I first heard of the series toward the end, bought a bunch in a bulk lot. I immediately liked the art but didn't want to start reading until I could start from the beginning. Didn't realize until after I had tracked down the first several issues that it doesn't have to be read from the beginning.

Awesome series though. I LOVE every issue. Definitely one of my favorites.

I haven't noticed it recently, but I have noticed ink transfer in the past (all post-2000).

I actually see it a lot on covers from Image (my copy of Manhattan Project #1 for instance grrrr). I've talked to a few dealers, and it has to do with the oils in our skin and the paper used more than the ink quality. Modern paper doesn't absorb the ink like newsprint did and the oils in our skin serve to wipe the paper clean in a sense. Not sure how scientifically accurate the explanation I got was, but that's what I was told. 

-M

Speaking of weird things about comics pages, I've noticed that some of the pages in my BPRD omnibuses are "grainy". What's odd is there doesn't seem to be any pattern to it. Sometimes the left page will be grainy and the right smooth, or vice versa, but other times they'll both be smooth or grainy.

I'm guessing he will launch three or four Fantastic Four titles after Secret War is over. It's the one big franchise he hasn't gotten to play with, yet.

As long as he's not the creative force behind whatever Dr. Strange series comes out in time for the movie...I wasn't enamored with his take on Doc during his Avengers run, he plays Doc too much like just another Marvel super-hero. I for one wouldn't mind seeing him do a new Heroes for Hire type book that he seemed to set up at the end of his Avengers run though. 

Not sure about FF, there have been some weird rumors about the FF post Secret Wars that I don't give a lot of credence too but they seem to be persistent (i.e. 1-no FF title but FF characters appearing in other books, and/or 2-resetting the sliding timeline of the MU so the classic FF and X-Men stories took place in the 60s as a first generation of post-war heroes but are no longer part of the current landscape as they have all retired and/or died by the time Spidey and the Avengers come on the scene as a second generation of Marvel heroes allowing them to keep the history of the books and their place in MU history but not actively support the Fox properties as part of the current MU). Like I said, I don't give much credence to either rumor, but the fact so much stuff is emerging about possible routes for the FF (and X-Men) post Secret Wars and the strife with Fox makes you think something may be up, and add in the FF titles have been sales dogs for a while now, I am expecting some kind of curveball where the FF is concerned in the event aftermath. Bendis might be enough to five the franchise a shot in the arm saleswise, but I doubt it. 

-M

I'd say some of his indy stuff-Torso, Fire, Powers et. al are masterworks of the comic form and demonstrate a level of craft and understanding of the medium of comics that few mainstream writers ever reach. However, very few of his mainstream projects to me show that same level of craftsmanship and passion. Daredevil comes closest, Alias is near there as well. 

However the reason he works with a lot of the top flight artists is because they want to work with him because of that perceived level of craftsmenship and the free hand he gives to artists to create and showcase their talent as well. He is a great collaborator when working with other creative folk, and he is positioned not only as one of the top writers of his generation, but as one of the most influential voices of his generation, not only through his writing but through his work as a writer professor, as a curriculum designer for programs in comics studies and in books like Words and Pictures that take that work to a wider audience. He is also a consummate professional in his relationships with editors and publishers and can shoulder a heavy workload, be prolific, and make deadlines. 

I dislike a large swath of his mainstream output but there is no denying his impact and influence on the modern comic landscape for good or ill, and a lot of his work-for Marvel, for Hollywood studios, and behind the scenes bridging the gap between them, helped pave the way for the growth and development of Marvel Studios and the juggernaut it has become. It was also Bendis that brought an influx of readers and revenue to Marvel in their post-bankruptcy nadir breathing life back into  a business that was on its last legs (he was the go to man that Quesada and Jemas turned to get the ball rolling in the right direction when they took over). Like it or not (and I understand why people do not trust me) Bendis is the poster child for the modern Marvel success story for what it is. Yes, comics don't sell anywhere near as well as they once did etc. etc. but a lot of what success Marvel has had in the 21st century has been built on the back of Bendis and this is why, in a new period where exclusive contracts are few and far between, Bendis continues to get them from Marvel, and why artists continue to line up to do both mainstream and creator-owned projects with him. 

I think I need to take a shower after being the Bendis apologist, but there are very definite and legitimate reasons he is positioned where he is in the industry currently. 

-M