Line #105 ExecutiveMeddling/ComicBooks


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9	[[ExecutiveMeddling When higher-ups get involved]], sometimes the results aren't so funny...
10	----
11	!!The following have their own pages:
12	[[index]]
13	* ExecutiveMeddling/TheDCU
14	* ExecutiveMeddling/MarvelUniverse
15	* ExecutiveMeddling/SonicTheHedgehogIDW
16	[[/index]]
17	----
18	[[foldercontrol]]
19
20	[[folder:Archie Comics]]
21	* ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'':
22	** According to writer Ken Penders, Creator/{{Sega}} started off largely hands-off with the exception of a few moments, including sparing Princess Sally from her death in "End Game". Somewhere along the line, Sega started pushing for more game-centric stuff, which obviously clashed with then-writers Penders and Karl Bollers.
23	** The legal case between Archie and Penders. It was said that everything made for the Archie comic was now property of Sega. That meant characters, concepts, etc. Back in the early '90s, it was obvious no one minded the house at Archie and when Penders caught on about 15 years later, he quickly copyrighted his characters, which led to the lawsuits. The problem here was that the lawsuits put Archie in a bind - Sega was adamant that those characters were theirs and if Penders won, then it would go against the mandate and threaten the comic. To save face, all of Penders' characters and concepts (and later, all of those not made by Flynn) were dumped and Penders was given a mandate to cut off all of his characters from everything Sonic, which led to the ContinuityReboot that was ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogMegaManWorldsCollide''.
24	** According to conversations with Ian Flynn, one of the big mandates was that the video game characters could only have relatives that were established in the games. This would initially led to Sonic and Tails being unable to call their parents by those familiar titles and Eggman's connection to Snively downplayed. When the CosmicRetcon hit, Uncle Chuck was no longer Sonic's uncle, [[HonoraryUncle with the name being just an endearing title to the scientist]], and Snively was renamed to "Julian Snively" with no familial connection at all to Eggman. This is despite the fact that both characters were part of the Saturday morning cartoon. This also makes utilizing Sonia and Manic from ''WesternAnimation/SonicUnderground'' harder as many ''Sonic'' fans would recognize the two as siblings and expect them to be as such, but they could never say they were.
25	** The reason why you don't see characters like [[WesternAnimation/SonicUnderground Sonia, Manic]], [[Anime/SonicTheHedgehogTheMovie Sara]] and [[Anime/SonicX Cosmo]] interacting with the [[WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM Freedom Fighters]] is due to Sega preferring the use of more modern Sonic elements and prohibiting the use of past characters and elements in the comic, with the only reason the ''[=SatAM=]'' cast stayed was because [[GrandfatherClause they were part of the comic from the beginning]].
26	* Creator/ArchieComics's ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures'': The creative team at the time was preparing for its big epic storyline towards issue #75, "The Forever War", which would have brought back the future "Green Earth Turtles" and showcased the final fight with Shredder. However, the editors at the time balked at this as they absolutely hated the more violent path the comic was taking as well as the "Green Earth Turtles" (it was also because Mirage had started going color around this time and it was taking away from Archie), so they canned the creative team and, ultimately, the title.
27	* ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'':
28	** There was once a comic called ''Josie'' that ran for six years. It was basically a DistaffCounterpart of ''Archie'' until the success of the ''WesternAnimation/TheArchieShow'' and (more importantly) the success of the hit song from said cartoon "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar,_Sugar Sugar, Sugar".]] Creator/HannaBarbera then approached Archie Comics and asked them about adapting another one of its properties. So in December 1969, Archie retooled ''Josie''. Josie and her friends decided to [[ComicBook/JosieAndThePussycats form a rock band]]. It was all done so Hanna-Barbera could adapt the then upcoming [[WesternAnimation/JosieAndThePussyCats cartoon]] as a music-based series.
29	** The last two pages of issue 6 of ''ComicBook/AfterlifeWithArchie'' had to be rewritten after the editor found the story to be too dark. Note this is a dark series set in a ZombieApocalypse that deals with anything from incest to domestic abuse. The fact that the same issue ends with [[ComicBook/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch Sabrina]] [[spoiler:about to become the Bride of Cthulhu]] makes fans really wonder how you could get darker than ''that''.
30	[[/folder]]
31
32	[[folder:Other Comics]]
33	* ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic'':
34	** The British ''Sonic'' book was eventually brought to cancellation because the publishers did not have faith that the book would continue its popularity. Despite selling more than 2000AD at one point, they began decreasing the budget and demanding that there only be one new story per issue, the others being reprints of older stories. Then the comic became 100% reprint, the cover illustrations being the only new thing in them, until finally, the comic was axed completely.
