A letter to IDW concerning Dapper Dan/James' Comic Pitch

Ghostbusters Discussion Ghostbusters Comic Books
1

So some people sent me this letter on deviantart.com and I figured I would post it here. It was written as a template that people could email/mail into IDW concerning their rejection of Dapper Dan’s comic pitch. I didn’t write this, but I thought I would share it in case anyone wants to send it in, or need ideas for the their own letter should they be considering one.

here it is:

To the editors at IDW (Chris Ryall, Tom Waltz & co.):

I am writing as a loyal Ghostbusters fan and concerned customer who feels underwhelmed by your treatment of the Ghostbusters license so far. “The Other Side” was humorless and “Displaced Aggression” was a Mary-Sue-fic unbecoming of a professional company such as yourselves.

From the looks of it, you actually had a shot at some prime material when Dan Schoening and James Eatock pitched an idea for an ongoing series to you at the SDCC in 2009. They recently unveiled this rejected pitch on Dan’s deviantART account:

http://traditionaldanimatio.deviantart.com/gallery/#Ghostbusters-Comic-Book-Pitch

Looking through it, fan reactions have been almost unanimous – this is so much better than your current output by the size of a “Big ■■■■■■■.” People WANT to read this.

Using your own experiments with the Transformers license as an example, I’m sure it’s safe to say that readers would prefer a steady ongoing rather than the occasional miniseries, even in this made-for-trade industry. And who better to write this series than two passionate fans who have shown they can treat the franchise with the love and care and ■■■■ attention to detail (that only geeks can provide) it deserves?

Please take a closer look at their pitch and reconsider your decision. Scott Lobdeil may be a veteran writer, but you of all people, being technically “indie” yourselves, should know that it’s not about the résumé.

Signed,

[insert name here]

2

A link to GBFans news article might be better. :wink:

3

you’ve…you’ve earned it. :crunch:

4

i’m not entirely sure I agree with peoples’ opinions of what has come so far (outside of The Other Side), I’m also not entirely sure mailbombing the same letter around is going to achieve anything. Did you get a response from the letter?

5

i suggest you just dont buy it if you’re not happy with it. how about that?

i can still read it that way. its people like you killing what little fandom i had left for ghostbusters. actually over the course of my time in the community people like you have done a stellar job of grating it down to almost nothing and created the cynical hateful monster i am.

i hope you all understand they’re not going to pander to you. because if you think thats the case, maybe you should write to dc for killing off batman and not really having a clear idea whats going on with him?

or maybe to marvel for all their huge cross overs that kill off people and end in fizzle duds?

maybe you should write to image to bring back spawn?

6

So leave. If your fandom is so easily influenced by others and how they express themselves as fans.

You hate how everyone is acting, go somewhere else. The rest of us ghostheads will be fine without you.

7

thats funny, because something alot of you that have grated on my fandom, have failed to realize ive made decent friendships in the community, and you’re not worth leaving them over.

i hope your letter bombing scheme lends you zero results. and gb3 is a dud.

8

yeah, you’re a real stand up guy.

You’re such a sad miserable person that you would actually wish for failure of your own fandom, just in the hopes that somehow it would spite me or anyone that shares my views. That, is truly sad.

enjoy continuing to be miserable and letting everyone else know it by posting your angry nerd comments on other threads. At this point, it seems it’ll be the only way anyone will give you a second glance.

again, enjoy your misery.

9

Hey now.

You asked him to abandon his fandom. How is that any different?

10
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It’s more an issue with him being such an angry fan. It’s not good to him or anyone if he goes around just building hate for other fans and in turn starting to dislike the fandom that he loves.

I’m okay with someone being angry with an individual, I’m okay with not sharing opinions. but when you get to the point that you would want some aspect of your fandom to fail just to prove your point and rub it in someone’s face?

well…you’re better off walking away from it before you end up hating it.

