Marko Djurdjevic worked with J. Michael Straczynski on a run of Thor comics a few years back. Apparently Djurdjevic is less than pleased with that experience and even less enthused about his experience working with J. Michael Straczynski. Here's what he had to say at FanExpo Canada:
Hickman then asked a question of his own, specifically what Djurdjevic is working on now that he’s not continuing with Marvel. Turns out, the artist is working on video games, and art direction; rather than comics – which he’s very happy about. Djurdjevic is also trying to get Matt Fraction to write a game, he said.
Epting then asked whether he regretted not doing more interiors for Marvel, to which Djurdjevic said, “They never put me on a book with a writer that I wanted. They always gave me Straczynski, and that guy writes like toilet paper.”
Continuing on, asked how Straczynski writes scripts, Djurdjevic said, “It’s full of him.” Djurdjevic then told a story about getting fed up on a Thor arc, which was so ridiculous he, “just gave up.”
Following up on Djurdjevic statement that he never got to work with people he wanted, the artist said he would have liked to work with Ed Brubaker, and Matt Fraction (who he mostly knew from conventions). “But Straczynski was a dick from the start. Hey, they can’t fire me anymore,” quipped Djurdjevic to laughter from the audience.
Ouch! Seems like Djurdjevic really dislikes Straczynski. Probably because he has a last name just as weirdly spelled and pronounced as his. Seriously, though, this move doesn't seem too smart on Djurdjevic's part. JMS is a vet in the film, tv and comic book world who probably has some pull. How many of you guys out there are Straczynski fans?
UPDATE: Well, JMS fans. The man himself has decided to respond to Djurdjevic's derogatory attack. Here's what he had to say on his Facebook page:
Several folks have emailed to ask what I thought of Marko Djurdjevic's reported breakdown or tirade (depending on who's doing the asking) in which he savaged Marvel and said in passing that I "write like toilet paper."
I was at first concerned by this because I was pretty sure toilet that while one can write ON toilet paper, toilet paper itself doesn't actually write because it can't hold a pen, dictate or use a keyboard. Then I thought, maybe I missed something. I could be wrong. So I contacted the TPADL (Toilet Paper Anti-Defamation League) to get their response, which follows.
"We at the TPADL are tired of these sorts of baseless and discriminatory comments. We cannot and do not write, it is an ignorant and foolish comment. We are often written upon, but that is not the same thing and we should not be held responsible for that content. We had this same problem with the collected works of Jacqueline Susan and Harold Robbins. We didn't do it, we were simply the messengers for their shit. What Mr. Djurdjevic clearly meant to say, and would've said if he were sober, is that Straczynski writes like shit, a sentiment that all sentient life forms would agree with."
I thanked them for this clarification and for me the matter ends there, except to wish Mr. Djurdjevic the best. I think it's about time somebody in the comics business gave Charlie Sheen a run for his money, and I have absolute faith that Mr. Djurdjevic is just the man to do it. I stand beside him in solidarity, with confidence and with a roll of toilet paper poised and ready for his next missive. Go get 'em, Marko!
Hilarious!
Thor variant #601 by Djurdjevic
Marko Djurdjević (born January 23, 1979) is a German illustrator and concept artist of Serbian descent, best known for his character designs. He formerly worked for Marvel Comics, and has produced a large body of cover art, as well as promotional designs, character concepts, and interior artwork.
Joseph Michael Straczynski (pronounced stra-ZIN-ski, born July 17, 1954), known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist, and author of The Complete Book of Scriptwriting. He was the creator and showrunner for the science fiction television series Babylon 5, and its spin-off Crusade, and of Jeremiah. Straczynski wrote 92 out of the 110 Babylon 5 episodes, notably including an unbroken 59-episode run through the third and fourth seasons, and all but one episode of the fifth season. He also wrote the four Babylon 5 TV movies produced alongside the series. From 2001 to 2007, he was the writer for the long-running Marvel comic book series The Amazing Spider-Man.
In 2009, Straczynski was nominated for the BAFTA Award for his screenplay for Changeling.
Along with John Romita Jr. and Scott Hanna he was the 2002 Eisner Award winner for Best Serialized Story for his work on the Amazing Spider-Man comic, Coming Home. In 2004, he was voted Favorite Comics Writer by UK readers and received that year's Eagle Award. He was also among the recipients of the 1994 Inkpot Award. In 2008, as screenwriter, he was among the recipients of the Christopher Award issued to the movie Changeling.
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