Jerry Ordway Talks About Why He's Not Getting More Work

Chuck_Melville · March 2013

Ever wonder what happened to those great comic artists from yesterday? (The ones that are still alive, that is?) Ever wonder why they're not still doing comics? In spite of a lucky few who are still plugging away (such as Howard Chaykin), most are simply being ignored and passed over by the publishers. Jerry Ordway, who's been lucky enough to get the recent Human Bomb assignment for DC's New52, opines that ageism may be the root cause, that publishers want to appeal to young audiences by hiring young writers and artists only.

ordstersrandomthoughts.blogspot.com/2013/03/life-over-fifty.html

jaydee74 · March 2013

Wow. His work is amazing. I still remember that Batman movie cover. I loved that so much. He deserves more work.

Torchsong · March 2013

It is a really sad situation. Ordway is an artist I grew up with (he got his start right when a much younger Torchsong started reading funnybooks in earnest). Infinity Inc. was a great book and I'll go on ad nauseum about how his version of Shazam redefined the mythos so well that it became the standard by which I measure them now.

I wish I won the lottery. He'd never want for work. It's hard to imagine a company can't find work for a guy who can write, pencil, ink, and color his material. Someone on another board mentioned how Image, Boom or Dynamite could really benefit from scooping him up. All I'm seeing is a Gail Simone written, Jerry Ordway drawn Red Sonja...hurr hurr hurr...

jaydee74 · March 2013

You know, here's what I don't get and I don't pretend to understand these things but here is a legend in the business who wants to work. How is he not getting it? How come you have people like Howard Chaykin, Joe Kubert when he was alive and Neil Adams to name a few still get work but someone who has a passion for the work and wants to work doesn't get the work? Doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

Torchsong · March 2013

I don't know that there's one answer to that question. Age-ism might be one factor, but it's only a piece of the pie, and doesn't hold up when you mention that people like Chaykin and Adams are still getting work.

It could also be a question of artistic style and reader's tastes - Ordway had a particular style that leant itself well to superhero-y books, which isn't a complete focus of the New 52, or what many of us claim we want to read anymore. Would it have been cooler to see Ordway on Hawk & Dove than Liefeld? Sure...but that isn't what the editors thought we wanted to see.

My only real hope is that younger creators out there (the "fresh hot talent" we hear so much about) see this as a cautionary tale, and realize one day they may be in Ordway's shoes as well.

BlackUmbrella · March 2013

It's a fact of life for many illustrators and graphic designers that your bread-and-butter default style will probably fall out of favor and you will no longer be viewed as relevant and connected. Sometimes it's true, and sometimes it's a perception. It simply is not appropriate for a man Ordway's age to be fighting against new blood for standard comic book page work, any more than 40 year olds can compete against college kids for NFL slots. I personally enjoy his work, and I think he can bring a lot to a book that is a good fit, but he's got to be willing to do other things, more entrepreneurial things. This is why many move into art directing, management of younger talent, or selling real estate. I'm sure there are writers that would kill to get his name and skills on a project, especially a Kickstarter project.

Chuck_Melville · March 2013

BlackUmbrella said:
It's a fact of life for many illustrators and graphic designers that your bread-and-butter default style will probably fall out of favor and you will no longer be viewed as relevant and connected. Sometimes it's true, and sometimes it's a perception. It simply is not appropriate for a man Ordway's age to be fighting against new blood for standard comic book page work, any more than 40 year olds can compete against college kids for NFL slots. I personally enjoy his work, and I think he can bring a lot to a book that is a good fit, but he's got to be willing to do other things, more entrepreneurial things. This is why many move into art directing, management of younger talent, or selling real estate. I'm sure there are writers that would kill to get his name and skills on a project, especially a Kickstarter project.

But is this really a matter of Ordway falling out of favor with the fans, or that this is simply some twisted management 'conventional wisdom' corporate-think? And why would it not be appropriate for someone Ordway's age to be competing for work!? The comparison with competing for NFL slots just doesn't fit -- one is a physical competition, and the other is one of artistic skill, which only gets sharper with age. Ordway isn't even opposed to the influx of new talent -- he just feels (rightly, in my estimation) that he shouldn't be automatically excluded because the companies think he's too old.

