So, earlier today, we ran an opinion piece based on a piece of news. Well, “news.” In what can only be described as an incisive statement, comic critic Hannibal Tabu wrote about how at his local retailer, the clerk ripped up a copy of “Pretty Deadly” in front of him and other customers to establish how greatly he disliked the book. Hannibal, without legitimately reading the book with any intention of delivering actual critical analysis (as far as I understand), decided to write that as his review — and, suffice it to say, people weren’t happy and were quick to call both Hannibal and the Retailer In Question misogynist.
Which is why David wrote about it. And said, in so many words: no, they’re just bad retailers and a bad critic.
Here’s what happened next.
Over on Bleeding Cool, Rich talked with both Hannibal and an employee of Comics Ink, Vincent More. As Vince said:
Speaking to Hannibal, Steve the owner of Comics Ink pointed him towards Pretty Deadly #1 as a suggested first read, to see what Hannibal thought of it. Once Hannibal finished reading, Steve brought out four books and laid them in order from left to right. The first was a Doctor Strange Masterworks volume by Lee and Ditko. Steve used that as an example of a comic containing psycho-babble but still being entertaining. I am blanking on what the second book was but this was used as an example of a pretentious book. The third book was The Monarchy #1 which Steve said was pretentious, full of psycho-babble, and had bad writing. The fourth book in the line was Pretty Deadly #1. Hannibal quoted Steve correctly on this. Steve also did say there was nothing in the book that would make anyone want to pick up a second issue. As for the tearing up a copy of the book I did not witness such a thing happening while I was at the store.
I will add that our customers rely on us to be as honest as possible about the books we sell. Sometimes that means being brutally honest. Our customers appreciate that. However, Steve did order high on the book, to give it a chance based on how well a number of new Image titles are selling for the store. And our customers know we will carry the book based purely on what its sales are at the end of the day, not whether any of us who work at Comics Ink like it or hate it.
This kind of honesty about the comics we sell is so common to Comics Ink that when Total Recall from Dynamite came out (I wrote that), I was not immune to taking my lumps, in similar fashion. I could take my lumps with a smile. I would hope the creators of Pretty Deadly and the folks at Image could do the same.
And Hannibal:
I did agree that the art was rough hewn, the story meandered in a way that was not entertaining, the writing was sluggish and lacked both impetus and emotional connection and that the work overall seemed to not be of sufficient quality to recommend. It was, in a word, terrible — as were books from Marvel and DC that week, as many other books have been and will be in the future. When we put our work out in the public eye, we have to accept that people have the right to say whatever they like about it, no matter how harsh their opinion. Opinions, spirit willing, have no room to be infringed upon.
He also takes some time to plug all of the books you can buy of his and places you can find him, if you are interested. I guess. It’s always a good time to plug your own work when everyone is mad at you for disparaging someone else’s, right? (PS please read my website Multiversity Comics dot com.)
As things continued, Bleeding Cool got a statement from Eric Stephenson, who has stated that he’s pretty uninterested in business with Comics Ink:
Continued belowThe notion that Image’s response to all this somehow reflects a negative attitude toward criticism is ridiculous. Obviously, everyone’s opinions are different – there are good and bad reviews for everything – and likewise, I don’t think anyone has an issue with a retailer offering advice on a title when someone asks. Taking books out of customers’ stacks at the register or ripping up comics in front of customers? That’s just bad form. At that point, a line has been crossed from offering advice to bullying the people who keep your store in business.
We have offered to take back the copies of Pretty Deadly #1 at Comics Ink, and have asked Diamond to cancel the stores orders for issues 2 and up. Kelly Sue and Emma are two of the most insanely awesome people working in comics, the book is receiving rave reviews, and it’s sold out — I’m pretty we can find a home for whatever copies Comics Ink doesn’t want to sell.
Eric also relates the times that he used to be a regular shopper at Comics Ink, and remarks rather disparagingly about the way they treat comments. It sounds like some weird hybrid of Randal Graves and Barry from High Fidelity, which makes Comics Ink literally the last place in the world that sounds like I’d like to shop. (PS please check out my other writings on Multiversity Comics dot com.)
