Mythic Messenger #11 - "...Then everything changed when the corporations attacked!"
“Superheroes… Sci-fi… Fantasy… and Historical Fiction. Long ago, the four fandoms lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the corporations attacked!”
A sobering story of betrayal indeed. A lot of recent news in pop culture skewed negative, and much of that stemmed from creators being alienated from their beloved work.
Whether it’s Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko of Avatar: The Last Airbender, a huge chunk of DC Comics staff or even some of the internet’s biggest streamers, there are big-name talents struggling to find a way forward in the aftermath of massive business decisions from their publishing overlords.
Hollywood and Netflix in particular have been very good to geekdom over the last decade or so, producing the most high-quality and well-received media franchises of all time based on favorite characters and once-niche properties. Now it seems we are being reminded of the downsides…
Avatar creators refuse to bend, walk off sexed-up Netflix adaptation
In the cutthroat media market of the COVID-19 pandemic, being able to “premier” beloved animation Avatar: The Last Airbender back in May was a huge gambit for industry leader Netflix. And it has continued to pay off ever since. The show immediately claimed the top spot on streaming viewership charts and monopolized nostalgia-stoking discussions on social media.
After A:TLA swept through the Twittersphere and everyone was thoroughly re-enchanted by its all-ages humor, sumptuous world-building and rewarding character development, Netflix simply rolled out the sequel, Avatar: The Legend of Korra. While that series polarized fans during its original run, the Netflix masterplan had fans already anticipating the release of Korra before its launch was even announced! That proceeded to top streaming charts and engagement numbers on social media too.
But all of this was merely the entree, the buildup to Netflix’s grand attraction - a new Avatar TV series, made specifically for Netflix by the original creators, which would mark the franchise's first-ever foray into high-budget live action!
At least, until last week when said creators quit the project unceremoniously amid direct claims of corporate interference with the project. It’s understandable for Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino to be protective of Avatar. Not only are they guarding a nostalgic touchstone for a generation of fans, but the world of Avatar has come to define their careers. It explains why we haven't seen a glut of spinoff media seeking to capitalize on its once-in-a-generation success. If fans might normally be impatient to see new stories emerge, the horrific 2010 M. Night Shyamalan movie adaptation had taught them patience.
It doesn’t seem like this Netflix deal represented the floodgates opening either. Both Konietzko and DiMartino made it clear (in parting statements on Instagram) that Netflix had come to them with all the appropriate overtures, offering them direct control as showrunners, a budget and cast which would do their world justice, and explicit promises to support their creative vision. But according to Konietzko, “there was no follow-through on that promise.”
It’s hard to speculate on how long tensions had been brewing before the departure of the franchise creators, but after their announcements there were anonymous sources within the production who seemed very eager to leak more gory details to the press - with emphasis on the gory. These leaks claim that Netflix was pressuring its showrunners to approve sweeping changes to the two-year-deep production, trying to transform an all-ages cartoon about tween friendships into a Game of Thrones-style dark fantasy thriller!
Just the thought seems ridiculous to any fan of Avatar, or even someone who quickly scrolls through comments made during the Netflix premier. The show resonates because of its idealism and commitment to showing tenacious good and compassion as triumphant over violent, selfish threats. But it seems that the idea of committing prestige-TV money to what some might label a "kids show" caused a revolt among Netflix's top brass.
DiMartino and Konietzco were open-minded even in their tense departure, noting that, “Who knows? Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Avatar has the potential to be good,” and “perhaps the team that remains might still be able to make something fans… can enjoy." But the loss of such pivotal names and the wave of terrible press which has come with the departure and leaks seem like this live action Avatar may end up just as cursed as the last one...
DC Comics decimated top-to-bottom as tough new regime kicks off
The Mythic Messenger has been diligent in reporting on some of the tumult surrounding DC Comics in recent months - particularly its ongoing, at times strange feud with its longtime distributor. But as so often is the case at large, insular companies, these smaller external issues mark the presence of deeper tumult within. Now that has all boiled over in a dramatic, sudden mass-firing which has reached the highest levels of DC staff - but which the publisher simultaneously tried to keep quiet for days!
