The Best Writer In Comics?

[Gail Simone]

Who is your vote? (votes for me are ridiculous and strictly forbidden, please).

For me, it's not Alan Moore or Neil Gaiman or any of the usual suspects.

For me, the best writer in comics currently is...


















Lynda Barry by a mile.

I buy every book she writes, and you should, too. Not technically comic books, most of her work is collections of strips, but NO ONE is more adept at creating such an enveloping tragic-and-funny world of quirky-yet-completely-believable characters as Linda. Marlys is the female kid character we all somehow recognize and Hollywood never seems to show. And Lynda's a master at the humor of discomfort and shame, and when her characters do find a moment of joy in the trailer trashery of their everyday worlds, you want to get up and do the butt-dance with them.

She's a genius and thank god she chose comics as her medium!

Gail

[Sabrinaset]

I think the only writers I can remember actively looking forward to reading were Waid on Fantastic Four, Jones on Flash and Green Lantern, and Kurt Busiek on Astro City.

Well, and Karen El!

[Chris Hansbrough]

Christos N Gage. For me right now....I get enjoyment from everything he does. He is the only writer that has never dissapointed me with anything. he could write an amazons attack tie in and I'd buy it....that's how much I love the guys stuff. Not to mention the little thing about him being one of the nicest guys in comics and when combined with a nice redheaded hairdresser is one of the 2 people who kept me in the comic game when I was in my pissy jaded phase......normally I'm just pissy.

right now in econd place would be Mike Allred for Madman #3 which is one of the things any comic creator should aspire to do. it was new fresh and unique and is one of the best examples of what a comic could be that I have ever seen.....

[heystacy]

Christos N Gage. For me right now....I get enjoyment from everything he does. He is the only writer that has never dissapointed me with anything. he could write an amazons attack tie in and I'd buy it....that's how much I love the guys stuff. Not to mention the little thing about him being one of the nicest guys in comics and when combined with a nice redheaded hairdresser is one of the 2 people who kept me in the comic game when I was in my pissy jaded phase......normally I'm just pissy.

right now in econd place would be Mike Allred for Madman #3 which is one of the things any comic creator should aspire to do. it was new fresh and unique and is one of the best examples of what a comic could be that I have ever seen.....

Gage has me enjoying Stormwatch PHD. He knows how to surprise readers, which has been rare or late.

I have been jaded about comics as well, but its nice to have a good book to read.

[Jack Zodiac]

Elliot S! Maggin. Too bad he never writes comics anymore.

[Lester C.]

Garth Ennis has rarely steered me wrong.

[the4thpip]

How about Harlan Ellison?

[Lester C.]

How about Harlan Ellison?

Isn't he more of a novelist rather than comic book writer? I only ask because all the stuff I read by him have been novels and short stories and man did they rock.

[cactusmaac]

Alan Moore.

[Davideaux]

Ruben Bolling

[jadrax]

I think its incredibly hard to say TBH.

Firstly I think you can take any author and say, this is them on a good day and this is them on a bad day. I can't think of any single Author who's work I have always enjoyed.

But then you have to think is that due to them or due to the penciler's storytelling and pacing, or did the inker put me off or the colourist.

Even then you not 100% sure the name on the cover is actually responsible for everything in the issue, I remember an Interview with Devin Greyson where she said DC put out a book with her name on it, but there was only one line of her script that had made it in unaltered.

[LtMarvel]

BK Vaughn is my first thought....

[SkrullEmperorJason]

I am new but some of my favorite writers. Are Gail Simone, Dwayne Mcduffle,Mark Miller,Matt(sorry do not know last name but writes The Order) and hey are my posts getting better to read. LOL

[Pink Bat Max]

Donna Barr, for the Desert Peach. Alas, there's a long wait between her comics, but.... wow. Also Carla Speed McNeil. I REALLY need to pick up more Finders.

I usually like Grant Morrsion, but he does occasionally seem to get full of himself. And Kurt Busiek is just plain good FUN.

[diana_fan]

For me it's Alan Moore and Grant Morrison, by a mile.

I just look at things like The Invisibles or Promethea, and I don't see anyone doing anything even close.

[Jack Zodiac]

How about Harlan Ellison?

What little comic book work he's done has been alright, but his tone doesn't work as well in comics as it does in his novels and short stories. He's a great sci-fi writer, though. Oh, and a huge asshole, which is always a thumbs up in my book.

