Matt Fraction: SEX CRIMINALS and Late Night Television
Matt Fraction appeared as a featured guest, last Thursday, on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers and it was great for all the reasons. If you don’t know him, he’s the guy who wrote Hawkeye and created Sex Criminals with Chip Zdarksy, two of the biggest comics in the last 5 years… He’s kind of a big deal. [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpVIfaSX77o[/youtube]
On Thursday night, Fraction walked out as the third guest to talk to Seth Meyers following Heidi Klum, and Richard Lewis. He talked Sex Criminals, and Hawkeye, and even gave the the viewers at home some of his famous tips to spice up the bedroom. Also, “Sex Criminals” was said on national television about 40 times. He was affable and smart, and I love how Seth Meyers gave him all the opportunity to talk about his work. It’s fantastic how Seth books guests he genuinely wants to talk to (like Brian Michael Bendis in January). I really hope other hosts follow suit. Lots of comic fans out there, right??
Matt being on Seth Meyers’ show is a huge moment in comics and mainstream media for two reasons. 1. It supports the idea that comic book creators deserve as much recognition and respect as any modern celebrity. 2. Seth Meyers actually held up a copy of Big Hard Sex Criminals on television. Comics are continuing to be proven as a popular and extremely viable form of entertainment.
In the last 10 years there has been a shift in the way that comics have affected pop culture. Even before that, from the ’60s, you can see how comics have influenced film and TV, though never has it been more apparent than right now. You can look at the MCU and how those movies have changed the scope of superhero movies, or production studios that are constantly optioning new and independent comics. The fact that we’re starting to see comic book writers make their way onto Late Night Television is astounding. Ten years ago, we would have never seen that and it’s because of creators like Fraction that we are now.
As with film, the landscape of the comic industry has changed immensely over the last decade, with independent comics becoming a stable and profitable piece of the market. Matt Fraction has sort of been at the forefront of that with Sex Criminals and now his and Kelly Sue DeConnick’s production company, Milkfed Criminal Masterminds, which will hopefully be making the Sex Crims television show. Soon? Matt? Kelly? I feel as if Matt has helped to open the doors for other creators and IPs to branch out from comics and into other mediums, and as a result of it, we will be seeing more and more comics in our everyday life. WHICH IS ALWAYS COOL.
When Matt walked out onto the stage, it was kind of like seeing my dad on the TV. My comics dad. Personally, Fraction has been a huge inspiration, having written some of my favorite characters at Marvel, and killing it early in the independent scene with Casanova and The Five Fists of Science. You can tell he’s worked hard to get to this place in his career where he’s now bringing his own books into the mainstream and appearing on talk shows. Comics need more radical creators like him.
