William V Kone wants to know…
What was the shortest turn around time you ever had for a comic? Such as the editor calls you on Monday for a script by Tuesday so the pencils can be done and to the inker on Wednesday for printing Friday?
Hmmm. Well, often I have been given one day to write a comic and then it was someone else's problem to get it drawn by some print deadline. As recounted here, I had to write a Flintstones "Treasury Edition" in two days, which by page count was like writing two regular comics in two days. Soon after, I had to write another Treasury Edition in two days and on that one, I was the editor and getting it drawn was my problem. I wrote about that here.
I should caution any new writers reading this that there are good things and bad things about getting a reputation for being fast. The good things involve the fact that editors or TV producers sometimes come to you in a panic: "Can you possibly write this for us by Tuesday?" The rep can bring you work that you might otherwise not be offered. Also, you usually (not always) work in a situation where the boss or bosses really don't have the option of putting you through endless meetings or outlines or rewrites. They pretty much have to go with whatever you hand in. Sometimes, they're even so desperate that they'll offer you extra bucks or you can demand them.
And at least for me, there's a big difference between getting something written tonight because it has to be submitted for consideration tomorrow, and getting it written tonight because it's being recorded or filmed tomorrow. With the latter, there's a greater sense of exhilaration and the need to get it as right as can be. A lady trapeze artist once told me that she's working with a net, she can't possibly pay as strict attention to every little nuance as when she's without one. I don't like having to write at the last minute but there is something exciting about it.
The downsides? Well, once they know you can do it in one or two nights, they might start thinking that's all they ever need to give you. One time, a lady at ABC called on a Monday and asked me to write a pilot for a Saturday morning cartoon show in a hurry. I asked, "Can I have until next Monday?" She said, "Mark, if we had until next Monday, I would have called you on Friday!" And of course, sometimes you don't do your best work under rush conditions…but the people who later judge that work can't be expected to care that you were a hero for getting it done at all.
I think the biggest crunch I was ever involved in on a comic book was the first issue of Boogeyman, a comic Sergio Aragonés and I did for Dark Horse in 1988. Somehow — it's a long story — the four-issue series was scheduled, the covers of all four were drawn and advertised and there was a looming on-sale date for #1 before anyone had told me. Everyone thought I knew but I didn't.
To make things worse, when I did find out about it, Sergio was off in Europe at some comic art festival and I was about to leave for a week in New York. Once we were both back and able to start on it, we had something like eight days before the first issue should have been delivered to the publisher. There was a little bit o' pad in the schedule so no one was panicked when it took eleven or so. Fortunately, the Señor draws very fast and Stan Sakai (who did the lettering) is speedy and very, very reliable so it got done and printed with no problems. We were fortunate it was a black-and-white comic since Sergio's work takes a long time to color.
I have a Rejected! column coming up shortly about meeting deadlines, why that's usually a good idea and some of the phony reasons creative folks give — to others and themselves — for not meeting them. Thanks for the question, William.
