Marvel 616 documentary on Disney Plus makes comic fans mad

Comic fans have been divided by a new Disney Plus documentary showing how Marvel comics are made. Marvel 616, streaming now on Disney Plus, looks behind the scenes of various facets of the Marvel universe, from weird Japanese Spider-Man remakes to toys and cosplay communities. But it’s the apparently lackadaisical approach of writer Dan Slott that’s left some fans unimpressed.

Episode 7, entitled The Marvel Method, follows the creation of a new comic from writer to printer. Most of the focus is on writer Slott as he struggles to come up with a plot for the first issue of Iron Man 2020 while deadlines get tighter and tighter. 

The jocular Slott’s slow working pace makes life harder for everyone around him, including editor Shannon Ballesteros, artist Pete Woods, writer Christos Gage, who has to write the comic’s dialogue because Slott can’t, and unfortunate letterer Joe Caramagna, who has to race to finish the comic just hours before it goes to the printers. 

Some creators and fans have questioned whether Marvel should be making light of what seems like, on the face of it, pretty unprofessional working style.

editors never seem so pleasantly bemused when i whimsically fall behind on deadlines. jealous of this dan slott thing.

— ramon villalobos 🌹🦂 (@RamonVillalobos) November 22, 2020

The episode title comes from the so-called Marvel Method pioneered by Stan Lee in the 1960s. Back then, Lee was in charge of writing pretty much all of the company’s comics. So he often gave artists a rough outline and let them use their imagination to fill the pages and panels with action. Dialogue was added in afterwards according to what the artists drew. Today, Slott follows this same technique despite the fact the industry has typically moved to an alternative “full script” method. Writers nowadays are more likely to give the artist a more detailed description of what they want in each panel, and they also write the accompanying dialogue. The Marvel Method is seen by some professionals as an exploitative practise, while Slott’s process places apparently unreasonable demands on the creators who come after him.

I love the glorification of the “Marvel Method” when it’s just a way to get artists to do extra labor & not pay for it

— Art Of Coop (@ARTofCOOP) November 24, 2020

Because colorists have to color more than one book to survive, 1-2 weeks was the ideal amount of time to do a book.

Once, I got 11 pages the day before a book was due.

— Christina Strain (@christinastrain) November 22, 2020

The episode has also struck a nerve because the comic industry, like the film business and many other industries in the #MeToo era, has undergone a drastic reckoning in the past couple of years with workplace behaviour ranging from unprofessional to abusive. Comic companies, like many other huge businesses, have been accused of ignoring and even enabling toxic behaviour from men including former Dark Horse editor Brandon Wright and former DC Comics editor Eddie Berganza. 

Marvel has seen its own controversies: when C.B. Cebulski was promoted to editor-in-chief of Marvel comics in 2017, it emerged Cebulski had previously adopted a Japanese pseudonym to write for the company — somewhat insulting considering the comic industry’s poor record on hiring actual people from diverse backgrounds. Episode 2 of Marvel 616 focuses on women creators, episode 3 follows a pair of Spanish artists and episode 5 showcases a diverse range of cosplayers, but it’s notable that episode 7’s glimpse into the Marvel offices features a veritable parade of balding, bearded white men. 

there’s 5 queer & bipoc writers with fresh ideas & stellar work ethic marvel could hire instead of empowering dan slott to consistently blow his deadlines & mistreat his creative teams but it’s almost as if the editor in chief who faked being a Japanese man for clout doesn’t care https://t.co/b52O84R8dM

— Aleš Kot (@ales_kot) November 22, 2020

I’ve only started Episode 7 “The Marvel Method” of Marvel’s 616 documentary series, and this episode highlights a broken aspect of the comic book industry.

Everyone over at Marvel breaking their backs to accommodate one white mediocre writer who fails to meet deadlines. pic.twitter.com/KlC0F3EoKx

— Walt (@UberKryptonian) November 21, 2020

My respect for comic book letterers is through the roof now. They really are the backbone of the comic book world that gets the shit end of the stick.

This is insanity. Why do they let this go on? pic.twitter.com/LWNMT7jz4t

— Walt (@UberKryptonian) November 22, 2020

While it’s touched a nerve, the episode is clearly meant to be played for laughs. It’s a modern version of the comedy skits featured in Marvel comics in the good old days, in which Stan Lee and other creators portrayed exaggerated versions of themselves as characters goofing around in the bullpen. We even see some of those comics in the episode, along with fun vintage photos of past Marvel offices. 

Slott hasn’t responded to a request for comment, but has addressed the controversy on social media. The episode gets ahead of the reaction with a brief discussion of social media’s impact on creators, and Slott has always been a larger-than-life figure on Twitter.

I’ve scripted books down-to-the-wire, but I think anyone who understands how comic books are made knows plotting a book down-to-the-wire is not only silly, but kind of impossible. As was most of the time frame of the episode. But that and (many) liberties were taken for fun TV.🙂

— (@DanSlott) November 22, 2020

Other comic creators and fans have rallied in Slott’s defence.

Latest outrage on Comix Fan Twitter: writer responsible for some of Marvel’s all-time best-selling and most influential books and ideas is allowed to work under looser deadlines, because his bosses recognize and value his consistent contributions to the company’s success.

— Andy Ihnatko (@Ihnatko) November 24, 2020

Woods, Gage and Caramagna emphasise the documentary’s lighthearted and abbreviated portrayal of how a comic is made, as well as hailing the level of collaboration the Marvel Method shares between writer and artist.

Dan took a bullet to add some narrative drama to the episode. Honestly, working on this issue was similar every other job I’ve done. In fact I’ve had much, much more stressful situations in my past.

— Pete Woods- Official Disney Princess (@thatpetewoods) November 23, 2020

3) That’s what I put in…the dialogue. Sometimes before the artist draws, sometimes after. When Dan does this himself, he misses deadlines because he obsesses over the PERFECT words. I write until it’s time to turn it in, then it’s like, well, this is what it’s gonna be.

— Christos Gage (@Christosgage) November 22, 2020

If my part of the Marvel Method process in #Marvel616 gave you anxiety, imagine if they hadn’t cut the story I told about lettering an issue in the delivery room while my wife was in labor…

— Joe Caramagna 🍩🏒🇺🇸🚀 (@JoeCaramagna) November 22, 2020

Marvel 616 is a great watch. Each episode delves into a different corner of the Marvel universe in a fun and illuminating way. And episode 7, whatever you think about Slott or what constitutes professionalism in a creative workplace, gives a concise overview of the stages in comic production. It’s a great primer for younger viewers who want to know more about comics or even dream about making comics themselves.

And let’s face it, it’s also an accurate introduction to the world of work. Sorry kids, there’s always going to be some dude making your life harder.