It makes all the difference in the world to know that Jamal Igle chose to leave the book. Thanks Duncan and Elayne for pointing me to this post on Jamal’s blog – I hadn’t checked it since Saturday.
To all things.. an ending and a new beginning.
I just wanted to write a quick note and address the news that was released at NYCC 2010. Yes, Sterling and I are leaving Supergirl with issue # 59. The book however will continue on with Nick Spencer and Bernard Chang, who I have every confidence will continue what we started, so be nice to them, okay?
It’s going to sound cliche but the truth is, at least for myself , I chose to leave. I approached Matt Idelson about 4 months ago right after we finished War of the Superman and let him know I wanted to move on. Two years on a series as an artist is a long time creatively, and like any artist, you feel the need to stretch and do new things. There was no malice, no secret agenda on DC’s part. There were discussions of what I may do next but nothing finalized, including Birds of Prey. So when that news leaked out I was a little befuddled and didn’t know how to respond to it and I chose silence on the subject. I know a lot of people were hoping I would take over BOP. Sadly when they would have needed me to start conflicted with finishing my Supergirl run. I’ll get to work with Gail again one day, LOL.
Read the whole thing at The Official Jamal Igle Blog.
I’m still terribly sad about Jamal leaving, but knowing it was his choice is a relief (unfortunately it seems to have led to Sterling Gates being pushed off the book, which I’m sure was never expected). Like I said on Twitter, I’ll try out anything either Jamal or Sterling do next.
As for me, have no fear. I’m still at DC and an announcement about my next project is coming in the next few months. It’s gonna be fun.
I am SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THIS!!!
(And that’s a lesson to me on not spreading rumors. I held off saying anything about Bleeding Cool’s rumor about BoP for a few days, but once someone posted a comment on my site and other sites had posted about it, it felt like I *had* to talk about it. Lesson learned.)
Now, what about Jon Sibal and Nei Ruffino? Inkers and colourists don’t tend to fair well when this happens, from what I’ve seen, and I do hope DC puts them on another project right away.
This doesn’t change how gutted I am about Sterling leaving, obviously. I wish he could have continued Supergirl with a different artist. It wasn’t his time to go. But that’s not what this post is about.
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Yeah, he pretty much told me that at Comic Con, after which I went over to Bernard Chang to tell him how important SG is to her fans and to please treat her properly, with respect. And he showed me the pages of his upcoming SG issue. I’m not a big fan of his art, but I can live with it and I hope he’ll improve as he draws her, but he’s only signed for a 5-issue arc, after which, DC will decide if he continues or if someone else will take over art chores. I don’t know if the writer has the same deal. But Chang said he wants to hear if we don’t like what he’s doing.
That’s really useful information, thanks Shelly! Sounds like Chang’s open to feedback, which reassures me a bit that we’re not necessarily returning to the bad old days. That’s the fear that’s driving many of us, I think.
I really appreciate what you said to Chang about being respectful of the character.
I’m a bit jealous of all you folks who got to attend NYCC and actually meet and talk with the creators in person! :)
Chang isn’t nearly as articulate and talkative as Igle. I don’t know if it’s a language issue, as I don’t know his background offhand. But he seemed a bit put off when I started talking about my concerns and he seemed to relax when I liked the uncolored pages. But I’ll admit that until I see art colored in, I don’t get a full sense of it. So, we’ll see. But he did seem open to our feedback, so I’m trying to remain hopeful. I just hate that in half a year (the rest of Gates and Igle’s run, plus the 5-issue arc with the new team) we’ll have to go through this stress again.
in half a year we’ll have to go through this stress again
I hadn’t thought of that :(