Bendis re-ups with Marvel

[Hobgoblin]

OOO good arc, Silver, but I have to go even later and say the last great arc was the Ultron arc in Volume 3. Perez and Busiek at their peak:

 

 

 

Which Ultron is that? Ultron 37?

[Hobgoblin]

But trashing Bendis because a book he's is entirely responsible for making great has slowed down a bit?

 

Right now, Stan Lee is rolling in his grave-like bed.

 

Kids.

 

Need we remind some of you that New Avengers is the highest selling title over the course of the past year. I don't care if its because two covers go on sale every month. It's still selling a hell of a lot of books.

[DKB]

Everyone is still neglecting 60% of his workload. New Avengers this, New Avengers that. Obviously most of you don't read Powers or Daredevil.

 

Pick two books at the big two that have been consistently better than USM and Daredevil over the past 5 years. Better yet, don't waste the effort, there are none as long as you are excepting the Vertigo titles, Y, Fables, which, because they aren't strapped with superheros, are capable of being much better than the rest of the market.

[chrisco37]

Everyone is still neglecting 60% of his workload. New Avengers this, New Avengers that. Obviously most of you don't read Powers or Daredevil.

 

Pick two books at the big two that have been consistently better than USM and Daredevil over the past 5 years. Better yet, don't waste the effort, there are none as long as you are excepting the Vertigo titles, Y, Fables, which, because they aren't strapped with superheros, are capable of being much better than the rest of the market.

 

Planetary is the best superhero book, bar-none. Ex-Machina is also better than the current Bendis output.

 

I agree with the nay-sayers here; the quality of Bendis's work has dropped over the last year. I loved his early stuff on USM, but it's been bad for at least 20 issues (some of that has to do with the inker switch though; love Thibert, hate Hanna). I'm counting down to #100 so I can drop the title.

 

Daredevil isn't quite as good as it was, but still interesting enough to keep me reading. I will continue to read that book as long as Bendis/Maleev are on it. I'll drop it after that.

 

I haven't read the Avengers or NA stuff, so I cannot comment.

[Hobgoblin]

Everyone is still neglecting 60% of his workload. New Avengers this, New Avengers that. Obviously most of you don't read Powers or Daredevil.

 

Pick two books at the big two that have been consistently better than USM and Daredevil over the past 5 years. Better yet, don't waste the effort, there are none as long as you are excepting the Vertigo titles, Y, Fables, which, because they aren't strapped with superheros, are capable of being much better than the rest of the market.

 

I read Powers #1 and #2. It was decent. I read the entire recent Daredevil arc. It was interesting, but lacked excitement.

[Foolkiller]

I agree. USM was good the first couple of years. Powers, good at first, then it really slipped. Daredevil, again the first 2 or 3 years good.

 

I think Bendis has strengths in writing individual books, and handles team books and multiple characters very poorly. He's also incredibly, incredibly overrated. Although he has some nice dialog that I've laughed out loud at reading, overall, his stories lack cohesion and are basically indecipherable in terms of determining what actually happened in a given issue. New Avengers actually isn't even that much of a disaster when you compare it the Avengers Disassembled debacle. The problem is that in New Avengers, the characters all seem to talk the same.

 

Plus, Bendis lacks an understanding really of the history behind each character. Or better, yet, he doesn't understand the drive of each character when he has to juggle multiple characters. He just doesn't read particularly well.

 

When I compare him to Geoff Johns, the new DC go to guy, what I see is a big difference. Each character sounds different, so that you wouldn't assume it's always Johns writing it. The history is well researched, and each member in a team book (read JSA) sounds like they have their own soul and their own voice. Bendis fails in those characters. Plus, with multi part storylines, very little happens in any of the books Bendis writes. It's kind of boring.

 

I am highly critical of Bendis because he is offered as being Marvel's "best" and that's sad when that is the best you can offer.

 

Everyone is still neglecting 60% of his workload. New Avengers this, New Avengers that. Obviously most of you don't read Powers or Daredevil.

 

Pick two books at the big two that have been consistently better than USM and Daredevil over the past 5 years. Better yet, don't waste the effort, there are none as long as you are excepting the Vertigo titles, Y, Fables, which, because they aren't strapped with superheros, are capable of being much better than the rest of the market.

 

Planetary is the best superhero book, bar-none. Ex-Machina is also better than the current Bendis output.

 

I agree with the nay-sayers here; the quality of Bendis's work has dropped over the last year. I loved his early stuff on USM, but it's been bad for at least 20 issues (some of that has to do with the inker switch though; love Thibert, hate Hanna). I'm counting down to #100 so I can drop the title.

 

Daredevil isn't quite as good as it was, but still interesting enough to keep me reading. I will continue to read that book as long as Bendis/Maleev are on it. I'll drop it after that.

 

I haven't read the Avengers or NA stuff, so I cannot comment.

[DKB]

I agree. USM was good the first couple of years. Powers, good at first, then it really slipped. Daredevil, again the first 2 or 3 years good.

 

I think Bendis has strengths in writing individual books, and handles team books and multiple characters very poorly. He's also incredibly, incredibly overrated. Although he has some nice dialog that I've laughed out loud at reading, overall, his stories lack cohesion and are basically indecipherable in terms of determining what actually happened in a given issue. New Avengers actually isn't even that much of a disaster when you compare it the Avengers Disassembled debacle. The problem is that in New Avengers, the characters all seem to talk the same.

 

Plus, Bendis lacks an understanding really of the history behind each character. Or better, yet, he doesn't understand the drive of each character when he has to juggle multiple characters. He just doesn't read particularly well.

 

When I compare him to Geoff Johns, the new DC go to guy, what I see is a big difference. Each character sounds different, so that you wouldn't assume it's always Johns writing it. The history is well researched, and each member in a team book (read JSA) sounds like they have their own soul and their own voice. Bendis fails in those characters. Plus, with multi part storylines, very little happens in any of the books Bendis writes. It's kind of boring.

 

I am highly critical of Bendis because he is offered as being Marvel's "best" and that's sad when that is the best you can offer.

 

 

A well rounded critique!

 

 

Hate him because he's overhyped. Hate Marvel because he is the best they have. But he's a capable writer who at times has turned in some great great stuff. He's as asset to Marvel, no doubt, but I think he could be used better.

 

I think I'll have the same opinion of him when I get through House of M and Disassembled/New Avengers, that he is best suited to the tiny drama and not the cataclysmic uber crossover. I forgot to mention Alias/Pulse. Also a great small scope sort of book. I was sad to see the focus shift and the Bugle become a main point of the story, but I would guess that's what he had to do to keep the book going.

 

If I was the Marvel powers that be, I'd stick to keeping Bendis on the solo character books. Have him revamp Hulk or some forgotten character. Let Millar manage the crossovers. He's shown with Ultimates that he can handle the blockbuster real well.

 

I can agree with those that have said USM has trailed off. I think the format is getting to me, it feels repetitive. Daredevil hasn't trailed off a bit for me though. The general story of DD being outed and being the unofficial "Kingpin" of Hell's Kitchen hasn't progressed, true, but the stories he's whipped up while keeping the main plot point stationary have been great!