So, in order to put the final word on the subject matter, Kelly Sue has responded to the controversy — or should I say, non-troversy?. We’ll share the whole thing here for posterity, because it’s the only bit worth reading in full, but I’ll bold my favorite bits for you because — just like in “Pretty Deadly” — I really enjoy Kelly Sue’s writing:
Continued belowSo a dude wrote a column. In it, he expressed his disappointment in our comic book and described his retailer tearing up a copy. (Please don’t go looking for the column; just take my word for it—dude gets paid every time you click and in an unbelievably classy move I should have seen coming, is now using the attention to promote his own books. Comics!) Follow me so far? Dude wrote a column… Then the internet blew up. This is the only statement I’m going to make on the matter, so read slow.
When I got the email giving me the heads up, I thought it was funny. I don’t know if that makes me sound like an ass—if it does, please understand that dude has been around for as long as I have and he’s been hilariously condescending to people far more talented than I am for so long that it’s almost a rite of passage. Like… okay, years ago I was an operator on the graveyard shift at Home Shopping Network and there was a masturbator who called every night. You didn’t actually want to be the one who took that call, but when you finally got it… you sort of felt like you’d finally earned your wings.
So when the email came, I literally laughed out loud. Hey! I got jumped in!
The guy tearing up the book? I dunno. It’s a little theatrical for my taste (and look at me, my favorite color is leopard print) but whatever. It’s his shop, his book, he can do whatever he wants. Doesn’t seem like good business to me, but what do I know? I don’t run a store. Maybe his customer eat that kind of thing up like pro wrestling. If it’s working for him, good on ‘im. (Also: same guy tore up SCARLET #1, which is a book I LOVE, so hey — win! For the record, I don’t think my gender had anything to do with anything, but given the Scarlet thing, it’s possible dude might have an issue with artificial redheads. I dunno. It’s a theory.**)
Not everybody’s gonna like the book. Did you miss the part where I said it’s a weird book? It’s a weird book. I’m proud of it. I’m bursting with pride at Emma’s innovative layouts, Jordie’s gorgeous colors, Clayton’s… well, Clayton’s infinite patience with my foibles, more than anything else probably, but that’s saying something. (I’m teasing you, Clayton. I’m proud of you too.) I’m proud of Sigrid for keeping us on schedule and Caitlin for having all our backs like the fierce little mama bear she is. I’m as proud of my contribution as I’m capable of being. Mostly, I’m proud of myself for stepping outside my comfort zone.
All that said, not everybody’s gonna dig it and that’s okay. That doesn’t make us failures and it doesn’t make them misogynists. If you didn’t “get” the book, that’s okay; you’re not dumb. (Am I being clear enough? No one is calling you dumb.) Taste is subjective. I like liver and onions and Offspring*. Probably you don’t. That doesn’t make either of us dumb or even wrong. (The way you chose to express your taste says more about you than your taste itself.)
So, when the email came in, I laughed. Can’t please everybody. And hey, we had a hell of a Wednesday.
Then… the internet exploded. I keep not-commenting hoping it’ll just go away, but every ten minutes somebody new decides to run the “story,” folks are saying I said things I not only never said, I never THOUGHT… it’s just… WTF?
Look, I’ve got a hide like a rhino, I can take it. And I know a lot of folks who are perpetuating this are doing so out of love, wanting to come to our defense. And I love them for it, I do. But every outraged post magically puts words in my mouth I never said and makes that one dude THE story.
THAT IS NOT THE STORY. THAT ONE DUDE IS NOT THE STORY.
THIS is the story: You know what we thought this book would do? 9-12K. A couple of our more experienced friends at Image said that they thought it might do as well as 20K — we guffawed. When I saw the initial orders I was in Brisbane — Fraction will tell you, I got light-headed. My hearing went out. As of right now, we have we have blown through our print run of 57K and are going to a second printing. Do the math. With the second printing we’re going to be at THREE TIMES our DREAM NUMBER. How is that even possible?
That is the story.
