When Bad People Create Good Art

What do we, as critics, viewers, listeners, readers, and fellow creators do when bad people make good art? Here’s an interesting attempt at an answer to the age old question.

by Jessica Mason

Yesterday, photos were released of Brandon Routh as Kingdom Come-era Superman in Crisis on Infinite Earths. After I got over how awesome he looked, I got to thinking about how great Routh was in the red and blue in Superman Returns…and how I don’t know if I’m comfortable ever watching that movie again, because of the allegations against both Kevin Spacey (who played Lex Luthor) and director Bryan Singer. It’s a tough spot, because Superman Returns is a really interesting transition point in comic book movies, but it would take some effort to watch without thinking of Spacey and Singer’s bad acts. This isn’t an isolated problem: Increasingly nowadays, as MeToo and cultural reckonings dominate the discourse, we have to consider what to do when the art we love is made by horrible people. read article

STEVEN UNIVERSE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF CONSENT

For those of you who may have wondered what makes Steven Universe so unique (and beloved by parents!).

by Laura Dale

When it comes to TV designed for children, Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe is one of the most progressive, thoughtful, and generally important shows being made today. Following the story of a young boy with the power to protect and heal, the show frequently introduces children to complex emotional topics in easy-to-understand ways. read article

Ken Levine on How to Make Stupid Money in Television

We love Mr. Levine because not only does he demonstrate great insight into the TV world daily, on his blog, “…by Ken Levine,” he also can rant like a son of a bitch.

And so, without further ado…

read article

LB: Richard Thompson, ‘Cul de Sac,’ & the Writer’s Place in Society

by Larry Brody

I’ve said it before, and now I’m saying it again. Richard Thompson was one of the finest cartoonists to ever put ink onto a newspaper cartoon strip.

He also was a man who understood the massive importance of creativity and creators to human existence and demonstrated it often in his classic comic strip Cul de Sac. read article

How Hollywood Writing Credits Really Work

This should be required reading for every aspiring film (and to a lesser extent TV) writer. The smart ones will read this before coming to L.A.

Meet the Writer of ‘Gemini Man’ (Who Didn’t Actually Write ‘Gemini Man’)
by Borys Kit

Sitting near the back of the Chinese Theatre, in between his wife and his parents, Darren Lemke watched the big Imax screen light up, Gemini Man unfolding before his eyes. read article