Brand New Day: Art vs. Writing

[Matt Linton]

With the writers and artists switching up each arc, I'm curious about which will influence what issues you buy more, the art team or the writer. Will you buy a Slott/Jimenez arc? Or a Gale/Larocca? Guggenheim/Bachalo? Or will you buy every issue, regardless?

[Matt Linton]

For me it's the writing. Short of Rob Liefeld doing an arc, I can't see skipping an issue based on the artist. If I don't like a particular writer, though, I won't buy the book.

[timbox]

I picked writing because that's what makes Spider-Man good. I do care about the art though.

Guggenheim/Bachalo would be amazing, but I really need Bachalo back on some X-books full-time.

[timbox]

For me it's the writing. Short of Rob Liefeld doing an arc, I can't see skipping an issue based on the artist. If I don't like a particular writer, though, I won't buy the book.

This is what's going to make this book tricky. If new writers are coming on all the time, how can this book stay consistantly good? Or if it's a set group of writers and 1 of 4 is no good, do you just skip a month of ASM every few months?

[Matt Linton]

I think it's just a set group of writers, with maybe an issue here and there by guest writers. Based on what I've seen so far, I think I could skip an arc if I don't like the writer and still be fine. Especially since every issue is dissected enough online that I'll be able to get the gist of what happened in the arc.

[atomic_monkey316]

I'm curious about which will influence what issues you buy more, the art team or the writer.

You should add a fourth choice to your poll: Both. I am buying it for both the art and the writing. If I had to choose, I like the writing even more than the art.

[Rolltideguy77]

I prefer both but for me no matter how decent the writing if the art isnt any good I lose interest quickly. Visually it has to keep me interested.

[Rahul]

If ever Howard Chaykin became an artist on Amazing. I'd ditch the title.


Otherwise Writing>Drawing. Although Better Drawing would be sure to pull me in, like Steve McNiven's.

[Pach!]

The writing is more important to me. But seeing Bachalo on a book would probably get me to give it a chance regardless of who the writer is.

[ShaggyB]

Ill have to go Art then story. Mainly if i cant stand to look at the pages i find it harder to read. Not saying i wont go ahead and read it but if i had my choice id want the best artist first. Just by a hair because then you have a terrible story as an option with beautiful art. I just know when both are bad its hard to keep pulling the book every week.

[Will.S]

Ill have to go Art then story. Mainly if i cant stand to look at the pages i find it harder to read. Not saying i wont go ahead and read it but if i had my choice id want the best artist first. Just by a hair because then you have a terrible story as an option with beautiful art. I just know when both are bad its hard to keep pulling the book every week.
Yeah, same here.

But usually it depends on both. A Dan Slott written book is more appealing to me than a Guggenheim/Wells one because of his past work and the pull he has but being paired with the wrong artist can also bring them down.

I think Slott has a really nice pick of the litter anyway, he had Mr. Civil War himself McNiven from the outset, Marcos Martin next (who's all Ditko'ish but still his own) and then John Romita Jr. who's making a comeback to the title and who I'm a huge fan of. If I were still buying the books Dan would def be a safe bet followed by Guggenheim.

[Netley]

Great writing with bad art I can handle, but great art with bad writing I can't. That having been said, consistency of both is a big deciding factor for me as well.

BND so far has had a fairly consistent voice, which has surprised me due to the rotating teams. Both McNiven and Laroque are wonderful artists, yet their styles don't mesh as well together, imo.

For THE example of perfectly-meshed artists, see the current Cap team of Epting and Guice!

[The Shadow]

I've collected Spidey for 20 years... the fact there are amazing artists and writers rotating through Amazing is simply a bonus for me.

[Endless Flight]

I'm a visual person, so the art first.

I'll take an average writer if the art is spectacular.

[Magneto Rocks]

I love every artist except Larocca, who I'm lukewarm on.

But for me, writing is ALWAYS above art. I never buy a book just for the art, not even Pérez. And I love me the writers so far. :)

[DoctorDoom]

I love every artist except Larocca, who I'm lukewarm on.

