George R.R. Martin Insists On Completely Unrealistic Contract In Order To Write A Marvel Comic Book

If he splits Dr Strange into its own story line, could it just be a different ficton that would never be messed with? Or does he want to be able to alter the rest of the Marvel universe and make everyone else abide by that decision? If he decides thor, you’re gone for good, does Thor just end?

Yeah, marvel would never agree to it, and I’d be with them. The option to re-write the characters, in new, modern ways, is one of the things that keeps those characters fresh. I imagine Martin won’t back down on this demand, and I’m sure Marvel will never allow it, so we’ll never see it. It would almost certainly be BAD ASS, though.

Sounds terrible.

This guy is really overrated. He takes too long to write his stories, and he’s like the JJ Abrams of books. Cool premise/world, but nothing is ever truly resolved and the characters you care about always get screwed over – hard.

I would definitely be interested. I like the idea that even if others in the Marvel universe change, he would be the outlier. That his world would be what it is and remain that way.

Mr. Martin is completely right. So what if Marvel won’t agree with it? A writer of his caliber can ask for that since a simple comic book won’t make him richer nor more famous.

I’m one of those folks who would be into that sort of storyline from a comic book company. I hate retconns and every writer wanting to put their own stamp on story lines. It was one of the reasons I stopped paying attention to comic books years ago; the cross-overs and earth 1, earth 2 stuff was crazy. I jumped back in and started reading DC again for 52 because they originally advertised that this “reboot” was the one that would end all reboots and set everything back to zero. But then they came out with Earth 2, and now everything is all jammed up again. And the cross-over from one book to another to get you to buy all the books in a story line – “night of owls” that’s crap too. I just care about a few of my favorites and don’t want to read all the big ensemble books.

I realize that my point of view isn’t for everyone, though. Which is why I wish they’d do one or two series that way, just to try it out.

get him to write the script for a Dr Strange movie that would be the shit

It could be interesting, but I wouldn’t want it to be the “One True Status Quo” for forever. Just because he thinks that is the best interpretation of Dr. Strange doesn’t mean it should be the only one.

I would read it, but I would hate it as the permanent state for Dr Strange. The original Defenders is way to good a series and Strange was a large part of that. I think, if Martin really wants that kind of control he needs to create for the Ultimate Universe.

I’d like him to finish A Song of Ice and Fire first. BABY STEPS HERE! COME ON!

I hate retcons as much as the next person but I think it’s a bit much of a demand to say never retconnable. The chances of that happening is nil even if they agree. Someone will change something. Also its a terrible idea because, WHAT IF IT’S TERRIBLE. Just because he writes one thing well, doesn’t mean he can write Dr Strange/comics well. I see it in comics, writers are amazing at one character and make me want to scream when they write another.

Give him an OGN or some other out-of-continuity book and have him go at it. Maybe he would do it with Zatanna or Zatarra in Vertigo for DC?

I think he’s right. He’s not making demands of Marvel, he’s just saying, if it ever came up, that’s what he would want – and I agree with him. I wouldn’t want my stuff retconned, either. But it didn’t sound to me like he was expecting the job, just wishful thinking.

The Silver Surfer can sense Dr. Strange as easily as a speck of dust across a thousand light-years. Of course, Martin would be a lot easier to spot.

If Martin was talking about a character he created himself, I think that’s fair enough. But if we’re talking Doctor Strange and other pre-existing characters, it’s a completely unreasonable demand. Each writer (and even each artist, bar exceptions like Greg Land) has their own opinions and feelings about characters. So one artist might draw Catwoman as someone who’s all-out with her sexuality (e.g. Catwoman’s New 52 series), but another artist will have her looking more sultry or even just more realistic in terms of her figure (e.g. as Jaime Hernandez did in this picture: http://losbroshernandez.tumblr.com/post/29308498012/phasmids-remember-when-jaime-hernandez-drew).

