But everyone is the star of their own story, Tom. I'm probably wrong about this, but it's a neat thought: if everyone treated their job as if it were the most important step, wouldn't the world be a better place. Yikes, too sugary even for me. Forget it. I do think that creators get the most press as it is, so your view seems to be in the majority.

Posted by kyle-latino on 2009-05-18 18:42:41
two replies
Two questions I wanted to bring up.

Without really being accusatory or offended, I'm just curious what happened with the Millar/Hitch Fantastic Four run? It was originally months ahead of schedule, but it's fallen behind and now they're not even finishing their climactic storyline, bringing in a new art team and co-writer.

And second, a suggestion for a user feedback topic. What comic run/storyline/title from the last (to be arbitrary) 5 years, do you think will be regarded as a time-worn "classic" ala Watchmen, the Dark Phoenix Saga, or Miller's DD. Personally I think the Brubaker/Epting et. al. run of Captain America is going to fall in the category.

Posted by mcross76 on 2009-05-18 18:48:00
"And second, a suggestion for a user feedback topic. What comic run/storyline/title from the last (to be arbitrary) 5 years, do you think will be regarded as a time-worn "classic" ala Watchmen, the Dark Phoenix Saga, or Miller's DD?"

I agree with Brubaker/Epting on Cap but I'd add Bendis and Bagley on Ult. Spidey, Bendis and Maleev on DD and though it may be different since it's not 616, what everyone is doing with S. King's Dark Tower stuff is amazing. I'd never read any of the novels but the comics got me to read the first three of those and now the stories are blowing my mind. That whole creative team has tapped into gold there.

Posted by JBeckett on 2009-05-18 20:20:07
name and shame!

Posted by Fetsur on 2009-05-19 04:09:16
The Importance of Editors
Some demurrals re the supremacy of creators:

In a shared universe, the editors have vital roles in coordinating storylines and ensuring that developments mesh. That coordination isn’t something the writers could do themselves. They would also the prime movers in developing a “bible” that described the universe and laid out guidelines, since writers would tend to favor their own characters and inventions.

If a writer has difficulty getting a story to work, he might be overly satisfied with anything he comes up with that seems to fill the need. It won’t matter how well an artist can draw a deus ex machina; the device is inherently weak. Relying on mischaracterization for a dramatic development is also something an editor has to prevent. Or, if the story’s climax is generic and stale, such as a hero deciding that he can’t let the villain die, the writer has to be told that he needs to be more creative.

Events are generally plot-driven, rather than character-driven, projects; they’re also generally editor-driven, rather than creator-driven. If a writer feels any pressure to come up with an idea for a tie-in , because ignoring the event in his series isn’t allowed. . . Somebody should have told Mike Carey that his idea for the X-MEN “Secret Invasion” tie-in couldn’t work, because the Skrulls didn’t have X-genes.

Creators might have fine ideas of their own, but editors should be able to come up with ideas of their own; the ability is inherent in having the capacity to evaluate others’ story ideas. Since each editor is familiar with multiple titles, if not all the titles, he’s better equipped to realize that a villain from Title “A” would be an excellent foe for the hero in Title “B.” As someone who’s accustomed to tending to small details, he also might be able to refine a plot. F’r instance: Suppose that the current state of the Marvel Universe was a vast illusion. Aside from sorting out all the complications caused by not knowing who’s alive or dead, etc., it could be that the illusion is necessary because the base reality is too horrible for anyone to deal with. A drastic revamping of the universe would have to be driven by editors.

SRS


Posted by Steven R. Stahl on 2009-05-19 09:17:19
I owe Marvel some of my best comic-books moments.
I discovered how a writer can re-invent the tone of a title simply by according his writing with the style of the artist he's working with, see Chris Claremont's talent with Bill Sienkiewicz, JRJR and Marc Silvestri...
I don't know if these days such books will be possible...

Posted by notapotatoe on 2009-05-19 10:27:13
The Star System
Some would argue that the star system is much of the problem in comics, and that the focus should be on the quality of the work, not the celebrity of the creators.

Posted by CylverSaber on 2009-05-19 10:41:26
Unrelated question
Sorry for posting this in the comments.

But Tom, can we get your thoughts on the cancelation of 'Captain Britain'? I know this isn't one of your books, but I'd be curious to hear your opinion on what made this book fail to connect with readers. I loved it and it had a great critical buzz and Marvel obviously likes the creators and is giving them more work. Was it the fact it was set outside the US? Was it just the fact these were 'low-profile' characters? Global economic conditions?

Just thought with your experience in the biz you might have some extra insight.

Also - as a related aside - how do international sales affect a books success? Was CB:MI13 big in the UK?

If you get the time it would be great.

Thanks Tom!

Posted by NewChad on 2009-05-20 04:53:44
You don't name the spokesman
or the project so it's hard to judge. May have just been an honest oversight. Remember the actor who forgot to thank his family after winning an Oscar a few years ago?

Posted by izzatrix on 2009-05-20 11:26:18
about MI13
Paul Cornell looked like having great projects for the title, so did I !
I was already dreaming about some Clan Destine guest-starring...
but I wasn't so comfortable with so many sworded characters, I'd prefer having Blade with the New Avengers ( whom really need such a character because they're becoming conventionnals in regards of their beginning )..and the Black Knight in the Mighty of course.
I think we also could have have some shorter story-arcs, or self-contained stories instead of jumping so fast in the super-heroes team' routine, some stories who had focused a little more about the MI13 - but I have already noticed this is not Doom Patrol here.

I really tend to think Non-Americans characters are actually doomed to be only guest characters.

Posted by notapotatoe on 2009-05-21 11:25:17
Heroism in Stories
The story in the FCBD AVENGERS provides several examples of what’s wrong with storytelling at Marvel these days.

Much of the dialogue is interchangeable, when characters’ lines should serve to identify them. One could argue that the lines are right for the situations the characters are in; however, the events unfold too slowly and much of the dialogue is trivial. There’s just too much talking, compared to the actual plot content.

The conflict (?) between the Dark Avengers and the New Avengers is practically identical to the post-”Civil War” run-ins between the Mighty Avengers and the New Avengers, with the Iron Patriot taking Iron Man’s role. That doesn’t mean that the differences between the heroes and villains are minor; rather, that’s a result of Bendis tending to give his characters similar dialogue and traits, and recycling the framework from the post-”Civil War” NEW AVENGERS.

The threat (Ymir) is trivial and eliminated with little effort. Being heroic requires displaying extraordinary effort, resolve, skills, etc. None of that was involved in finding the Twilight Sword.

If one looks at “Dark Reign” overall, he sees little evidence of editorial planning. The event has no identifiable theme. Whatever claims one might make about the villains not being much different from the heroes, that could result from being immersed in crime fiction, reading about white collar crime, corrupt cops, ambitious district attorneys, organized crime, corrupt pols, and deciding that the world isn’t black and white. With such an attitude, there’s no point in writing stories about superheroes; it would be like an atheist attempting to write Christian fiction. A theme is a vital part of any functional story. “There is no heroism” isn’t a theme.

SRS


Posted by Steven R. Stahl on 2009-05-21 11:31:47
nice piece, Mr. B. your blog is filled with these nice moments of "he didn't have to, but he did anyway" pieces. keep up the great work.

Posted by dp_lombardo on 2009-05-22 17:41:32