[Servalan]

Große Prominenz mal kleinlaut:

Wenn es ums Erzählen an sich geht, in welchem Medium auch immer, ist das US-amerikanische Multitalent David Mamet (Jahrgang 1947) eine Instanz, die weltweit anerkannt wird. Eigentlich wollte er Schauspieler werden, mußte sich aber solange mit Gelegenheitsjobs durchschlagen, daß er sich entschied, selbst Bühnenstücke zu verfassen. Damit gelangen ihm Erfolge am Broadway, weshalb die großen Filmstudios bei ihm anklopften. Sein Spektrum reicht mittlerweile von Theaterstücken (Glengarry Glen Ross - Pulitzer-Preis 1984 und vier Tony Awards) über Drehbücher (The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Untouchables, Wag the Dog) bis zu essayistischen Abrechnungen mit der Filmbranche. Als Regisseur und Produzent bekleidet er allerdings die Schlüsselstellen. Ein Ratgeber für den künstlerischen Nachwuchs (Die Kunst der Filmregie) darf in seiner Bibliographie natürlich nicht fehlen.

Unfehlbar ist der bewunderte Mamet jedoch nicht. Während er sonst stilprägend wirkt, müssen seine Versuche als Comicautor als veritabler Flop gewertet werden, obwohl (oder gerade weil ?) er im Gegensatz zu den meisten seiner Kollegen selbst gezeichnet hat. Die deutsche Wikipedia übergeht diesen Versuch, die englischsprachige reduziert ihn auf einen knappen Satz:

On May 1, 2010, Mamet released a graphic novel The Trials of Roderick Spode (The Human Ant).

Rezensionen dazu sind extrem spärlich, aber wenn es sie gibt, sind sie vernichtend.

There is only one thing really compelling about The Trials of Roderick Spode (Sourcebooks) and that’s the name of the spine. That is, it would be the name on the spine if the book were thick enough to have one. But the name, in our culture, is legendary and certainly spine-worthy: David Mamet. Yes that David Mamet -- after all, there can only be one (...)
Considering the fact that Mamet is one of our leading storytellers, The Trials of Roderick Spode seems even more of a disappointment: the story isn’t strong. An ordinary man gets technologically mixed up and ends up spending half his time as The Human Ant who spars with his nemisis, European Sourdough Rye. The medium demands that it be a visual story, yet when Mamet is at his acerbic best, no pictures are required: every Mamet syllable seems drenched with meaning.

Seinerzeit führte Mamet-Fanboy Brian Michael Bendis für Comic Book Resources ein Interview mit seinem Idol über das 32 Seiten schmale Hardcover.

Any comic book fan who's a follower of "Avengers" writer Brian Michael Bendis knows that highest up on his list of influences - even more so than comic legends like Stan Lee - is playwright, screenwriter and film director David Mamet. From the rapid-fire tough guy dialogue of works like "Glengarry Glen Ross" to the black ops action of films like "Spartan," Mamet's body of work and style has left fingerprints all over what Bendis has produced in comic books, from his crime-driven take on "Daredevil" to his ever-expanding Avengers cast.
So when CBR News arranged to speak to Mamet about his recently released Sourcebooks collection of self-drawn superhero comics "The Trials of Roderick Spode: 'The Human Ant'" as well as his previous collection of editorial cartoons "Tested On Orphans," we knew there was only one person who could conduct the interview. Offered the chance to speak to his favorite writer, Bendis' response was an immediate "I would do this for free in a heartbeat - no bribery needed." What resulted was an in-depth talk with Bendis (an experienced interviewer himself) teasing out Mamet's history as an artist, his early interest in the comic book form, how drawing plays into his creative process and so much more.