"Unfortunately, there are writers whose only concern is how good they could make themselves look on a title"
About this Quote
A title is supposed to be the doorway, not the whole house. Len Wein’s jab lands because it exposes a particularly modern species of vanity: the creator who treats the work as a pedestal for their name rather than a vehicle for the reader’s experience. Coming from a cartoonist and comics writer who lived inside collaborative machinery, the line carries extra bite. Comics are built on shared credit, shared labor, and a relentless schedule; when someone’s “only concern” is their shine on the cover, it’s not just obnoxious, it’s corrosive.
The phrasing is doing quiet work. “Unfortunately” frames it as a lament, not a grandstanding takedown: Wein isn’t scandalized, he’s tired. “Only concern” turns the criticism into an ethical indictment. Ambition is allowed; narcissism as a governing principle is the problem. And “make themselves look…on a title” is a savvy choice of image. It’s not even “in the work” or “in the story.” It’s the label, the marketing strip, the piece of packaging that often survives longer in memory than the actual pages.
The subtext is about authorship as performance. In industries where bylines are currency, some writers optimize for brand rather than craft: splashy concepts, loud voice, self-mythology, anything that reads well in a logline or looks good on a spine. Wein is warning that this mindset flattens storytelling into résumé fodder. The sharpest sting is that it’s not rare; it’s a professional hazard masquerading as creative confidence.
The phrasing is doing quiet work. “Unfortunately” frames it as a lament, not a grandstanding takedown: Wein isn’t scandalized, he’s tired. “Only concern” turns the criticism into an ethical indictment. Ambition is allowed; narcissism as a governing principle is the problem. And “make themselves look…on a title” is a savvy choice of image. It’s not even “in the work” or “in the story.” It’s the label, the marketing strip, the piece of packaging that often survives longer in memory than the actual pages.
The subtext is about authorship as performance. In industries where bylines are currency, some writers optimize for brand rather than craft: splashy concepts, loud voice, self-mythology, anything that reads well in a logline or looks good on a spine. Wein is warning that this mindset flattens storytelling into résumé fodder. The sharpest sting is that it’s not rare; it’s a professional hazard masquerading as creative confidence.
Quote Details
| Topic | Writing |
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