Chuck_Melville · March 2013

Sorry for the blank space... internet wierdness happening.

John_Steed · March 2013

I suddenly feel just damn old

I-)

nweathington · March 2013

Torchsong said:
I don't know that there's one answer to that question. Age-ism might be one factor, but it's only a piece of the pie, and doesn't hold up when you mention that people like Chaykin and Adams are still getting work.

It could also be a question of artistic style and reader's tastes - Ordway had a particular style that leant itself well to superhero-y books, which isn't a complete focus of the New 52, or what many of us claim we want to read anymore. Would it have been cooler to see Ordway on Hawk & Dove than Liefeld? Sure...but that isn't what the editors thought we wanted to see.

My only real hope is that younger creators out there (the "fresh hot talent" we hear so much about) see this as a cautionary tale, and realize one day they may be in Ordway's shoes as well.

Torchsong makes a lot of good points here. Editors have all kinds of reasons for hiring the people they do. A lot of it really depends on the editor. With a lot of guys, out of sight is out of mind. If you don't go into the office (and hardly any artist does theses days), or meet up with them at conventions (and Jerry does precious few of those), or talk on the phone with them on a regular basis, they simply won’t think of you when it comes time to pick out a new penciler. Also, different editors have different tastes, and hardly any of them have any kind of art background, so sometimes inferior superficially flashy artists get jobs over superior, more grounded artists. And I’m sure there are editors who like to “discover” new talent and are always looking for the next big thing. For some it may simply come down to a page rate. As Jerry pointed out in his blog, guys aren’t making much more per page than they were 20 years ago, and a large number are actually making less.

tazmaniak · March 2013

Does this make me a bad comic book fan? I've been reading comics consecutively since 1990 and even though I know the name Jerry Ordway, prior to reading this thread, I couldn't have told you anything about the man, including if he was an artist or a writer?

WetRats · March 2013

tazmaniak said:
Does this make me a bad comic book fan? I've been reading comics consecutively since 1990 and even though I know the name Jerry Ordway, prior to reading this thread, I couldn't have told you anything about the man, including if he was an artist or a writer?

Yes.

Yes it does.

B-)

BlackUmbrella · March 2013

Chuck_Melville said:

But is this really a matter of Ordway falling out of favor with the fans, or that this is simply some twisted management 'conventional wisdom' corporate-think? And why would it not be appropriate for someone Ordway's age to be competing for work!? The comparison with competing for NFL slots just doesn't fit -- one is a physical competition, and the other is one of artistic skill, which only gets sharper with age. Ordway isn't even opposed to the influx of new talent -- he just feels (rightly, in my estimation) that he shouldn't be automatically excluded because the companies think he's too old.

As to the analogy, I'm just saying that as artists age, they need to make a transition out of doing the same thing they were doing when they were 20. Can Ordway cut it against the new kids? I don't know... maybe he can. What I'm saying is he shouldn't have to. He should be a coach at 50 years old, not a lineman. Maybe he needs to create his own jobs, not wait for DC to give him one.

Torchsong · March 2013

tazmaniak said:
Does this make me a bad comic book fan? I've been reading comics consecutively since 1990 and even though I know the name Jerry Ordway, prior to reading this thread, I couldn't have told you anything about the man, including if he was an artist or a writer?

The good news is if you want to find out what we're yammering on about here, it's not going to be an expensive trip to back-issue-land for you. Two things to definitely check out:

Infinity Inc. - Not the more recent one, but the one from back in the 80s. The kids of all the Earth 2 heroes get together and form a superteam. Think about it as an older version of the Teen Titans who aren't quite ready to be the Justice Society yet. I remember being ticked that I couldn't get this book (it was a direct-only baxter paper book so it never showed up in my local convenience store :( )

The Power of Shazam - Sure, the big red cheese had a long and storied history before Ordway got ahold of him, but Jerry took the whole mythology and made it even more fun. The idea that the Marvel family had to "split up" the power depending on who was using it at the time was nothing short of brilliant, and he did a fun take on Mary that I still think is the best imagining of the character to date (she didn't want the power, and didn't particularly get along with the wizard initially).

