Just Backed Out Of A Cover Gig Because...

...it was for the Rick and Morty comic. 

And if you read the news today, you saw that the co-creator of the series, Justin Roiland, has been arrested on federal domestic battery and false imprisonment charges. Fucking ugh.

This past week I've been going back and forth with Oni Press about doing a variant for an upcoming series. It was nice to be asked (I'm not asked to do much these days by comics publishers) and while I didn't watch the show I figured the characters are super-cartoony/simple and it would be something fun to do, get my name in Previews for whatever press that garners (little), let the industry know I was still alive, and make a couple of bucks (much less than my usual cover fee, but I am in a money crunch and figured I could sell the original. Also, they'd be providing the colorist. ). Last night I completed some sketches to send in. But after seeing the news I let them know I was no longer interested (nothing personal, etc). 

All I knew about Rick and Morty was that it's popular, looks like a Back to the Future bit, and there's a pickle version of the Rick character. After reading the report on Roiland, I went down a rabbit hole about the co-creators because people were talking about the other guy and it sounded pretty lousy. Anyway, it appears they both suck ass. And, yeah, innocent until proven guilty, that's true for the law but I'm not the law and I'm not their boss or co-workers, for me, it's enough to want to go outside and get some air and not go back into that particular bar. It's dirty. I read enough about the creators to make my own personal decision. There are companies I won't work for, properties I don't like, and people I don't want to be associated with. Most freelancers have some similar mental checklist, I'd think. It always sucks when a good (or even decent) offer comes through which involves something you just can't work with, something that spikes the job for you. Selling the rights to Milk & Cheese. NFTs. I used to turn down variant covers but abject need forced me to start doing them. If you can't beat them, invoice them. But not all the time, not this time.

I just got an e-mail back from the editors I was dealing with and they completely understood. I'm glad I'm not in their shoes. Easy enough for me to back out on a cover, dealing with this as part of your full-time job has got to suck.  

It's a weird way to lose a gig, I think it's a new one for me. I've backed out of stuff for similar reasons (not wanting to be associated with something I found objectionable), but they didn't crop up while I was actually doing the work. That's a part of freelancing, and, like I said, I am privileged to be in a position where I can make a face, hold my palms up and out, and slowly back out of the situation.  

So, a small bummer. I really liked the "puppeteer" sketch (above) and was looking forward to drawing it if it was accepted. I spent a few hours on e-mails and sketches that didn't amount to anything. But on the other hand, I would have been Rick and Mortified if my cover was in the pipeline. So, there's that.

Freelancing!

Back to commissions tonight. And a little Beasts of Burden script stuff. 

More soon, later.