Creator(s) most badly used by Marvel right now?

[Frank]

I was thinking about creators I would like to see on this and that book yesterday. And kept coming up with guys that are already working for the company but for whatever reasons are not put on the right books or are underused.

Take David Finch. He comes into his own on Ultimate X-Men. But then he goes on a too unfrequent run on Avengers with Bendis then goes to Moon Knight for whatever reasons. Then a Spider-Man one-shot..to finaly ending up on the pointless mediocre-fest that is Ultimatum. I mean what is Marvel doing with this guy?

[Wind-Breaker]

I'm tempted to say PAD but to be fair he was given Steven King's Dark Tower to write (which is a big deal). But for once I'd like Marvel to give him a flagship book. He's been maximizing minor characters for years, and the one time they gave him A-lister (Hulk) his run with the character became the measuring stick.

Its a shame that despite all his body of work it seems that for whatever reason he can't break the glass ceiling (that robs us fans of so many good stories he could tell with characters/teams he hasn't even touched yet). But I guess with his recent effort with X-Factor, its seems instead of waiting to be put on an "A-list" book, that he's busting his ass to make X-Factor into a A-list book.

[DeadXMan]

Spider-man, Wolverine not an A-list characters?

[Wind-Breaker]

Spider-man, Wolverine not an A-list characters?

Those were mostly satellite/spin-off titles though. Not titles where he lead the core direction of the character.

[Omega Alpha]

Yeah, PAD definitively is not being well used.

Mike Carey too, being stuck in a corner in Legacy, trying to get stories out of a character that should have already been dead.

[DeadXMan]

Those were mostly satellite/spin-off titles though. Not titles where he lead the core direction of the character.
what about New frontiers?

[Wind-Breaker]

what about New frontiers?

:confused: I don't believe that was published by Marvel. I was more referring the work he's been given at Marvel, or at least that what I assume the OP was talking about.

[Maestro]

Working with Jeph Loeb has its positives. (ex. instant #1 best seller and a truckload of $$$)

[DeadXMan]

Yeah and he's one of the easiest guys to work with.

[Laminator_X]

Bendis. I'm no Bends-hater, but the sort of work he's doing, while commercially successful, doesn't play to his strengths. He's much better on smaller-cast character/dialogue-driven books, such as Alias, Daredevil, or Powers. He doesn't really have the right style of pacing for these big event dramas.

[Chris N]

Bendis. I'm no Bends-hater, but the sort of work he's doing, while commercially successful, doesn't play to his strengths. He's much better on smaller-cast character/dialogue-driven books, such as Alias, Daredevil, or Powers. He doesn't really have the right style of pacing for these big event dramas.

Exactly what I clicked on this thread to say.

[sneggz]

Mike Choi. I'd overlook Uncannys flaws if he was pencilling it.

[Mister Mets]

Ultimatum may not be good, but it's a highly promoted Event with a writer who can consistently sell issues.

Those were mostly satellite/spin-off titles though. Not titles where he lead the core direction of the character.

Traditionally those still sold okay.

Plus Marvel had FNSM #1 kick off "The Other" crossover. It wasn't the best story, but led to a well-promoted debut for PAD.

I think the catastrophic sales on the later issues of FNSM (when it was out of the top fifty) are somewhat Peter David's fault. So I could see why he's not given Dark Avengers.

[Tobias March]

I'm tempted to say PAD but to be fair he was given Steven King's Dark Tower to write (which is a big deal). But for once I'd like Marvel to give him a flagship book. He's been maximizing minor characters for years, and the one time they gave him A-lister (Hulk) his run with the character became the measuring stick.

Its a shame that despite all his body of work it seems that for whatever reason he can't break the glass ceiling (that robs us fans of so many good stories he could tell with characters/teams he hasn't even touched yet). But I guess with his recent effort with X-Factor, its seems instead of waiting to be put on an "A-list" book, that he's busting his ass to make X-Factor into a A-list book.

Wasn't he writing Spider-Man a few years ago for a bit?

Christopher Priest. Now he hasn't written in quite a few years now, but he deserved better.