35	** Nigel Kitching, a writer for the comic, wanted Amy to be a funny ActionGirl who teased Sonic for [[TheGadfly kicks and giggles]]. He wanted the two to have a bond similar to the ones in early twentieth century "screwball comedies" like the 1939 film, ''It's A Wonderful World''. A director was fearful this would make her a bad role model, so Amy's personality was changed to be [[WomenAreWiser more sensible]] than the boys. Kitching noticeably had CreatorBacklash, saying Amy became a one-dimensional stereotype. [[WriterRevolt He gave up writing her]] until the final arc, ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'''s adaptation, where she returned to something more similar to her original persona. It's glaringly noticeable that Amy is less active than usual in that arc.
36	* Publishers operated under the bizarre, nonsensical idea that some comics won't last beyond a certain time despite what ''all'' sources and sales figures might say; they even considered cancelling ''2000AD'', Britain's most popular sci-fi comic book and the "birthplace" of ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd''. Fortunately, the computer game company Rebellion bought the title, which continues to this day.
37	** Amongst the other comics they ''did'' cancel at around the same time was ''Series/RedDwarf Smegazine'', which was canceled just at the point when a sales spike from the 1993 series might have been expected. In an example of Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad, this ended up being the right move, as the 4, 2, and 10 year gaps between each of the next series would likely have killed it off anyways.
38	* ''ComicBook/{{The Transformers\|Marvel}}'':
39	** Bob Budiansky, original writer of the Creator/{{Marvel\|Comics}} comic book, was continually forced by Creator/{{Hasbro}} to introduce new characters during his run. He eventually got burnt out and passed the writing duties on to Marvel U.K.'s Transformers writer Simon Furman.
40	** Writer Simon Furman spent a few years writing a series of epic ''Transformers'' stories for IDW publishing that featured a large cast, as well as new concepts like the [[ZombieApocalypse Dead Universe]] and a plausible Decepticon invasion plan that made vehicular disguises relevant to the story. Then, due to falling sales, IDW decided to truncate Furman's twelve-issue GrandFinale into four issues of the "Spotlight" series (necessitating each chapter focusing on a single character's thoughts in addition to all the action), and a five issue ''[[ComicBook/TheTransformersMaximumDinobots Maximum Dinobots]]'' series so that they can put their publishing power behind ''[[ComicBook/TheTransformersAllHailMegatron All Hail Megatron]]''.
41	** In 2010, the ''[[Franchise/TransformersTimelines Transformers Collector's Club]]'' dropped their "Nexus Prime" plotline which had been running for about five years across [[TheMultiverse various continuities]]. This is because Hasbro themselves have taken charge of stories regarding the Thirteen original Transformers.
42	** The very graphic death scenes in ''ComicBook/TheTransformersLastStandOfTheWreckers'' were, according to [[WordOfGod Nick Roche]], put in at Hasbro's request, who had apparently grown tired of how easily resurrectable Transformers were starting to be shown and wanted some definitive kills to show that death still meant something in Transformers. According to the trade Springer, Kup, and Perceptor were all going to die in one version. Hasbro vetoed one, IDW another, and the writers didn't go through with the last one.
43	** Hasbro has, over the years, forced numerous characters to change their names when the original G1 name either fell out of copyright or they were unable to secure it. This is why, for example, Hot Rod changed his name to Rodimus. However, the weird example is Slag the Dinobot. "Slag", as it turns out, is an extremely offensive term for a sexually-immoral woman in certain parts of the English-speaking world. Hasbro decided to change the character's name to Slug. IDW's comic did not handle this transition well. Arcee told Slag that his name meant something crude and offensive. Slag, who was characterized as [[{{Jerkass}} making a point of being crude and offensive]], responded by agreeing to change his name to Slug.
44	* ''ComicBook/TheMuppetShowComicBook'': The ''Family Reunion'' arc (which involved the reintroduction of [[WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies1984 Skeeter]], Scooter's [[HalfIdenticalTwins twin sister]]) had to be pushed forward because the "Guest Stars" arc was scrapped on a veto and there was a gap that needed filling. However, the Creator/{{Disney}} executives had not decided whether to make Skeeter a full cast member, or to bring her in at all, so they told the writers to make the story ambiguous. The arc was framed by two celestial beings, who are NOT Statler and Waldorf, who throw in various characters as a way of livening things up a bit, leaving its status as canon murky.
45	* ''ComicBook/{{Werner}}'':
46	** The title of the sixth book, ''Besser is das!'', had to be censored after the first edition because the Flensburger brewery understood it as comparative advertising in favor of Werner's recently launched own beer brand, "Bölkstoff". Werner had been drinking Flensburger beer all the time before, in fact, he was the reason behind the immense increase in popularity for the small brewery near the Danish border in the 1980s.
