Jerry Ordway and the Current State of the Industry

[BlackKnight]

Ordway's style may be "old fashioned" by today's standards but so is Dan Jurgens and he's still getting work in the New 52...

Well Jurgens Created the Greatest Super Hero The World Never Knew of.

[CrimsonGhost]

I think Jurgens is doing a ton of writing and probably has a big part in plotting the new direction.

[madmarva]

I wonder if his page rate has anything to do with it? Are the younger guys working cheaper?

[torgospizza]

I know I sound like a petulant fanboy, but Ordway's too good for them.

[The Toyroom]

Ordway's style may be "old fashioned" by today's standards but so is Dan Jurgens and he's still getting work in the New 52...

[enyawd72]

I find it interesting that artists like Ordway, whose style is realistic, have fallen out of favor.
As comic STORIES have gotten more and more realistic, comic ART keeps getting more stylized and cartoonish. Strange irony.

[CrimsonGhost]

In DC's defense, they are trying something new..for better or worse. I admit I haven't read or so much as looked at any of their new comics, but they aren't aimed at me. They are trying to get a digital audience, a new audience that maybe are somewhat interested in comics because of the other media, video games and such.

Ordway is one of my favorite artists and has been since the 80's, but everyones style falls out of favor over time. He has a classic style that I certainly like, but I could see how it would look too old school to a new reader. I'm sure he will find ways to stay busy, however. He needs to propose his graphic novel, or creator owned series. It seems to have worked for John Byrne.

[Figuremod73]

Something that stood out to me in Ordway's blog was that he wrote he couldn't speed up and wouldn't cut corners, which is commendable to a degree, but with deadline oriented work, the deadline becomes the most important item. Sometimes you have to cut losses and sometimes the presses roll even if the work is not your best. If Ordway doesn't want to work under the deadlines DC established, the I can understand why he's not getting work. Now, I may be reading more into the statement than is there, and Ordway has never had a reputation for being late.

I think its just that the people running DC (and Marvel) just dont know what their doing. It's to far removed from the Goodwins, Wolfman, etc from years ago.

This seems to be Warner Bros. pattern in many of the sub companies over the past twenty years. From the Hanna-Barbara properties to WCW.

Ordways good enough to where he could be given projects away from the 52 and it still be a success. Even if its bi-monthly if deadlines are a concern.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Ordway has done quite a bit of work for DC's style guides, supplementing the 30 year old Jose Luis Garcia Lopez "classic" artwork.

So that just shows you, DC considers him "retro". Ugh.

Chris

[madmarva]

I totally understand helping friends out when one can, but the majority of The cronies Harras has hired from his hey days at Marvel have crashed and burned. The books that are doing well are the ones headed up by established DC talents or those recruited from independents and vertigo.

Something that stood out to me in Ordway's blog was that he wrote he couldn't speed up and wouldn't cut corners, which is commendable to a degree, but with deadline oriented work, the deadline becomes the most important item. Sometimes you have to cut losses and sometimes the presses roll even if the work is not your best. If Ordway doesn't want to work under the deadlines DC established, the I can understand why he's not getting work. Now, I may be reading more into the statement than is there, and Ordway has never had a reputation for being late.

Also, it does seem that some creators get more latitude with the deadlines than others at DC.

[boynightwing]

One of the interesting points brought up by all of this is the fact that at one point Rob Liefeld was working on 3 books for DC and Ordway had none.

My personal theory on that is something to the effect of Jim's mom is friends with Rob's mom and when Rob is out of work he gets his mother to pester Jim's mother and thus pester Jim. So in order to get them off his back, he gives Rob work.

[Earth 2 Chris]

One of the interesting points brought up by all of this is the fact that at one point Rob Liefeld was working on 3 books for DC and Ordway had none.

Actual output aside, the New 52 has obviously been heavily influenced by Marvel of the early 90s, with Jim Lee and Bob Harras pulling in many of the creators from that era. Guys like Ordway, who worked for DC during that period, got the shaft.

Chris

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

It's sad, but it's not surprising. The Big Two-ish have a well earned rep for boning the talent. They also have a habit of playing the flavour of the week with the staff; having entrenched those values back in the 80's with the beginning of the "designer comic" trend.

Don C.

[The Toyroom]

One of the interesting points brought up by all of this is the fact that at one point Rob Liefeld was working on 3 books for DC and Ordway had none.

[Random Axe]

^ Sorry, but Al Milgrom shouldn't even be mentioned in the same breath as Jerry Ordway...LOL. One's an illustrator and the other is...well...a hack IMO. And if we're talking asses-in-seats, Ordway will bring in more revenue on a title with his name, either as writer or artist, than Milgrom would with his.

I'd never compare the talent levels of those two, just their shared era of comics. They are most certainly contemporaries. There is a wide berth in talent and overall impact. Had Cockrum and Giordano lived they'd be good examples of the mature creator who'd be able to survive and thrive in today's industry.