PUBLIC COMMENT

LegalDispatch 0.78

Greetings from New York City. (It’s my father’s birthday today.)

I came to town for New York ComicCon and stayed for Parents Weekend at my eldest’s new college.

NYCC was great fun. I got to see some old friends, make some new ones, and chatted with a variety of folks I haven’t spoken to in forever.

All of these festivities, however, took place in the shadow of the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel. I’ve observed that there is little to be gained from engaging on the topic, however. Apparently, the Writers Guild of America agrees with me because despite issuing public statements in support of such causes as MeToo and Black Lives Matter, they evidently struggled to locate the same level of advocacy for a democratic country and foreign ally who just suffered an exponentially greater equivalent of 9/11. Silence is, apparently, no longer violence. Good to know.

To be clear, I’m more of a fan of little things like peace and justice than I am of the Israeli government. I don’t care for Mr. Netanyahu. I think the living conditions — if they can be called that — for Palestinians in Gaza are abhorrent. I don’t support Israel’s aggressive settlements in the West Bank. Nor do I applaud Israel’s resistance to the two-state solution that everyone but the hardest of hardliners understands to be the only solution to conflict in the region.

But none of this justifies the anti-semitism currently masquerading in many circles as whataboutism. None of this justifies withholding public comment on the death of more Jews in a single day since the Holocaust. And please don’t get me started on the — and there’s no other word for it — woke assertions that Israel is a colonialist power. Israel captured Gaza after it was attacked — lemme say that again ‘cause it’s important — ATTACKED by its neighbors in 1967. Holding land “won” in wartime isn’t imperialism. It’s self-defense. What makes Israel different from every other country in history? It’s hard not to point to its Jewish populace as the answer.

To be sure, the situation in Israel is complex beyond description and discussion requires actual nuance without descending into insincere and bad faith “both sides” arguments. I can absolutely see that there are those who would struggle with capturing that nuance in a public statement, but “difficult” shouldn’t result in “not doing.” And even if support for Israel is a bridge too far for some, it shocks the conscience that the public denigration of terrorism apparently is as well. And let’s not forget that there’s no law that requires that support of Israel cannot come with support for Palestinians. There’s no dictum that prohibits calls for peace and restraint tied to statements of support. There’s no rule which states that supporting Israel in this moment prevents one from also demanding a Palestinian state.

I dunno. Maybe all of it truly is too difficult a needle to thread. If only the WGA had access to a professional writer or two…

WORK UPDATE

I continue to keep my powder dry while awaiting paperwork on various television projects but I’m not counting on those. I’m continuing to attach myself to various pieces of material and work up takes and pitches for same.

On Monday, the script for the third issue of Beware the Planet of the Apes is due and I’ve been diligently hammering away on that. This week I also turned in the lettering draft of Issue One. I always encourage the artists I work with to alter things as they see fit with the promise that I’ll adjust accordingly at the lettering stage. Very few artists, however, take me up on that offer. However, Álvaro Lopez, the artist for Apes, did and made changes in many key places. With one exception, he maintained the panel count of each page, but called some extremely smart audibles in terms of shots and camera angles and I came away wholly impressed with his storytelling IQ. I can’t wait for you to see the finished work. You’re going to be blown away.

OUT NEXT WEEK

If my calendar is accurate and shipping dates haven’t shifted, next Wednesday (10/25) sees the release of Star Wars: Dark Droids - D-Squad #2 and X-Men: Days of Future Past - Doomsday #4. I’m very pleased how both issues came out and think you will be, too. Please give them a look.

Q & A

New subscriber Chris Baldit wrote in with some questions about Arrow. Chris’ questions and my responses follow below:

I know some series lead actors will become “Executive Producer” by the final few years of a series, why not Stephen Amell?

It’s very common that in the event a series is successful or long-lived — and Arrow was both — that many of the series regulars will renegotiate their deals, in some cases several times over the life of the show. For obvious reasons, I’m not going to go into the specifics of Stephen’s various negotiations. However, I’ll make one general observation: Some actors begin a project with an EP credit because they played a crucial role (no pun intended) in the development of the series. However, when an actor becomes an EP later, during the run of the show, it’s usually just a “vanity credit,” and one often bestowed by the series in lieu of an actual raise.

Were the curved symbols on the side of the Arrow hood in later years meant as tribute to the Batman, as this was the closest to a kick-ass live-action Batman show we will ever get?

Well, on the Batman front, I believe in never saying never. As for the curves on the hood in later years, I believe that was just a design choice meant to “break up” what would have been the otherwise-solid form of the hood. For my money, they do their job quite effectively and the hood would have been far less visually interesting without.

Were there ever plans to have Oliver meet his father from Earth-2, who survived the shipwreck and became the Hood?

I can’t imagine that wasn’t something we explored at one point or another but, unfortunately, I no longer remember at this point. Sorry!

Arrow remains my favorite TV show. It was my step-dad's favorite as well. He watched it religiously until he passed away in 2017. Best of luck on your future projects.

Thank you so much for saying that. It’s truly appreciated and humbling. My condolences on your stepfather’s passing. I hope we ended the series in a way he would have enjoyed.

Maybe one day you might consider writing a book detailing the behind the scenes story of the Arrowverse. If so, don't wait too long, please. Memory can be a tricky thing.

It certainly can. However, I’m generally of the opinion that such behind-the-scenes books — and I’m a big fan of the genre — are best done by an objective third party. That said, I would be more than happy to participate if someone were to launch such a project. I really hope they do.

Be good to each other.

Best,

Marc

New York, New York

10.20.23