Robert Kirkman on Marvel & DC, Reviving Image and Saving Comics

[john_k]

I recall a discussion among my microscopic group of friends regarding this topic- we referred to work on other people's creations as 'professional fan fiction'.

I'm a scientist by trade and think that this mindset is quite similar to the how scientific research evolves. Compare 60s marvel to quantum mechanics in the 20s - a monolithic surge of inspiration changes the game. People decades later are still working in the shadows of the creators, meditating on their equations and formalisms, working to fully flesh out the world introduced by these giants.

Taking this analogy further, Byrne's FF run could be analogous to the invention of the maser or the laser: a remarkable manipulation of the rules laid down by his predecessors- but still within that realm.

Let Paul Pope be Richard Feynman. Geniuses who draw from multiple sources, cross-linking the medium. Just as Paul Pope freely roams between the Art world and comics, Feynman wandered between academia and the military-industrial complex.

Dudes like Mignola develop string theory and eventually have conferences of their own.