Quote from: Xenomrph on Sep 19, 2008, 05:24:34 PM
Do you have a "favorite" licensed franchise you like to work within? I don't mean the actual company like FOX or LucasFilm, but just a franchise itself that you find most enjoyable to write for.
I've had good experiences in all of the ones I've worked in. There are drawbacks -- it's their toy and they get the final say if you disagree, and some of what is there you sometimes have to dance around because it don't ring right for you, but by and large, you know that there are limits going in and you accept them. Working for somebody this way is like being a commercial artist -- you have to have the skills to give them what they ask for, otherwise, you can't do the job.
They offer different thrills. Get to hear what Darth Vader thinks in his hyperbaric chamber. Put Ripley through her paces. Spies and martial arts, and mighty-thewed barbarians, they are all fun. I try never to write-down, but do each book as best I can, given time constraints and what is acceptable subject matter. Almost always, I think the books could have been better. Part of that is what they allow; part of it is me.
Dark Horse is easy because they are all nice folks and knowledgeable pros. They tend to hire people they trust and then leave them alone to do the job. I like everybody I work with there. A handshake is as good as a signed contract, and the universe lets you throw a lot of ammo and use R-rated language. (And Mike Richardson just won an Emmy™ by the by, for the HBO movie on Don Rickles, Mr. Warmth.)
Star Wars, Conan, Net Force, they are all full of professionals who know how the biz works, and also great places to play. There is give-and-take, and sometimes you can convince people your way is better, sometimes not.
On the animated TV end -- Batman, Spider-Man, Streetfighter, Gargoyles, Godzilla, Centurions, and other, lesser known shows, were more constricted and structured, but that's the nature of the medium -- you had to adhere to the bible they gave you and stick to the outline they approve -- but also fun, most of the time. And you tend to get paid pretty quick, too.
I judge by how willing I would be to go back into the universe and work for the same people, and I'd do that for all of the book folks I mentioned.
