What Does a Funnybook Editor Do?

Too many things to cover in one post, but here are one or two things that might surprise you.

For example, my current go-to editor Megan Sloane keeps track of all things Fables, partly by constructing the family tree above. When you’re working with a cast of hundreds, charts like this help keep tired old me from losing my way.

She also edited every word, dot and tittle of the upcoming 12 issue Fables arc: The Black Forest. As a parade of editors came and went through DC Comics’ revolving door, over the recent months, many of whom I never met in their short time at the Fables helm.

Since DC editors were changing over at such a rapid clip, some of whom had never before read a Fables comic, I thought it prudent to ensure editorial continuity by bringing in my own U of Berkeley trained editor to do the job, and pay her myself to do the job right.

But here’s a fun fact: When the new Fables comics come out, you won’t see Megan’s name anywhere in the credits, because DC has a policy of not giving printed credit to anyone they didn’t specifically pay from their own coffers.¹No, I don’t understand it, because so far no one there can explain it well (meaning ‘at all’ except to repeat: it’s policy). Even though Megan did her job so well, catching every typo and continuity error (in the script stage and then as drawn and lettered pages come in) so that not one of the official DC editors ever had to call for a single correction — not one single correction in 12 full issues²— they will get printed credit and she won’t.

I’m not calling for you to take action. In fact I’m requesting that you don’t. Don’t call. Don’t write. Don’t produce crusading YouTube vids demanding redress. This is my battle to fight, and I still have a move or two yet to make.

This will be resolved in future Fables (and other) projects, some of which are already begun.

But as to the question What Do Funnybook Editors Do? Sometimes they run afoul of stupid office politics, and end up working without acknowledgement. Sometimes you’ll do the work so someone else can take your credit.

At least I paid her better than most of those hit-and-run editors got, before they headed for the door.

1. I’d be more than willing for DC to reimburse me and pay her directly, thus removing their only obstacle towards properly crediting her, but so far they seem unwilling to consider the solution.

2. Whereas Megan, through me, had to call in many corrections to DC, that cropped up in the illustrated and lettered pages.