47	** Merch with the "Red Porsche Killer" on it had to be censored upon request by Porsche. The book ''Das Rennen'' names it "Red XXXXXX Killer". %% This entry was added automatically by FELH2. In case the wording doesn't make sense, rewrite it as you like, remove this comment and tell this troper.
48	* ''ComicBook/TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcDuck'': Writer Creator/DonRosa dropped a seven-page prologue of dense [=McDuck=] family history and to completely rewrite chapters 3 and 8 on requests from Egmont editor Byron Erickson.
49	* ''ComicBook/TheSimpingDetective'': Originally envisaged as one of many stories of a strip called ''Mega City Noir'' (the first story, ''Gumshoe'', is under the MC-Noir name) which was to be a ''ComicBook/SinCity''-style strip featuring various characters around Angeltown and their dealings with both sides of the law. Megazine editor Alan Barnes felt that Jack Point was simply too good to be wasted as a OneShotCharacter and he was given his own series. ''Mega City Noir'' was given a second story, which explained what happened to [[DirtyCoward Muggro]] [[MookLieutenant Keevish]] after the events of ''Crystal Blue'' and focused on mob enforcer Gaz. Unfortunately, it wasn't anywhere near as good as ''The Simping Detective'' and further plans for any more ''Mega City Noir'' stories have been indefinitely postponed.
50	* Done in-universe in a [[ComicBook/MickeyMouseComicUniverse Mickey Mouse]] story dealing with the [[ShowWithinAShow in-universe tv series]] ''Bolton'' (a counterpart to ''Series/{{Columbo}}''), showing both the bad and the good of this trope:
51	** The bad: When the writer disappears (as [[spoiler:he, the director and the main actor all feel that the series has gone long enough and would like to do something else but the producer is forcing them to continue, so they hope to kill the series and replace it with their new project this way]]) both Mickey and Mortimer are brought in as replacements, with Mickey writing scripts that [[OriginalFlavor could be mistaken for being written by the original writer]]... Except Mortimer, who didn't even see an episode before joining the staff, convinces the producer to dumb down Mickey's scripts, introduce nonsensical magic and science fiction elements, turn the main character in a goof and generally JumpingTheShark. This gets the original fans to leave and get replaced by teenagers who treat it as a comedy (instead of the adventure series that Mortimer intends) and the director, the main actor and Mickey leaving in disgust, with the latter deciding to track down the original writer to save the show (only to change his mind when he succeeds and finds out ''why'').
52	** The good: As the first episode of Mortimer's run as the director, writer and main actor is aired, he and the producer find out that the original writer, director and main actor, together with Mickey and his friends, have literally stole away both the original fans and the new ones with the fan-financed pilot of a new adventure series. The sponsors, already enraged by getting the original crowd replaced with fans that won't buy their adult-targeted watches, aftershaves and similar products (with the original fans not wishing to be associated to a moron), takes this as the last straw and intervene by killing ''Bolton'', replace it with the new show, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking force Mortimer to star in a last episode written by Mickey in which his version of Bolton is exposed as an imposter by the original and kidnapped by a robot that wants to go back to Mars (one of Mortimer's characters)]] [[CoolAndUnusualPunishment as punishment for ruining the old show]].
53	* This trope led to the CreatorKiller of Creator/TakeTwoInteractive's own comic company, Double Take. Take Two had hired former Marvel Comics editor Bill Jemas (who was also responsible for the tripe that was ''ComicBook/{{Marville}}'') to create a new comic universe and planned to do so using ''VideoGame/XCom'', ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}}'' and ''VideoGame/BioShock'' as a massive SharedUniverse (how that would have worked is really unknown). However, the games division was ''really'' protective of their franchises and didn't want this "outsider" messing with them, forcing the entirety of Double Take being yanked out of Take-Two's offices and into a new office. Scrambling for something to replace what they lost, they decided to focus on ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968'' and try to turn that into a superhero universe. However, that was met with incredible disappointment and the company would ultimately fold without really getting its foot out the door.
54	* ''ComicBook/MortadeloYFilemon'': A lot in the early years - the Bruguera company even tried to "steal" the characters from Ibáñez and give them to other authors a couple of times. He also had to deal with the Francoist official censorship, which was pretty hard at suppresing ToiletHumor and anything that denoted "subversion". For instance, the cops are called "gendarmes" and their uniforms and cars do not look anything like the Spanish police ones of the time[[note]]While there may be cops in stories written during the Francoist epoch, they dress like British ones, and they even have in their cars the word "Police", instead of the Spanish "Policía". Penals are also non Spanish ones such as Sing-Sing[[/note]]; when a character made any reference to the Spanish Civil War it either disappeared or was changed to "[[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI the '14 war]]", a war in which Spain never took part, and so on. One character of 13 Rue del Percebe (another comic strip from the same author that sometimes {{Cross Over}}ed with Mortadelo y Filemón), a parodic MadScientist that built monsters for a living, was eventually written out and substituted by a tailor because the dead-hard Catholic government thought that "Only God can create life". This is also why women ''do not appear at all'' in late 50s strips - each time Ibáñez drew one, the censors eliminated so much in the way of curves that it ended looking like a broomstick.
