Ronald Reagan | Andrew Helfer | Talks at Google

TL;DR

Comic book writer and editor Andy Helfer discusses his transition from superhero comics to non-fiction storytelling through comics.

Transcript

my name is andy helfer and uh i wrote this book on ronald reagan and you know what i am primarily is a comic book writer and editor i've been uh i had been an editor at the dc comics which you may know as the creator of superman and batman and wonder woman and flash green lantern you know and i worked there for about 25 years and i would say that t... Read More

Key Insights

• 🛟 Comics have traditionally been used by comic book companies to promote intellectual properties, but Helfer believed they could serve a greater purpose.
• 📉 Helfer wanted comics to be an end in themselves, rather than just a means of promoting characters and stories owned by comic book companies.
• 🙈 He saw the educational possibilities of using comics to tell non-fiction stories and started the Big Book series at DC Comics.
• 🥺 The series found success as books, but the lack of ancillary rights and revenue ultimately led to its cancellation by DC.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why did Andy Helfer transition from superhero comics to non-fiction storytelling through comics?

Helfer believed that comics could be used to tell different types of stories and saw untapped educational possibilities in the medium.

Q: What inspired Helfer to start the Big Book series?

Helfer wanted to convince people who didn't typically read comics to see them as a way of telling stories they would usually only find in prose books.

Q: How did Helfer choose the subjects for his non-fiction comics?

He looked for "action biographies" of people who had interesting and eventful lives to ensure there was enough action to engage readers.

Q: Why did DC cancel the Big Book series despite its success as books?

The series did not generate ancillary rights and revenue, as it focused solely on book sales and did not lend itself to merchandise or film adaptations.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Andy Helfer worked as an editor at DC Comics for 25 years, where he primarily worked on superhero comics.

• He believed that comics could be used for more than just promoting intellectual properties, leading him to start a line of non-fiction books called the Big Book series.

• Despite their success as books, the series was ultimately cancelled by DC due to the lack of ancillary rights and revenue.