A few months ago I asked you to help select a new artist for the comic strip Unfit, by Mike Belkin. More than 80 excellent artists applied. After much thinking and evaluating, Mike selected Justin Thompson. He was my first choice as well as yours. I saw some of the early drafts of their collaboration and it looked incredible. I predicted that it would be the top comic in the newspapers in a few years.
United Media – they syndicate both Dilbert and Unfit – was so optimistic that they decided to relaunch Unfit with the new art. To my knowledge, no comic has ever been relaunched.
So what happened?
I can’t address Mike or Justin’s inner thoughts, so I will just tell you that Mike decided to discontinue the comic before the relaunch. His official response is that it “didn’t work out.”
I respect that decision. I’ve often said that the best part of my job is that I don’t have to collaborate. It doesn’t matter who the two people are – all collaboration invites drama. A reasonable person can give it a try and decide it’s no way to spend a career even if the monetary potential is high.
That’s all I plan to say about the issue. I realize you want more, but it’s not my story to tell.