Gail speaks, DC listens: Bedard is new BOP writer!

[Sean Walsh]

I believe Gail said yesterday (or just after Sean McKeever announced he had to leave BOP) that Tony Bedard would be a great writer for the book.

Well..........DC knows how wise she is... (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=145654) :)

[diana_fan]

Tony Bedard is a good writer. I'm a little of two minds concerning this, as I wasn't bowled over by his previous issues. But I will definitely give his run a shot, and see what he has to offer.

I'm just still so bummed that McKeever left. :(

[TCJohnson]

His Black Canary miniseries was horrible. But I liked most of his fill ins on BoP so I will stick around and check it out.

Also...wasn't he the one who killed off the woman from Secret Six (can't remember her name)

[Alexx1]

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Just from his fill ins, he gets the characters and and I'm glad he mentioned their flaws (spot on) in this interview. I can't wait to see where he takes the Birds.

I also respect that he's sincerely complimentary of those that came before him, Gail and Chuck. That speaks highly to his character.

I believe Gail said yesterday (or just after Sean McKeever announced he had to leave BOP) that Tony Bedard would be a great writer for the book.


And Gail, thanks for going to bat for Tony. I think he really has potential to take this book to a whole nother level. Can't wait to see his and Nicola's work.

[Cayman]

This is cruel. After his dreadful Supergirl run and Countdown, his name inspires fear and loathing. I'm done with the title.

[Dr Ray Palmer]

Tony Bedard is a good writer. I'm a little of two minds concerning this, as I wasn't bowled over by his previous issues. But I will definitely give his run a shot, and see what he has to offer.

This is how I feel. I hope he'll be better on this book when it's really his than he was when he was just keeping it warm till somebody else came along. I'll give it a try and hope for the best, because I love these characters so much that it would make me very sad not to get to read about them at all.

[Linkara]

Well, that's your perogative, Cayman. Personally I enjoyed his Supergirl issues and while Countdown has been lackluster, I blame that in terms of editorial than the actual writers involved in it.

Count me excited! While I didn't like the concept behind the Black Canary miniseries, I thought his Dinah was a hell of a lot stronger than the Dinah that Judd has been giving us.

[diana_fan]

This is cruel. After his dreadful Supergirl run and Countdown, his name inspires fear and loathing. I'm done with the title.

Yeah, the Supergirl stuff is what leaves me a little unsure, to be honest. Not just the content of the book, but the comments that went along with it.

OTOH, he's generally a good writer, so I'll give it a shot. We're just going to have to see.

[The Tyrant Virus]

His run on Exiles was my favorite of the series, so I'll be sticking around. As BoP is pretty much the only DC book I read, (JLA doesn't really count as I get it for Benes' art more than story) I can't say anything good or bad about his other DC work. But based solely on his Exiles, I know he is capable of writing good stories so that's really enough to keep me around. Good for him. :)

[Alan Lynch]

He's as good a name as I could come up with, realistically. I enjoyed what I read of his Exiles run - Spider-Man 2099 FTW - so I'll be interested to see what he does here.

[Alexx1]

I really dig what he said about the characters, including their flaws and I hope he'll delve into that more in his story lines. But I especially liked what he had to say about Babs bc it's so true and she is the heart and center of the book. If he write's Babs half of what he described her character as, it's going to be an awesome series bc as Babs goes so does the title IMO.

Huntress was an obsessed, angry, over-the-edge character, and she still is, a bit. But I think being a "Bird" has helped focus her and let her work through her issues. Lady Blackhawk's out of her element and reckless, Manhunter's dangerous and a bit too willing to cross the line, Misfit is a pain in the neck with a tragic childhood...they all need to find themselves and this is the best place for them. I also think you need to show that rather than being reduced in capacity by her disability, Babs has become super-capable. She is, in her own way, as formidable an opponent as Batman on his best day. And to a much greater extent than her former mentor, Babs not only makes the most of herself, but she elevates those around her. She is more than a Buddha, she is a bodhisattva...know'hum'sayin'?

[jerrymcl89]

His Black Canary miniseries was horrible. But I liked most of his fill ins on BoP so I will stick around and check it out.

Also...wasn't he the one who killed off the woman from Secret Six (can't remember her name)


I thought the BC mini was well-written in terms of the voices of the characters. It suffered from an incredibly high degree of predictability, but I'd attribute that more to editorial dictates (which is also the case with the death of Knockout).

