Best Current Comic Writer

StarBrand · Post by **StarBrand** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 12:09 pm

Who's the best comic book writer currently and why?

IMJ · Post by **IMJ** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 12:40 pm

Kurt Busiek.

He writes with a style that nicely bridges traditional comic book storytelling with the modern vocabulary used by the current wave of "rockstar" writers - and he was doing it before any of them came around.

He's also a research nut and continuity genius when it comes to incorporating something new into what's old without sacrificing the history. He's probably the only writer that could've fit so much content into JLA Avengers as was present in that story, and still made it work.

He finds a way to get to the core of every character he writes, be it a tech hero such as Iron Man or a sword and sandals hero such as Conan.

He's also very good at combing first through third tier stories in the same book as he weaves a complex set of circumstances together, all moving at different speeds in the same arc. This is the kind of storytelling where you read a book for 13 issues, and by issue 14 the third tier story from the previous 13 books has culminated into something special. His Iron Man vol 3 run is a good example of this. It's something that seems to be very lost on the newer generation of writers.

Busiek is pretty much the man when it comes to writing comic books.

leonmallett · Post by **leonmallett** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 12:48 pm

Sales aside (and sales are obviously no guaranteed barometer of quality) then I still struggle to narrow it down to just one writer.

I agree Kurt Busiek is a genius, just for Astro City alone, let alone any of his other work. I echo that his work has depth and quality. My favourite comic book story of all time is from Busiek - 'The Nearness of You' - 16 pages of pathos and incredible writing, that deconstructs all those silly crises and secret conflicts from the point of view of a man who knows a sense of something lost.

As for the rest?

When Grant Morrison's best work is considered, I'd put him 'up there'. Not with Final Crisis, mind you.

For a writer who has pushed ideas what about Warren Ellis (I'll forgive him Black September in this consideration)? Or a writer like Mark Millar whose work on the whole I have really enjoyed yet polarizes opinions?

Lightning Strike · Post by **Lightning Strike** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 1:15 pm

StarBrand wrote:Who's the best comic book writer currently and why?

Currently? Boy that's tough. Lot of good ones writing these days like Johns, PAD, Kirkman, Morrison, etc.

I love Geoff's ideas and stories, however his actual dialogue isn't up to snuff when you compare him to the others. PAD is just the opposite. He doesn't always have great story ideas, but he can write the heck out of a book with the dialogue between characters. Morrison is great too, but he's not doing much right now.

With all of the quality titles that Kirkman puts out on a regular basis and at such a high degree of success, I think I have to go with him. TWD is one of the best reads every month, as is Invincible.

Elveen · Post by **Elveen** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 1:33 pm

I don't read a lot of new books. But I will add my 2 cents.

Busiek and astro city is great. His conan stuff is very god also. But I will that the recent astro city stuff is just ok while the first two volumes wre brilliant.

I will also add Shooter. His LoSH run was very good for me. Just about everything I have read from him is great or at least boarderline great. Heck I thought most of Broadway was great.

But for me it is Willingham. I have really enjoyed everything i have read from him. Starting with Elementals then to fables
and even all the sandman off shoot stories he has done. Really I just love fables.

Lightning Strike · Post by **Lightning Strike** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 1:35 pm

Elveen wrote:I don't read a lot of new books. But I will add my 2 cents.

Busiek and astro city is great. His conan stuff is very god also. But I will that the recent astro city stuff is just ok while the first two volumes wre brilliant.

I will also add Shooter. His LoSH run was very good for me. Just about everything I have read from him is great or at least boarderline great. Heck I thought most of Broadway was great.

But for me it is Willingham. I have really enjoyed everything i have read from him. Starting with Elementals then to fables
and even all the sandman off shoot stories he has done. Really I just love fables.

Can't argue with that choice

StarBrand · Post by **StarBrand** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 2:15 pm

No love for Matt Fraction?

superman-prime · Post by **superman-prime** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 3:33 pm

Johns and Fracton for me

Gl carries dc for now

400yrs · Post by **400yrs** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 5:12 pm

StarBrand wrote:No love for Matt Fraction?

