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Post by Calamas on Dec 29, 2020 23:57:05 GMT -5
J. Michael Straczynski
For Straczynski everything begins and ends with character. Everything in between is craft. He understands structure, he understands story, and theme, and humor. And when it all comes together he creates magic.
For Babylon 5 alone he would have become one of my favorite creators. Luckily he eventually chose to do comics too. I missed out on Rising Stars. Coming to it late, its magic was lost on me, dissipated by the Heroes TV show certainly, and by Straczynski himself in Supreme Power. But Midnight Nation, that’s another story. You need more than a couple of concepts and a cliffhanger to launch a series. Straczynski intrigued and enticed the reader with the first issue, made us want to see more, learn more about this world. Midnight Nation reads just as great as a collection as it did a monthly.
Then came Marvel. Spider-Man; Thor; Silver Surfer: Requiem. I won’t get into his DC work because it bumps up against our cut-off. In fact, it’s funny how time fluctuates in the memory. When making my list, I wasn’t sure whether Straczynski would qualify. All I had to do was remember 9/11. I opened that issue of Spider-Man with trepidation, even knowing Straczynski’s skill. How could a comic tackle this subject? Should it? I now know from his autobiography, Becoming Superman, that Straczynski wrote in a stream of conciseness. All I knew then was that it was one of the most effective stories I’ve ever read.
By the way, Becoming Superman is highly recommended. Most Straczynski work is.
It’s why J. Michael Straczynski regularly ended up at the top of my comic stack.
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Post by Calamas on Dec 29, 2020 0:38:29 GMT -5
Steve Englehart
My three final selection, not surprisingly, focus first and foremost on character. I’ll let Mr. Englehart explain it:
“I've always been primarily interested in people, and my attitude towards how people should live their lives--or what they do with their lives--is that they progressed upward. When I was doing comics, I think I was the only writer who first figured out what my characters were going to move on to and then think of a villain for them to fight. . . . I'm interested in people. I want to see them move on.”
That’s it. The primary focus of his whole career. It’s how a Vietnamese prostitute becomes the Celestial Madonna. It’s how Captain America can become so disillusioned that he becomes Nomad, and then finds his way back again. And unlike with so many inferior talents that followed him, this isn’t change for the sake of change. Because everything starts with character, there were real reasons for every step of the journey. And despite the preference Englehart stated above, not all journeys can move upward. So Englehart gave us Mark Shaw during his Justice League run. His characters had to evolve, regardless of the direction.
It’s a shame he can’t work today. No, comics haven’t passed him by. But the way comics are made today have rendered Englehart ineffective. Gone are the days when new Bat-Editor Dick Giordano would tell Gerry Conway, “I want Batman back in Wayne Manor. I also want this, this, this and this; I don’t care how you do it. Now go have fun.” Englehart thrived under conditions like that. Today editors want to know where you’ll be a year from now, six months from now, next month. For the most part Englehart never knew that. He had plans and ideas, and with each issue completed he knew the characters better and saw the future clearer. That was the key to his success. All he needed was a firm grasp of past continuity and an eye on the horizon, and the characters would take care of the rest.
It’s why Steve Englehart regularly ended up at the top of my comic stack.
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Post by Calamas on Dec 26, 2020 21:34:10 GMT -5
OK, let's see if I can get this done before the 31st. 12. Pat MillsOne of several names that could have appeared in this spot, I finally opted for Mills perhaps in part due to the 'recency bias' mentioned elsewhere by Slam Bradley. I've been reading a fair bit of 2000 AD stuff the last year or two, and Mills's Nemesis the Warlock and Slaine are two of the most consistently enjoyable comics series I've come across during that time. Highly inventive, full of fun and energy, though often quite dark and violent, the short instalments make for a fast-paced, snappy read - perhaps to a fault, at times, but that's probably mostly down to the format. I look forward to reading more of Mills in the future. I have faith. I've got three left and I bet you pass me.
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Post by Calamas on Dec 26, 2020 21:25:58 GMT -5
Mark Evanier
I've always thought of Mark Evanier as the Rated G Comic Book Writer. If “Rated G” sounds familiar it can be found adjacent to PG in the Motion Picture Association rating system. A movie designated G means it is appropriate for all ages. I don’t think they make them anymore.