[MartinRedmond]

Ah! He sucks, might as well change the title to Emo Birds of Incompetence.

[Chris Hansbrough]

I really dig what he said about the characters, including their flaws and I hope he'll delve into that more in his story lines. But I especially liked what he had to say about Babs bc it's so true and she is the heart and center of the book. If he write's Babs half of what he described her character as, it's going to be an awesome series bc as Babs goes so does the title IMO.

yeah hopefully he'll um.....read manhunter before he starts writing her if that's what he thinks. other than that as long as we don't get more shado connors mom like lines from him I'm fine with tony writing it. hopefully now that it's not a fill in he can start making the book his own rather than well.......fill ins.

[Gail Simone]

Tony Bedard will do a great job. He did fine work under VERY TOUGH conditions, and now he'll be able to make the book his own. He is one of DC's best new talents, and I am delighted he's the guy taking over. I think BOP and the ATOM are both going to be in great hands.

Gail

[TCJohnson]

Who is the new writer on Atom again?

[scout1279]

I think this is great news. I loved his fill-in issues on BOP and Supergirl. I even liked the Black Canary mini series, though it suffered greatly from editorial mandate.

[Cayman]

Who is the new writer on Atom again?

Rick Remender.

[Alexx1]

We have some really cool new villains coming up, a new character or two in Oracle's service, and the return of an adversary from Gail's run that will threaten to tear things apart just as the Birds settle into the next phase of their crime fighting career. Basically, a lot of cool new stuff and new locations, but with the same focus on our core characters, their fun, funny interaction, and a few shocking twists along the way.


A return of an adversary. I wonder if Katarina's coming back? She's got to be extra, extra bitter after that beat down Babs gave her and her rejection by Bab's operatives.

[Michael P]

His Black Canary miniseries was horrible. But I liked most of his fill ins on BoP so I will stick around and check it out.

Also...wasn't he the one who killed off the woman from Secret Six (can't remember her name)

If you mean Knockout, editorial killed her off. They just made Bedard pull the trigger.

[Cayman]

Editorial made him do this, editorial made him do that - can't they hire a writer who is more than an editorial puppet? Is anything going to change now that he's the ongoing writer?

[AndrewCrossett]

Editorial made him do this, editorial made him do that - can't they hire a writer who is more than an editorial puppet? Is anything going to change now that he's the ongoing writer?

That's why I read so few Marvel and DCU books. Too many editors who think they're storytellers.

(When Time-Warner told DC editorial they couldn't kill off Bruce Wayne, it's literally the first time in my life I ever said "thank God for the suits.")

[TCJohnson]

I think this is great news. I loved his fill-in issues on BOP and Supergirl. I even liked the Black Canary mini series, though it suffered greatly from editorial mandate.

According to Tony it did not at all. It was all his idea, so that Winnick would not have to deal with Sin.

Still, it was predictable and it was Black Canary's first solo series in how long? And it was Green Arrow who kept having to come to her rescue.

[the4thpip]

Negation was one of my favorite series of the early 21st century, so I am looking forward to this.

[the4thpip]

Editorial made him do this, editorial made him do that - can't they hire a writer who is more than an editorial puppet? Is anything going to change now that he's the ongoing writer?

OK, the editors who want a certain story would hire somebody who is "not an editorial puppet" - why? Because they like not getting what they want? :confused:

Not everything Tony wrote was part of a big event, and those stories are damn good.

[Sarah Beach]

I'm 50/50 on this. I've liked some of Bedard's work, and had problems with others. The BC mini bothered me because Dinah ended up NOT being the "hero" (ie, problem solver) in her own title! And the "solution" was predictable, along with Dinah having to behave like a wet dishcloth after Sin disappears.

Still.... like I said, I have like other instances of Bedard's work. So, I'm willing to play wait and see.


But boy that was fast! Didn't even have a chance to beg the Great Carlini for a shot. Heh. I'm going to have to get cracking on this "getting in print" thing.

[jrp001]

I liked his BoP editorially mandated tween-arc.

I was ok with his Supergirl editorially mandated tween-arc

I liked his S:LOSH editorially mandated tween-arc.