[Greg Anderson]

David Hine. They should have let him completed his Silent War trilogy! :mad:

[Justin K.]

Its a shame that despite all his body of work it seems that for whatever reason he can't break the glass ceiling (that robs us fans of so many good stories he could tell with characters/teams he hasn't even touched yet). But I guess with his recent effort with X-Factor, its seems instead of waiting to be put on an "A-list" book, that he's busting his ass to make X-Factor into a A-list book.

Reading about A-list character can get boring, due to their usage, an example being Emma Frost or Wolverine, and with B-list, not talking about all of them, they may not be popular, but they have their special little touches that somehow make you like them. An uncommon character being liked in comparison to A-list is in a way like music. You got mainstream bands, but then there's also those undiscovered ones that are just as good and have a special place. Just my 2 cents though...

[remoteman]

David Hine. They should have let him completed his Silent War trilogy! :mad:

Amen brother.

[Elayis]

I would have to say Travis Charest.

Charest (in my opinion) is one of the best illustrators in the business, yet he hardly gets any work. I've heard rumors that he tends to be late, but look at Bryan Hitch, Jeph Loeb, Joe Mad, Ed McGuiness, etc. That seems like a poor excuse not to use him. And besides doing the covers for Captain America: The Chosen, and some pages in Ultimates Saga, he hasn't done anything in quite a while. He really needs some work.

As far as writers go, I'd have to say Warren Ellis and Paul Jenkins.

Both of these guys are extremely talented writers, but currently have either very little or no work at Marvel. Ellis worked in the Ultimate U for a while, and then did Thunderbolts (plus NEXTWAVE and newuniversal), but besides Astonishing X-Men, which is never on time, he hasn't really done anything big for Marvel in over a year.

Paul Jenkins was an extremely popular writer at the turn of the century. He did Wolverine Origin and The End, as well as both of The Sentry minis a few years later, but since then has done very few things since then. The only thing that springs to mind is a Captain America one-shot that came out a few months ago.

But besides that, I think Marvel is doing very well in showcasing there talent, and puting their good (or popular) writers on either event-related books, or fan favorites. However, if this thread was made before NYCC, I would have about 10 more creators on this list. :rolleyes:

[TheComet]

Take David Finch. He comes into his own on Ultimate X-Men. But then he goes on a too unfrequent run on Avengers with Bendis then goes to Moon Knight for whatever reasons. Then a Spider-Man one-shot..to finaly ending up on the pointless mediocre-fest that is Ultimatum. I mean what is Marvel doing with this guy?

From what I understand Finch is a really slow artist. Marvel and Finch himself have decided the best use for him is minis and one shots without a regular series. Even though Ultimatum is crappy, it's not a bad use for him. It's a major event comic that he's had a lot of lead time on to finish. It's a good way for him to be on a major book without derailing schedules.

[Elegance Liberty]

Mike Choi. I'd overlook Uncannys flaws if he was pencilling it.

Heck, I'd love to see Choi on any Marvel title that ISN'T X-related for a change.

I think he'd make a marvelous successor to Coipel on 'Thor', especially if he had Sonia Oback (Mike's fiancee) on colors.

[carabas]

Ellis worked in the Ultimate U for a while, and then did Thunderbolts (plus NEXTWAVE and newuniversal), but besides Astonishing X-Men, which is never on time, he hasn't really done anything big for Marvel in over a year.I think Ellis is simply not interested in doing really Big and Important stuff at Marvel.

[MuhollandDriver]

Reading about A-list character can get boring, due to their usage, an example being Emma Frost or Wolverine, and with B-list, not talking about all of them, they may not be popular, but they have their special little touches that somehow make you like them. An uncommon character being liked in comparison to A-list is in a way like music. You got mainstream bands, but then there's also those undiscovered ones that are just as good and have a special place. Just my 2 cents though...

i like this!

[GHalecki]

PAD had one of the best and longest and most successful runs ever on one of Marvel's flagship books. THE HULK.

