Let's hope that this is the last sermon that I write about Bill Jemas. I certainly have thought that the subject is beaten to death. Frankly, there has to be better things to do than spend all of our time focusing on an administrative head of a comic book company. However, lately there have been rumors floating all over the internet that Jemas was about to be released from Marvel. Apparently he has been moved to a different office and his assistant has be reassigned. Could this be the end of Jemas' run as the bad boy of comics? Or is it just another stunt in a long list of gimmicks that have kept the comics world at large talking about him? Jemas' primary skill seems to be his knack for keeping himself in front of everyone. Like that really loud kid at school that threw peanuts at the girls and ate glue during art class, maybe nobody liked him, but everybody knew who he was. So it would really behoove us to quit falling for this man's act. Like all obnoxious clowns, it would be best just too ignore him. Everyone's tired of hearing about Bill Jemas anyway. So let's not fall into that trap again, ok? Nothing more needs to be said about Bill Jemas.

Oh, allright. Just this one last time.

It would be easy to draw comparisons between Bill Jemas and Jim Shooter. Shooter was Editor-In-Chief of Marvel comics during the early 80's. Shooter was not universally liked. Actually, if you believe the stories, he was loathed by what seemed to be most everyone who worked for him. In fact, it was said that when he was finally let go from his position at Marvel, a number of freelancers and some of the staff got together and had a party in which they burned him in effigy.

While Shooter was reportedly overbearing and harsh, he also got things done. Many things were introduced during his reign that are common place today, such as the mini-series and the epic crossover. It was during his run at Marvel that the X-Men rose to the top of the comic sales charts. It was also during his run that an unknown by the name of Frank Miller got his break on a failing title named Daredevil. So while he was disliked by many both in and out of the industry, he still carried with him an impressive success record. For better or worse, he changed the face of modern comics as we know them.

Like Shooter, Jemas also could be credited with an impressive success record: during his run (which is certainly not proven to be over) Marvel has risen from the bankruptcy to again claim the top of the sales charts. However, I personally don't think that Jemas can be credited with much of the good that has happened at Marvel these last couple of years. Unlike Shooter, who wrote comics when he was 13 years old, Jemas had no background in comics prior to rising through Marvels ranks. He is mostly a money and promotions man and his primary contributions are most likely the various gimmicks that led to the return of speculators to the comic industry. Yes, he attached his name to some high profile projects, such as Origin and Ultimate Spider-Man. But in those cases his input was as "co-plotter". Frankly, editorial input just doesn't override the fact that Brian Michael Bendis and Paul Jenkins were the creative forces behind those books. More likely, we got a clearer picture of Jemas creative talent on the book Marville.

I've often wrote about Jemas, leading many to believe that I hate the man. This is not true. I don't know Bill Jemas and really couldn't draw such a conclusion from just his inflammatory comments and policies. For all I know (and have often suspected), he is mearly playing a role. It could be a role designed to draw attention away from the various financial maneuvers that Marvel has made in the past two years. Or it could simply be a role designed to draw publicity. If such is the case, then he has certainly been successful. After all, here I am writing about his yet again. So, no, I don't hate Bill Jemas. However, I really dislike what he seems to represent in the comics industry. For most of his tenure at Marvel, Jemas been more concerned with the promotional gimmick than the quality of the books that they were producing. Just when we thought that foil enhanced covers and "Limited Collectors Editions" were behind us, Marvel brings them back. Under his direction Marvel comics often bore covers that resembled men's magazines more than comic books. Whatever character development that might have been gained in the Emma Frost book was completely undone by covers that screamed "Come on, Fanboy! Adolescent sex fantasies inside!" I know that sex sells, but so does quality storytelling. While the top writers flocked to DC for exclusive deals, Jemas seemed to be more interested in selling his books solely with cheesecake covers. Gimmicks soon wear thing and most of us learned that lesson in the mid 90's. Jemas seems determined to take us down that path again.

I have often wondered if Jemas was for real. His statements too often seemed carefully calculated to inflame and incite. Could anyone who held a fairly high position of corporate authority really be that tactless? Who knows? Whatever his motivation, Jemas certainly garnered attention and even bad publicity is still publicity.

If Jemas really is on his way out, then someone else will have to step up and be the "villain of the moment" for the comics industry. Perhaps it's time for Todd McFarlane to come out of seclusion and regain his place as the scapegoat for all that is wrong in the comics world. Or perhaps it will be someone new. Either way, Jemas would leave some pretty big shoes to fill. As classic wrestling villains go, he played the part with relish and skill that made you think that it just might not be an act.