As comic book readers age, they tend to get more interested in the creators of the book than the characters themselves. I’m sure there are exceptions, like people who only read Spider-Man comics, but even they prefer certain storylines and appreciate the people behind them. Everyone’s got their favorites, and some that they hate. Then there are people that you just don’t get. There are plenty of people for me that fit into these three categories. I love Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar, and Steve McNiven. I can’t stand Dan Slott, Chuck Austen, and I’ve read more Robert Kirkman stories I haven’t liked than liked. In the middle are guys like Matt Fraction, Geoff Johns, and Grant Morrison – I’m not a huge fan, but I definitely don’t hate them.
And then there’s Joseph Michael Straczynski a.k.a JMS. I’ve got a real love hate thing going with this guy. The first work of his that I had any contact with was the excellent Rising Stars. It’s all available in three trade paperbacks and makes for a good read. It’s about a group of 113 people whose birth coincides with a meteorite crashing to Earth. They all have different powers, but they are all tied together. It’s a pretty cool read, even though the art sees a steady decline.
Having enjoyed that I figured I might as well give Babylon 5 a shot. But first, some background – I’m a huge trekkie. To the point where I had a cardboard Enterprise-D dangling over my bed. (And if you know which one the Enterprise-D is, congratulations. You too are a trekkie.) I’ve watched pretty much every episode of every Trek series other than Enterprise. When Deep Space Nine was starting there was an outcry that it was just a copy of Babylon 5. And there are definitely some similarities (http://www.firstones.com/wiki/Similarities_between_Babylon_5_and_Star_Trek:_Deep_Space_Nine). But, after hearing from die hard B5 fans how superior it was to DS9, I finally got a chance to see for myself. I did four seasons of watching. Four seasons that I’ll never get back.
This is the series that gave JMS the cred in the geek community that he has. This. It is terribly acted, the sets are atrocious, and the highly touted computer graphics look dated and ugly. And JMS wrote almost every episode. He set a record for it! So, pretty much everything that ended up on the screen was his brainchild. Having said that, I’m pretty sure I slept through most of the first season. It was the only way I could get through it! It picked up in season 3 and 4, but that’s not saying much.
Having slogged through that, I kind of figured that would be it for me and JMS. But then, I guy I worked with started buying his Thor run. I was pretty skeptical, but he insisted that it was really good. He wore me down, and I started reading his back issues. I was blown away! Thor is resurrected and he recreates Asgard as a floating city in Oklahoma. Eventually, I picked up the Marvel Omnibus of his run and it stands as one of my favorite Marvel storylines. It certainly doesn’t hurt that Olivier Coipel does some of his best work on the series. The only problem with the run is that it was cut short because Marvel had other plans for the character. It’s a real shame because I really would have liked to see where JMS was going.
Before that, he did a really long run on Amazing Spider-Man. I haven’t read much of it, but he did something in it that alienated every Spidey fan on the internet. Peter Parker finds out that Gwen Stacy, his first real girlfriend, went to Paris and had twins with Norman Osborn. Then, she came back, was killed by Norman in his Green Goblin guise. The children aged much faster than normal because of the Green Goblin serum in their blood, and they go on the hunt for Spider-Man because Osborn says that he’s their father. It’s all very bizarre and tarnishes the character of Gwen in a way that doesn’t really make sense given what was established about her previously.
So, to sum up, I just don’t know what to think about JMS. He’s the one writer whose work I truly either love or hate.
Graham Becksted did get Mass Effect 3 Collector’s Edition after all (thanks Sonali and Jesse). He is the author of Graham’s Grumbles the second blog by that name that is listed in Google results when you search for Graham’s Grumbles. If you would like to be his 57th follower (thank you, bots), he can be followed on Twitter @GrahamBecksted.
A writer that singlehandedly destroys the integrity of Gwen Stacy’s character is no good in my opinion. He also had a hand in One More Day.
Intelligent storytelling went out the window as soon as the comics code was abolished.
Before that writers had to depend on creativity to tell a story, after that it seems that shocks and violence in order to create a buzz on the net (to sell comics of course) became the standard. Attrocities like Avengers Dissassembled and Identity Crisis are prime examples of this.
As much as I can see what you mean about death and violence being used purely for shock value, I did really enjoy Avengers Disassembled AND Identity Crisis…
Well, I guess I am more of a Bronze Age kind of guy. And I am really showing my age here
.
I grew up reading comics in the seventies, and have fond memories of a lot of Marvel series, like the X-Men, Avengers, Fantastic Four, Thor, Iron Man, Captain America etc. I hardly recognize those characters anymore.
I did leave comics in the early nineties, but came back when Busiek and Perez started their run on Avengers. Collected a lot of miniseries dealing with Avengers as well.
I feel, but that is only my opinion, that Avengers Dissassembled betrayed its rich history and characters.
But somehow it worked out for Marvel. The Avengers franchise is bigger than ever, and fortunately we did get a good movie last year.
