Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:11:42 — 98.5MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Email | RSS | More
This week’s theme: Top 5! Yes we are continuing our Top 5 tradition as we countdown our Top 5 Favorite Comic Book Writers of all time. There are a ton of great writers to choose from so these lists were quite the challenge. Before we get to the list Greg and Dan also share their thoughts on Skottie Young’s new comic book series I Hate Fairyland.
Geeks:
Dan Clark
Twitter: @MovieRevolt
Greg Beppler
Twitter: @TheCreateForge
Chuck Davis
Twitter: @HeroicAgeChuck
Subscribe to us using iTunes or use any other podcatching client by using:
Great episode guys. A lot of great choices. My all time favorite writer is probably Allan Moore. The guy changed comics for the better more than anyone. Scott Snyder and Bryan K. Vaughn are the best writers of today imo.
I have to disagree on Snyder. The BEST he’s done in 5 years has been court of owls. Death of the Family was sadly anti climactic, zero year was craptastic backpedaling, and attempting to create an origin that frankly is just so ass backwards. Endgame storyline was all right, and I like the lead into gordon being the bat. I haven’t read since #41 on Batman. However that title needs a fresh new direction with a NEW writer.
I have NEVER had any emotional reactions to anything Bat related Synder has written, now Kyle Higgins on the other hand…. he’s far better writing Bat Universe stories.
@disqus_q0B7XZZe9x:disqus I have yet to listen to the ep, but I will today.
I’d have to say the BEST current writers ….. out of writers I read…. would be Mairghread Scott, James Roberts, Tom Waltz.
I love his take on Batman, i liked how he didnt go the cliche route in DOTF and kill off a character i think it showed balls and real talent to tell a good story,Snyder’s view of the Joker is as detailed and clever as Arkham Asylum (book, not game) and The Killing Joke. His intentions are incredibly unique and well thought-out and have made his bizarre relationship with Batman even better and more complex. Much more interesting than a slasher who must be stopped in some fist-fight. So far Snyder’s run has been complete with a well driven plot, a true understanding of Batman, his supporting cast and the dark world he lives in along with injecting some truly jaw dropping moments into the plot that you never see coming.Zero Year may have dragged some but it was still a great way of reintroducing a classic character. Kyle Higgins does not have nearly the grasps on these characters that Snyder does and his stories on far more sophomoric when compared to Snyder.
You also have to account for his work on American Vampire, The Wake, Swamp Thing, Wytches, Severed, among some of the stuff he did with Marvel.
I want good stories and that is what Snyder’s run has been doing. He’s take is fresh as these stories evolve further and further. One of the biggest issues with comics and comic book readers today is going with ‘fresh’ ideas just based on the desire to do something new. As if great comics can only come from constantly changing the direction of a character. He did do something new by bringing in a new person for Batman and revolutionizing the character of Jim Gordon. His last issue even gave us an interaction between Batman and Joker like never before. He is leaving that Batman title very soon to move over to Detective comics and I can’t wait for all the naysayers to be complaining in then that they want him back.
As I said I have yet to read the full Gordon run. I read #41, but that was it. I dunno if you’ve heard me say it before, but I’m pretty anti-DC these days. IDW, Zenescope, hell even Boom…. all have comics I would rather be reading more than anything DC is doing currently.
Last year was a big transition year for DC, they came out and said so themselves. I too don’t read a great deal of DC to begin with but lately its been muck The new 52 started off well. Then they didn’t give a lot of good books time to grow and have been losing to much talent to Image. Right now Image is killing it, Marvel is doing pretty well, and I would put Valiant next. They have been slowly building their universe overall the last decade into something awesome.
I have really enjoyed everything I have read for Snyder and Batman. I didn’t read Zero Year but did really enjoy Court of Owls and Death in the Family. I didn’t find the end to be anti climatic at all. This last year as been great especially. One of the most consistent books out right now.