You should be able to find a lot of these for cheap. Now try and imagine a guy creating these who was capable at any time of jumping on nearly any part of the job. Not that he had to, nor did he always...but he could have.

Torchsong · March 2013

And interestingly enough, it *will* be a trip to back issue land - most of the runs on those books haven't been traded beyond the introductory stuff. Yet I have a copy of the New52 Blackhaws and Hawk & Dove trades (which I do enjoy...but still...I'd throw 'em both away for an Ordway trade run).

Flagwaver · March 2013

I would add All-Star Squadron, America vs the Justice Society of America, Adventures of Superman and Red Menace to that list. Since I mostly buy the pulp books from Dynamite, I would LOVE for him to move there. His style would be perfect for The Shadow or The Green Hornet (the real one, not the Kevin Smith version). Don't forget Ordway is also a writer, so the fact that a man of his talent and experience is not constantly working, yet the people putting out the NewCrap can, is a crime..

nweathington · March 2013

BlackUmbrella said:
It's a fact of life for many illustrators and graphic designers that your bread-and-butter default style will probably fall out of favor and you will no longer be viewed as relevant and connected. Sometimes it's true, and sometimes it's a perception. It simply is not appropriate for a man Ordway's age to be fighting against new blood for standard comic book page work, any more than 40 year olds can compete against college kids for NFL slots. I personally enjoy his work, and I think he can bring a lot to a book that is a good fit, but he's got to be willing to do other things, more entrepreneurial things. This is why many move into art directing, management of younger talent, or selling real estate. I'm sure there are writers that would kill to get his name and skills on a project, especially a Kickstarter project.

I agree wholeheartedly with your first two sentences, but there is absolutely nothing inappropriate about Jerry Ordway “fighting against new blood for standard comic book page work.” Whoever the best fit for the job is, be it Jerry or some unknown 20-year-old, is the one who should get the job. If it’s the job you love, and the job you’re best at, you should be allowed an equal playing field when it comes to finding work. And, as Chuck points out, Jerry is better now than he’s ever been. His style may not be perceived as being as relevant as it once was, but his storytelling runs rings around most of their other artists. And you do realize that Jack Kirby was 44 when he penciled Fantastic Four #1, right? When Kirby was the age Jerry is now, he was creating the New Gods.

And in Jerry’s case there’s the matter of his exclusive contract. He couldn’t simply go get work at Marvel or start a Kickstarter campaign. For many years and until very recently, he was under contract at DC, and would have to get approval from them to do any outside comic book work. They didn’t guarantee him a minimum amount of work, but there were non-competitive clauses he had to live by. And you make it sound so easy to become an art director (there are only a handful of art director positions in the entire comics industry), or talent manager (a position that doesn’t exist in comics), or change careers (in this economy?). Jerry has a family to support. If memory serves he has a kid in college.

Look, I’m not saying DC owes him work, but they do owe him a bit more respect than what they’ve shown him.

BlackUmbrella · March 2013

@ nweathington

All I can say is, how's it working for him? Would you sign a contract that said you have to get permission to take other work but guaranteed you absolutely nothing? I wouldn't. My point is not that the guy is too old, it's that he's got to be less dependent, and there are a lot of opportunities for a person with talent to do that these days. Look at Simone and Calafiore.

His personality may be such that he just wants to be at the drawing table all day, and he has no interest in being Todd McFarlane (speaking from an entrepreneurial standpoint, not art skills). I totally understand that; it's why I'm a freelancer. I like to draw and I hate having a boss. I feel bad for him; it could be me. I draw for a living.

nweathington · March 2013

tazmaniak said:
Does this make me a bad comic book fan? I've been reading comics consecutively since 1990 and even though I know the name Jerry Ordway, prior to reading this thread, I couldn't have told you anything about the man, including if he was an artist or a writer?