12

That’s one way of viewing it, but then at the same time it’s the fans that are the consumers. They aren’t giving us the comics just for liking Ghostbusters, they are giving us the comic because we are now a viable fanbase that will make them money.

It’s like a car company re-releasing and old line with an updated design. People are happy that it’s here, but they still want the breaks to work and get good gas mileage.

13

Just more pantleggers crying

14

if you say so.

15

“consumer.”

yep.

16

“Wait a minute- a new female character is introduced to the series?! EGAD. IT MUST BE A MARY-SUE.”

It had it’s flaws, but it wasn’t THAT bad.

I mean, I fully support getting their pitch published, but I don’t think that insulting IDW is the best course of action.

17

DING DING DING

18

DA DING DIIING…

Or at the very least, try to “personalize” the letter a bit. Just a rule of thumb I have for form letters.

I did mine from scratch pretty much. I didn’t hate DA, I rather liked PP&F and TL, but didn’t care for TOS. I thanked them for keeping the comics coming, pointed out what I as a fan liked - and a few things I didn’t, but did let them know I was VERY interested in seeing Dan and James’ pitch published!

19

To the editors at IDW (and everyone on the creative teams involved so far and in the future):

Thank you.

Look, it may be all the Irish Whiskey combined with Guinness talking but I feel like hijacking a thread full of unsolicited whining and turning it into a complete and utter love fest.

You picked up a beloved property from the proverbial slums… a license that had been adrift in tainted comic book waters. While many would rather have moved on to another nostalgic property and let a sleeping dog lie until heads had further cooled, you risked the reputation of your label by becoming associated with a title that was fraught with delay, false promise, and untapped potential.

And you have soared with it.

You’ve approached the license with several different takes, with several different creative teams, given Ghostheads and comic fans alike something new and approached stories untold. While some of the takes apparently don’t appeal to some of the more particular fans, in all instances, you’ve understood what made Ghostbusters unique and fun. You understand the world and the tone, but you don’t let heaps of canon bog down the storytelling. You’ve even given a character in Janine (whom fans always clamor for MORE to be explored with) her own shot. In truth, it feels like you’re having a whole helluva lot of fun with it… and that’s where the best work is made.

One shots, minis, even a trade - you’ve delivered on everything promised plus some. Many have taken it for granted and failed to realize that you’ve already succeeded where a previous unnamed publisher failed. You’ve delivered on your promises and more.

Thank you for releasing digital versions of the books early to iPhone/iPod app store users. Thank you for fielding questions from rabid and sometimes overly particular fans with grace and professionalism. Thank you for keeping fans in the loop and not remaining elusive. Thank you for keeping retailers supplied so that copies of the comic are readily available to all. Thank you for understanding how to guide your writers to write for Venkman without making him an ass. Thank you for the nuances, the in-jokes, the attention to detail. Thank you for sticking with a property and continuing to approach it with fresh eyes each and every time. For pushing your creative teams, talented as they naturally are, to do more.

Thank you for publishing worthy and welcome additions to a property that, some if not most fans continue to forget, was completely stagnant for years on end.

While the squeaky wheel oft gets the grease, I just wanted to let you know that there are many who appreciate everything you are doing and can’t wait for more. The squeaking of the wheels comes from a loving place and being that you’ve delivered a product that lets the particular fans do what they do best in being particular, should flatter you and let you know that you’ve succeeded. (Even though, it appears it’s not often delivered in the most tactful of manners).

It’s the material that you’ve spent a great deal of time, money, effort, sleepless nights, and scrutiny to produce that the fans are likewise mulling over, scrutinizing, analyzing, and writing feverish message board posts in response to.

We could be writing feverish message board posts about it being six months since The Other Side issue three and we haven’t heard a peep from the publisher.

Instead, you’ve provided all of this wonderful material for the fanboys to do what they do best with…

Thank you, IDW and everyone behind the scenes.

Signed,

[insert name here]

20

Damn straight! This and everything this man said above.