Scott Synder’s run was touch and go for the most part but that was ok. In Court of Owls, the story didn’t really have an end, it just kinda ended with “oh the readers will come up with ending” type of deal. In Death of the Family it was nothing but build up and once again there was no end. Zero year dragged too much but it did have an end which was appreciated. And Endgame was a masterpiece, it didn’t drag, it had suspense, horror, action, mystery and an ending so satisfying that made me feel I would never have to read a Batman vs Joker book again.
david fletcher…. you mean Brendan Fletcher…. yes they do Batgirl….. they ruined it ugh.
See I again disagree. Its a different direction for the character but its still a great book. I’m glad comic companies like DC and Marvel are broadening their scope when it comes to their main characters.
Great episode guys. A lot of great choices. My all time favorite writer is probably Allan Moore. The guy changed comics for the better more than anyone. Scott Snyder and Bryan K. Vaughn are the best writers of today imo.
I have to disagree on Snyder. The BEST he’s done in 5 years has been court of owls. Death of the Family was sadly anti climactic, zero year was craptastic backpedaling, and attempting to create an origin that frankly is just so ass backwards. Endgame storyline was all right, and I like the lead into gordon being the bat. I haven’t read since #41 on Batman. However that title needs a fresh new direction with a NEW writer.
I have NEVER had any emotional reactions to anything Bat related Synder has written, now Kyle Higgins on the other hand…. he’s far better writing Bat Universe stories.
@disqus_q0B7XZZe9x:disqus I have yet to listen to the ep, but I will today.
I’d have to say the BEST current writers ….. out of writers I read…. would be Mairghread Scott, James Roberts, Tom Waltz.
I love his take on Batman, i liked how he didnt go the cliche route in DOTF and kill off a character i think it showed balls and real talent to tell a good story,Snyder’s view of the Joker is as detailed and clever as Arkham Asylum (book, not game) and The Killing Joke. His intentions are incredibly unique and well thought-out and have made his bizarre relationship with Batman even better and more complex. Much more interesting than a slasher who must be stopped in some fist-fight. So far Snyder’s run has been complete with a well driven plot, a true understanding of Batman, his supporting cast and the dark world he lives in along with injecting some truly jaw dropping moments into the plot that you never see coming.Zero Year may have dragged some but it was still a great way of reintroducing a classic character. Kyle Higgins does not have nearly the grasps on these characters that Snyder does and his stories on far more sophomoric when compared to Snyder.
You also have to account for his work on American Vampire, The Wake, Swamp Thing, Wytches, Severed, among some of the stuff he did with Marvel.
I mean the ending to DOTF was anti-climactic to me. I have never read any of Snyder’s other work. So hence why I didn’t bring that up. I know at this point I want a NEW or different writer on Batman. Snyder had a 5-6 year run, time for FRESH views…. especially if the rumors of a HARD DC Universe Reboot are true.
I want good stories and that is what Snyder’s run has been doing. He’s take is fresh as these stories evolve further and further. One of the biggest issues with comics and comic book readers today is going with ‘fresh’ ideas just based on the desire to do something new. As if great comics can only come from constantly changing the direction of a character. He did do something new by bringing in a new person for Batman and revolutionizing the character of Jim Gordon. His last issue even gave us an interaction between Batman and Joker like never before. He is leaving that Batman title very soon to move over to Detective comics and I can’t wait for all the naysayers to be complaining in then that they want him back.
As I said I have yet to read the full Gordon run. I read #41, but that was it. I dunno if you’ve heard me say it before, but I’m pretty anti-DC these days. IDW, Zenescope, hell even Boom…. all have comics I would rather be reading more than anything DC is doing currently.
Last year was a big transition year for DC, they came out and said so themselves. I too don’t read a great deal of DC to begin with but lately its been muck The new 52 started off well. Then they didn’t give a lot of good books time to grow and have been losing to much talent to Image. Right now Image is killing it, Marvel is doing pretty well, and I would put Valiant next. They have been slowly building their universe overall the last decade into something awesome.