He’s both, actually—penciler, inker, writer, whatever you need.

nweathington · March 2013

BlackUmbrella said:

Chuck_Melville said:

But is this really a matter of Ordway falling out of favor with the fans, or that this is simply some twisted management 'conventional wisdom' corporate-think? And why would it not be appropriate for someone Ordway's age to be competing for work!? The comparison with competing for NFL slots just doesn't fit -- one is a physical competition, and the other is one of artistic skill, which only gets sharper with age. Ordway isn't even opposed to the influx of new talent -- he just feels (rightly, in my estimation) that he shouldn't be automatically excluded because the companies think he's too old.
As to the analogy, I'm just saying that as artists age, they need to make a transition out of doing the same thing they were doing when they were 20. Can Ordway cut it against the new kids? I don't know... maybe he can. What I'm saying is he shouldn't have to. He should be a coach at 50 years old, not a lineman. Maybe he needs to create his own jobs, not wait for DC to give him one.

I can almost agree with you. Almost. The words “need” and “should be” are a bit too cut-and-dried though. To use your football analogy, there a lot more job openings for linemen than there are for coaches. Sometimes, even if the transition is desired, the opportunity is not there.

I do agree that Jerry needs to create his own jobs rather than waiting on DC. And he has done creator-owned projects in the past. Of course, those projects are always risky. The percentage of Image projects that actually make money for the creators month in and month out is rather low.

nweathington · March 2013

BlackUmbrella said:
@ nweathington

All I can say is, how's it working for him? Would you sign a contract that said you have to get permission to take other work but guaranteed you absolutely nothing? I wouldn't. My point is not that the guy is too old, it's that he's got to be less dependent, and there are a lot of opportunities for a person with talent to do that these days. Look at Simone and Calafiore.

His personality may be such that he just wants to be at the drawing table all day, and he has no interest in being Todd McFarlane (speaking from an entrepreneurial standpoint, not art skills). I totally understand that; it's why I'm a freelancer. I like to draw and I hate having a boss. I feel bad for him; it could be me. I draw for a living.

Jerry’s first contract did guarantee him a minimum amount of work, but subsequent renewals did not because they “weren’t really needed.” I don’t know why Jerry signed those renewals. Perhaps he felt assured that the editors he had long-standing relationships with would continue to give him work. Perhaps there was something else in the contract—health insurance maybe—that made it desirable. I don’t know. Again, I agree he should be less dependent on one company. That goes for any type of freelancer in any field. And I'm speaking as a freelancer who, through no choice of my own, finds himself totally reliant on one company. But, you know, it’s really tough to be forced to give up your dream job.

Chuck_Melville · March 2013

Torchsong said:

tazmaniak said:
Does this make me a bad comic book fan? I've been reading comics consecutively since 1990 and even though I know the name Jerry Ordway, prior to reading this thread, I couldn't have told you anything about the man, including if he was an artist or a writer?
The good news is if you want to find out what we're yammering on about here, it's not going to be an expensive trip to back-issue-land for you. Two things to definitely check out:

Infinity Inc. - Not the more recent one, but the one from back in the 80s. The kids of all the Earth 2 heroes get together and form a superteam. Think about it as an older version of the Teen Titans who aren't quite ready to be the Justice Society yet. I remember being ticked that I couldn't get this book (it was a direct-only baxter paper book so it never showed up in my local convenience store :( )

The Power of Shazam - Sure, the big red cheese had a long and storied history before Ordway got ahold of him, but Jerry took the whole mythology and made it even more fun. The idea that the Marvel family had to "split up" the power depending on who was using it at the time was nothing short of brilliant, and he did a fun take on Mary that I still think is the best imagining of the character to date (she didn't want the power, and didn't particularly get along with the wizard initially).

You should be able to find a lot of these for cheap. Now try and imagine a guy creating these who was capable at any time of jumping on nearly any part of the job. Not that he had to, nor did he always...but he could have.