Having said that, I think he would be a good fit for Fantastic Four, but not really Avengers or X-Men. Even though, his work being not just right for Avengers would be several steps better than any Avengers work that has been put out between Johns and Slott.

As much as I like Slott and expect great things from his Mighty Avengers, but if Marvel has Roger Stern working for them and doesn't have him on one of the many Avengers or related books, it should be grounds for prosecution.

[Umbra]

Wasn't he writing Spider-Man a few years ago for a bit?

Christopher Priest. Now he hasn't written in quite a few years now, but he deserved better.

Christopher Priest for sure...

[XPac]

David Hine. They should have let him completed his Silent War trilogy! :mad:

I agree with that one.

Son of M and Silent War were both great mini's.

It's sad that he couldn't finish that story.

[mightyness]

Coipel I would love to see him reunited with DnA on Guardians of the Galaxy if PP doesn't return. I would also like to see a big time artist on New Avengers and Mighty Avengers. I'm not digging Khoi Pham and Billy Tan. I'd like to see Pacheco or Mckone take over one of those titles.

[JoshuaCee]

I'd like to see Jonathan Hickman write Iron Man one day. I kind of imagine his Iron Man as being the best of both Ellis and Fraction's respective takes.

[Gitaroo_Dude]

Joe Kelly.

Not sure what their relationship is, but Kelly should be getting so much more work than he is. He's a natural fit for Spider-Man as his Hammerhead arc showed, he writes a great (maybe the best) Deadpool, and his current creator-owned work is probably some of the best stuff in comics at the moment.

[Alan2099]

I'm tempted to say PAD but to be fair he was given Steven King's Dark Tower to write (which is a big deal). But for once I'd like Marvel to give him a flagship book. He's been maximizing minor characters for years, and the one time they gave him A-lister (Hulk) his run with the character became the measuring stick.

Its a shame that despite all his body of work it seems that for whatever reason he can't break the glass ceiling (that robs us fans of so many good stories he could tell with characters/teams he hasn't even touched yet). But I guess with his recent effort with X-Factor, its seems instead of waiting to be put on an "A-list" book, that he's busting his ass to make X-Factor into a A-list book.

Bendis. I'm no Bends-hater, but the sort of work he's doing, while commercially successful, doesn't play to his strengths. He's much better on smaller-cast character/dialogue-driven books, such as Alias, Daredevil, or Powers. He doesn't really have the right style of pacing for these big event dramas.
We'd all be much better off if they took the books they gave to Peter David and gave to bendis and gave Bendis's books to Peter.

Also, Loeb. I like his stuff, but he's not exactly being used in the best places. He's really not the right fit for Ultimate stuff. Honestly, I'd like tos ee what he could come up with on some of the more continuity free books like maybe Nextwave or Exiles.

[JoshuaCee]

Joe Kelly.

Not sure what their relationship is, but Kelly should be getting so much more work than he is. He's a natural fit for Spider-Man as his Hammerhead arc showed, he writes a great (maybe the best) Deadpool, and his current creator-owned work is probably some of the best stuff in comics at the moment.

Yeah, Joe Kelly and Zeb Wells' ASM stories have been the best so far.

[Gitaroo_Dude]

I would have to say Travis Charest.

Charest (in my opinion) is one of the best illustrators in the business, yet he hardly gets any work. I've heard rumors that he tends to be late, but look at Bryan Hitch, Jeph Loeb, Joe Mad, Ed McGuiness, etc. That seems like a poor excuse not to use him. And besides doing the covers for Captain America: The Chosen, and some pages in Ultimates Saga, he hasn't done anything in quite a while. He really needs some work.

As far as writers go, I'd have to say Warren Ellis and Paul Jenkins.

Both of these guys are extremely talented writers, but currently have either very little or no work at Marvel. Ellis worked in the Ultimate U for a while, and then did Thunderbolts (plus NEXTWAVE and newuniversal), but besides Astonishing X-Men, which is never on time, he hasn't really done anything big for Marvel in over a year.

