WHY?

Why? i.e. more Q&A
By Alex Ness
March 12, 2023

There are times when people send me questions that ask important, relevant, interesting questions.  And some ask questions I can't answer, because I don't know, I know but can't share, or don't have access to the information that might answer the question. I am by no means any sort of genius, so on most questions of a deep probing nature, I can't speculate accurately enough to go deep, or to guide the reader to any sort of closure. So, take this for what it is.

WHO is the talent you wish could/would sit for a full length and deep in every subject area sort of interview by you?

That's a hard question for me, since I've done over 400 interviews, enjoyed most of them, 99% at least. I don't really keep a bucket list, I used to, but the moment my interviews improved the most was on the point where I decided to be happy with what I've had the experience of, and not long for pie in the sky sort of desires. Having said that, I interviewed John Gilmore, a journalist, an actor, and someone who wrote the book Severed (about the Black Dahlia slayings), and was a friend of famous actors and actresses. He was really happy with the end result. I interviewed Ray Harryhausen, and I not only connected with a great and legendary talent in movies, and special effects, I was told by various artists and writers, I fulfilled a fantasy they had, of speaking with a legend in film. Another time I'd written a longish piece and utilized comments by talented comic creators who'd had work appear at Eclipse Comics, (Timothy Truman and others), Publisher Dean Mullaney wrote to tell me my work was very good and he liked the piece and my website Popthought a great deal. For a few years I wrote to Jeffrey Catherine Jones and we became friends, she said she'd do an interview but never felt comfortable doing them. But when we were done, she told me how much better that went than previous interviews by others.

I am not saying all that to say how freaking great I am, but to say, I've interviewed some amazing people, and I've learned to be content with great things, than to always long for more.  I could easier choose the one or two interviews with creative talents that went poorly, and not because I'm a moron. I'd prefer to think about the best experiences. To answer your question, I'd like to interview Billy Corgan. I know that is never going to happen.

WHAT was the worst experience in comics or comics journalism that you've experienced and why?

I learned that a publisher's PR person and editor's assistant and eventual editor, during the era of my most active journalism was being physically, sexually, and mentally abused by her boss. I wasn't aware of it at the time. When she began sending less normal, hopeful, happy emails, I took them entirely the wrong way, and I assumed it was about me. So rather than ask if she was alright, I acted like a shit head, and a bit crazy, and entitled. By doing this I added to her pain. When I learned what happened, it broke my heart, if she were to write or call me, I'd not be able to face her. While I wasn't responsible for her situation, I did nothing to help, and I was demanding, and I made her situation worse.  She was a friend I used the word love regarding, she is/was a wonderful human, and I treated her like I was an over privileged prick.

WHO is the most important comic book talent of all time? I think I know you well enough to guess who you'll say.  Surprise me?

I think five different people are likely the greatest in importance, for their talent but how they aimed it and changed the medium, they are Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Frank Miller, Neal Adams, and Jeanette Kahn. Now, people will aim at a variety of reasons for my choices, but here is my reasoning for my choices...

Jack Kirby understood the visual aspects of sequential story telling better than anyone of his day, but beyond that, designed the characters and costumes, the look at the creative energy for three different eras of comics. He told more than comic stories, he told stories that explored human existence, God, science, and legend.

Stan Lee said, what do people of the 1960s want in comics, that is different and new?  He came up with characters along with Ditko and Kirby assistance. But it was how he told the stories that changed comics. DC Comics were based upon iconic characters, Marvel told stories of everyone. Making the stories interconnected, where Daredevil would meet Spider-Man and other similar meet ups, the stories could be larger, broader, and connect further and generations away, still have relevance to the comic at hand.

Frank Miller did many things, but mostly, he was a writer and artist who had different ideas, new technology to use, wanted complete control over the stories told, the processes used, and the maturity level reached. He wanted to shake up typical story telling with modern and adult outlooks, and however dangerous, utilize violence in stories as a means of telling the reader how serious consequences of crime or choices could be.

Neal Adams changed how art was utilized in comics, made the artist the director of the story, and in an era when artists of comic books rarely received art back when it was done, Adams created a system to pay royalties and return art on a regular and fair basis. He is also thought to be one of the most influential artists in the medium.

Jeanette Kahn was a powerful, thoughtful, and innovative publisher at DC Comics. But I don't include her for publishing Captain Carrot or Claw or any specific comic, she tried new ideas, introduced new rights of the creative talents, introduced new paper, and led a path to creating new brands within DC, such as Vertigo comics. She didn't follow the rules, of her predecessors, rather, tried to create new venue streams, new choices for readers, and offered opportunities for people who'd never have joined the efforts, had the same talent pools been utilized again and again.

