Should Ultimate titles have one writer?

[ULTIMATE VENOM]

IMO Ultimate titles should have one writer doing the whole thing like Brian Bendis does with USM. If books like UXM and UF4 had one good writer they would be much better. Any one else agree?

[carabas]

In an ideal world, yes. But unles it becomes legal to enslave writers, it's not going to happen.

[Beast]

UXM and UFF only had one good writer? Hwah?

UXM - Millar, Bendis, BKV? Hell, even Chuck Austen's and Geoff Johns' issues were good.

UFF - Bendis, Millar, Ellis, Carey? All quality writers who delivered great stuff.

[carabas]

UXM - Millar, Bendis, BKV? Hell, even Chuck Austen's and Geoff Johns' issues were good.I think I must have missed those. Chuck Bloody Austen wa not as bad as usual, instead he was just dull.

[Beast]

I think I must have missed those. Chuck Bloody Austen wa not as bad as usual, instead he was just dull.
Geoff Johns wrote Ultimate X-Men 1/2, that takes place right after Issue #6.

Has Pietro attempting to recover his father's remains, but only finds his helmet. Tussles with the X-Men, who ask Pietro and Wanda to join them. Pietro refuses, and Wanda follows suit. Later, Pietro and Wanda are on the roof and she's trying to talk sense into him. He snaps and shouts that he loved his father, and he loves her as well. She leaves him alone, and Pietro starts having a conversation with Magneto's helmet.

More detail here...

http://www.uncannyxmen.net/db/issues/showquestion.asp?fldAuto=1091

[Juggernaut_lover]

I would honestly love Bendis to write all the Ultimate titles. USM's been the one thats been constantly good. If Bendis wrote them all then there would be continuity between them all, and good continiuty at least. I mean Firestar jumping from USM to UXM etc.

[rwsmith]

Depends on the writer. If Marvel could lock in guys like Jason Aaron on Ultimate X-men and Matt Fraction on the Ultimates, then sure. I'd be all for it. :wink:

[datriadx18]

I think Bendis being exclusive to USM was a bit of a fluke... cuz it doesnt look like Marvel can get anyone to stay on the books for more than an arc... two at the most.

[rwsmith]

That's why I think they should try to lock in some of their new talent for long runs on the Ultimate books. Take a guy like Jason Aaron (who is doing great work on Wolverine and Ghost Rider) and tell him that Ultimate X-men is all his for the next two or three years. Pair him up with a great artist (or two to keep it shipping monthly) let him run with it.

The guys like Mark Millar and Warren Ellis do tend to only do an arc or two and then move on to the next project, but they didn't operate this way when they were relatively new to mainstream comics. Millar, for example, stayed on Ultimate X-men for 33 issues! That's why I say they ought to target up-and-coming writers for the Ultimate books. They're more likely to stick around longer and give the line some consistency again.

Just make sure and pair them up with some dynamic artists that fit the Ultimate standard. For someone like Aaron, I'd say you need a gritty artist or artists (Dave Finch, Trevor Hairsine, Mike Perkins, etc.).

[Ramirez IV]

I think having different writers is a good thing, it keeps things fresh, it gives different perspectives and stories. It's a hit and miss affair yes, but... it's good. One day I'd like to see someone take over the reins of USM... though admittedly not for a while. Bendis can keep going another eight years if he wants, fine with me.

[Tobias Drake]

In an ideal world, yes. But unles it becomes legal to enslave writers, it's not going to happen.

Well, now I know what I'm going to write my congressman about!

[desanth]

In an ideal world, yes. But unles it becomes legal to enslave writers, it's not going to happen.

Vote yes for enslavement of writers!

As for having one writer for a very long time, I'd be wary because you might get stuck with crap like we did from Kirkman for 2 years.

What's the longest record for writer on a single title? Just wondering how long Bendis has to go before breaking it ;)

[togeteiku42]

Vote yes for enslavement of writers!

As for having one writer for a very long time, I'd be wary because you might get stuck with crap like we did from Kirkman for 2 years.

What's the longest record for writer on a single title? Just wondering how long Bendis has to go before breaking it ;)

I don't know what the actual longest run is, but I believe I saw once that Chris Claremont had what I think was a 17 year run on Uncanny X-men. So I think bendis still has a ways to go.

[Tobias Drake]

Vote yes for enslavement of writers!

As for having one writer for a very long time, I'd be wary because you might get stuck with crap like we did from Kirkman for 2 years.

What's the longest record for writer on a single title? Just wondering how long Bendis has to go before breaking it ;)

I don't know about longest record for writer, but I know Bendis/Bagley broke Lee/Kirby's record for longest creative team.

[drinkblatzbeer]

I think the ideas of consistant writers is a great idea...just try to find quality writers who would do it...

honestly, Millar did the best ultimate x-men AND ultimate FF...i'd like him to stay on the latter...

don't know who you could really get...

i didn't buy, but did read the ultimate human series with hulk/iron man...i think that would be a neat idea to have a series of minis, or else a ultimate "feature" title with some of marvel's original stories redone in the ultimate style...

also use this to shore up continuity issues in other books...

[Frank]

Yes and No. In one hand Millar should have stayed on both the Ultimates and Ultimates X-Men. On the other hand i'm so tired of Bendis being on Ultimate Spider-Man. I wish he would leave already and let others try their hands at it.

I think the problem with the Ultimate line in my opinion it's that it always feel disjointed even if one writer does the same book forever because there never were a map, a plan for this Universe. This is something they should have done from the get-go. Look at new Universes like Crossgen or Valiant, a lot of things made sens because this had been carefully thought out to the "t". There was no mistakes and incoherrances. And especially at Valiant it felt so organic and they made sure things were not repeated, it kept being fresh. That way you can go nuts and creat original, crazy things because you know the base is solid. There's a plan there. You couldn't do that with The Ultimate Universe because Mark Millar is not the style to stay put for long. He comes up with an idea, come in guns blazing, creat something brilliant for 12 or 24 issues and then leave everything like WWIII just passed buy. He doesn't seem like the team player(at the same time that's what make him great). And Bendis stays on a book for long but keep to himself and never sees the big picture(and seen in his Ultimate Team-Up book). And frankly revamps are not his strong suits(how much great revamps have we seen in his books? not a lot. good stories but poor revamps).

I sort of wish the line would be killed of sort and have one writer(or a duo) re-creat it and have him/them write the three or four books that would come of it.

[ThePhenom]

I don't know that they need to be so restricting.

I don't think Millar was even the best writer on UXM or that Bendis/Millar on UFF.

Perhaps more constricting higher-ups in the UU, but even then it seems needless.

The writers are changing and with Kirkman, Loeb and Carey's recent stuff it's just really bad luck.