Countdown, doesn't wow me every week, regardless of who is writing, but the 4-in-a-row from him was nice as having a consistent voice

So I guess, if he can take editorially mandated plots, that have no organic genesis of plot or plot and character, and still make it a darn good satisfying read, then I can't wait to see what he does with long term control over the Birds (despite at least 6 more months of line-wide-crossover-fever).

[Cayman]

OK, the editors who want a certain story would hire somebody who is "not an editorial puppet" - why? Because they like not getting what they want? :confused:

Not everything Tony wrote was part of a big event, and those stories are damn good.

How about someone who can accomodate the dictates of the editors and still produce something good?

[the4thpip]

How about someone who can accomodate the dictates of the editors and still produce something good?

They crucified him almost 2000 years ago.

[Sarah Beach]

They crucified him almost 2000 years ago.

Chuck Dixon is 2000 years old?




(Heh. Sorry. Irresistable. :D )

[scout1279]

According to Tony it did not at all. It was all his idea, so that Winnick would not have to deal with Sin.

Still, it was predictable and it was Black Canary's first solo series in how long? And it was Green Arrow who kept having to come to her rescue.

I was actually referring to the fact that it was already a given that Black Canary was going to say "yes" to the proposal. Honestly, I wasn't too heartbroken about Sin being written out either, but I am heartless ad hate children

I'm not the greatest authority on either Black Canary or Green Arrow, so maybe that's why it didn't bother me, but I just didn't really see Green Arrow as having to come to Black Canary's rescue. I did think it was much more a Green Arrow & Black Canary story than a Black Canary solo story though, but I genuinely enjoyed their interaction with eachother and the characters as idividuals, which is a lot more than I can say for the way Judd Winnick wrote them in the last couple of issues of Green Arrow and the Wedding Special. (I'm enjoying Green Arrow/Black Canary more, but I think I'm just blinded by the pretty pictures.)

Finally, Tony Bedard wrote Dinah and Ollie's first meeting as involving assassins dressed like Elvis impersonators. You have to love that. Elvis Impersonator Assassins are the coolest things ever.

[the4thpip]

Chuck Dixon is 2000 years old?




(Heh. Sorry. Irresistable. :D )

He uses an amazing moisturizer.

[DaveRothe]

Chuck Dixon is 2000 years old?




(Heh. Sorry. Irresistable. :D )

I dunno but he did make change for a denarius once...:D

[Pink Bat Maxine]

Hooray for Mr. Bedard!

[ElvisGuy]

I am a little biased here because Ive become friends with Tony this last year , so I'm REALLY excited he got the job !!! :D

[KevinTBrown]

Bedard taking over keeps me buying the book for a little while longer at least. I was this/close to dropping it because I disliked how McKeever was handling Babs.

[Alan Lynch]

Bedard taking over keeps me buying the book for a little while longer at least. I was this/close to dropping it because I disliked how McKeever was handling Babs.
I wonder now if we'll get to see where he was going with that. I have to assume there was an underlying reason for her being such a dick.

[scout1279]

I wonder now if we'll get to see where he was going with that. I have to assume there was an underlying reason for her being such a dick.
Dickery is an airborne contagion. She was infected with it when Superman showed up to yell at her.

[Pink Bat Maxine]

Bedard taking over keeps me buying the book for a little while longer at least. I was this/close to dropping it because I disliked how McKeever was handling Babs.

Agreed 100%. I think he took the wrong direction with Babs. I am enjoying his take on the Titans, however.

[Dr Ray Palmer]

I'm not the greatest authority on either Black Canary or Green Arrow, so maybe that's why it didn't bother me, but I just didn't really see Green Arrow as having to come to Black Canary's rescue. I did think it was much more a Green Arrow & Black Canary story than a Black Canary solo story though...

I didn't see the BC mini as Green Arrow coming to Black Canary's rescue as much as Green Arrow making all the decisions and Black Canary reacting to them. I felt like Ollie was driving the story and Dinah was along for the ride, which pissed me off royally, because at that point Dinah had just been yanked out of BoP to go be a supporting player in her "own" mini and to not do much in JLA. (Yes, yes, on paper she's the leader. That's very nice. Show me a story where she's made any kind of difference as leader.)

[Dr Ray Palmer]

Agreed 100%. I think he took the wrong direction with Babs.

