Fenris’ constant rants about John Byrne over in the “superhero matchup thread” has gotten me thinking: why are some people still in the writing biz? Is their ego really so huge that they’re just perpetually writing?
Byrne’s a classic example; his ability to write an entertaining story apparently disappeared sometime after he left Fantastic Four, or, if you’re inclined to so argue, Superman. (As I get older and read more Superman material, I spot more and more of the problems with Byrne’s Superman philosophy.) His Wonder Woman run tended to be horrendous, as did his brief Hulk stint. WW in particular seemed to be plagued with his usual problem of either improperly inserting his social commentary, or otherwise using the book as a playground for his favorite characters (the 4th World characters, Etrigan). His latest book, Lab Rats, is being cancelled after 6 issues.
I’m also bugged by Tom DeFalco’s seeming invincibility. I like the character of Spider-Girl, but the writing is just terribly lacking on the title. This book tends to be another playground for the writer’s old plotlines, in this case, his (poor) work on Fantastic Four and Spider-Man.
I’m curious: what keeps these people going? I know in Byrne’s case, he’s got a small-but-religiously devoted fan following, but in this day and age, I don’t see how a comic publisher could see such writers as a sound investment. Oy.
I feel the same way about certain comic book artists. Take, for example, Jim Lee. Can anyone argue that his innovative days are not behind him? Has his style evolved in any meaningful way since his work on X-Men over ten years ago? Actually, in my opinion Image comics was kind of a creative death trap for all of the founders. All of them seem stuck doing the same sort of work they were doing at the time of it’s founding, oblivious to the way that tastes in comic art have shifted in the ensuing years.
When I saw the subject, I did think of Byrne (Lab Rats being the catalyst). I do disagree slightly. I think Byrne’s last quality work was Next Men. That to me, was one of the best runs around. I think he needs to bring that back for Wildstorm or CrossGen’s new line.
Also, I’d like to add that maybe these guys don’t retire because of the money. Maybe they haven’t been conservative enough with their cash. From the money Byrne has made, you’d think he could retire, but I don’t know his situation.
As for other writers who should pull back, I propose Alan Moore. When was the last time he put out something that blew the community away? The ABC line is good, but I wouldn’t call it great. I really liked Top Ten (and I have heard of many who like Promethea and Tom Strong) but they aren’t classics like many of his works.
If money isn’t an issue (and I seem to remember an interview where he said he had had some financial troubles over a series he tried to produce), I think he should pull back and work on his bext great classic. This guy shouldn’t be producing “good” work. He should only produce great work.