On August 11, communication from DC’s parent group Warner Bros. came through to set up what is becoming a familiar horror story for companies hit hard by the economic effects of COVID-19. A mass Zoom call involving some two thirds of the editorial staff walked them through the major points of a new short-term agenda.
CCO Jim Lee later framed it as a two-year plan which would see nearly 25% of DC’s total product lines cancelled, many immediately. The goal seems to be to transition as quickly as possible towards a more digital-focused publishing footprint, with Lee highlighting the benefits for international readership and in reducing the cost of launching new books.
But of course, with 25% less product and the closure of entire divisions, that means a lot less work to go around at DC HQ. Those in the call soon worked out that they were the lucky ones. The remaining workers, up to 30% of the overall staff, would be cleaning out their desks. But not immediately!
No, as one more strange and jarring reality of this jack-knife corporate transition, DC will still be depending on the services of its soon-to-be-ex-employees - editors, letterers, managers and more - as late as mid-November. While it is definitely good that these staff will be getting paid through the next few months of the pandemic, one has to imagine the frosty and funereal work atmosphere will be tough to deal with even over video calls.
We wish all the best to the DC employees working through this sudden transition, as well as those who must now look for new roles in the industry.
Fast fandom
As always, there is a ton going on in the interconnected world of pop culture and fan media. Here are a few of the stories that caught our eye:
Mixed-up streamer makes triumphant return
If you took the time to peruse our last issue’s piece on video game streaming platforms, you know they’re already awash with cash. But this week provided a definitive example of how big the game can be even for individual streamers.
Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek first came to fame in games (say it 5 times fast!) as a professional Counter-Strike player, but his knack for entertaining and self-promotion saw him make a successful transition into one of Twitch’s biggest stars. Just by being himself and showing off for viewers in random matches, Shroud was attracting hundreds and thousands of fans - so much so that he was headhunted for a lucrative contract by rival platform Mixer.
That turned out to be a pyrrhic victory, as the tiny audience left him well-paid, but well out of the limelight - death to someone in Shroud’s career. So as soon as Mixer was forced to shutter, Shroud made his celebratory return to Twitch, resulting in $82,000 in new monthly subscriber revenue - and no doubt tremendous leverage in his next contract negotiation.
Spate of '90s reboots announced as networks dig deep for "new" wins
Getting old: nobody young really believes that it’ll happen to them. Well, as great as the halcyon days may have been for those who shared their adolescence with animated comedy landmarks like Ren & Stimpy and Beavis and Butt-Head, now we have to face the pop-cultural equivalent of nagging back pain: questionable nostalgic reboots!
Like many broadcasters struggling to assemble new content in an unpredictable climate, Comedy Central is looking to animation as a more reliable mid-term solution. Since all the work on such shows can be done remotely, they’re largely corona-proof. And for better or worse, their plan seems to be centered on reanimating the greatest hits of '90s burnout comedy, complete with a Mike Judge-led relaunch of Beavis and Butt-Head… set in 2020. The Ren & Stimpy relaunch will be under new management, however - original creator John Kricfalusi having been forced to apologize in 2018 for sexually harassing two underage girls.
Liquid+ shows a positive forecast for esports teams
Team Liquid, one of the oldest and most successful esports teams in the world, has made another huge pioneering step in unlocking the vast potential of that industry. While esports teams are attracting big investment both private and public (Danish superteam Astralis attracted a thunderous $75.5 million valuation in its January IPO) many are still searching for reliable revenue streams.
Team Liquid gambled this week on the launch of a new, vaguely promoted subscription for its fans - simply dubbed Liquid+ - which seems to offer increased access to players, limited edition merch, and benefits at physical events where Liquid teams are playing. Despite their trailer itself admitting Liquid+ was still in its earliest ideation, the team’s faith in its diehard fans paid off. The available spots were all taken within a couple of hours, leaving thousands more clutching their credit cards in disappointment. But we can't imagine Liquid or their contemporaries leaving that money on the table for long.