So, this one time, I had a webcomic that I aborted.
14 Comments | Posted: November 18th, 2008 | Filed under: Shameless Self-Promotion, Thinking About Comics | Tags: gay marriage, prince, webcomicsOK, so a few weeks ago I had one of those brainstorms that occasionally happens when I’ve been seriously caffeinating and thankfully, I was in touch with my frequent partner on things writerly Josh, who agreed to draw it. We were going to do a series of (let’s call them) tributes to the great adventure strips of the 30s and 40s except, instead of featuring Dirk Chinley or Roger Handsome, we’d use a man who’s always innovated, fought for what he believed was right, made women tremble just so, and most importantly, dressed amazingly.
I was going to write a webcomic about Prince as a CIA agent in the 80s. Morris Day was going to be his Felix Leiter. Prince would only speak in lyrics to his own songs. It was going to be a black-and-white comic that was spot-colored purple. It was going to be a loving genre pastiche that served as an appreciative, humorous panegyric to a musician I held no small amount of respect and awe for.
Then, he said this:
Recently, Prince hosted an executive who works for Philip Anschutz, the Christian businessman whose company owns the Staples Center. “We started talking red and blue,†Prince said. “People with money—money like that—are not affected by the stock market, and they’re not freaking out over anything. They’re just watching. So here’s how it is: you’ve got the Republicans, and basically they want to live according to this.†He pointed to a Bible. “But there’s the problem of interpretation, and you’ve got some churches, some people, basically doing things and saying it comes from here, but it doesn’t. And then on the opposite end of the spectrum you’ve got blue, you’ve got the Democrats, and they’re, like, ‘You can do whatever you want.’ Gay marriage, whatever. But neither of them is right.â€
When asked about his perspective on social issues—gay marriage, abortion—Prince tapped his Bible and said, “God came to earth and saw people sticking it wherever and doing it with whatever, and he just cleared it all out. He was, like, ‘Enough.’ â€
And, well, that was that, then. We shut it down. I’m pretty sure I’m not going to give any more money to him as well. If he can be judgmental about things like basic human rights, then I can be judgmental about how I spend my money and energy.
He probably would have sued our asses off anyway, huh?
(Yes, I’ve heard that someone in his camp told Perez Hilton that he was misquoted, but forgive me for believing The New Yorker over that twat, at least for now.)
I kinda wish Prince disappeared 10 years ago so I could still respect him. Plus, I would have LOVED to see that comic. That fucker.
Right on.
I can’t find the link, but I read that when he sang All Along The Watchtower at the Super Bowl, he slightly modified the lyrics to give the Jehovah’s Witnesses a shout out.
And yes he would have sued you.
Prince? I had no idea.
Who did that picture of you on the side? I like it.
As the mouseover text states, that picture of me is by the very talented Paul Horn. More details are available here.
He is a Jehovah’s Witness. That in and of itself requires a certain level of “…well.”
Prince has a history of this stuff going as far back as 1981, at least, when he praised Reagan for having “balls.”
Strange that a guy that wears ass exposing pants cannot relate to other ass loving folks. I love the comic idea though. I say you still go with it. Make sure you use some of my favs that I use on a daily basis:
I’ve got a lion in my pocket and baby it’s ready to roooaaarrr!
I want to do you after school like some homework.
The ride up front is better when you’ve been in the back.
Maybe you can write about a musician named Duke who likes the color puce.
For a book of divinely-imparted wisdom, the bible sure does make some smart folk say some awfully dumb things. This, from the man who wrote and sang, “If I was your girlfriend”.
No, if there’s a Duke comic, it should be based on Genesis’ great 1980 concept album of the same name. Get on that, Church.
I understand why you canned it, but it was a brilliant idea and I’m sad that I won’t get to see it actualized.
Prince is also extremely litigious nowadays, so if you ever did go through with this webcomic, you’d probably be sued. For example: http://www.citmedialaw.org/blog/2008/prince-radiohead-and-bootlegging-provision-copyright-act “We’ve covered his legal antics before — his lawyers went after a number of fan sites last November, and Universal Music sent a takedown notice to YouTube last June over a video of a toddler dancing with “Let’s Go Crazy” playing in the background. This time, his record label apparently sent a takedown notice to YouTube over a video of Prince performing a cover of Radiohead’s “Creep” at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. “
So, like I said in the next-to-last sentence, Rob.
Whoops, I read too fast.