a really good movie and the reel breaks midway through the film, it's reasonable for me to expect a refund from the theater...

Good metaphor. Funny enough, when I was 16 I worked at a movie theater. On two occasions the reel broke. Can you guess what happened? The manager came in and explained to the audience what was going on. Take a hint Wildstorm.

[80Pork]

Wow, at this point, I guess I'm glad the only Wildstorm I have been buying was Friday The 13th. That's always been on time. I just started buying the New Line Cinema anthology, too.

[Ace]

Works for me.

I don't want to read that Authority issue, but I sure as heck want to read Final Crisis and more Ha-related Top Ten

[cncoyle]

Originally Posted by Godfather

And this is where DC needs to step in, bite the damn bullet, and replace the creators.

True, because they did such a bang-up job on the Wonder Woman relaunch.

[Ye Olde Iowa]

Originally Posted by Eric Palicki

Ultimately, I feel as though Wildstorm owes me $9.00.

I enjoyed what I've read well enough, but when I go to see a really good movie and the reel breaks midway through the film, it's reasonable for me to expect a refund from the theater...

While I agree that the Wildcats and Authority delays/cancellations/whathaveyou are ridiculous and Wildstorm needs to step up, I think you are going overboard here.

They owe you absolutely nothing and your metaphor doesn't work in this case.

Now, if you purchased a $2.99 comic book and half way through the issue, the pages were blank or from the wrong comic, you can expect a refund. That would be completely reasonable.

But, from what I can tell, you purchased each of these $2.99 comics and read them in their entireity. In other words, you got your entire "really good movie." You are just waiting on the sequel...which may or may not ever happen. Complaining about the delays and "reasonably" thinking you deserve a refund is just ridiculous.

Truthfully, I could care less either way, but the only productive thing you can do is to start writing actual letters to the Wildstorm offices demanding that they fix these issues. It's helped save comics from cancellation, so I think it would be reasonable to expect that a similar response from the fanbase could help save books from being delayed to death.

[Ye Olde Iowa]

Originally Posted by 80Pork

Wow, at this point, I guess I'm glad the only Wildstorm I have been buying was Friday The 13th. That's always been on time. I just started buying the New Line Cinema anthology, too.

You should also check out Gen13 and Midnighter. Both have been hitting good schedules and are incredibly good reads.

[durkadurka]

Originally Posted by Ye Olde Iowa

While I agree that the Wildcats and Authority delays/cancellations/whathaveyou are ridiculous and Wildstorm needs to step up, I think you are going overboard here.

They owe you absolutely nothing and your metaphor doesn't work in this case.

Now, if you purchased a $2.99 comic book and half way through the issue, the pages were blank or from the wrong comic, you can expect a refund. That would be completely reasonable.

But, from what I can tell, you purchased each of these $2.99 comics and read them in their entireity. In other words, you got your entire "really good movie." You are just waiting on the sequel...which may or may not ever happen. Complaining about the delays and "reasonably" thinking you deserve a refund is just ridiculous.

Truthfully, I could care less either way, but the only productive thing you can do is to start writing actual letters to the Wildstorm offices demanding that they fix these issues. It's helped save comics from cancellation, so I think it would be reasonable to expect that a similar response from the fanbase could help save books from being delayed to death.

Good points, unless you consider a multi issue story arc, like they have been. You bought the first (and second) sixths of a 6-issue arc, but the arc was never completed? That is exactly like going to a movie and not being able to see the whole thing.
I actually agree with you, just playing devil's advocate.

[Dragavon]

Originally Posted by Eric Palicki

Ultimately, I feel as though Wildstorm owes me $9.00.

I enjoyed what I've read well enough, but when I go to see a really good movie and the reel breaks midway through the film, it's reasonable for me to expect a refund from the theater...

Actually this closer to a television analogy. If a really good show premieres but only two episodes are shown, and the rest of the series is canned, you can't really complain about it.

[TheGrayHulk]

Originally Posted by durkadurka

Somebody please just give me Planetary #27. That's all i really want from WildStorm. I will be totally content if somebody would just get it to me. Please!!

Yes, that's all I want from Wildstorm too. But you know, that bloke Ellis is very busy at Marvel lately... he doesn't have time to do his own characters...

[David Vega]

Originally Posted by durkadurka

Somebody please just give me Planetary #27. That's all i really want from WildStorm. I will be totally content if somebody would just get it to me. Please!!

You are in for a long wait my friend. Cassaday is off filming his first movie. Ellis waited a year after the release of #26 to write the script, and by then, Cassaday was off. When or if, he returns to comics is anyone's guess, especially with Scott now gone.