Paul Jenkins was an extremely popular writer at the turn of the century. He did Wolverine Origin and The End, as well as both of The Sentry minis a few years later, but since then has done very few things since then. The only thing that springs to mind is a Captain America one-shot that came out a few months ago.

But besides that, I think Marvel is doing very well in showcasing there talent, and puting their good (or popular) writers on either event-related books, or fan favorites. However, if this thread was made before NYCC, I would have about 10 more creators on this list. :rolleyes:

Somebody else already pointed it out, but Ellis has made it no secret that he doesn't have much interest in doing company work outside of getting a check. I think Ellis can just come in an pitch ideas to Marvel and he may get the gig on the spot. Maybe not that powerful, but he's got clout. Then again, his attention span is just as short on his creator owned properties.

Please come back to Fell. :frown:

[FanboyStranger]

I would have to say Travis Charest.

Charest (in my opinion) is one of the best illustrators in the business, yet he hardly gets any work. I've heard rumors that he tends to be late, but look at Bryan Hitch, Jeph Loeb, Joe Mad, Ed McGuiness, etc. That seems like a poor excuse not to use him. And besides doing the covers for Captain America: The Chosen, and some pages in Ultimates Saga, he hasn't done anything in quite a while. He really needs some work.

:

Charest doesn't just have a reputation for being late, he has a reputation for being phenomenally late. I think he's still years overdue for a GN he was illustrating for Humanoids. He actually makes Hitch and Quitely look timely. Granted, I will concede that his work is generally worth the wait.

[JoshuaCee]

Charest doesn't just have a reputation for being late, he has a reputation for being phenomenally late. I think he's still years overdue for a GN he was illustrating for Humanoids. He actually makes Hitch and Quitely look timely. Granted, I will concede that his work is generally worth the wait.

Exactly. There's late and there's Charest late. He's a phenomenal talent, but I honestly doubt he could produce more than two issues a year at this point.

[Don't pee in the (Dead)pool]

I'm tempted to say PAD but to be fair he was given Steven King's Dark Tower to write (which is a big deal). But for once I'd like Marvel to give him a flagship book. He's been maximizing minor characters for years, and the one time they gave him A-lister (Hulk) his run with the character became the measuring stick.

Its a shame that despite all his body of work it seems that for whatever reason he can't break the glass ceiling (that robs us fans of so many good stories he could tell with characters/teams he hasn't even touched yet). But I guess with his recent effort with X-Factor, its seems instead of waiting to be put on an "A-list" book, that he's busting his ass to make X-Factor into a A-list book.

I'll second this.
I'd love to see PAD write Deadpool!

[Wind-Breaker]

Christopher Priest. Now he hasn't written in quite a few years now, but he deserved better.

I agree with you about Priest as well. I'd love him to return to Marvel, but I'm not sure if he has any interest to work with mainstream comic companies anymore :frown: .

[mightyness]

I think Marvel does a terrible job with some of its more veteran writers. I think Marvel should do more to bridge the gap so to speak with legendary writers such as Roger Stern, John Byrne, Tom DeFalco, Keith Griffen. They really do not give these talented writers work any more it seems. The are so intent on these Hollywood writers or flavor of the month writers that they ignore some of the talented people who made the MU great to begin with.

[NickFury90]

Somebody else already pointed it out, but Ellis has made it no secret that he doesn't have much interest in doing company work outside of getting a check. I think Ellis can just come in an pitch ideas to Marvel and he may get the gig on the spot. Maybe not that powerful, but he's got clout. Then again, his attention span is just as short on his creator owned properties.

Please come back to Fell. :frown:

Its funny; for a guy who "hates" superheroes so much, hes pretty damn good at writing them(Nextwave, Thunderbolts, Ultimate FF, etc). He complains about how superheroes are the death of the genre, then once his books aren't selling the way he wants, he crawls back to Marvel to do another short run for money.

[trsman2785]

I agree with a few of the names put up.

For Warren Ellis, I feel like marvel could do a better job motivating him to write like he does with other publishers. Maybe let him get crazy with some original characters. Black Summer, Wolfskin, Freak Angels, No Hero, are all awesome original books that he has done somewhat recently or is still working on. Even if Warren Ellis doesn't like where he works, Marvel needs to get that A game.

