Don't Throw it Away

[doronjosama]

Will Allison speaks the fucking truth about comic books and the concept of "throwaway ideas". willworks doesn't post often, but when he does, it's always good. Go and read it now!

I gotta say, it's the truth though- your brilliant masterpiece? Might never sell for shit. But that thing you scrawled as filler? Might be the thing everyone loves to pieces. Rumiko Takahashi's Maison Ikkoku is a genius piece of work, but people only really care about Ranma and Inu Yasha. Evan Dorkin's Hectic Planet is some of his best work ever, but people only really beg for more Milk & Cheese.

Here's the thing- you don't get to pick what you'll be popular for or remembered for. The audience does that. And you never really have any control over who your audience will be.

Anyway, time for me to get to work.

Comments

[uhusted.livejournal.com]

But I love Maison Ikkoku. I love it the best. :)

Yeah yeah, I know you're right. Had to say it though.

[prickvixen.livejournal.com]

I would imagine, based on what flies on LJ, that the more generic an idea is, the more popular it will be. The more specific and complicated, the less likely it is to have significance to anybody but the artist. And thus we have the public's patronage of the arts. What can you do for ME

And I think Evan's best work is when he's in complete doomsaying existentialist mode. It isn't the work of his that I enjoy the most-- in fact, it kind of creeps me out --but I think it's his best.

[hecatemahadevi.livejournal.com]

...I think of Urusei Yatsura when someone mentions Takahashi-sama to me.