55	** Even some dialogues had to be changed because censorship. In one instance, Mortadelo sees a monster, and runs to Filemón in panic, trying to alert him. He tries to say "¡Un monstruo!" ("A monster!") but he's so scared that he can only babble: "¡Un mo... un mo...!". Filemón thinks he's trying to say "un moco" ("snot") and says "Si tiene un moco, suénese" ("If you've got snot, blow your nose") as he produces a handkerchief. "Moco", though a quite colloquial, innocent word, was such a profanity for some censor that Filemón's answer was rewritten as "¿Un mono? Aquí no hay monos" ("A monkey? There are no monkeys here"), making the gesture of producing the handkerchief completely absurd.
56	* The publication of “Little Annie Fanny” in “Playboy Magazine” was often met with this. According to comic historian Paul Buhle, Harvey was ever more frequently kowtowing to the demands of High Hefner for more nudity and titillation in place of stories centered around current events.
57	* The [[Creator/DCComics DC]] produced Toys/{{Bionicle}} comics were not allowed to adapt the movies or games as per Franchise/{{Lego}} mandate. This meant that whenever the comics reached the same point in the plot as one, it would abruptly stop with a "Watch the movie to see what happens next!" and then pick up right after said movie in the following issue.
58	** This became a problem for the original 2001 story line [[CutShort as the game meant to tell it was cancelled]]. The novels where fortunately not under the same mandate though, so the entire story can be experienced through them.
59	* ''ComicBook/{{Mike}}'': The speech impairment of the East Asian anthropomorphic light bulb Birne -- [[AsianSpeekeeEngrish he pronounced "R"s as "L"s]] -- was seen as unfit for the young readers, and so he was forced to learn it. This didn't last for long: [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks After fans protested]], [[{{Retcon}} Birne forgot it again]].
60	[[/folder]]
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62	[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
63	* ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'': A few strips were never published due to fear of their bizarre content causing backlash, such as one strip that appears to have a dog humping an upside down car due how the artwork was done, while others were given edits without creator Gary Larson's permission. In the ''The Prehistory of The Far Side'' book (which contains the unpublished strips) Larson admitted that he would occasionally go a bit overboard, but he did have a small gripe about the changes being done without his input.
64	* ''ComicStrip/PearlsBeforeSwine'': Creator Stephan Pastis has talked about several strips over the years that his syndicate has asked him to change for one reason or another, and he had usually agreed due to the strips in question being so edgy that the risk outweighs the reward. In the treasury ''Pearls Sells Out'', Pastis writes about a particular strip that his syndicate wanted changed because it showed the characters drinking beer. Pastis flat-out refused to do so, arguing that he wasn't "gonna keep looking over...[his]...shoulder" every time he submitted a strip and worrying about their attitude. With the exception of a few minor edits, Pastis says that the syndicate has since left him alone and that he understands most other syndicates wouldn't have even published ''Pearls'' to begin with.
65	* ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'':
66	** In the early days, Scott Adams was planning on adding Satan to the strip's cast. The syndicate wouldn't let him, so he ended up creating the character of Phil, Prince of Insufficient Light, the ruler of "Heck". Adams later said that it turned out much funnier than his original plan.
67	** PlayedForLaughs InUniverse in a strip where Dogbert tells a writer to make a few changes to his manuscript so it can be more publishable:
68	--->'''Dogbert''': Make the main character a purple dinosaur instead of a detective. Add some upbeat songs and eliminate the murder.\
69	'''Writer''': It's a murder mystery!!\
70	'''Dogbert''': Oh, that's original.
71	* ''ComicStrip/ThePerryBibleFellowship'': A couple strips were removed because they were offensive.[[note]]Namely, a strip in which a boy gives a girl a pair of ballerina slippers and the final frame shows her in a wheelchair. [[CreatorBacklash Even the author admits it was rather offensive]].[[/note]]
72	* ''ComicStrip/LibertyMeadows'', during its syndicated period, was heavily censored. The strip relies quite heavily on sexual allusion and was more than willing to nudge the line between PG-13 and R whereas the executives wanted something "five-year-old-friendly". This eventually led to the artist Frank Cho dropping syndication altogether. However, Cho has stated that he is still grateful for the suggestion to change Leslie into a frog, instead of keeping him as a talking lima bean.
73	* ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'': Jim Davis was told by his syndicator to change Odie's ears from black to brown a year after he was introduced to the strip. Apparently, readers were confusing Odie with [[ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} Snoopy]].
74	[[/folder]]
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Context ExecutiveMeddling / ComicBooks