A few months ago, while Garth and I were out to dinner during AwesomeCon, I told him I would love to collaborate with him again some day. He, of course, is quite busy with his own projects and new opportunities, so it’s not like “some day” would be happening any time soon, or even ever again.
But as time has passed, I began to wonder if that would be a really wise thing to do, even if he were available for it.
I LOVED working with Garth on Star Power. While I can’t speak for him, our collaboration enriched and strengthened me as a creator. I began to think in ways I never had as a solo creator, and bouncing ideas back-and-forth with him gave birth to ideas I never would have imagined on my own. I feel like we had a special chemistry allowed us to make a traditional superhero comic for seven years in an otherwise crowded and megacorp-dominated genre.
But that was then.
Nothing has changed for Garth and me in our personal relationship. We’re still very close friends and speak regularly. After Star Power ended he asked me to be the best man at his wedding! But while very little has changed for us as friends, we’re still different creators than we were four years ago, when Star Power concluded.
Would we be able to recreate that same magic we managed to capture for Star Power? We had similar ideas on what we wanted out of a superhero comic, but would our ideas align with a comic of another genre? Would our friendship once again be strengthened by another creative endeavor, or would we run the risk of seeing it damaged by disagreements?
Maybe we’re not meant to collaborate again. Between his current projects and my focus on The Legacy, it’s not like we have open slots in our schedule. Maybe our time together as collaborators is meant to remain a treasured memory, and a rare example of a creative partnership resulting in an even closer friendship.
Garth’s friendship is more than enough for me, and I will be forever grateful that I had the opportunity to make some great comics with him…
…but yeah, if the opportunity arose, I’d probably risk it anyway.