[the4thpip]

What little comic book work he's done has been alright, but his tone doesn't work as well in comics as it does in his novels and short stories. He's a great sci-fi writer, though. Oh, and a huge asshole, which is always a thumbs up in my book.

Ah, but the topic title is "the best writer in comics" not "the best writer of comics."

;)

[Michael P]

I am new but some of my favorite writers. Are Gail Simone, Dwayne Mcduffle,Mark Miller,Matt(sorry do not know last name but writes The Order) and hey are my posts getting better to read. LOL

That would be Matt Fraction.

And I would have to say Grant Morrison, with Brian K. Vaughan nipping at his heels.

[Jack Zodiac]

Ah, but the topic title is "the best writer in comics" not "the best writer of comics."

;)

Elliot S! Maggin was in comics. For, like, two issues Justice League. Him and Julius Schwartz.

[Pink Bat Max]

Elliot S! Maggin was in comics. For, like, two issues Justice League. Him and Julius Schwartz.

Elliot S! Maggin was also Oliver Queen's campaign manager in 52. Which was SO clever, and a nice little tribute.

[Michael P]

Elliot S! Maggin was also Oliver Queen's campaign manager in 52. Which was SO clever, and a nice little tribute.

And now he's parlaying that experience into a run for Congress!

No, really. The real Elliot S! Maggin is running for Congress. God bless America.

[SkrullEmperorJason]

Matt Fraction oh okay thanks for the information.

[Pink Bat Max]

And now he's parlaying that experience into a run for Congress!

No, really. The real Elliot S! Maggin is running for Congress. God bless America.

I know! But isn't it for the California state Congress? Sacremento, not Washington? At any rate, it's kinda cool.

[Joshua Pantalleresco]

Craig Thompson

JP

[the4thpip]

I know! But isn't it for the California state Congress? Sacremento, not Washington? At any rate, it's kinda cool.

According to wikipedia:

Elliot first ran for political office in the New Hampshire 1984 Congressional race. The slogan "Maggin!" was used on his campaign button.[2]

On May 21, 2007, Maggin announced[3] that he would be running as a Democrat against incumbent Elton Gallegly in 2008 for California's 24th Congressional District seat.

I can't believe he is only 57! Been reading his stories since my early childhood Makes me feel young. :D

[The Beast Of Yucca Flats]

Sticking pretty much just with the current crop rather than the classics this time around, I find that my fire is lit perhaps most of all by Brian K. Vaughan's stuff.

[shrike]

Alan Moore, easily. He just can write so many stories that can resonate on such different levels, it truly is amazing.

Right NOW, though, my writer faves are Gail, Kurt Busiek, Ed Brubaker, and now that I'm liking the BC mini it might be a good time to check out some more of Bedard's work.

[Lester C.]

Ah, but the topic title is "the best writer in comics" not "the best writer of comics."

;)

And the winner is Pip.

[shrike]

I think we need a Sexiest Writer In Comics thread.

[Pink Bat Max]

I think we need a Sexiest Writer In Comics thread.

I think we had one, if you go back a few pages.

[Jack Zodiac]

I can't believe he is only 57! Been reading his stories since my early childhood Makes me feel young. :D

He started writing comics when he was, like, seventeen or eighteen. He got a nice, young start during a time when DC's doors were open to fresh talent.

And if/when he runs for President, he's got my motherfuckin' vote.

"Vote! Maggin!"

[SUPERECWFAN1]

I'm gonna have to give it to Morrison. I mean all Grant Morrison did was come to DC , take a group of characters who hadn't been seen in years and make them into a good selling bunch of books. Then he slides over , does 52 , Batman and All-Star Superman as well. The guy to me currently is on top.

[Leslie Lee III]

Mike Carey, I've enjoyed everything I've read from him. First and only writer to get me interested in the Fantastic Four.

If this was before he signed on with Marvel I would have said Ed Brubacker in a heart beat. I went from loving everything he did, to finding it all pretty blah. I want to blame editorially mandated padding, but I'm not sure if I can.

Ah, but the topic title is "the best writer in comics" not "the best writer of comics."

;)

Still wrong. That would be Jonathan Lethem.

[DavidAllred]

I think it depends on the story. The best writers do sometimes take the low road creatively. I also think DC's current trend of accepting only established writers is a mistake for that very reason.