I also don’t believe Evanier intentionally set out to write “clean” comics. I believe he did it unconsciously, that it was an inadvertent reflection of who he is and what he believes. You don’t need violence when action works just fine. You don’t need sex appeal when romance is stronger. You don’t need to kill your characters when you can achieve suspense by simply coming close to doing so. And to think he achieved this and so much more in a World War II comic.
It’d be easy to believe the only reason he found such success (at least critically, anyway) with his Early 80s relaunch of Blackhawk was because he was paired with the perfect partner in Dan Spiegle. Yes, it’s true that Spiegle is one of the most underappreciated artist of all time, but Evanier would soon provide us with more accomplishments. While Blackhawk was dying a slow death a DC, he would release DNAgents at Eclipse. This time he found success, so much so that it allowed him to spinoff Crossfire, again teaming with Spiegle. And another oddity. As Crossfire failed to gain the same success as DNAgents, Evanier altered the title, allowing the tone to match its more serious subject matter. Evanier could write with a heavier touch. It just wasn’t his preference. Sadly it didn’t save Crossfire. Yet another short run. Looking back, I’m surprised at how little work Evanier produced during this era because I found his comics endlessly entertaining.
It’s why Mark Evanier regularly ended up at the top of my comic stack.
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Post by Calamas on Dec 26, 2020 11:35:58 GMT -5
Cary Bates
Cei-U once wrote that Cary Bates was DC’s Bill Mantlo--or maybe that Bill Mantlo was Marvel’s Cary Bates. I don’t remember anymore and that particular post was wiped out in Crisis on Comic Book Resources. Either way, I thought it apt then and I still do. And this may be the only place in the world where that’s not an insult.
Their differences: Mantlo tended charge straight ahead toward his planned conclusion while Bates was more interested in a plot twist or two along the way, at least early in their careers. At their core, though, both men seemed to have the same mantra: Anything to please your editor. That meant if Murray Boltinoff wanted a 10-page crap Supergirl story, Bates would bang out another mad scientist with an invention ridiculous by even comic book standards, mini skirmishes would ensue, and Kara would sweep in on the last page and haul him off to jail. Or if orders came down saying “Introduce the Supermobile,” Bates would turn to Marty Pasko (the other Superman writer at the time) and say, “Don’t worry, I’ll do it.” Please the Editor. But when Boltinoff handed Bates the Legion of Super-Heroes and said, “A 10-pager here, an 8-pager there,” well, that was in his wheelhouse. The 30th Century was made for his style of plotting. It showed.
Same with The Flash. Colorful villains and gimmicks galore. I enjoyed his Superman and Justice League work too but it was with The Flash that he excelled. You could tell he was having fun and as a result, so were we. And yet that mantra. Please the Editor. When Ross Andru became editor of The Flash and he wanted to produce a more Marvel-style comic, Bates excelled at that too. It turned out the real Cary Bates was somewhere between the two styles. There came a point where DC was going through editors left and right and rather than keep handing The Flash off, they told Bates, “Go ahead, run the title yourself.” Finally he got to please himself. With Len Wein having already brought back original artist Carmine Infantino, Bates was able to bring the title full circle.
And he understood what The Flash meant to the history of comics. With the title cancelled so that Barry Allen could sacrifice himself in the upcoming Crisis on Infinite Earths, Bates gave The Flash the happiest of possible happy endings. It may have been temporary but for loyal readers, we could not ask for more. Left to his own devices, he would always respect and entertain his readers.
It’s why Cary Bates regularly ended up at the top of my comic stack.
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Post by Calamas on Dec 25, 2020 0:35:22 GMT -5
Okay, I may be wrong. Just glimpsing some of the names chosen as I posted the seven write-ups I have so far, I now believe my #12 pick will probably be the only one standing alone. I look forward to reading everybody else’s reasons soon.
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Post by Calamas on Dec 25, 2020 0:14:35 GMT -5
Peter David
Peter David, to me, is synonymous with innovation. Not at first of course. He had to get his foot in the door. But even then he was different. An early work called “The Death of Jean DeWolff” was more serious in tone than was Spider-Man’s norm. Different but firmly in touch with what was expected from the comics of the day. It is this same trait that allowed him to stay on the Incredible Hulk for an unbelievable twelve years. And yet the Hulk served David as David served the Hulk. You could not last twelve years in the Modern Age without being innovative. A self-feeding cycle of creativity.