The book—our weird little book that has surprised and defied us at every turn—came out Wednesday and surprised and defied us yet again. The same site that ran the piece that started all this gave us 4.5/5.0. We got 3 reviews that gave us 10/10. We’ve gotten tons of great mail already, beautiful fan art and it’s starting to feel like there’s a Pretty Deadly community burgeoning.
JH FUCKING WILLIAMS WROTE TO US THIS MORNING. I know it’s impolite to namedrop, but hello–JH FUCKING WILLIAMS!!
::muppet flail::
My team got ONE WHOLE DAY to feel good about defying expectations before what should have been a non-event became the ubiquitous headline.
So here’s the tl;dr — nobody on our team thinks they’re a genius. (You don’t like my stuff? Hell, a good half the time, I agree with you.) We’re trying some things. If our things are not your bag, that’s okay. As long as you don’t tut tut me, put words in my mouth, call me pretentious or try to profit from bad-mouthing my team, we’re totally gonna stay friends. And if they are your bag? Know we don’t take your support for granted. We’re gonna keep trying things and, well, cheer up, haters! We may well fall flat on our faces yet. I like issue 2 more than issue 1 and issue 3 more than issue 2, but I dunno… your mileage may vary, as they kids say.
All we want to do is have fun, hang out and make comics. Can we pleeeeeeeaaase move on from this shit now?
— Kelly Sue DeConnick
* Not together. Ew.
** Not actually a theory; actually a joke. Please do not send letters.
I agree with Kelly Sue. The real story is the massive sell-out of the book and the critical acclaim that it has gotten from all corners.
So, to top it all off, here is Image’s press release celebrating the good news of how well the book has done:
PRETTY DEADLY ARRIVES TO MASSIVE FANFARE & AN IMMEDIATE SELL-OUT
Highly-anticipated series from Kelly Sue DeConnick & Emma Ríos sells out on first day of release
Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Ríos’s PRETTY DEADLY #1, one of the most anticipated new releases of the year, has officially sold out at the distributor on its first day of release and will be going back to press for a second printing. DeConnick and Ríos’s fantasy western, featuring Death’s daughter in an Old West that’s equally influenced by magical realism and Japanese exploitation films as it is by spaghetti westerns, has already garnered an astronomical amount of praise from fans, press, and fellow creators:
“One of the best comics debuts of the year.”
– Evan Narcisse, Kotaku
“DeConnick and Ríos fill this comic with mystery, adventure and uncertainty.”
-Doug Zawisza, Comic Book Resources
“Pretty Deadly #1 is a fantastic debut issue by creators who are working in perfect tandem to tell one of the tightest stories I have seen in a #1 issue in a long time.”
-Aaron Long, Comicosity
“The art team displays a terrific level of experimentation. Bellaire blends sensible, real world colors with bubblegum highlights; a freshly fired pistol trails soft, pink smoke, a captivating tale comes to live in vivid shades of orange and yellow, and the trail of a bullet leaves a purple streak against the cold blue of a twilight sky.”
-Zach Wilkerson, Multiversity Comics (Editor’s note: Hey! That’s us! Here’s a link!)
“From the first couple of pages all the way to the end […], DeConnick and Ríos have managed to create a world that is so captivating and painfully beautiful that it’s impossible to tear yourself away from it.”
-Toribee, Comics: The Gathering
“Pretty Deadly is not meant to be rapidly devoured. It is meant to be savored, allowing time to ruminate upon the symbolism, stare at the deluge of lines and color, and be swallowed by the depth of each character’s stare.”
-Vanessa Gabriel, Newsarama
PRETTY DEADLY #1 may still be on sale at your local retailer while supplies last. In addition, PRETTY DEADLY #1 is available digitally on the Image website (imagecomics.com) and the official Image Comics iOS app, as well as on Comixology on the web (comixology.com), iOS, and Android. The second printing of PRETTY DEADLY #1 will be in stores on 11/27 and can be pre-ordered now using Diamond Code SEP138208. PRETTY DEADLY #2 releases on 11/27 and can be pre-ordered now with Diamond Code SEP130627.