Still, I haven’t bought a new Marvel comic since Avengers Dissassembled.
But I do buy Marvel Masterworks, Marvel Omnibus and other paperback editions reprinting 70s and some 80s stuff (Marvel and DC). My latest buy is the Iron Man omnibus by Michelinie and Layton. Good stuff!
If you’re interested in giving some of the new stuff another shot, I through up some of digital download codes in my latest post.
I really only started getting comics on a regular basis with Ultimate X-Men. Prior to that, I just dove into dollar bins and read whatever I could. So, I have some gaps in my knowledge pre-2000. But, I did get the DVD-Roms that Marvel released with PDFs of all of the Avengers and Fantastic Four issues that they had put out up to that point. The trouble is, it’s hard to figure out where to dive in. Any suggestions?
Almost every issue of the Avengers prior to #203 is good, but there are a number of storylines that really stand out:
- The Kree-Skrull War (Avengers #89-97)
- The Korvac saga (Avengers #167-177 minus 169)
- Nights of Wundagore (Avengers #185-187)
I also like most issues of FF prior to John Byrne’s run, but I can’t think of a storyline that was extra-special. John Buscema, Rich Buckler, George Perez and Keith Pollard produced some well-drawn FF stories, inked by the best inker the FF ever had: Joe Sinnott.
A lot of fans prefer John Byrne’s run on FF. His stories with She-Hulk as a member are very refreshing (FF 265- 295).
Some other storylines that may be of interest:
- Dark Phoenix saga (X-men 129 – 137). The best X-men story I have ever read.
- Iron Man #115 – 157. The definitive Iron Man. Clsosely followed by:
- Iron Man #215 – 250.
- Captain America #247 – 255 (Roger Stern and John Byrne)
Remember these are storylines I liked, I don’t know if you will like them. It is all a matter of personal taste.
Maybe I’ll post a few more storylines that are worth checking out.
Cheers,
Abe
I’ve read the Kree-Skrull War (Neal Adams was so ahead of his time, it’s ridiculous), and the Dark Phoenix Saga (“Okay, suckers – You’ve taken yer best shot! Now it’s MY turn!”). Both, totally solid. Thanks for the other suggestions! I’m particularly interested in the FF stuff with She-Hulk. What happens in Avengers 203 that sent the series down hill in your opinion?
Hi Graham,
I posted an extensive answer to your question.
Did you remove it?
Cheers,
Abe
Sorry, just found the reply
And gone the comment is again.
How come?
cappella says:
David Michelinie and George Perez left the Avengers around this time. We got a series of substandard fill-in issues till issue #211 and then Jim Shooter returned as the Avengers scripter. His previous run (~155 – 177) was – and still is – excellent, great storytelling, excellent artwork. So I had high expectations.
His second run was very badly written, very badly drawn and in my opinion the Avengers never recovered from this run. (Only the Busiek/Perez run compares favorably to the Avengers’ heyday).
The thing I was most upset about was his handling of Yellowjacket’s character.
I had a soft spot for Hank Pym and his wife (look how well they are drawn and scripted in Marvel team-up #59 – 60). Suddenly out of the blue he gets a breakdown and hits his wife. And if that wasn’t enough Shooter drags him through the mud and expels him from the Avengers.
This whole sorry business started in Avengers #213. In my opinion this issue signalled the beginning of the Dark Age/Modern Age in Marvel comics, thus ending the Bronze Age.
I wasn’t the only one that didn’t like this storyline. There is an excellent article over here in Avengers Chronicles: http://comicbookdb.com/issue.php?ID=62998 .
I think the Yellowjacket storyline served as a template of sorts. Soon after Iron Man was drinking again, another storyline that drag on for ages and I didn’t like. And Captain America handed in his shield and costume later in the eighties.
To put Yellowjacket’s storyline in context, it was first published in the early eighties. The year before had seen some changes for Marvel. Page count increased from 17 to 22 pages, but a lot of artists left (were fired by?) Marvel. Roy Thomas, Marv Wolfman and George Perez to name a few.
Roy Thomas was wrapping up his Thor/Eternals storyline in Thor but couldn’t finish it. Marv Wolfman must have had plans for the Fantastic Four and Amazing Spider-Man but we didn’t see them. And how I wished George Perez had stayed on the Avengers.
I followed these artists to DC. And I was a hardcore Marvel fan. It felt like blasphemy at first. But a number of DC series had that Bronze-Age feel attached to them.
Until the Crisis on Infinite Earths…….
Yes, I think Jim Shooter was instrumental in ending the Bronze Age and scaring away artists to DC. He made me distrust Marvel Comics and he made me go to the Distinguished Competition.
To add insult to injury Shooter said he didn’t mean for Yellowjacket to be a wifebeater:
http://www.jimshooter.com/2011/03/hank-pym-was-not-wife-beater.html
Bob Hall drew the infamous panel and there was no time to withdraw it. Yeah, right.