That variety helps keep superhero comics relatively fresh, and stops any potential improvements. I mean imagine if Batgirl had this “no retcon” stamp – we’d not have Oracle, Cass Cain, Stephanie Brown, Birds of Prey(?) – it’s a loss of potential with the right creators.

Would I read GRRM’s Dr. Strange? Absolutely!

Thank you, exactly.

Simple enough solution-let him write his own creator owned book with a character similar to Dr. Strange, call it Mr. Mystic or whatever that way he can do whatever he wants with him.

Why not just do an “Earth One” run like DC have done with Supes and Bats? Problem solved.

1) While I like the idea of retcon-free comics, Martin’s being a HUGE hypocrite here since he’d have to retcon the fuck out of Dr. Strange’s history to tell the stories he claims to want to tell.

2) He loves killing off beloved characters. I can see him slaughtering the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Namor, Thor, half the X-Men, Spider-Man, etc. just for dramatic effect, and he doesn’t want his stuff to be retconned? No way do I want them to take the chance on that.

3) He needs to finish what he’s already working on, not fall massively behind schedule on multiple things.

4) Every third issue would be drawings and description of some godly feast.

Ummm… yeah, no.Theres enough rape, death, and murder in comics these days, I don’t need Martin adding to it. Stick to writing alll the rape and boobs you want in your own books, Martin.

Yeah, seriously, give him an Elseworlds or something that isn’t in normal continuity. Never give ANYONE legal licence to do whatever they want to your about-70-year-old setting, and remove your right to write around it if it messes things up.

Comic books are a shared collaborative medium. He’s asking for the freedom to publish whatever he wants and standing to sue if anyone ever changes what was done to it, no matter how much it screws things up for later writers. A writer of his caliber can go talk to Dark Horse or somebody, because Marvel’s in the right to refuse.

I hope George realizes that when Steve Ditko was doing the series– which he created entirely on his on, on spec, with no input from anybody else– DITKO was the one writing the stories. Stan Lee did the dialogue.

I’ve read and re-read the stories so many times, it’s also my belief that the ONE story in Ditko’s entire run that was probably Stan’s idea– the origin– was clearly swiped from (take your pick) a Jack Kirby “Dr. Droom” story, OR, the origin of MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN, or, from the movie LOST HORIZON. I find it interesting that the origin was never mentioned again (until after Ditko left the company). Also, if you look at the evolution of the art style, it’s also clear that the story, while published 4th, was apparently created about 9th or 10th. In it, Dr. Strange went from looking like Vincent Price (see THE RAVEN, which came out shortly before the series debuted), to Ronald Colman (see LOST HORIZON).

He’d be retconning the writer who came before him.
Er George, hypocrite much?

A man who hates fanfic wants to write official fanfic.

… You want to write a comic. Without it being retconned. *held-back snickering*

Martin, that’s like asking to write a Joker story where Batman just lets him go on killing people. That’s like filming a movie about Indiana Jones, but not letting him take any treasures and not letting there be any peril in it whatsoever. That’s like an episode of Doctor Who where he just lets the Cybermen take over Earth instead of stopping them. That’s like creating a Slenderman vlog and not putting static effects in footage of the main antagonist. That’s like calling Nicki Minaj and Ke$ha good singers while saying Adele is crap. It’s illogical, it goes against what we know happens in that production and that company, it goes against absolutely any trace of sanity or sense in regards to what a company does with their property, and it’s selfish. It’s a nice thought, but it isn’t going to happen. You cannot make an un-retconnable comic book. That’s not even a real word.

And in case you hadn’t noticed, when people write comics, *they don’t actually own the characters they’re writing for*. The company they are writing for owns them. Even if you did write stories for Doctor Strange under Marvel, it’s not considered your character to work with, so you do not get to make the decisions. Marvel gets the final say on what happens with their characters. Even if you say “I won’t write for you unless you refuse to retcon my story!”, Marvel can still go, “Sure, okay” and then proceed to retcon it anyway behind your back, because it’s their character and they can do that. Doesn’t make it fun; doesn’t make it right. But that’s what happens.