Comic Book Editor Has Trouble with Rejection

I tried selling comic book stories in the early '90s, requesting the submission guidelines for several dozen publishers. My pitches received form letter rejections from Marvel, Malibu Comics, Innovation and Now Comics. I've kept all of this stuff, which I ought to put online. Most of the companies are long gone.

An unnamed submission editor at Marvel Comics told me that my "line work is stiff or heavy; loosen it up." This was difficult advice to follow because I'm not an artist and had sent them a written submission.

I did get one positive response, but it was bittersweet. The good news: Jim Shooter at Defiant Comics liked my Dark Dominion submission. The bad news: Defiant had gone out of business six months earlier.

Shooter, one of the most criticized figures in comics during his tenure as Marvel's editor-in-chief, was reviewing pitches and sending out letters of encouragement after his company folded.

The editor-in-chief of Slave Labor Graphics, Jennifer de Guzman, takes it personally when people criticize her rejection letters on their blogs:

... I will read the nasty stuff you say about us. If you don't want to ever be published by SLG, you can insult us and let your friends call us rude names in public posts all you want. It points to your utter lack of class, but it's your right. Just know that you're closing that door for good should we see it. So be smart and say it in locked posts! Maybe we won't find out that you're a jerk until after we publish you. Good luck with that.

Comics · Writing · 2007/06/07 · 10 COMMENTS · Link

Comments

You took that first sentence out of context, with no indication, such as ellipses, that you have cut it.

I don't think I am taking it personally so much as showing examples, particularly in the second case, of people not ready to deal with rejection. And in the second case, people with whom I would never want to work. Editors have to have a relationship with creators that varies in degrees of closeness, but must always characterized by respect.

I can't these comments personally -- none of them mentions me by name, and the insults are directed at a profoundly depersonalized target, as people tend to regard the company as an impersonal entity, rather than as people.

Thank you for getting my last name right!

#1 · Jennifer de Guzman · 2007/06/08

Sorry about the omitted ellipses. I've fixed it.

#2 · Rogers Cadenhead · 2007/06/08

Every artist will get thier works rejected 9 out of 10 times, taking rejection well is hard for people who put there time and effort into something they think is great, but as we all know, beauty or what is valueable is all in the eye of the beholder, or one mans trash is another mans treasure.

#3 · Angela · 2007/06/08

That's Jennifer's way of saying "first!" I guess

#4 · Uncle Mikey · 2007/06/08

"School a Ghost Story"?

Bwa hah hah hah hah!

Maybe that guy could try submitting that to Tiger Beats new Teen Angst Comic line.

The first guy who try to resubmit a project already rejected was funny too. Apparently rejection he could cope with ...but re-rejection was a bit much fer his synaptic structure.

These folks should chill on the pub-bashing and ask themselves...

WWJJJD?

Wot would J Jonah Jameson Do?

That's wot Spud does.

Ditko did some amazing stuff.

Be Well.

#5 · visitor · 2007/06/09

Let me get this straight. You post an entry and quote; after linking to the originating site, and I DID check it; and the person responsible as that company's editor hits your site to redirect you...within an hour and a half? After midnight? Just to redirect your one instance of lack of punctuation?

Granted there's cities that never sleep, but DANG! Double dang on the amount of comment activity on her post.

When do the comic's ever get editted?

#6 · JohnC · 2007/06/10

Is it weird that Jennifer reminds me of this chick?

#7 · Uncle Mikey · 2007/06/10

Ditko did some amazing stuff.

Early Marvel Comics Ditko, or late Ditko when he let his weird out and all his characters had anagrams and reversed words for names like Stac Rae? I can see some similarities between his later work and your posts, Spud.

#8 · Rogers Cadenhead · 2007/06/12

Early or late Ditko?

Well Spud grew up being a nut fer comics generally but found particular satisfaction in Ditko's Doctor Strange stuff. Spiderman was the bigger seller at the time and Spud also read and enjoyed but the sheer trippiness of the worlds Dr. Stephen Strange travelled, made it by far Spud's kid stuff fave.

One of DS's aliases is "One who lives in whispers"

How cool is that?

The Blue Beetle had his moments.

Later on Spud came to quite appreciate "The Question".

Despite not being a particularily strong believer in Ayn Rands objectivism with it's implied belief in the inherent self correcting invisible hand of the market etc etc Spud found Ditko's philosophic meanderings compelling if not convincing.

The farther outside the mainstream multiverses he roamed the weirder he got, it's true. And sometimes he may have gone too far there, by certain lights, but Spud finds in Ditko's anagrams and politics and philosophy a fine madness.

HST once sed it "never gets too weird for me"

Spud feels that was about Ditko.

"similarities between his later work..."

Excellent news fer the spuddish one.

Spud'd rather be Ditko-esque than a Ditto-head

Back to the Tort fer more sport!

It's a bloggy blog world, after all!

By the by...

Spud's other fave rave from tater tot days was "Iron Fist"

Who later teamed up with Nick Cage's pal "Luke Cage, Power Man."

Great freakin' origins them two.

Not Ditko, of course, just saying.

Be Well.

#9 · visitor · 2007/06/29

Again that Visitor was Spud.

Sheesh.

One of these Mr Potato hed here is gonna get that third eye hole filled and reach enlightenment but until then it'd be good if Spud could just figure out where the first two went!

Let there be no doubt.

Be Well.

#10 · dethspud · 2007/06/29