Failed Pitches (Patreon)

Cully Hamner posted some design art from a project proposal that ended up falling through and that made me wax nostalgic about the many different work-for-hire pitches and scripts I've written that didn't happen. I think it's important to talk about that stuff, because from the outside it I know it looks like creators are announcing and promoting new projects all the time, but what you don't see is the hustle before the hustle; the number of times that things don't move forward or, even when they do, when the project gets scrapped before it's published.

Looking through my failed projects archive, here's a probably-not-complete list of pitches I produced at the request of editors that are currently in the dustbin:

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MARVEL

Avengers (FCBD story for Age Of Ultron movie tie-in. Approved + scripted, but not used)

Blade (2018, mini-series)

Figment 3 (2017, Disney Kingdoms mini-series to make it a trilogy)

Journey Into Mystery (2017, post-Avengers: No Surrender concept)

Marvel VS Capcom (2013, crossover mini-series based on the video games)

Starbrand and Nightmask (2015, new series concept)

Thunderbolts (2017, post-Secret Empire series concept)

Untitled Aquatic Team (2014, new series concept)

DC COMICS

Aquaman (2014, ongoing new direction)

Batgirl (2017, post-Rebirth plans)

Birds Of Prey (2012, ongoing new direction)

Cyborg (2014, ongoing)

Green Arrow (2011, ongoing new direction)

Green Arrow (2014, relaunch)

Suicide Squad (2012, ongoing new direction)

Suicide Squad (2016, Rebirth back-up stories)

VERTIGO

Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye (2016, series concept)

The Dreaming (2016, Sandman return planning) 

BOOM!

Steven Universe (2015, mini-series)

DYNAMITE

Army of Darkness II (2013, comic sequel to the movie)

Minecraft (2013, mini-series based on the video game)

IDW

Big Hero 6 (2016, ongoing series based on the Disney movie)

Micronauts (2015, new series)

Star Wars (2016, young adult graphic novel concepts)

Star Wars Adventures (2016, various short stories) 

VALIANT

Quantum and Woody (2012, new series launch concept)

Shadowman (2013, ongoing new direction)

OTHER

Automata (2012, cyberpunk-noir story based on Penny Arcade concept art)

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(And that's just work-for-hire stuff. That doesn't count 10-12 creator-owned series concepts I still have in various stages of development.)

I'm happy to talk about these in general, but I won't be posting failed pitches or unpublished stories here on Patreon (or anywhere else, for that matter). Here's why:

• Even though it may look like a pitch is dead and buried, I've seen old projects get resuscitated when editors move on or priorities change. It's frustrating when a project you spent a bunch of time and effort on falls apart, but it's also important to archive that stuff because weird things happen in this business.

Just a couple weeks ago I was chatting with Greg Pak and he mentioned that a "failed" pitch from a year and a half ago suddenly reignited and he's writing it now.  

• The core idea behind these pitches may still have value, and I never know when I'll be able to mine that old material on completely different projects. It could be as simple as re-tooling a failed Aquaman pitch into a new Namor project, or using the structure and dramatic pay-off from an old idea in a completely different way. 

In that same vein, I wouldn't want my unused ideas to inadvertently find their way into your pitches or future projects. Reading and learning from the material I've written and had published is one thing, but digging through stuff I still might use in some fashion could lead to future problems.

Anyway, I hope you find the above list useful and get a better sense of how many times you may have to put together proposals that don't end up getting approved to get to ones that do. It's always a challenge.