Fortunately – and more than 18 years later – Kurt Busiek and George Perez crafted the epic Ultron Unlimited storyline in Avengers #19 – 22 (Vol. 3) and provided some solid answers to Hank Pym’s character and storyline. They redeemed the character. And when Pym beats up Ultron in that storyline, I secretly imagine him beating up Jim Shooter
Cheers,
Abe
David Michelinie and George Perez left the Avengers around this time. We got a series of substandard fill-in issues till issue #211 and then Jim Shooter returned as the Avengers scripter. His previous run (~155 – 177) was – and still is – excellent, great storytelling, excellent artwork. So I had high expectations.
His second run was very badly written, very badly drawn and in my opinion the Avengers never recovered from this run. (Only the Busiek/Perez run compares favorably to the Avengers’ heyday).
The thing I was most upset about was his handling of Yellowjacket’s character.
I had a soft spot for Hank Pym and his wife (look how well they are drawn and scripted in Marvel team-up #59 – 60). Suddenly out of the blue he gets a breakdown and hits his wife. And if that wasn’t enough Shooter drags him through the mud and expels him from the Avengers.
This whole sorry business started in Avengers #213. In my opinion this issue signalled the beginning of the Dark Age/Modern Age in Marvel comics, thus ending the Bronze Age.
I wasn’t the only one that didn’t like this storyline. There is an excellent article over here in Avengers Chronicles: http://comicbookdb.com/issue.php?ID=62998 .
I think the Yellowjacket storyline served as a template of sorts. Soon after Iron Man was drinking again, another storyline that drag on for ages and I didn’t like. And Captain America handed in his shield and costume later in the eighties.
To put Yellowjacket’s storyline in context, it was first published in the early eighties. The year before had seen some changes for Marvel. Page count increased from 17 to 22 pages, but a lot of artists left (were fired by?) Marvel. Roy Thomas, Marv Wolfman and George Perez to name a few.
Roy Thomas was wrapping up his Thor/Eternals storyline in Thor but couldn’t finish it. Marv Wolfman must have had plans for the Fantastic Four and Amazing Spider-Man but we didn’t see them. And how I wished George Perez had stayed on the Avengers.
I followed these artists to DC. And I was a hardcore Marvel fan. It felt like blasphemy at first. But a number of DC series had that Bronze-Age feel attached to them.
Until the Crisis on Infinite Earths…….
Yes, I think Jim Shooter was instrumental in ending the Bronze Age and scaring away artists to DC. He made me distrust Marvel Comics and he made me go to the Distinguished Competition.
To add insult to injury Shooter said he didn’t mean for Yellowjacket to be a wifebeater:
http://www.jimshooter.com/2011/03/hank-pym-was-not-wife-beater.html
Bob Hall drew the infamous panel and there was no time to withdraw it. Yeah, right.
Fortunately – and more than 18 years later – Kurt Busiek and George Perez crafted the epic Ultron Unlimited storyline in Avengers #19 – 22 (Vol. 3) and provided some solid answers to Hank Pym’s character and storyline. They redeemed the character. And when Pym beats up Ultron in that storyline, I secretly imagine him beating up Jim Shooter
Cheers,
Abe
Hey, I’m not sure what was going on with the comments but they’re all good now!
Really enjoyed the comment, sir! It makes me wonder if you’ve been following some of the stuff that’s been going on with DC lately? Sounds like they’re driving creative types away in a similar fashion.
Speaking of DC, I haven’t read too too much outside of the occasional Batman story and some of the recent Green Lantern stuff. Any suggestions for great little known DC stories from the era you enjoy?
Hi Graham,
Last year I bought New Teen Titans Omnibus 1 and 2, by Wolfman and Perez,
and I will buy #3 as well. I own a small number of the original comics and they were pretty good. I haven’t read the Omnibi yet, but the art looks really great. I am not sure I will buy omnibus #4. George Perez left the Teen Titans, and the storylines didn’t improve.
The Crisis on Infinite Earths was good as well, also by Wolfman and Perez, although I would have preferred a number of Earths remain seperate, because….
Roy Thomas really understood the heroes of Earth-2. I liked his All-Star Squadron, Infinity Inc. (the first 12 issues) and the America vs. Justice Society mini-series. To my and to Roy Thomas’ regret the Crisis really messed things up.
I also liked the Paul Levitz run on The Legion Of Super-Heroes. A lot of the stories are collected in The Great Darkness Saga HC and The Curse HC.
Unfortunately, The Crisis messed up the LoS continuity as well.
Gerry Conway is one of my favorite authors, and I liked his Firestorm run. Good, clean and fun storytelling. I also like his Justice League Detroit, but I am in the minority.
I also bought Bat Man illustrated by Neal Adams #1, 2 and 3, the Green Lantern/Green Arrow slipcase by Denny O’Neill and Neal Adams, and the Legend of the Dark Knight HCs by Jim Aparo and Marshall Rogers. Sooner or later I will have to sit down and read some of those books.
These are my picks.
Maybe you’ll like some of them.
Cheers,
Abe
(The Netherlands)