I would also like to see Bendis work on something with less huge characters since I am not liking his current stuff right now like all his avenger and big event things. IMO he did great stuff with Spider-woman and Ultimate Spider-man. It makes me think he just needs titles with smaller superhero casts.

And Loeb. I think he is a terrible fit for the Ultimate Universe. I'm also not a big fan of his Hulk/Rulk whatever. Personally, I would like to see him fired and never write comics ever again but if he must be kept around I agree he should be sent to Exiles. It would work with his style of one outrageous cameo after another and his bad writing can be kept outside of other mainstream title's continuity. Perfect.

[Gitaroo_Dude]

I think Marvel does a terrible job with some of its more veteran writers. I think Marvel should do more to bridge the gap so to speak with legendary writers such as Roger Stern, John Byrne, Tom DeFalco, Keith Griffen. They really do not give these talented writers work any more it seems. The are so intent on these Hollywood writers or flavor of the month writers that they ignore some of the talented people who made the MU great to begin with.

I've always found stuff like this from people like Byrne amusing.

I mean, guys like DeFalco and Byrne were Flavor of the Month writers themselves. Otherwise they wouldn't be struggling to find an audience, would they?

[Gitaroo_Dude]

Its funny; for a guy who "hates" superheroes so much, hes pretty damn good at writing them(Nextwave, Thunderbolts, Ultimate FF, etc). He complains about how superheroes are the death of the genre, then once his books aren't selling the way he wants, he crawls back to Marvel to do another short run for money.

Doesn't that prove his point though? Super heroes have such a grip on comics that you have to due work with the Big Two to make money to fund your creator and independent driven work.

[Zero Hunter]

I agree with that one.

Son of M and Silent War were both great mini's.

It's sad that he couldn't finish that story.

I am OK with it since it has been set aside to make way for War of the Kings.

[carabas]

For Warren Ellis, I feel like marvel could do a better job motivating him to write like he does with other publishers. Maybe let him get crazy with some original characters. Black Summer, Wolfskin, Freak Angels, No Hero, are all awesome original books that he has done somewhat recently or is still working on. Even if Warren Ellis doesn't like where he works, Marvel needs to get that A game.Warren Ellis loves where he works; he works at Avatar. There is nothing at Marvel that interests him. The only thing that Marvel could do is pay him ludicrous amounts of money, hardly the best way to get the best work out of an author.

And he in all likelyhood makes more money of books like Doctor Sleeples and No Hero at avatar then he does for stuff like Nextwave or Thunderbolts.

[carabas]

Its funny; for a guy who "hates" superheroes so much, hes pretty damn good at writing them(Nextwave, Thunderbolts, Ultimate FF, etc). He complains about how superheroes are the death of the genre, then once his books aren't selling the way he wants, he crawls back to Marvel to do another short run for money.He doesn't hate superheroes. He just hates the way they completely dominate the market. It's like stepping into a book shop and and hardly being able to buy anything that isn't a Western, and even the rare horror or spy novels you can get have cowboys and indians in them.

[Will.S]

Besides Warren has done plenty of work for Marvel that almost always manages to either impress the hell out of me or makes the concept completely work.

There's:

Iron Man: Extremis
Nextwave
Wolverine: Not Dead Yet
New Thunderbolts
The Counter X stuff
His Ultimate work

Although his Astonishing is a little more on the bland side compared to his past offerings but he's been used quite well when he did do Marvel work.

[ThePhenom]

Millar. Which might sound weird at first, but his place was the UU where he had all critical acclaim and as soon as he hits 616 his stuff is constantly despised. It if ain't broke don't fix it.

[Elayis]

I would also like to see a big time artist on New Avengers and Mighty Avengers. I'm not digging Khoi Pham and Billy Tan.

I'm not sure if you've heard, but Stuart Immonen is taking over NA starting #55 in July. Same here with Tan. He can draw some good stuff (I really like his covers), but as far as emotions and character goes, he really sucks. All of his figures looks stiff, and he really can't display good facial emotions.