I thought maybe where McKeever was going with Babs was "she's acting like Batman, she doesn't realize she's doing so until she pushes everyone away, finally she either has an epiphany on her own or someone calls her on it and then the lightbulb comes on." Which I feel is a story we've already seen before, and I would like to think Babs is self-aware enough to be on the lookout for when she's acting too much like Brucie. Or alternatively, Helena would call her on that shit after about 30 seconds of it and Babs would stop it.

[Magneto_X]

Yes!

*character limit*

[amboy00]

This is so cool! He saved Supergirl from bad plots and his initial issues of BoP was a lot of fun.

I was really upset he got booted off Outsiders so quickly.

Bedard is one of the most underutilized writers at DC.

[amboy00]

I am a little biased here because Ive become friends with Tony this last year , so I'm REALLY excited he got the job !!! :D

http://www.flickr.com/photos/amboy00/935474983/

[ElvisGuy]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/amboy00/935474983/

LOL !! all I can think of is Tony making faces at me from stage at all the panels making me laugh and look like a crazy person !

[heystacy]

I'm on a wait and see basis.

[Larry Dixon]

Editorial made him do this, editorial made him do that - can't they hire a writer who is more than an editorial puppet? Is anything going to change now that he's the ongoing writer?

Trust me, Cayman my man, we're all editorial puppets. :) Some editors are looser than others, and some writers better at slipping stuff past when they need to. But we all are subject to that law or we don't get mortgages paid. And if we don't do that, no one gets any stories, good or bad or awesome.

[Larry Dixon]

I think Tony is a nice guy, and he does care a lot about the characters he's handed, and about the fans who read them. I'd certainly like to know him better, having only met at a few appearances & CAPE, but he strikes me as a terrific fellow who'd never knowingly steer anyone wrong or do bad work.

I'd also like to comment that Tony Bedard is a writer no one should underestimate. When he's given full throttle and fire-at-will, he can do superb work on any scale.

[The Beast Of Yucca Flats]

#109 was a bit too involved in all the GA/BC & Final Crisis claptrap for me to really enjoy that much (except for maybe the Barda & Sin moment), though Bedard's overall efforts in #110-112 were highly amusing indeed. Plus, he helped give me a Supergirl I can read for the first time since the current volume started.

Good luck to him on his regular shot!

(and I really need to get around to finishing Retro Rocket)

[Pink Bat Maxine]

I think Tony is a nice guy, and he does care a lot about the characters he's handed, and about the fans who read them. I'd certainly like to know him better, having only met at a few appearances & CAPE, but he strikes me as a terrific fellow who'd never knowingly steer anyone wrong or do bad work.

I'd also like to comment that Tony Bedard is a writer no one should underestimate. When he's given full throttle and fire-at-will, he can do superb work on any scale.

Yeah. I hated the conclusion to his Black Canary mini..... but I think that was Bedard under the onus of editorial mandate. Seeing him with more freedom would be incredible.

[DaveRothe]

I think Tony will be Grrrrrrrrrrreat! He should tell a tiger of a tale.:D I wonder if he writes cereals...

[diana_fan]

Tony Bedard will do a great job. He did fine work under VERY TOUGH conditions, and now he'll be able to make the book his own. He is one of DC's best new talents, and I am delighted he's the guy taking over. I think BOP and the ATOM are both going to be in great hands.

Gail

That is GREAT news. I'm happy to hear that.

[Spiffy]

This is cruel. After his dreadful Supergirl run and Countdown, his name inspires fear and loathing. I'm done with the title.
I agree he did some scary writing on those. But I think he showed a pretty good understanding of The Birds in his fill ins.

He just seems to be a guy who writes well when he "gets" something and not so well when he doesn't. As for Countdown? That's a pot with a lot of chefs stirring it. Plenty of blame to go around.

I was mixed on the Black Canary mini. To me it just smelled like there was an editorial mandate to ditch the kid as expeditiously as possible to clear the boards for the marriage. Well, not even for the marriage, per se, since I think DC always intended that to not happen properly, but even moreso to put Canary in place for the Justice League gig.

I think Bedard can do a decent job if he finds the right balance. He doesn't need to reinvent the Birds, he just needs to continue a vibe that works. This was as opposed to Supergirl, who face it... NOBODY gets. Nobody's been able to find the right niche for.