HOW important do you think the medium of comics could possibly be? How important could it be when the typical comic book writer or artists learned from reading comics or tracing them?

I think that question is a load of shit. I do understand what you are asking. I can also sense your hostility towards the creatives. Let us for a moment say you are correct that the talents in the world of comics never read books, never see paintings in a museum, all their cultural learning happened in the pages of comic books. 1) I think if that is their experience they've done well learning and becoming able to create their own stories. 2) By doing this, it reveals that comics are silly meaningless creations, but have a value and story of their own to tell. I was told a while back, almost 2 decades back, that a certain creative talent had never read a book, and only ever read comics. He has since written prose novels, and he has made a ton of money.  I can't speak to whether or not he had never read a book before then.  But he could surely read, and read and write well enough to do his own stories. You might see me here as defending such comic talents, and perhaps that is here a little, but I doubt the assumption you've made in the questions you ask ever happen much. And if they do, how does that hurt anyone? And no, I am not saying who I heard that fact about.

IF Comic books have a golden and silver age, what is the rust age, or the lead in the water pipes age of comics?  Doesn't every fandom create their own gilded eras, as well as new generations rediscover one tossed out previous ages, rediscovering the quality others missed out on?

You certainly can argue all of that, since the decision of era and quality are all relative things, without many specific traits or qualities that can be held for above the others, especially since all of the arts appeal differently to different generations. Also, one reason people create new gilded eras, new perceptions of quality, is that most people forget to look upon the past as a step or evolutionary link in a chain, rather than a period of less quality and less sophistication. But there is a reason Kindergarten students don't begin with Algebra, or 1st Grade students don't start with nuclear physics.  Every step of learning, of sophistication, allows new heights, but rather than look upon the previous eras as miserable or primitive, try enjoying it for what it is rather than what is not.

Some of my very favorite books growing up were from the 1930s and 1940s, because I could see the roots of the medium, not the greatest works in terms of art, or writing, but you could see an energetic or stylistic artist could take bare bones of a story, and make humorous, exciting, mysterious or just worth the experience. We are so freaking spoiled by modern comforts, that we tend to lose sight of the fact that a story really is first told in the mind. Whatever follows is window dressing. That isn't to scold anyone, you can like and you can dislike whatever you want, taste follows its own path. But I've known people who refused to read some truly magnificent works, due to a distaste for the artist, or worse, there are people I know who refuse to read something, and will still say it sucks, because of their dislike for a person's politics. You can certainly do that, it is your prerogative, but maybe instead of saying it sucks, maybe say I think it sucks, or perhaps, I've heard it sucks.

It stinks to declare a work of someone's craft and effort as sucking, when what you refer to has nothing to do with their craft or art. And if I haven't answered what age we are in or have just left, we'll be just fine until we arrive when you don't even have to read or look at a work to know it is great or sucks crap.

WHAT is the best part of comics, is it reading, collecting or joining a fandom that shares your hobby?

I realize no one is looking for warm feelings here, but, I don't do well with these kinds of questions because I think mostly that a hobby is what you make of it. I knew someone in grade school who built plastic ship models, would take them out on their large back yard pond, and would set them on a rock to look as if a ship in the midst of the ocean. He'd them use a pellet gun and see how much damage they could take. My brother and I thought it was madness. You spend 20 bucks for a plastic ship model, you paint it and enjoy building it, and then BLOW IT UP? Well, that's what the person did.

Presumably he enjoyed doing it, and all of it, picking it out, building it, painting it, were as much fun as sinking it. When I was in college, some friends and I went out a nature hike during finals week to unstress and we came across someone's shooting gallery in a rock or sand quarry and it was filled with plastic model, in pieces, scattered melted or burned remnants. It should have been cleaned up, but it wasn't my land and I didn't step in it. But clearly, someone else liked blowing up ships they'd built.

So what the hell does that have to do with comics?  Only this, people get what they want from a hobby.  If you like collecting, I am sure that aspect of the hobby will appeal to you. If you like discussing, arguing, remembering great characters or stories, you'll find some form of fandom to suit you. For me, it is all reading, I don't buy without intending to read whatever I buy. But, I did have my own group I belonged to from the beginning. My brother read all the time, Batman comics, and all sorts of others.  We'd read and chat, for hours. I hadn't done that with him for a while, but can't again, since he passed away. But it was my brother who modeled the behavior of reading for a habit. But, if I didn't read the comics, the rest of the hobby wouldn't be at all important to me.

If you'd like more Q&A, send your questions to me at AlexanderNess63@gmail.com

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