June 7, 2021
By Alex Ness
My surgery, the one that caused me to try to gather interviews and content prior to the event, but was postponed and canceled twice, is now finally firmly scheduled for June 28th. For those who supported me with information, finances, compassion, time and attention, and kindness, I will be forever grateful. Getting the opportunity to be out of pain after 1 year of constant pain, is beyond hopeful for me, it is a blessing.
UNPLEASANT THINGS
As a disclaimer, I am responding to a question, have zero primary evidence or knowledge.
I don't want to treat this column as any kind of gossip corner. I want
to cover the work of an artist and perhaps focus on why the artist works, or how they created the work. I also focus upon the creative forces that go into creating
the work as in cultural or personal influence. Less about creative talent, as I don't often know the who or why they created it. I have mentioned before that I'd done an experiment, showing people images of paintings by Adolf Hitler without telling them that it was his work. Upon telling the people who almost universally said the work was good and looked pleasant, they mostly acted indignant, and angry. The point I had tried to make, was that judging art by a creator is the reverse order that you should consider. The art itself is one thing, but that art's creator, however flawed is entirely different. Some creative artists are moral paragons, while others can't even spell the word. As far as I've been able to find out, there is no formula for great art equal to great artist. Sometimes humans achieve something, but are anything but moral people. Sometimes a human strives to create, and is moral, but never achieves the heights of art.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE FOCUS ISN'T THE CREATIVE WORK
As a sort of perspective for why I prefer not to use my blog for accusations or insults... Almost two decades ago a comic
book writer made some indiscreet comments and actions. He'd also just done an interview with me so I'd forwarded emails people sent to me, as
he'd told me that I could do so, because I'd interviewed him on my website and didn't
want to share his private email. Upon his receiving the emails he proceeded to attack me, and said I had written the
damn things. That poisoned the well with him and his publisher, despite my innocence. In another case in an interview a writer or publisher had
essentially said an artist had behaved badly, had purposely sabotaged a
project, and they had the proof. In the interview I didn't let
the discussion go into detail, as I thought it was bad form. Beyond that, I knew the artist would
want me to "correct" the record, so the less revealed the better. In fact, that artist did write to me, and
argued that it never happened. When I showed them the proof, they
essentially said, so what if I did do that? That event led me to losing review products from that company, and enmity from the artist towards me, as well as the writer/publisher. Over time on my website I experienced numerous events where I hadn't said the thing in question, but I was accused of being complicit due to having been tangentially involved. I lost being sent loads of review products and good relationships over time, not for anything I said or did (which there are plenty of burned bridges for me, but not in this case), but for things someone said in the process of interview or commentary. But, in all of that, no accusations of illegality occurred.
TWO EMAIL REQUESTS
In an email I was recently asked by a person if I understood or knew more information about the sexual accusations toward Arthur C. Clarke and if I'd please address it here. I don't want to open cans of worms that followers of Clarke or enemies of Clark might want to pursue or to obscure in any comments section. I also do not want to address the kinds and levels of bad adult behavior argued regarding Clarke outside of simple descriptions. One person writing about the accusations has said that your judgment of guilty or innocent might come down to which person you believe rather than clear definitive proof of guilt or innocence. I don't necessarily think this, but there may well be different information used depending upon who you think is telling the truth.
In an email from a different reader I was asked why Dave Sim seems to have become a pariah in the comic book community. The person said they've read the collections of his work, but never the single issue comics. When they went to buy one of the collected editions at a comic shop the store's employee said, 'Sim is a prick, we don't keep his work in stock.'
Arthur C. Clarke and others
What was Arthur C. Clarke accused of doing? Pursuing for sex young males. and when he was going to be arrested or pursued by interrogators, he fled to Sri Lanka, where his fame and relative wealth would allow him to be immune from police investigation. Other science fiction writers of his generation also have been accused. Forrest J. Ackerman who produced the magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland was said to collect nude pics of people of younger than legal age. Marion Zimmer Bradley is said to have abused her daughter. Isaac Asimov is said to take opportunities to grope younger fans. When the Me Too movement happened (mostly) women began speaking about what men did to them, finally felt able to share the terrible secrets that terrible sexual crimes occurred and society ignored the victims or tried to silence them, presented the world with an enormous recent history of terrible behavior, and more than just accusations. Many people came forward, perhaps due to the ability to share one's experiences via computer, where victims aren't subject to immediate societal pressure to retract their words. I believe that the ability to speak out, more safely and freely is a good thing.
I will say though, that when 92 people accuse John Q. Public it is easier to believe than when one person accuses a famous person. However, even when there are great numbers, there can still be a case where many opportunists are seeking either attention or financial gain. I know that cynicism runs rampant in modern society, and the lure of financial gain or even the gain of fame can be powerful in motives. I once did a deeper look at the people who accused Michael Jackson and Frugal Gourmet Jeffrey Smith. In each case there were oddities about the person accused, but less than solid accusations. I don't know what happened. I do think that if they were not wealthy and/or famous, they might not be accused.