And I've always felt that his revival of Captain Marvel and family was the best one done to date, bar none. What a great ride that was!

He was also one of the artists (and later, writer) involved in the Superman revamp of the 80's (loved his Superman), inked much of the Crisis On Infinite Earths and John Byrne's run on the FF, did the Maximum Security crossover for Marvel... and is doing the current Human Bomb mini-series. He's getting a lot of love from some writers in that blog post, particularly from Gail Simone and Jimmy Palmiotti, and Palmiotti is making noises about getting together for a Kickstarter, so maybe something will happen there.

nweathington · March 2013

That’s the thing about Jerry. Everybody likes him. He’s a great guy. He’s just never been one to rock the boat or complain. Now that people know he’s looking for work, he’ll get some offers—just not maybe from DC.

Chuck_Melville · March 2013

And keep in mind that we've only been talking about Jerry Ordway thus far. He's not the only one in this position.

nweathington · March 2013

No, and this has been going on for years. Curt Swan was relieved of his duties at DC after being the face of Superman for decades, and it wasn’t his early work that’s best remembered by fans, but his last Superman job, “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?”—one of, if not the, best Superman story ever produced. Terry Austin hasn’t gotten work from DC or Marvel for years, even though he’s a good as he ever was, and half the inkers DC does hire were heavily influenced by Terry’s work. There are any number of guys who have gone or are presently going through this.

tazmaniak · March 2013

WetRats said:

tazmaniak said:
Does this make me a bad comic book fan? I've been reading comics consecutively since 1990 and even though I know the name Jerry Ordway, prior to reading this thread, I couldn't have told you anything about the man, including if he was an artist or a writer?
Yes.

Yes it does.

B-)

Torchsong said:

tazmaniak said:
Does this make me a bad comic book fan? I've been reading comics consecutively since 1990 and even though I know the name Jerry Ordway, prior to reading this thread, I couldn't have told you anything about the man, including if he was an artist or a writer?
The good news is if you want to find out what we're yammering on about here, it's not going to be an expensive trip to back-issue-land for you. Two things to definitely check out:

Infinity Inc. - Not the more recent one, but the one from back in the 80s. The kids of all the Earth 2 heroes get together and form a superteam. Think about it as an older version of the Teen Titans who aren't quite ready to be the Justice Society yet. I remember being ticked that I couldn't get this book (it was a direct-only baxter paper book so it never showed up in my local convenience store :( )

The Power of Shazam - Sure, the big red cheese had a long and storied history before Ordway got ahold of him, but Jerry took the whole mythology and made it even more fun. The idea that the Marvel family had to "split up" the power depending on who was using it at the time was nothing short of brilliant, and he did a fun take on Mary that I still think is the best imagining of the character to date (she didn't want the power, and didn't particularly get along with the wizard initially).

You should be able to find a lot of these for cheap. Now try and imagine a guy creating these who was capable at any time of jumping on nearly any part of the job. Not that he had to, nor did he always...but he could have.

I never got into anything behind the scenes involving comics. And I honestly don't care to. Since I started at 8, I've just read the comics. I don't read comic book publications, visit comic book based entertainment sites, listen to interviews with creators or go to cons. I just read the comics. I've never been that interested in the industry itself or the people who run it. I'm just interested in the characters and the stories. And that's what I follow. That's what I've done for 22 years.

I'm more interested in the film and television industry. I can tell you who wrote, produced and directed every film and television series I'm a fan of, but if you ask me the same questions about who wrote, drew or god forbid, who inked or edited a book, I'm drawing a blank. I can tell you who runs the major TV networks and movie studios, but If you ask me who runs DC, Marvel, Dark House,ect., besides telling you WB and Disney, I don't know. I don't want/need to know.

I guess I'm a comic book character and comic book community fan. I'm not so much a fan of the industry, as a whole. I've never felt the need to know anything more than the titles that were coming out and the characters who would be appearing in them. So, I read comics and I listen to podcasts.