Take the last scene in NA #50, the Ronin tell-all. That scene was really well written, but sucked as far as art goes. Since Immonen is taking over the book, I really wish they would have done what they did when he took over Ultimate Spider-Man, and done a "preview" of his art, where he drew a scene covering a few pages in the issue before he took over, so fans could get used to his style before he took over. There was a similar scene in the "Death of a Goblin" arc in USM, that Immonen did so well. I wish they had had Immonen do that last scene in #50. That would have ruled!

And I don't get why they chose Bachalo as the co-artist on NA. They should have gotten Immonen, so that fans could get used to his style.

And as far as Pham on MA goes, I don't really care about that book so much. IT was never a great book, even with Cho, so I don't really care who they have as an artist. I think Pham does an okay job on it, so I'm fine with him as artist.

I'd like to see Pacheco or Mckone take over one of those titles.

Currently Pacheco is doing the first arc of Ultimate Avengers, but I'm not sure what else Marvel has planned for him. I would also like to see him on Mighty Avengers. NA just got Immonen, so I don't see them switching artists for a while.

From what I understand Finch is a really slow artist. Marvel and Finch himself have decided the best use for him is minis and one shots without a regular series. Even though Ultimatum is crappy, it's not a bad use for him. It's a major event comic that he's had a lot of lead time on to finish. It's a good way for him to be on a major book without derailing schedules.

Wow, you must not be reading Ultimatum then. That book is currently the most delayed book Marvel has. Here's a list of the original release dates, and the final ones.

#1: Proposed: November 5th - Final: November 5th
#2: Proposed: November 19th - Final: December 24th
#3: Proposed: December 2008 - Final: March 18th 2009
#4: Proposed: January 2009 - Final: May 6th 2009
#5: Proposed: February - Final: July 1st

As you can see, this book has been massively delayed. But now, not only is this book delayed, but it is now also delaying tie-ins. Ultimate X-Men 100 was supposed to ship February 25, but was delayed to March 11th, then March 18th. Ultimate Spider-Man 132 was supposed to ship March 25th, but has been delayed to April 22nd, with issue 133 being delayed from April 22nd to May 13th.

Marvel has released no statements as to why Ultimatum is late. I have a feeling it is Finch, but if so, why is he still on the book? It could also be the writer, Jeph Loeb, as all of the books he has done for Marvel recently have been late.

[carabas]

Marvel has released no statements as to why Ultimatum is late. I have a feeling it is Finch, but if so, why is he still on the book? It could also be the writer, Jeph Loeb, as all of the books he has done for Marvel recently have been late.Finch is not the fastest artist in the world, but in the past he hasn't been this slow. IIRC he managed to get his eight issues of Moon Knight and ten or so issues of Ultimate X-Men out more or less on time. Loeb on the other hand seems to be late even with dependable artists like tim Sale these days.

[4sake]

Christopher Priest
Brian K. Vaughan

[mightyness]

I've always found stuff like this from people like Byrne amusing.

I mean, guys like DeFalco and Byrne were Flavor of the Month writers themselves. Otherwise they wouldn't be struggling to find an audience, would they?

Byrne was certainly much more than a flavor of the month writer. Go back and read his run on Fantastic Four, She-Hulk, Alpha Flight, Namor, Avengers West Coast and X-men Hidden Years. His run on FF is only second to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's. I not saying I agree with his opinions and standpoints on things but he is certainly a proven writer and much more than a Flavor of the Month.

[MartinRedmond]

Byrne's one of the best writers Marvel's had. His work is still being milked by others, most of the time with less originality. I agree maybe we get writers with better dialogue skill, but his plots are pretty much the top.

[GHalecki]

The thing about Byrne in particular (as well as other stand outs from that era like Simonson, Stern, DeFalco and others) is how superior their storytelling abilities seem to be compared to the majority of what is out there today.