No. He made Uncanny unreadable for me. I didn't like the issue of Casanova that I read. His Thor one shots weren't that great. The first few issues of Iron Man were good though.

My favorite writer is Jay Faerber. He's the only writer who I can say that I've liked everything I've tried and will try everything he puts out.

As far as the best writer, I'd probably agree with Willingham.

Johns..... He's probably my honorable mention for best writer, but I don't really care for the way he jumps all over the place in his stories. Busiek's recent Astro City is baaaaad. Brubaker has seemed pedestrian lately. Kirkman writes two of my favorites, but alot of mediocre and garbage stuff too. Morrisson does too many drugs as does Brian Wood. BKV is good, but overrated.

Greg Rucka is on my radar though for his original character and non-big super hero stuff. Another guy who I've yet to read anything that I didn't like (so far).

Cyberstrike · Post by **Cyberstrike** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 6:50 pm

Peter David. He turns bad characters into great characters and makes books that no one cares about into must read titles.

I generally don't like the X-Books. X-Factor is the only X Book that feels like it has a direction, a sense of purpose, great characters and is an absolute blast to read.

He turned The Incredible Hulk and Aquaman from crappy characters that no one cared about into must read titles, (Hell he turned Aquaman into a bigger bad a$$ than Batman in the 90s). He turned a botched retcon character Supergirl, into a great complex character that 80+ issue run on Supergirl is IMHO the greatest series that DC has ever published.

He has a wicked sense of humor read books like Spike vs. Dracula and Spyboy. He also can tear your heart out like he did in Angel Spotlight: Illyria a character that I never understood on the TV show he made me teary eyed by the time I finished it and I understood the importance of the characters of Fred/Illyria on the Angel TV series.

That is why Peter David is in my opinion the greatest American comic book writer in the industery today.

Lightning Strike · Post by **Lightning Strike** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 9:21 pm

Cyberstrike wrote:Peter David. He turns bad characters into great characters and makes books that no one cares about into must read titles.

I generally don't like the X-Books. X-Factor is the only X Book that feels like it has a direction, a sense of purpose, great characters and is an absolute blast to read.

He turned The Incredible Hulk and Aquaman from crappy characters that no one cared about into must read titles, (Hell he turned Aquaman into a bigger bad a$$ than Batman in the 90s). He turned a botched retcon character Supergirl, into a great complex character that 80+ issue run on Supergirl is IMHO the greatest series that DC has ever published.

PAD is probably my all-time favorite writer for all the reasons you mentioned above. I never cared for the Hulk or Aquaman before I picked up the comics he wrote and couldn't stop reading them. His Hulk run was indeed incredible (pun intended) and his Aquaman was unbelievable. His Supergirl series was very good, and the last dozen or so issues are utterly fantastic!

He also had the best run (albeit a short one) on X-Factor vol.1, which was brilliant. And he's doing an awesome job on the current X-Factor series, even though the last few storyarcs haven't been as good as the earlier ones. The man is a writing genius.

Unblessed · Post by **Unblessed** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 9:46 pm

400yrs wrote:Johns..... He's probably my honorable mention for best writer, but I don't really care for the way he jumps all over the place in his stories.

Or how he tries to completely explain something. Hey, just let it be because that's the way it is. (There was no need to explain the Force, George...)

I don't like Firestorm. You could half page that story or half book it and call Firestorm done.

So ready for Firestorm to be killed off by soemthing quick. Like the High 5 or something really stupid.. ie the common cold.

Really into the Aquaman storyline.

Really digging the Deadman storyline.

MAKE IT MORE IMPORTANT. ISSUE 2 WAS PAINFULLY S L O W....

Really want to see more Lanterns and Guardians.

Got the first two issues of Flash.. They were, to me, slllloooow.

It's almost like he's coming up with cool ideas and purposly screws them up.