This next showed up at DC with The Atlantis Chronicles. Presented as the origin of Atlantis--which in the broadest of strokes it was--it actually told of the rise and fall of civilizations, civil wars, and the high drama of royalty. From that point David would alternate between creative exploration while keeping in touch with the expected and forging a completely new path. Young Justice was his spin on super teams. Captain Marvel (Genis-Vell) was unlike anything else. X-Factor had its own identity while remaining an X-Book. Supergirl was an attempt at a unique superhero within the DCU. Fallen Angel was the result of not being allowed to take Supergirl to its full potential. But I’m glad for Fallen Angel. It may be his best, and that’s including the high art he achieved in Captain Marvel. It takes exceptional talent to simultaneously be innovative and accessible.
It’s why Peter David regularly ended up at the top of my comic stack.
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Post by Calamas on Dec 25, 2020 0:07:01 GMT -5
Roger Stern
Roger Stern’s legacy would be incomplete without the mentioning of three particular stories. Personal taste may cause one not to like any or all of them but because of the effect they’ve had on such a wide audience, it could be considered borderline negligent not to offer “Cap for President!” featuring Captain America, and the Spider-Man stories “The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man” and “Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut!” One story revolves around a life-changing decision, one is about the story’s ending, and the last is about actions defining much more than conventional heroism. And that’s Roger Stern. There is no element of story where he doesn’t excel.
Roger Stern is the most seamless writer in the business. Action scene, domestic scene, you don’t even have to know what’s going on in the scene, and he’ll hold your interest. I’m not sure how he does it. I think a part of it is knowing his characters intimately. Beyond that. . . . Stern is the one writer I can’t break down. His skills are too diverse. Subject doesn’t seem to matter. Type or style of story doesn’t matter. Failure does not seem to be a part of his DNA.
It’s why Roger Stern regularly ended up at the top of my comic stack.
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Post by Calamas on Dec 24, 2020 23:55:32 GMT -5
Bob Haney
Okay, let’s get it out of the way. Yes, he destroyed the personalities of established characters, and would write them differently again when they eventually made return appearances in Brave & the Bold. And he ignored continuity, even his own. And wrote some of the worst dialogue ever published, in any form. And then there was that occasional panel where Batman would shake his fist in the air and scream, “I’ll get you, Joker, if it’s the last thing I do!”; and return to casual conversation with Commissioner Gordon in the very next panel. Yes, all that. But the man believed in story.
Unfortunately, to some, he believed too much in this story. Exclusively. We need Green Arrow to be a money hungry obsessor. Okay, let’s do that. This time we need him to be a smooth-talking seducer of women. Then let’s do that. Many fans could not get past this philosophy, going so far as to create their own alternate earth: Earth-B (which is said to be named for the most frequent perpetrators: Bob Haney, Murray Boltinoff, and Brave and the Bold.) But for those of us who could see past the technicalities, we were regularly reminded why any three of these comics provided more entertainment than any hour of television.
Haney could fashion a story out anything. Sometimes he would riff on classic literature. Other times he plucked something out of reality. The Bicentennial Freedom Train is touring the nation. Okay, let’s do the Liberty Train. The Atom can shrink to any size. Let’s have him animate a comatose Batman. Haney was willing to try anything, go anywhere. Most of the time he pulled it off.
Of course this meant that when he failed, he failed spectacularly. “But Bork Can Hurt You” is one of the worst comics ever written. The Flash spends the entire issue trying to destroy a statue. But these were the exceptions. He could write the ridiculous--intentionally, despite the claim of his detractors--and he could have fun with these stories, and he could do something completely original, which he proved when he was allowed to create Metamorpho.
Haney almost always accomplished what he set up to achieve. The problem is that what he wanted to achieve never evolved. Superhero comics had become more sophisticated around him. Coupled with people who no longer felt the need to tolerate his idiosyncrasies coming to power at DC, his run on Brave & the Bold came to an abrupt end. Superheroes had passed him by. But not comics. His work on Unknown Soldier continued to be a great read. Not great comics, however. To my knowledge he never produced a great work. Obviously, consistently entertaining was enough for me.