He not only could do an epic feeling story like his Galactus stuff in FF, but he could also do plenty of stories that were just one or two issue stories that weren't there to blow anyone's mind, they were just there to be good stories (Mission for a Dead Man or Hero for example).

He was able to greatly shake up the status quo of a book (like when he put She-Hulk in the FF) WITHOUT beating the reader over the head with "See! This is MY VISION redefining the book. I am genious!". It was a "hey, this would be a cool story idea, to do something a little different".

Stern took the Avengers and had something like twenty five members come in and out of the book in just a few years, but it never stopped having the right flavor that the book had built up.

These guys could just write good stories, and when a major over reaching story arc developed, it was great. Now it is all about the big story arcs, and everything gets lost in the details.

[Gitaroo_Dude]

Byrne was certainly much more than a flavor of the month writer. Go back and read his run on Fantastic Four, She-Hulk, Alpha Flight, Namor, Avengers West Coast and X-men Hidden Years. His run on FF is only second to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's. I not saying I agree with his opinions and standpoints on things but he is certainly a proven writer and much more than a Flavor of the Month.

Again though, if Byrne were not FOTM, he would still be finding an audience among Big 2 Readers.

Guys like Moore, Miller, and Morrison have all been able to stay relevant during different periods by adapting and putting out strong stories.

If guys like DeFalco and Byrne had staying power too, they'd still be getting gigs.

This is not to say either of them or other writers are bad, but that, under what seems to be your definiton of FOTM, that they too meet it.

[mightyness]

Again though, if Byrne were not FOTM, he would still be finding an audience among Big 2 Readers.

Guys like Moore, Miller, and Morrison have all been able to stay relevant during different periods by adapting and putting out strong stories.

If guys like DeFalco and Byrne had staying power too, they'd still be getting gigs.

This is not to say either of them or other writers are bad, but that, under what seems to be your definiton of FOTM, that they too meet it.

My definition of FOTM? Did even read my post John Byrne, DeFalco, and Stern each have over a 20+ year career in comics. How can that be considered FOTM. I was referring to Hollywood writers that come in and don't unnecessarily have to acumen to write comics on a consistent basis. Examples such as Heinberg, Lindelof, these are creators that don't have the same investment either creatively or emotionally in the comics genre,unlike long time creators. With Byrne for example the biggest reason he isn't at either of the big two has less to do with
creative ability and more to due with personal feelings and politics.

[Dusty.]

Again though, if Byrne were not FOTM, he would still be finding an audience among Big 2 Readers.

Guys like Moore, Miller, and Morrison have all been able to stay relevant during different periods by adapting and putting out strong stories.

If guys like DeFalco and Byrne had staying power too, they'd still be getting gigs.

This is not to say either of them or other writers are bad, but that, under what seems to be your definiton of FOTM, that they too meet it.

This is just ignorant filled posting at it's best, ladies and gentlemen. Don't let this happen to your kids.

[Tobias March]

The thing about Byrne in particular (as well as other stand outs from that era like Simonson, Stern, DeFalco and others) is how superior their storytelling abilities seem to be compared to the majority of what is out there today.

He not only could do an epic feeling story like his Galactus stuff in FF, but he could also do plenty of stories that were just one or two issue stories that weren't there to blow anyone's mind, they were just there to be good stories (Mission for a Dead Man or Hero for example).

He was able to greatly shake up the status quo of a book (like when he put She-Hulk in the FF) WITHOUT beating the reader over the head with "See! This is MY VISION redefining the book. I am genious!". It was a "hey, this would be a cool story idea, to do something a little different".

Stern took the Avengers and had something like twenty five members come in and out of the book in just a few years, but it never stopped having the right flavor that the book had built up.

These guys could just write good stories, and when a major over reaching story arc developed, it was great. Now it is all about the big story arcs, and everything gets lost in the details.

They were more dependable as writers, which in itself is sorely lacking today. Their consistency over long periods of time was quite remarkable.

However, I don't know if Stern or Byrne really ever hit it out of the park on the same scale as say Englehart, Gerber, Morrison or Moore - who've done groundbreaking stuff. But they're reliable and many fans have fond memories of their past runs.