I don't follow creators in comics like I would with TV or film. Grant Morrison or Bryan Hitch aren't going to immediately peak my interest in a book like Shawn Ryan or Guillermo Del Toro would for a TV series or a film. If they're not working on a character I like or an idea that's particularly interesting, I wouldn't really give it a second thought. I would read it if someone said it was good, but not solely based on their involvement. Unlike with TV and movies. If people I like are involved, I'm in. And that's it.

Chuck_Melville · March 2013

nweathington said:
No, and this has been going on for years. Curt Swan was relieved of his duties at DC after being the face of Superman for decades, and it wasn’t his early work that’s best remembered by fans, but his last Superman job, “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?”—one of, if not the, best Superman story ever produced. Terry Austin hasn’t gotten work from DC or Marvel for years, even though he’s a good as he ever was, and half the inkers DC does hire were heavily influenced by Terry’s work. There are any number of guys who have gone or are presently going through this.

And Austin was one of those talents who won scores of fan awards and praises during his tenure at the Big Two. I can't even fathom letting a talent like that go to waste.

I was always a fan of Swan's from my early days of comic reading during the Silver Age -- his was the definitive Superman during that period. He wasn't as flashy as the new kids, but his work was solid and personable. I was sorry when he was excluded from the big revamp of the 80's; I loved what Byrne and Ordway were doing artwise, but always felt there was still room for Swan in there.

All this puts me in mind of Kirby's move to DC in the early 70's, when, pressed to take on one of the Superman titles, chose to take the one that, at that time, did not have a regular artist assigned to it (Jimmy Olsen) because he did not want to push anybody out of a job.

Chuck_Melville · March 2013

tazmaniak said:
I never got into anything behind the scenes involving comics. And I honestly don't care to. Since I started at 8, I've just read the comics. I don't read comic book publications, visit comic book based entertainment sites, listen to interviews with creators or go to cons. I just read the comics. I've never been that interested in the industry itself or the people who run it. I'm just interested in the characters and the stories. And that's what I follow. That's what I've done for 22 years.

I can't even separate the two. I love the characters, but how well they shine or their stories excite, all depend entirely upon the teams that work upon them. And if the creators do excellent jobs on one book, I'll eagerly follow them to another in expectations of the same high quality. I love Firestorm as a character, to use an example, but if the writer and the artist aren't up to snuff then all I get is a lot of disappointment, and I'm not going to buy the book under those conditions no matter how much I love the character himself.

Being a semi-pro myself, I possibly do have more of an interest in the creative process.

nweathington · March 2013

I never got into anything behind the scenes involving comics. And I honestly don't care to. Since I started at 8, I've just read the comics. I don't read comic book publications, visit comic book based entertainment sites, listen to interviews with creators or go to cons. I just read the comics. I've never been that interested in the industry itself or the people who run it. I'm just interested in the characters and the stories. And that's what I follow. That's what I've done for 22 years.

Okay, that part I get. I’m completely the opposite, but I can understand this, and I met dozens of people who felt the same way while working at a comic shop for a few years.

I'm more interested in the film and television industry. I can tell you who wrote, produced and directed every film and television series I'm a fan of, but if you ask me the same questions about who wrote, drew or god forbid, who inked or edited a book, I'm drawing a blank. I can tell you who runs the major TV networks and movie studios, but If you ask me who runs DC, Marvel, Dark House,ect., besides telling you WB and Disney, I don't know. I don't want/need to know.

This part, though, I find interesting. I’m not passing judgement, I’m just genuinely curious, so please don’t take this the wrong way. Why do you think this is the case? Why do you think you feel so curious about one form of storytelling, and not another?