Everyone is flawed and of course, I'm flawed too. I have made many mistakes in terms of how I've lived. I try to be better, but I have failed as well. Even so I'd suggest that my personal flaws aren't magnified by my being any sort of famous. Clarke, Ackerman, Bradley and Asimov all did whatever they did, if they did so, in the world aware of their relatively famous being. That isn't said to forgive or forget, simply that if one looks online they can find the many different accusations, whereas I am sure the list of who has offended sexually is enormous and mostly filled with people who are anonymous to the world. Personal sins made public are embarrassing.
Dave Sim and his views
I think Dave Sim's perceived great flaws are not those of moral or legal nature. As an independent creative artist his work was never bound by the code of comics or by any corporate publisher limitations but his work CEREBUS was to famously reach 300 issues. While he wrote and drew most of those issues, backgrounds were done by a collaborative partner by the name of Gerhard. There are over 6000 pages of work in the CEREBUS run and once it went beyond a satire of Barry Windsor-Smith's Conan run, it delved into areas of intellectual debates, gender debates, and secular ideals versus religious morality. Keeping in the context of a book about a speaking aardvark who lives and adventures in a medieval setting, Sim took upon himself to write a number of long, well written, but politically incorrect essays, or stories. In the latter part of the series there are considerably well designed and intelligent story telling techniques, sophisticated character development and thoughtful and humorous events.
Having said all that, if you aren't aware of why people would be offended or despise Dave Sim, I think it can be summed up by saying, Dave Sim is the sort of writer/artist who sees it as his role to throw hand grenades into the comfort areas of readers. In doing this all he became an agent provocateur, trying to tempt readers into becoming angered or horrified, and thereby lose their minds. In the case of retailers, there was a point in time when he tried or actually did succeed in selling his collections directly, and made the cost for a retailer greater than if the buyer went directly to Sim himself. That was a way to keep more of the money through sales, but it was also a way to control how his works were presented and to give himself the ability to not be beholden to things such as minimum pre orders. That is, if he had to get a certain number of pre-orders to get a work on the shelves, he was being prevented from pursuing his own plans. I am going to be told by people that I either misrepresented one side or the other, but if you want more info look on google and do your own research.
Do I think Dave Sim was a prick? Well I think he was and/or is a Misanthrope. I think he disliked many categories of people and enjoyed making them angry. I've been told by two very different people from the comic book industry, not sharing Sim's various political or cultural worldviews, that in person he is wonderful and kind person. I've also been told, but someone who knew/knows Sim very well, that he was cruel and loved hurting other people, especially those close to him. I like the products Sim created, and wonder just how much of the public perception comes from his acting a certain way, or because he IS a certain way. I have NO idea how he behaves in real non comic book life acting. If the writing of Cerebus about women, religion, or politics were his actual views, he is problematic. If he was writing them as a narrative first person voice, he might have been foolish to play such a role without telling others his plans. People might mistake his words for views otherwise.
FINAL THOUGHT UPON THIS SUBJECT
I don't get caught up in details of the creative person regarding art. I think for me that comes from a realization that usually whoever creates art, of any sort, will be flawed. Maybe it is because I am so flawed that I think this. While some people can't like a work when they know the kind of person who created it, I'd suggest that
most of us would have skeletons in the closet, if not something we would
hate for others to know.
It would be true to say that Ezra Pound's writings move me deeply. But in his later life he'd come to believe that people with money caused World War 2, it was therefore not due to unresolved problems, and not due to extreme nationalism. His belief in this then bled into a sort of Anti Semitism. I am greatly offended by that. He came to regret that view, but, he also spent 10 years or more in prison for having done radio broadcasts for Fascist Italy. I believe his creative mind was still powerful but he was broken by his desire to save mankind from a conflict caused by greed. It turned out badly for him. But his work is still powerful. I am not cynical though, I think for him his regret came from moral evolution, not imprisonment, and I can accept that.
Another "dangerous"creative person I like the works of is HP Lovecraft who
wrote the Cthulhu mythos and was a distinctly racist man. He did not act personally immoral, as in his behavior, that I know of, but he was someone
who believed some terrible things. And I still like his work.
ABOUT GETTING REVIEWS FROM ME
First off, I can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email at Alexanderness63@gmail.com. I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at any of these places, I'll follow through by telling you my street address. I no longer have a post box, although I regret that. It was a crushing defeat to no longer have a p.o. box, when I came to realize I was getting so little product it made no sense to pay for the privilege to not receive mail at both my home and at the post office. If you send hard copies for review I will always review them, but if you prefer to send pdf or ebooks to my email, I will review these at my discretion. I don't share my pdf/ebooks, so you can avoid worry that I'd dispense them for free to others.
My Poetry Blog AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com
My Published Work AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html
My Amazon Page Amazon.com/author/AlexNess
Lovecraft Horror CthulhuDarkness.Blogspot.Com
Lost Worlds AlexNessLostWorlds.Blogspot.Com
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