[waterdragon]

I blame DC Comics/Time Warner for once again screwing over the WildStorm imprint. I blame Jim Lee for allowing this to happen and actually not giving a damn about it because he is too busy watching Supernatural on DVD in his spare time. But most of all, Grant for being a pompous, over-hyped S.O.B. writer that decided "Hey I'll take on 50 billion projects from every direction and let the chips fall where they may." I was promised a Gene Ha 4 issue Authority and I never got it. Furthermore, Scott hasn't even been giving an official "He is not with WS" from WS itself from any panels whatsoever.

[durkadurka]

Originally Posted by David Vega

You are in for a long wait my friend. Cassaday is off filming his first movie. Ellis waited a year after the release of #26 to write the script, and by then, Cassaday was off. When or if, he returns to comics is anyone's guess, especially with Scott now gone.

Noooooo!!
I know all of that, but i want it so bad!!
Ellis is off doing Thunderbolts, NewUniversal (if that is still going on) and soon Astonishing X-Men, along with whatever other stuff he's up to, like Black Summer.
Cassaday is finishing up Astonishing X-Men, and doing whatever else.
But i want Planetary, dammit!! I do not want it to turn into a Scud-type affair. That would suck real hard.

[David Vega]

[quote=Ye Olde Iowa]While I agree that the Wildcats and Authority delays/cancellations/whathaveyou are ridiculous and Wildstorm needs to step up, I think you are going overboard here.

They owe you absolutely nothing and your metaphor doesn't work in this case.
QUOTE]

They may "owe you absolutely nothing" (which I think is a bogus argument), but you don't owe them your loyalty either. If you feel you've been screwed over, don't buy the books until they are either completed or collected in a trade.

[David Vega]

Originally Posted by durkadurka

Noooooo!!
I know all of that, but i want it so bad!!
Ellis is off doing Thunderbolts, NewUniversal (if that is still going on) and soon Astonishing X-Men, along with whatever other stuff he's up to, like Black Summer.
Cassaday is finishing up Astonishing X-Men, and doing whatever else.
But i want Planetary, dammit!! I do not want it to turn into a Scud-type affair. That would suck real hard.

Cassaday finished Astonishing (and most of his commitments) a long time ago. Marvel is releasing them bimonthly so they can stretch out shelf time. Cassaday left to film last month, so he is not going to turn his attention to comics for at least a year (at minimum). If the script had been written sooner, I have not doubt that we would have had #27 in our hands by now.

[kingofcities]

Originally Posted by David Vega

Cassaday finished Astonishing (and most of his commitments) a long time ago. Marvel is releasing them bimonthly so they can stretch out shelf time. Cassaday left to film last month, so he is not going to turn his attention to comics for at least a year (at minimum). If the script had been written sooner, I have not doubt that we would have had #27 in our hands by now.

Ellis wrote the script. It took so long for Cassaday to be available again that Ellis started tinkering with it and re-wrote it. I have no idea why Cassady gets a pass from the fans on this book. It's been what, nine years now? He worked on Captain America, that Humanoids book, X-Men, etc. How about wrapping up twenty some odd issues in less than nine years instead? I know his art is pretty but it doesn't deserve the pass that he gets.

[durkadurka]

Originally Posted by kingofcities

Ellis wrote the script. It took so long for Cassaday to be available again that Ellis started tinkering with it and re-wrote it. I have no idea why Cassady gets a pass from the fans on this book. It's been what, nine years now? He worked on Captain America, that Humanoids book, X-Men, etc. How about wrapping up twenty some odd issues in less than nine years instead? I know his art is pretty but it doesn't deserve the pass that he gets.

Didn't Cassaday have to take time off from X-Men to do one issue of Fallen Son? I thought that put him behind, and was one of the reasons Astonishing got pushed to bimonthly. I'm sure Ellis had the script done, so the blame probably does fall mostly on Cassaday. What movie is he doing, by the way?

[zodcomplex]

It's a shame that the two flagship Wildstorm titles are suffering from such delays. I had picked up both premiere issues of Wildcats and Authority &, to be honest, I didn't really enjoy either one, which is a shame because the original Jim Lee Wildcats launch is still one of my favorite comics & I loved the hell out of The Authority.

Ultimately, I feel as though Wildstorm owes me $9.00.

I enjoyed what I've read well enough, but when I go to see a really good movie and the reel breaks midway through the film, it's reasonable for me to expect a refund from the theater...

Personally, I feel like this is a bit of an overreaction. Yeah, it's a shame that the follow-up issues didn't come out, but ultimatley, you go what you paid for, same as when you go to a movie. What this is similiar to would be the first of a proposed trilogy of movies coming out, only to see the 2nd & 3rd parts fall apart in production & never see the light of day. Or, as another poster mentioned, serialized television.

I'm wondering, do a lot of people out there feel this way, that the company owes them money/an apology/whatever? When did comic readers become stockholders vs. consumers?