IDW is top notch as well with all the classic licensed properties like Transformers, Jem, MLP, TMNT, and so on…
My issue with IDW is they rely too much on licensed properties and aren’t able to create enough of their own original content. I am happy to see they are trying to expand past that but personally prefer Boom, Image, Valiant and even Aftershock at the moment over them.
Right now everyone is in Image’s shadow. The amount of great books they put out in a monthly basis is insane. Really we are in a golden age of independent comics.
Still think Marvel and DC have a number of good titles. DC has its issues for sure but then they are putting out series like Omega Man and Prez which have been phenomenal. Also their Vertigo line has been killing it this year.
Marvel’s is coming off one of their best major events in forever, many of their relaunch titles have been really good as well. Lot of surprises like Spider-Woman and Vision.
try D4VE and D4VE 2, along with HOT DAMN coming this april. on the IDW front. all written by Ryan Ferrier. all creator own titles.
I don’t think it’s a matter of IDW relying on the the licensed titles….. THAT’s where they make their money. That’s like saying DC relies to heavily on Batman and Superman, or Marvel relies too heavily on Spider-Man….. With IDW they’ve built their rep on licensed stuff. I could see your point if they only had 1 or 2 licensed titles… like DC with Scooby or He-man, but what all of the IDW team is doing on any licensed title is just short of amazing. TMNT has been solid for four-five years in storytelling. They’ve done stuff with that series that no film or cartoon will ever do.
I will try those for sure.
Regarding relying too much on licensed properties, well i would say Marvel and DC tend to rely too heavily on their main characters as well. It’s been a running joke forever that Marvel will try to sell more books by throwing Spider-Man or Wolverine into a title. Now I guess Deadpool has replaced them both.
My issue with licensed titles is they often come with a lot of limitations. Especially if they are movie or TV tie ins. Something like TMNT like you mentioned has greatly benefited from not having those types of limitations.So it is not impossible to tell good stories with a licensed property just more rare. And rarely are the best creators clamoring to get on licensed properties. Right now I follow creators more than anything and a lot of my favorites, aren’t really doing anything for IDW.
The bigger issue though for me is I have greater respect for creators that make their own original properties. At this point IDW does not have the creator original content of an Image. Well, to be fair. no one does at the moment. But even Valiant has been focused more on creating their own original stories.
And I think Boom! has shown you can do both. They have plenty of licensed material but a number of great ongoing original titles as well.
I am not saying IDW is void of good titles, and I have read more of their stuff in the past year or so. They just don’t have the same level of quality content that I’m interested in compared to other publishers.
I have really enjoyed everything I have read for Snyder and Batman. I didn’t read Zero Year but did really enjoy Court of Owls and Death in the Family. I didn’t find the end to be anti climatic at all. This last year as been great especially. One of the most consistent books out right now.
Scott Synder’s run was touch and go for the most part but that was ok. In Court of Owls, the story didn’t really have an end, it just kinda ended with “oh the readers will come up with ending” type of deal. In Death of the Family it was nothing but build up and once again there was no end. Zero year dragged too much but it did have an end which was appreciated. And Endgame was a masterpiece, it didn’t drag, it had suspense, horror, action, mystery and an ending so satisfying that made me feel I would never have to read a Batman vs Joker book again.
This is my list:
1. Alan Moore (Swamp Thing, Watchmen, The Killing Joke)
2. Chris Claremont (Uncanny X-Men, Iron Fist, Wolverine)
3. Roy Thomas (Avengers, Conan the Barbarian, Iron Fist)
4. Doug Moench (Moon Knight, Batman, Master of Kung Fu)
5. Garth Ennis (Punisher, Preacher, Battlefields)
6. Frank Miller (Daredevil, The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One)
7. Len Wein (Swamp Thing, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men)
8. Marv Wolfman (Tomb of Dracula, Crisis on Infinite Earths, New Teen Titans)
9. David Michelinie (Iron Man, Avengers, Amazing Spider-Man)
10. Jim Starlin (Warlock, Infinity Gauntlet, Batman
david fletcher…. you mean Brendan Fletcher…. yes they do Batgirl….. they ruined it ugh.