[Frank]

Coipel I would love to see him reunited with DnA on Guardians of the Galaxy if PP doesn't return. I would also like to see a big time artist on New Avengers and Mighty Avengers. I'm not digging Khoi Pham and Billy Tan. I'd like to see Pacheco or Mckone take over one of those titles.

A big time artist on Mighty Avengers would be God-send. It is supposed to be "The" Avengers title afterall.

Personaly I would go with John Romita Jr.

[Frank]

They were more dependable as writers, which in itself is sorely lacking today. Their consistency over long periods of time was quite remarkable.

However, I don't know if Stern or Byrne really ever hit it out of the park on the same scale as say Englehart, Gerber, Morrison or Moore - who've done groundbreaking stuff. But they're reliable and many fans have fond memories of their past runs.

The greatest appeal I always found about Byrne's writing was never his craftsmanship as a writer but more like when he comes in on a title and has carte blanche, you know he's gonna shake things up.

[GHalecki]

I will grant that someone like Byrne had never done the "single mind blowing redefining the world" comic like someone like Moore did with Watchmen or Miller Did with DKR or other various writers with specific stories. I submit that Moore (to use one example) has made some GREAT comics, however he is not a GREAT comic writer.

Byrne (and Stern and many others of their standing) worked year after year putting out a high quality of stuff at a high volume (at times anyway), without having the "cheats" (and I mean no disrespect with the term in this context) that you will find as beiing present in some of the so-called great works. There are tons of things that you can do in an out of continuity story, outside of an established workd, with brand new charachters, in a finite story, written for mature readers. Many of these things that are seen to be innovative, brilliant, and flat out new, (part of what made Watchmen so notable) could ONLY be done in that format, and would be completely impossible to do with a book like X-Man, Justice League, Hulk, or other "regular" comic books.

Byrne worked most of his career in continuity, with established charachters that had a life before and after his tenure working on them, and worken on all ages books. That in itself has certain constraints as far as the plot elements that can be included. For example Ozymandias was a pretty interesting charachter, with an interesting attitude, identifiable motovations, and a refreshing kind of modus operandi, but the best part about him was that his particular strenghts and weaknesses were tailor made to bring out the very specific points in the story. Of course, that was because he WAS tailor made to fit that particular story. The specific plot points of Watchmen were conceived to fir the format that it was published in.

You could NOT have fit a story like that into a monthly Avengers rotation. On his run in FF, Byrne just couldn't decide that Reed Richards really had a plot to "save the world" by killing a few million people. It isn't that he couldn't write that story, and have it read extremely well in a vaccuum. But it would have conflicted with how the charachter was established, and it would have left the charachter in a completely distorted depiction when it came to the next writer to write him.

That is why it takes far more skill to write a good, ongoing superhero comic over an extended period of time, keeping things fresh yet not being at odds with the history of the charachters, than it does to come up with something like Watchmen, V for Vandetta, Miricleman, LXG, Fables, Sandman, or other highly regarded works.

Could Byrne do a Watchmen like project and make it be very good? I don't see any time when he has tried. Could Moore do a run like Byrnes FF, David's Hulk, Wolfman's Titans, or Stern's Avengers? I find that to be HIGHLY unlikely.

To use a sports metaphore, Moore is Kurt Warner. He had some years as a quarterback where he was unbelievable in his performance. He had one of the greatest Super Bowls ever. Was Superbowl MVP. Even came out of nowhere to lead his team of failures to the big game. Byrne is like Dan Marino. He never won the BIG ONE, but looking at the career he has had, and the staggering accomplishments he has accumulated, there is no real comparison. Nobody will ever say that Marino had a bigger game than the one Warner had in that Superbowl, but nobody will ever say that Marino wasn't a better quarterback.

[GHalecki]

Also, as far as the Flavor of the Month goes....

Jack Kirby had trouble getting work toward the end of his career. Does that mean that he was really a flavor of the month from the 40s to the 60s without the staying power?

[Ex_]

*poorly-used