“Love to see Neil Gaiman failing” HE DIDN’T FUCKING CREATE THIS SHOW
He had absolutely nothing to do with it, he didn’t write the comics it was based on or work on the show, he created a couple characters over 35 years ago and that was it
Stop giving him credit for shit he didn’t do, he is constantly being credited for other creators work, he doesn’t deserve any of that
Toby Litt wrote the comics that got adapted into a show by Steve Yockey and Beth Schwartz, those are the people who deserve credit
I realize the title is a bit eyebrow raising, but I am here to lay out how Dead Boy Detectives, both the comic and TV have actually very little to do with NG. His name as of late has (rightly) been dragged through the mud, but Dead Boy Detectives in actuality does not deserve to be dragged down with him.
To start with: the comics. Charles and Edwin made their first appearance in Sandman # 25 in 1991. They weren’t associated with the name “Dead Boy Detectives” until the Children’s Crusade arc starting in 1993.
Starting in 2001, these characters were written exclusively by Ed Brubaker and Jill Thompson with no contributions or writing by NG. It wasn’t until 2013 they were granted their own comic series. It was ordered by Vertigo and written by Toby Litt and Mark Buckingham. They were the writers that created and introduced Crystal Palace.
Most important THIS was the comic series the show is based off of. NG didn’t write or work on this comic series at all. When the comic series was originally published both Toby and Mark were interviewed about expanding these characters away from the Sandman comics.
Their work is the basis of the show we’ve all grown to love. Back before the show debuted in January 2024 Toby was even interviewed about how excited he was to see Crystal on screen as she was a character HE created.
Regarding the show, Steve Yockey was the one who approached WB/DC about the series and bought the rights to the show himself.
Backing this up is per copyright holdings for DBD, the show is entirely owned by WB where Steve is employed with an ongoing deal that started in 2022.
On NG’s tumblr he himself stated multiple times he had nothing to do with the show, that it is entirely Steve Yockey’s.
In summation, despite the fact that these characters debuted and were in a few issues of Sandman, NG has had nothing to do with them since 1994. In regards to money, which I know is the hot button issue for everyone, if NG makes money it would be a very small amount, if indeed he makes any at all.
For nearly 30 years these characters have had a life of their own, and deserve to stand on their own merit. Starting with the many wonderful writers who gave them their own voices in the comics, to the writers of the show and finally the cast who brought them to life onscreen.
Please grant them that respect and don’t drag them in with NG they do not deserve it.
UPDATE 9/7/2024
I wanted to add further evidence my friend was kind enough to send me regarding this matter. Doing a search for NG on this site: https://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=First the US Copyright database verifies NG OWNS NOTHING of Dead Boy Detectives.
Not the characters, their names, anything even from the comics back in the 90s. If you want to search and check yourself feel free to on the link above. I just wanted everyone to know this as I'm not giving up on saving this show.
"We are all so excited to see you in Appearences. We are curious: how many cameos did you end up doing with Jayden? Also, if you and Jayden were painting a wall together, how much paint would end up on Jayden? Last, do you have any book recommendations?"
Deadkidsongs by Toby Litt
Trish Arnold by Lizzie Ballinger
And of course, A Study in Scarlet
Transcript by the always excellent @pipwasreal
Hello Synne! It's George here, accompanied by my dog Raffy. Um… thank you so much for reaching out, it's lovely to hear from you. I really hope you're doing okay, as we truly, truly approach the most festive of festive periods.
Um… let's get into this. So, you've said: "We are all so excited to see you in Appearances." Thank you, Synne. I'm very excited to do Appearances, written by the wonderful Christian Tucci, who was part of our Dead Boys writers team.
Now, you've said: "We are curious, how many cameos did you end up doing with Jayden? Also, if you and Jayden were painting a wall together, [laughs] how much paint would end up on Jayden?"
How many cameos did I end up doing with Jayden? I… wish I could tell you. I think we lost count. Um… there were a fair few, though. There were a fair few.
If we were painting a wall together, how much paint would end up on Jayden? I think… [laughs, whispers] I think a lot. [Normal volume] I think a lot. Um… because we'd probably be throwing paint on each other.
Having said that, it is worth mentioning Jayden is a very skilful painter. There's a scene in the pilot of Dead Boys where he is, where Charles is preparing the sheet with all the runes on, to trap the demon in the tube carriage. And Jayden was actually, he actually painted. I mean, he had a kind of model to go off, and his artistic skills are such that he actually improvised some of it and they then had to match the continuity according to his work, so that was, um… funny. I was just walking around him in a semi-circle, coz they were only capturing Edwin's boots in that shot.
Last, do I have any book recommendations? Well, conveniently, my books are right here.
Well, this one sticks out because it's yellow. This one is deadkidsongs by Toby Litt.
Toby Litt was the writer… is the writer of the Dead Boy comics that were released in… I wanna say 2015? And we met up for a coffee, in between the pilot and the series' filming. He was lovely, and he had so much interesting stuff to say about Charles and Edwin. And he is, he is actually the creator of Crystal Palace. And this is his book. He lectures creative writing at Southampton Uni and he also has published works, such as this, and he very kindly sent this. So that's a little Dead Boys family shout-out.
Is there anything else… William Shakespeare: The Complete Works, no. [Laughs] Let's not do that.
Maybe I would recommend one more, actually. [Holds up a large pink book, Trish Arnold: The Legacy of Her Movement Training for Actors] This is book by my movement teacher at drama school, Lizzie Ballinger. And she bases all of her teaching on a practitioner, Trish Arnold. I'm pretty sure Trish Arnold taught Lizzie. Lizzie is Head of Movement at RADA [Royal Academy of Dramatic Art], a drama school, and she taught me at LAMDA [London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art]. She's… her… I, I, I used her, I used Lizzie's work every day when I was filming on set. And this is a book that, kind of, just, kind of, takes you through some of her methods. So if there are any actors out there, I couldn't recommend this highly enough. It might be a bit late for Christmas, but you know…
Um, is there anything else? [Hums a little thinking tune] I mean, this is literally the first one on the pack [holds up a blue paperback, A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle] but I think that's fitting, isn't it?
Thank you for your wonderful questions, Synne. It's lovely to hear from you. Have a lovely evening.
The Dead Boy Detectives, based on Mark Buckingham’s designs 💀♥️
Watch me draw it here!
I had to fix up their eyes and do the more particular details after recording, because I can’t seem to get myself to draw those things without putting my face right up against the page and blocking the camera’s view.