As for writers and their epochs, for me, Denny O'Neil's GL/GA stuff is second to none.

[Cayman]

Grant Morrison

[Aggie]

alan moore has done some amazing things, but i really haven't been connecting with his latest stuff and it kinda feels like he's losing his passion for comics, so the writer i'm totally diggin' right now is brian k. vaughan. i love his flair for dialogue, there's a verisimilitude there that i don't really feel other writers get quite right, w/ perhaps a couple of exceptions. and i like that he's trying to do different things w/ themes that doesn't make it look like he's trying to do different things. i just really love his stuff.

[Question_Authority]

Sorry Gail, yet getting my vote whether you like it not, muahaha!:evilsmile You made me care about a bunch of female characters I never even gave two hoots about a couple of years ago and put them on my must read list every month. I just bought 3 trades of Birds of Prey and need one or two more to complete Gail's entire run. Alan Moore's previous works also put him at the top of my list, especially Miracleman which I am dying to read in its entirety once Gaimen gets the rights to it. Grant Morrison for All Star Superman, 'nuff said. I used to like Frank Millers work, but his recent stuff just stinks. His Daredevil, DKR and independant work is great. Mark Waid is great most of the time; his Flash and Kingdom Come are classic, Brave and the Bold is another must read. I have heard great things about Ed Brubaker and plan on checking out his Captain America Omnibus later this year. :D

[stealthwise]

Of all-time? That's Alan Moore.

Right now? God, every instinct in me wants to scream Warren Ellis, but I read so much of his stuff in trade, that I know that I'm going to give him praise for work he did years ago (i.e. Transmet). Fell and Nextwave have been excellent recently though.

Right now I'd give the nod to Ed Brubaker, who somehow made Capt. America interesting to me, and gave Daredevil a huge shot in the arm as well. Criminal is also top-notch crime stuff.

[mgs]

right now? I'd say anything Darwyn puts out has definitely got my attention.

[JamesRitcheyIII]

Who is your vote? (votes for me are ridiculous and strictly forbidden, please).

For me, it's not Alan Moore or Neil Gaiman or any of the usual suspects.

For me, the best writer in comics currently is...

Gail

You're up there--deal with it--forbid away! :D
I like Grant Morrison (who consistently steals ideas from MY 'rhubarb patch' of the collective unconscious), but my comics purchases are rare and random at best. Big Steve Gerber fan from way back, who influenced me as much as many Classic, Mainstream and Science Fiction writers.

Check me out in about two years--when I'm actually in comics, instead of living this farce.

Sorry if I offend anyone by even hinting that, but hey, but I won't pretend that shame is a problem for me, as much as an unhealthy amount of self-doubt--which while useful for tempering my craft, seems to be going away...:D

[Erik Burnham]

Well, I'm posting this from my plush mansion constructed wholly of discarded 90s variants (very sturdy, those embossed covers) so I'll say... me.

I shouldn't take it literally?

You mean the actual comics INDUSTRY?

Crap.

Let me think.

Toss up between Darwyn Cooke and Lynn Johnston.

...And me.

(;

-E
You can't have an ego without E!

[Astonishing X-Fan]

Currently Dini, Johns, and Gail seem to write most of what I like best.

Honestly I think Dini's 'Tec is blowing Grant's Batman away.

[Major Comma]

BK vaughan
peter david
dan slott
JMS
brian michael bendis
ed brubaker
kurt busiek
geoff johns
keith giffen

[Pink Bat Max]

Currently Dini, Johns, and Gail seem to write most of what I like best.

Honestly I think Dini's 'Tec is blowing Grant's Batman away.

From what I've read, I agree a hundred percent. But then, I've never been a fan of Morrison's Batman.

[Leslie Lee III]

Currently Dini, Johns, and Gail seem to write most of what I like best.

Honestly I think Dini's 'Tec is blowing Grant's Batman away.

I don't even think it's a competition. It's like Superfriends versus Batman: The Animated Series, and I'm a Morrison fans. I guess this just means I should pick up some of the old Batman Adventures comics Dini did.

[Jack Zodiac]

I don't even think it's a competition.

Me neither. Morrison's Batman is much better.