But for me, writing is ALWAYS above art. I never buy a book just for the art, not even Pérez. And I love me the writers so far. :)
I'm loving both the art and the writing right now.

[rZi]

I buy ASM to read spider-stories, but a good writter and artists is a bonus. Even though if like slott wasn't paired with mcniven i would of still bought the issues just out of my like of mcnivens work. But slott's good too so im happy

[oldschool]

The writing, hands down for me......if fact, there have only been a few artists that were so bad that they took me out of the story (Humberto Ramos was one for me and someone else on ASM in mid-90's that I forget now). But mostly, a well written tale is much more vital to me than kickass art; it is rare to get both though!

[Billy Parker]

As long as Spidey is SINGLE, a free man, no ball and chain, I'll read BND!

[ZT4]

Are you seriously always this one-note?:rolleyes:

[Mister Mets]

I'm not going to pay three bucks an issue for excellent work by my favorite artists (Steve Dillon, George Perez, Sergio Aragones) if the writing is just decent. I will pay three bucks an issue for excellent work by my favorite writers, if the art is decent (and often if it's not.) So I prefer writing, but I do love it when both writing and art are exceptional.

[Endless Flight]

I won't pick up a book if the artwork isn't at least better than passable, no matter who the writer is.

[Dr. Chaos]

I buy comic books based entirely on writing.

With the sole exception of Joe Mad (and it's a huge exception), I've never bought a comic book based on how the art looked and probably never will.

[HepOne]

It depends on the combo and it will change with every team. So far it has been:
Slott/McNiven- Art more than writing
Guggeheim/Larroca- slightly more interested in writing
Gale/Jiminez- Definitely art
Wells/Bachalo- like both but have reallyenjoyed Wells recent works= writing

[lazlo_toth]

As a rule of thumb the writer is more important to me than the artist. It is conceivable that a particular artist is so execrable that no writer could salvage it, but considering that I continue to buy comics drawn by Leinil Yu from time to time, we'd have to be talking about one absolutely HORRID artist.

Insofar as ASM is concerned (and as of this week, I'm now picking it up for six months, since I found 3 guys who agreed to pick up Legion of Super-Heroes for six months in exchange, and I am a man of my word), I'll be surprised if all four writers are still on board in a year, regardless of how successful it turns out to be. Somebody will have other commitments come up, or start to stray from the plan and get canned. There WILL be turnover; it always happens, and for any number of reasons. The thing that will make or break this experiment is the editor; with a revolving group of creators, the pressure will be on to maintain a consistent experience for the readers at all cost. The writers and artists, however good they are at what they do, are interchangeable pieces that WILL undergo turnover. Whatever the ultimate fate of the BND status quo, the underlying reasons behind that fate will have very little to do with whether it "sucks" or not. ASM didn't "suck" before OMD (well, except for Sins Past), and while OMD absolutely was atrocious, it's not really fair to say that BND "sucks." It springs from changes to the character I disagree with and would like to see reversed, and I'm very skeptical that I'll be able to see past those disagreements and keep up with it once I've honored my side of the bet I've made. But that doesn't mean the creators are not doing an adequate job of producing stories that fit the guidelines they've been given. Yeah, I know that's a lukewarm backhanded compliment, gimme a break, I'm going out of my way to NOT start an argument...anyway, my point is that if fans ultimately reject BND, it'll be because they don't buy into the status quo, not that Slott and co. failed to do decent things with what they've been given to work with...

[a-spidey]

well as spider-man fan i voted Neither. If it's Spidey, I'll buy it.
but think the creative teams are pretty interesting so far and i like the stories and the art.
Hope they can keep this quality up.

[atomic_monkey316]

Ill have to go Art then story. Mainly if i cant stand to look at the pages i find it harder to read.

On second thought, I think I agree with you. No matter how good a story is, if I hate the art then I won't buy the book. Back in early 2000s I almost stopped reading Spider-man altogether because of the cartoony way he was drawn. (I always assumed it was a manga influence.)

[Venom]

For me it's both, However I like writing a little bit more as it defines a character.