Every Little Bit Helps

Hello, Young and Just Ones!

I hope everyone is continuing to enjoy the show.  If you aren't, I hope you will be remain patient, and open-minded about the changes in direction, the member line-up, and the broadcast schedule.  YOUNG JUSTICE is a unique show.  It's really like nothing that has ever been done before, produced by a team that cares very deeply about the property, the characters, and the fans (After all, we are fans!).  Greg, and Brandon have done a phenomenal job, along with the rest of the YJ crew (both here, and at the overseas animation studios).  

It's very rare that I step up to speak out on anything here.  In my minor role as an assistant character designer on the YJ show, I've felt that any voices that should be heard in an official capacity belong to the senior officers steering the ship (Register, Bastian, Weisman, Vietti, Wilcox, and Bourassa).  And here among the members of the DA chapter of the fan club, I've felt that the voices heard should be yours.  But, in line with this, someone over on facebook asked me a question that I thought others here might also have wondered about.  As artists, is it possible for us to ever have any impact on a company project on which we're working, beyond the art?

Here is the brief exchange of our conversation, and I hope it may be of interest to you.

Cheers!
~JKMoore

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J. Winnik:  "With what you do with the animation, do you ever get to contribute to the story or is it only the visual artistry?"

JKMoore: "In a collaborative effort, each member of the team fills a specific role, and any cross-connection can sometimes be considered interference. However, under the proper circumstances, with the right people, any member of a team can offer ass...istance to another. I believe a good idea is a good idea, no matter where it comes from. Yes, I have made limited contributions to some of the YJ stories, but always as a suggestion based on my years of experience, or from my objective perspective. I've been mindful to keep these suggestions minor, since the producers have a definite direction, and they're a lot closer to the project than I am. One such suggestion that I felt would add some small measure of realism to the show, was inspired by my youthful reading of Spider-Man comics. Spidey was so identifiable due to his vulnerability (As I've said before, among the advantages Marvel's characters have had over their DC counterparts is the effective employment of vulnerabilities, and Spider-Man has been chief among these well-rounded characters.). Several issues featured Spider-Man going into battle despite being injured. I recall him fighting and losing against a supervillain, his arm in a web-sling the whole time. I thought this was brilliantly realistic, and tremendously heroic. And so I mentioned this to writer Kevin Hopps, a very nice guy. I suggested that we allow Kid Flash to get his arm broken in a fight, and to carry this injury over into the next episode or more, adding to the realistic tone. Kevin really liked this idea. He took it to producer Greg Weisman, and this idea made it into a couple episodes of Season One of the show."