The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article on the shortage of sequential art writers in Belgium. Kids grow up wanting to be the illustrator/artist, not the writer.
The article talks about Jean Van Hamme, a giant in the industry (he’s a writer) and his angst in finding good talent.
Now, as Mr. Van Hamme nears the end of his career, he’s searching for a worthy successor. “I will probably be dead in 10 years, so part of my role is to pass the torch,” he says during an interview in his study as he lights a Gauloises and examines the draft cover art for a new comic.
There’s a problem, however: He says the scripts he gets from aspiring Belgian writers are hopeless.
Aficionados are worried, too. “There are so few good writers….It’s a crisis,” laments Reynold Leclercq, who owns one of the 20 or so stores in Brussels devoted to comics.
Kids grow up wanting to be the illustrator/artist, not the writer.
When I first heard that, Jeff smith came to mind. He’s just simply amazing doing them both.