[Dr Manolis Dooplove]

the first thoughts in my head are of course Alan Moore or Neil Gaiman, and to lesser extent Peter David, but my trully favourite is PETER MILLIGAN, for the amazing work he's done in X-STATIX, HUMAN TARGET, SKREEMER, SHADE THE CHANGING MAN

yes, his X-Men run was unfortunate, but that doesnt take away from his brilliance :)

[Gavin Higginbotham, BotF]

Erik Larsen, as he writes my all-time fave comic book in SAVAGE DRAGON.

I've also got to mention Robert Kirkman, Kurt Busiek, Geoff Johns, Christos Gage, Joe Casey, Jay Faerber and yes, Gail Simone. All of these writers consistently write books that I enjoy the hell out of.

[sabongero]

Ah a best writer in comics thread. I always get slammed when I post on these. But that's okay. I just started reading comics last year so I don't know any comic book writer except the ones I started reading last year. So I'll list who I think is the best in my opinion which does not really include the so called comic book writer icons.

1. Geoff Johns - Why ? It's because of his Green Lantern Rebirth and Green Lantern series that had me reading comic books again in July 2006. PERIOD!
2. Paul Dini - His Detective Comics got me hooked and I loved Batman TAS. I loved the way The Riddler was portrayed as a new Detective in town. It just revitalized that character. Paul's great!
3. Grant Morrison - Batman has a son ? Now that was a storyline I wanted to follow up on.
4. Gail Simone - An oriental Atom ? Something totally different. Cool. Birds of Prey ? I liked the Huntress/Black Canary tandem in the field "coached" by Batgirl. Okay okay...Oracle. Have almost the complete run on BoP. I liked the way Black Canary became a really dangerous fighter without having to rely on her Canary-Cry.
5. Greg Rucka - One look at Wonder Woman's comic book last year and this guy had me buying up his back issues on Wonder Woman and Superman. And his Detective Comics run as well. I wish Greg would write Batman again. That was a phenomenal run. I hated the art, but the writing was great.
6. Brian Reed - Who the heck is Ms. Marvel ? What can I say, the guy had me interested in reading this mid-card superhero and is on the brink of main event status in several years.
7. Marc Andreyko - Divorced mom, smoker, drinker, and a lawyer who fights crime with a deadly force. Plus great supporting characters. I wish there was issue #31 and more.
8. Brian Bendis - Ultimate Spider-Man. I loved it man. I got the trade paperbacks on the ones before.
9. John Michael Straczynski - Great writing on Amazing Spider-Man during the Civil War. I also liked the controversial "Sins Past" storyline in TPB. I hated the plot (as I remember Gwen was the everyone's girlfriend next door type in the Spider-Man reprints with her on it) but it was well written, and thanks to Deodato's art of course.
10. This could be any of several.

Now mind you I am just basing my post on which writers I liked and started reading up and was able to pull from the comic rack of recent issues in 2006. All from a newbie in comics of course. I wasn't really exposed to the the late 80s and all of the 90s comics or even the early to mid 2K's comics. So don't be alarmed I didn't include Alan Moore, Warren Ellis, Brian K Vaughn, Mark Millar, etc etc.

[Tyr]

Not sure I have an absolute fav but I do have a few favs

Greg Rucka
Alex Ross
J Micheal Stracynski
Jodi Picoult
and Bruce Tim...does he count?

[jesse_custer]

Since this thread title sounds more like an "of all time" deal, I'll go with:

1. Alan Moore

2. Stan Lee

3. Frank Miller

[Shisho]

Neil Gaiman is my fave author overall, but if we're just talking comics, I might have to go with Peter David. He has a gift for writing visually, and has a snappy style I wish I had. I picked up the first issue of X-Factor on a lark, and with the first page, I was floored.

[Reptisaurus!]

Lynda Barry by a mile.

I buy every book she writes, and you should, too. Not technically comic books, most of her work is collections of strips, but NO ONE is more adept at creating such an enveloping tragic-and-funny world of quirky-yet-completely-believable characters as Linda. Marlys is the female kid character we all somehow recognize and Hollywood never seems to show. And Lynda's a master at the humor of discomfort and shame, and when her characters do find a moment of joy in the trailer trashery of their everyday worlds, you want to get up and do the butt-dance with them.

She's a genius and thank god she chose comics as her medium!

Gail

You should've voted in the Top 50 cartoonists. :) (She was my # 1 and she didnt' even make the list.)

[The Mutt]

I'd say the best writer in comic books is Alan Moore.
The best comic book writer is Peter David.