See I again disagree. Its a different direction for the character but its still a great book. I’m glad comic companies like DC and Marvel are broadening their scope when it comes to their main characters.
ok the sleep discussion reminded me of the everybody sleeps video. I originally saw this in Sesame Street as a kid.
Mine In no particular order.
Matt fraction
Ed brubaker
Scott snyder
Geoff johns
Mark waid
Grant morrison
Jason aaron
Alan moore
and I guess dan slott.
This is my list:
1. Alan Moore (Swamp Thing, Watchmen, The Killing Joke)
2. Chris Claremont (Uncanny X-Men, Iron Fist, Wolverine)
3. Roy Thomas (Avengers, Conan the Barbarian, Iron Fist)
4. Doug Moench (Moon Knight, Batman, Master of Kung Fu)
5. Garth Ennis (Punisher, Preacher, Battlefields)
6. Frank Miller (Daredevil, The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One)
7. Len Wein (Swamp Thing, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men)
8. Marv Wolfman (Tomb of Dracula, Crisis on Infinite Earths, New Teen Titans)
9. David Michelinie (Iron Man, Avengers, Amazing Spider-Man)
10. Jim Starlin (Warlock, Infinity Gauntlet, Batman
Mine In no particular order.
Matt fraction
Ed brubaker
Scott snyder
Geoff johns
Mark waid
Grant morrison
Jason aaron
Alan moore
and I guess dan slott.
So you guys hate Bends? Have to say I am a fan. Bendis has been one of the chief architects of Marvel for more than a decade now, and I couldn’t be happier. Bendis is a master of two things: dialogue and decompression. His stories take a long time to build, but he fills that time with wonderfully snappy banter and deeply personal character moments. The best parts of this Ultimate Spider-Man series have always been when Peter Parker is out of costume and interacting with the people in his life.Same thing now with Miles Morales And that holds true for almost every comic Bendis writes.
It’s when he’s forced to focus on the superheroes – like in his various Big Event comics – that Bendis falters. House of M, Secret Invasion, Age of Ultron and more have been a mess, but when Bendis focuses on the people first, his stories are second to none. There’s a reason Marvel let him reshape and control the Avengers franchise for as long as he did, and there is no doubt that his work helped contribute to the success and pleasure of The Avengers movie.
So you guys hate Bends? Have to say I am a fan. Bendis has been one of the chief architects of Marvel for more than a decade now, and I couldn’t be happier. Bendis is a master of two things: dialogue and decompression. His stories take a long time to build, but he fills that time with wonderfully snappy banter and deeply personal character moments. The best parts of this Ultimate Spider-Man series have always been when Peter Parker is out of costume and interacting with the people in his life.Same thing now with Miles Morales And that holds true for almost every comic Bendis writes.
It’s when he’s forced to focus on the superheroes – like in his various Big Event comics – that Bendis falters. House of M, Secret Invasion, Age of Ultron and more have been a mess, but when Bendis focuses on the people first, his stories are second to none. There’s a reason Marvel let him reshape and control the Avengers franchise for as long as he did, and there is no doubt that his work helped contribute to the success and pleasure of The Avengers movie.
So in response to this I wrangled @disqus_q0B7XZZe9x:disqus over to The Pull Bag to discuss and highlight some licensed and creator own comics, based on the back and forth we had in the comments on this post. Check it out. https://www.geekcastradio.com/pull-bag/tpb-after-dark-creator-own-vs-licensed-comics
So in response to this I wrangled @disqus_q0B7XZZe9x:disqus over to The Pull Bag to discuss and highlight some licensed and creator own comics, based on the back and forth we had in the comments on this post. Check it out. https://www.geekcastradio.com/pull-bag/tpb-after-dark-creator-own-vs-licensed-comics