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FAILED-PROJECT FRIDAY: The GEN13/ DIRTY PAIR crossover
🕑 Added 2019-08-09 13:00:03 +0000 UTCWelcome to another installment of Failed-Project Friday!
Back when I was working on the Gen13 Bootleg: "Grunge: The Movie!" arc for Wildstorm circa 1996 or 1997, I was flailing desperately about to line up a crossover—any crossover—between the Dirty Pair and some other, more popular book, in an attempt to boost the DP's profile (and earn some sweet mainstream page rates in the process). As I was working on both books at the time, a Gen13/ Dirty Pair crossover seemed like an obvious idea to pitch, as seen in the pitch art above.
I dusted off the antagonists and premise from another, earlier defunct FFF project, the X-Force: Junk Mail Marvel proposal, which involved nanotech salesman from the far future traveling back in time to conduct a wildly bizarre and incredibly violent infomercial/ sales pitch on our hapless heroes. I'd explain more of the premise, but, ah, screw it, I'm tired. Suffice it to say that Kei and Yuri also go back in time, and team up with three of Gen13's members to battle an ultra-tech enemy whose "infomercial" soon spirals completely out of control. (Once again, poor Sarah and Bobby got shafted out of an appearance, as I didn't want a seven-member set of protagonists; also once again, the DP's rarely appearing feline companion Mughi was left out, as well.)
Wellp, the pitch didn't get much response from Wildstorm, and that was the end of this frankly desperate crossover. Turned out, this would be one of many, many failed attempts to get a Dirty Pair crossover off the ground... Dirty Pair/ Superman, Dirty Pair/ Predator, Dirty Pair/ Aliens (just kidding, that would've been too Project Eden-y), even Dirty Pair/ Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Oh, well.
Side note: I've heard from some quarters that Failed-Project Fridays might be coming across as negative, disheartening, depressing or the like. Well, it's not supposed to be like that, folks. I'm just showing you a wee hint, the merest taste of the reality inherent to working in the comics field (or any creative field, really): you're gonna have to come up with a lot of different ideas, throw one concept after another up against the metaphorical wall until something sticks, and, well, face a great deal of rejection... especially if you're a writer or someone who wants to initiate a project. (Artists sometimes have an easier time of getting brought on board pre-existing projects.)
Even the most wildly successful of my comics-field friends and acquaintances have long, long lists of failed pitches and aborted projects aplenty. If anything, the grinding prospect of all the negative responses you'll encounter only makes sweeter the rare but wonderful times when a proposal of yours actually comes to fruition.
Talent and skill are one thing; persistence and "stick-to-it-iveness" (ouch) are quite another, and are invariably more critical to your long-term survival in a creative field. I could gush forth some happy-face sheepdip about comics being a wondrous, magical fairyland of puppies and candy and rainbows—but that just ain't the case, chillun. (Even if you actually draw comics about puppies and candy and rainbows, as do some folks I know.) Alas, rejection and failed proposals and ill-fated properties just come with the territory.
Comments
Maziar
Ah, no. Apparently, I was thinking of a cameo in Excalibur, that I saw a few pages of somewhere. Sorry for the confusion.
Adam Warren
Nope! No DP crossover with any other title was ever approved.
Maziar
DP/Aliens could have some serious potential. The post-humanistic approach of DP would go well with the horror theme of Aliens, I think. But speaking of DP crossovers, didn't you finally get one with Danger Girl? I seem to remember something like that.
KranberriJam
I don't think they come off negative at all, just realistic, due to all the things you mentioned. But this would have been fun to read, for sure!
Brandon Graham
Dirty Pair/ Predator would be pretty fun in your hands I bet
Adam Warren
In fact, yes! Just dug up the pitch art from an old Vertigo proposal(!) that I'm VERY glad wasn't accepted, as the project was A) goofy as hell; and B ) worse, mean-spirited in a manner that I now find completely off-putting. You'll see it in a future FFF... probably.
PixelThis
I like seeing the might-have-beens even if sometimes it's a shame that they didn't come to fruition. Do you have any failed-projects that, in retrospect, you are really grateful didn't take off?
Alexander Kolliopoulos
These aren't depressing at all, although I really wish I could have seen some of these projects come to life. It's fun to see your old art and think about what might have been.
WulfMan72
It's a shame that this particular project didn't get traction. Kei and Yuri are amazing characters and, yeah, it would have been nice to see them in any crossover fashion, but Gen 13 would have ben great!
A Patreon of the Ahts
Dang, that sounds like it would have been great!
Adam Warren
Did you ever post that fanart anywhere? I'd love to see that. (I don't recall seeing it on dA Back In The Day.)
Paul Milligan
As much as I would have loved reading any and all of these failed pitches had they become reality, I really enjoy learning more about them and the process that goes into creating them.
NinjaBits
Oh man! I didn't know you'd pitched this. I remember in 2001 meeting you briefly and saying I'd love to see this crossover. Even had you sign a fanpage I did of a crossover of DP/G13. (I hope I didn't salt an open wound at the time.) BTW I'm loving the FFF. It's always great seeing the ideas that floated around before.
JaggyZeroOne
Gorgeous pages!!! Shame it didn’t work out.