My favorite is Garth Ennis.

[diana_fan]

Dini's 'Tec is enjoyable, but it doesn't feel like it's going anywhere, and there have been how many fill-ins already? Can we even call it Dini's book?

Morrison, OTOH, is creating, as always, one cohesive story that has implications, subtleties, sub-sub-sub-plots, and more.

[KevinTBrown]

Way too many writers out there that I enjoy for me to say "so and so" is the best.

However, I do believe Marc Andreyko is extremely under-rated as a writer.

[MartinRedmond]

It's hard. I can't say anyone's perfect. My love goes to writers who seem to pull from their own life experience, like you, Waid, David and Milligan or, shocker, John Byrne! Also Bryan O'Malley is awesome and Lost at Sea is just as good as Scott Pilgrim despite less enthusiastic reviews.

On the other hand, my disdain for writers who only seem to ever source from books they've read (and I mean like, real books, not comics), only grows with age. Writers should have something to say. They should give the impression that they are truly living so that their characters give the impression to be living and saying worthwhile things to read.

[MartinRedmond]

yes, his X-Men run was unfortunate, but that doesnt take away from his brilliance :)

I know he denied it in interviews but I'm 100% sure it was screwed over by editorial forcing him to use Astonishing characters to fix everything because that's what's still happening in the title. It still had it's moments.

[jerrymcl89]

I regard Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman as only marginally active in comics at the moment, so I'll leave them out of the discussion. I'd say Grant Morrison would be at the top of my list. And among the more recent creators, Vaughan and Brubaker would be the ones that particularly stand out. In addition to Gail, of course.

[adam_warlock_2099]

Jim Starlin . . . just my kind of writer.

[Merey]

Of current works, I'd say Brian K. Vaughan.

[ducklord]

I'd like to throw a couple of bones to Berke Breathed, Gary Trudeau, and Bill Watterson, just 'cause someone should.

I agree that Alan Moore seems to be slowly transforming into "Best Writer Who's Still Kinda Sorta In Comics." I suspect that soon he'll ascend another rung up whatever mystical pagan ladder he's climbing, leaving nothing behind but his beard and a great big pile of (really good) weed.

Grant Morrison is, for my money, the only legit pretender to Moore's throne at the moment, at least as far as mainstream companies go. If he can make Final Crisis fail to suck, he can have the crown.

There's a whole bunch of consistently enjoyable writers out there, most of whom who I mentioned the last time this thread rolled around, including:
-- Simone
-- Johns (his penchant for not-quite-appropriate gore aside)
-- Ostrander (I'm pretending WWIII was Bizarro-Ostrander)
-- Busiek
-- Slott
-- BKV
and
-- Ellis

Of course, just about all of these guys 'n' gals have been mentioned previously in this thread. Perhaps I'm a bit more hive-mindy than I thought.

Drat,
Mike

[Paul McEnery]

Nice one, Gail.

God, I haven't seen Lynda's stuff in ages. Does she still put work up at Salon? Cause I stopped going there once they started arseing around with their content many moons back.

[stealthwise]

Dini's 'Tec is enjoyable, but it doesn't feel like it's going anywhere, and there have been how many fill-ins already? Can we even call it Dini's book?

Morrison, OTOH, is creating, as always, one cohesive story that has implications, subtleties, sub-sub-sub-plots, and more.

Bah, save that crap for the trades. ;)

[Reptisaurus!]

Nice one, Gail.

God, I haven't seen Lynda's stuff in ages. Does she still put work up at Salon? Cause I stopped going there once they started arseing around with their content many moons back.

I dunno. But she is posting stips on her site (http://www.marlysmagazine.com/) now.

And she's got a new book from D & Q coming out next year.

[DirtyHarrington]

I have a love-hate thing going on with Grant Morrison, where I hate some of the things he does because they seem so blatantly out of characters and radically different from everything I'd seen before, but then love those same thing because they're freaking awesome and, well, I've never seen them before. <_<

I find myself almost reluctant to enjoy his books because of this convulted feeling I get, especially when I read other people's rants about the things he does. I could probably avoid this by trying some of his non-mainstream-superhero work, but I'm just a superhero guy.

AND I TYPED ALL THAT JUST TO SAY I PICK GRANT MORRISON.

(BKV, Fraction, Brubaker, and Johns, we're still dawgs yo, it's just Grant's so good >_>)