It’s why Bob Haney regularly ended up at the top of my comic stack.
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Post by Calamas on Dec 24, 2020 23:49:13 GMT -5
David Michelinie
David Michelinie started out as an adventure writer, appropriately enough as one of his early assignments was Adventure Comics. But even then you could see his unique approach to character work. He put his heroes interesting situation, nothing dramatic, at least initially. It was as if we were dropping in on their lives. We believed what we saw. We believed Donovan Flint on the Sunrider or Gravedigger’s unlikely path through a World War. So when the dramatic happens it doesn’t jar, but rather seems like the natural result of what came before. We knew Tony Stark was going to hit an alcoholic rockbottom. And we felt it. When Aquababy was murdered, we didn’t feel shock; we felt loss.
He seemed to know what his characters needed. Sometimes it was a friend. So he gave Jim Rhodes to Tony Stark. And when a letter hack suggested an arch enemy for Stark (as opposed to Iron Man), he answered, “Let me think about it.” The result was Justin Hammer. Another success and not at all surprising because he excelled at villains. He gave Taskmaster to The Avengers. He gave Venom and Carnage to Spider-Man. He arguably gave comics more characters that are still around today than any other writer of his era.
Unfortunately his heroes didn’t stick as well. Don’t get me started on Scott Lang. I dropped Lang’s appearance in Marvel Premiere in the last round of cuts when we did individual comics back in 2014.
In the interest of full discloser, Michelinie is the only writer on my list that has two runs I actively dislike. I feel justified in ignoring them. The first is his return to Iron Man. I found Michelinie/Layton to be a different experience than Michelinie. I know Bob Layton contributed to the plotting in the first run but that was tweaking and adding to what Michelinie already had planned. The other is The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones, ironic as he otherwise excels at adventure. He paced it like a movie, not a comic. In the end, though, there’s no shame in only a couple of missteps considering that his career began in 1975.
It’s why David Michelinie regularly ended up at the top of my comic stack.
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Post by Calamas on Dec 24, 2020 23:08:07 GMT -5
David V. ReedThere is an age old question when it comes to writing: what comes first, plot or character? The answer of course is: whatever works for you. If the subject is an art form, any art form, there is no one way. As a reader I prefer a healthy dose of both, leaning slightly towards character. But the presence of both is not a requirement. If the characters are credible, I can enjoy plot-based stories just fine. That was where David V. Reed lived. I am unfamiliar with his golden age work and truth-to-tell have no interest in reading it. But when he returned comics in the mid-70s, that’s the work I love. Reed was an A to Z writer. He would set up a problem and then go from point to point until everything was explained. Sometimes there was ingenuity involved, as in “Hang the Batman” (not surprisingly as involved a deceased mystery writer), but for the most part the plot twists were more plot points than major reveals. His greatest work is “Where Were You on the Night Batman Was Killed.” Back 2014 when we did individual issues I picked Part 4 (how could I not pick the solution, being a lifelong mystery fan) and someone else picked the set-up (equally as valid, plus a great Jim Aparo cover). Reed turned the Bat-World upside down. The villains convened a court of crime in order to prove who was NOT guilty of killing the Batman. And the conclusion had an important emotional moment which is not out of character (which often happens with Batman) and was poignant. I hadn’t remembered it when I wrote about it six years ago. I’ve since reread that 4-parter. My other favorite beside the two discussed above is “Enter the Ragman.” In fact, Batman and Ragman’s dead-of-night meeting, as rendered by Michael Golden, is one of the most spectacular pieces of sequential art ever produced. Maybe not as a standalone but easily within the context of Reed’s script. It’s why David V. Reed regularly ended up at the top of my comic stack.
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Post by Calamas on Dec 24, 2020 23:02:41 GMT -5
Alan Brennert
It is conceded that, generally, starting with the Silver Age, DC made plot-based stories while Marvel’s were character-based. There were exceptions. Certainly Arnold Drake loved characters, and weird characters at that. And as Roy Thomas succeeded Stan Lee, plot became more important. Eventually, comics being a small world where everybody knew everybody else, things started to even out. And yet it seems even the greats weren’t great at all of it.
Until Alan Brennert. He understood all the elements of story. Plot and character and theme and emotional resonance. At DC this was applied mostly to Batman. He is so associated with the character--and with Brave & the Bold--that it’s easy to forget that he barely wrote over a half dozen of these stories and only four were in B & B.