I ask because I’m interested in the craft of storytelling, no matter the medium. Comics, novels, film, television, radio—the form doesn’t matter to me. I enjoy learning about the people who make stories and gleaning what insight I can from them. And just as a consumer of entertainment, I want to know who is telling the stories I enjoy most, so that I can seek out more of their work, as it will very likely be work I’ll enjoy. So I’m very curious to know why one form of entertainment strikes you in a very different way than another, especially when you seem to spend a lot of time with both.

dubbat138 · March 2013

Torchsong said:

tazmaniak said:
Does this make me a bad comic book fan? I've been reading comics consecutively since 1990 and even though I know the name Jerry Ordway, prior to reading this thread, I couldn't have told you anything about the man, including if he was an artist or a writer?
The good news is if you want to find out what we're yammering on about here, it's not going to be an expensive trip to back-issue-land for you. Two things to definitely check out:

Infinity Inc. - Not the more recent one, but the one from back in the 80s. The kids of all the Earth 2 heroes get together and form a superteam. Think about it as an older version of the Teen Titans who aren't quite ready to be the Justice Society yet. I remember being ticked that I couldn't get this book (it was a direct-only baxter paper book so it never showed up in my local convenience store :( )

The Power of Shazam - Sure, the big red cheese had a long and storied history before Ordway got ahold of him, but Jerry took the whole mythology and made it even more fun. The idea that the Marvel family had to "split up" the power depending on who was using it at the time was nothing short of brilliant, and he did a fun take on Mary that I still think is the best imagining of the character to date (she didn't want the power, and didn't particularly get along with the wizard initially).

You should be able to find a lot of these for cheap. Now try and imagine a guy creating these who was capable at any time of jumping on nearly any part of the job. Not that he had to, nor did he always...but he could have.

Didn't Ordway have something to do with Wildstar from Image? I remember that being a fun mini series.

tazmaniak · March 2013

nweathington said:
I never got into anything behind the scenes involving comics. And I honestly don't care to. Since I started at 8, I've just read the comics. I don't read comic book publications, visit comic book based entertainment sites, listen to interviews with creators or go to cons. I just read the comics. I've never been that interested in the industry itself or the people who run it. I'm just interested in the characters and the stories. And that's what I follow. That's what I've done for 22 years.

Okay, that part I get. I’m completely the opposite, but I can understand this, and I met dozens of people who felt the same way while working at a comic shop for a few years.

I'm more interested in the film and television industry. I can tell you who wrote, produced and directed every film and television series I'm a fan of, but if you ask me the same questions about who wrote, drew or god forbid, who inked or edited a book, I'm drawing a blank. I can tell you who runs the major TV networks and movie studios, but If you ask me who runs DC, Marvel, Dark House,ect., besides telling you WB and Disney, I don't know. I don't want/need to know.

This part, though, I find interesting. I’m not passing judgement, I’m just genuinely curious, so please don’t take this the wrong way. Why do you think this is the case? Why do you think you feel so curious about one form of storytelling, and not another?

I ask because I’m interested in the craft of storytelling, no matter the medium. Comics, novels, film, television, radio—the form doesn’t matter to me. I enjoy learning about the people who make stories and gleaning what insight I can from them. And just as a consumer of entertainment, I want to know who is telling the stories I enjoy most, so that I can seek out more of their work, as it will very likely be work I’ll enjoy. So I’m very curious to know why one form of entertainment strikes you in a very different way than another, especially when you seem to spend a lot of time with both.

I think when it comes down to it, I'm not as big a fan of the comics medium as I am of superheroes. In terms of entertainment and storytelling, I probably enjoy superheroes more than any other subject. And seeing as how comics are the primary medium for superheroes, at least on a regularly weekly/monthly basis, I read them.

As for television and film, I'm explicitly interested in the medium. Acting, directing, producing, screenwriting, visual effects, casting, box office, ratings, ect. It just interests me. It always had.

I enjoy most major mediums (save for stage), but film/TV are the only ones I'm actively interested in what goes into making them. I love video games and how it's interactive storytelling, but I'm not too concerned with how or why it was made. I like music, but I don't really want to know that much (or anything) about the artists or the story behind certain songs.

I guess the answer is I like video games, comics and music, but the things they produce more so than the process it takes to make them. Whereas, I actually like the process of filmmaking as much as the actual films and television series.

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Jerry Ordway Talks About Why He's Not Getting More Work

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