He did not hit the ground running. In his Batman/Creeper team-up (not his first story nor his first Batman but the first time I took notice), he was so concerned with what he wanted to say that his theme almost overwhelmed the story. Almost. Talent still prevailed. And he would never misstep again. With his next outing he took Hawk & Dove, whose very existence is defined by their differences, and forced them to see past what defines them. Next he transported Batman to Earth-2, where his counterpart is deceased. Forced to work with that Earth’s Robin and Batwoman, everybody is uncomfortable and yet must find a way to work past it. It’s each individual process that makes the story. And then came his masterpiece: Batman and Catwoman. Ostensibly “The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne!” it is actually the story of the emotion obstacles Batman had to overcome in order to allow himself to fall in love. How Brennert set up this up is nothing short of brilliant. He even tells us at the beginning where he is going and the emotional impact of the conclusion is not blunted in the least.
Those that believe his masterpiece to be Batman: Holy Terror, I won’t argue with you. On a given day I may agree. He took full advantage of how ElseWorlds allows you to twist established characters to the needs of your story. In the end, there is only real complaint when it comes to Brennert’s comic book work. There’s not enough. So, while his name automatically meant quality and he is one of my favorites, there were always others that I would read first. But not many.
It’s why Alan Brennert regularly ended up near the top of my comic stack.
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Post by Calamas on Dec 24, 2020 22:52:56 GMT -5
William Messner-Loebs
or
“Right for the Time”
I would not feel the same way about his work today. Of course that may well apply to any Silver or Bronze age writer, though technically his time at DC falls into the Modern Age. But had he produced comics in any other era than in his heyday, I would have enjoyed them but he would never make a list like this. Messner-Loebs does because he was a ray of sunshine in an increasingly darkening comic landscape.
Though not on the scale he would achieve, that was the plan. Mike Baron and Mike Gold had just relaunched The Flash with Wally West, and in doing so they set themselves the challenge of creating a successful comic featuring a lead who was an a**hole at best and a d*ck at worst. A year or so later, their run now complete, Barbara Kesel inherited the book with a hero in desperate need of a character makeover. Messner-Loebs was the perfect writer.
He had already proved to have a light touch in writing Jonny Quest for Comico, a title that came with implied expectations before the cover was even opened. The cartoon had delivered adventure and exploration without any serious overtones, and the comic could not deviate far from those themes. Messner-Loebs succeeded flawlessly, and he brought those same skills to DC just in time. Miller’s Dark Knight was hailed as a brilliant triumph and Watchmen had taken the industry by storm. Suddenly darkness meant critical acclaim. Darkness meant sales. Darkness meant success. Darkness would soon engulf comics.
And I enjoyed a lot of it. But I also needed the counter balance. I needed someone who could put their hero in dire situations without immersing his entire world in misery. But that was not his only attribute. Messner-Loebs’ other talent was the expanding and redefining that world. With Jonny Quest it was the one area barely explored by the cartoon: Race Bannon. So we got more details of his past, particularly with Jezebel Jade. With The Flash, when a different kind of relationship was needed for Wally, he gave us Linda Park. In Wonder Woman he gave us Artemis. Sometimes by following his personal philosophy he went too far (Wonder Woman working in a fast food place), but most of the time his deft touch could handle the most serious and/or agonizing of situations without falling into perpetual torment.
It’s why William Messner-Loebs regularly ended up at the top of my comic stack.
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Post by Calamas on Dec 24, 2020 22:36:28 GMT -5
I want to thank our leaders for extending our tradition past Christmas. I’ve still got five choices left to write up. Also I apologize in advance if I end up duplicating someone else’s points. I wrote these blind, and haven’t looked at any of the threads yet. If I had to edit my entries to avoid repeating points already made, I would never get it done. Besides, I suspect about half my list will end up standing alone.
Now I’m off to start posting.
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Post by Calamas on Dec 15, 2020 11:47:56 GMT -5
One thing I find is that my list has a major recency bias. . . . Exact opposite, for the most part. My list has a heavy nostalgia bias. However I'm having trouble finding time for the write ups. I suspect I'll be lagging behind for the whole event.
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