Ok... guess I'll wait for an ultimate absolute archive master collecter and commander salamander edition.

Will have to check out Peter David.

daydreamscomics · Post by **daydreamscomics** » Fri Jun 11, 2010 6:21 pm

Jason Aaron

Reason: Read Scalped, you'll find out why

Ed Brubaker

Reason: Read Criminal, you'll find out why

superman-prime · Post by **superman-prime** » Fri Jun 11, 2010 10:32 pm

good choices day dream

400yrs · Post by **400yrs** » Sat Jun 12, 2010 8:17 am

daydreamscomics wrote:Jason Aaron

Reason: Read Scalped, you'll find out why

Ed Brubaker

Reason: Read Criminal, you'll find out why

Jason Aaron is indeed a good one. Scalped has been even better than ever lately.

Brubaker's last Criminal arc wasn't up to snuff. The first few were really good though.

Unblessed · Post by **Unblessed** » Sat Jun 12, 2010 7:26 pm

Ordered some PAD stuff from mycomicshop.

Can't wait to read it.

Lightning Strike · Post by **Lightning Strike** » Sat Jun 12, 2010 7:29 pm

Unblessed wrote:Ordered some PAD stuff from mycomicshop.

Can't wait to read it.

Cool, what did you get?

Unblessed · Post by **Unblessed** » Sat Jun 12, 2010 7:35 pm

Lightning Strike wrote:
Unblessed wrote:Ordered some PAD stuff from mycomicshop.

Can't wait to read it.
Cool, what did you get?

Atlantis Chronicles 1-7 (didn't see a TPB)
Aquaman Time and Tide TPB
Aquaman Sword of Atlantis TPB

(Plus 2 Miracle Man issues and the 2nd Cerebus TPB)

Lightning Strike · Post by **Lightning Strike** » Sat Jun 12, 2010 7:54 pm

Unblessed wrote:
Lightning Strike wrote:
Unblessed wrote:Ordered some PAD stuff from mycomicshop.

Can't wait to read it.
Cool, what did you get?
Atlantis Chronicles 1-7 (didn't see a TPB)
Aquaman Time and Tide TPB
Aquaman Sword of Atlantis TPB

Those are good, but the Aquaman series by PAD is great. I would highly recommend it

IMJ · Post by **IMJ** » Sun Jun 13, 2010 12:47 am

400yrs wrote:
StarBrand wrote:No love for Matt Fraction?
No. He made Uncanny unreadable for me.

His run on Iron Man so far is one long, drawn out boring joke too.

Eternalwarrior68 · Post by **Eternalwarrior68** » Sun Jun 13, 2010 8:30 am

My pics would be John Ostrander (starwars and much more), Geoff Johns and I know everyone loves Grant Morrison, but I cant stand his writing.

400yrs · Post by **400yrs** » Sun Jun 13, 2010 9:33 am

IMJ wrote:
400yrs wrote:
StarBrand wrote:No love for Matt Fraction?
No. He made Uncanny unreadable for me.
His run on Iron Man so far is one long, drawn out boring joke too.

I thought the first few issues were good, but I dropped it. Later, I heard alot of acclaim regarding issue 19 so I picked it up. I thought it was just ok.

IMJ · Post by **IMJ** » Sun Jun 13, 2010 8:42 pm

400yrs wrote:I thought the first few issues were good, but I dropped it. Later, I heard alot of acclaim regarding issue 19 so I picked it up. I thought it was just ok.

I'd make a good argument that Fraction's run on the Invincible Iron Man is the most overrated run in comic book history...

Cyberstrike · Post by **Cyberstrike** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 6:34 pm

Unblessed wrote:
Lightning Strike wrote:
Unblessed wrote:Ordered some PAD stuff from mycomicshop.

Can't wait to read it.
Cool, what did you get?
Atlantis Chronicles 1-7 (didn't see a TPB)
Aquaman Time and Tide TPB
Aquaman Sword of Atlantis TPB

(Plus 2 Miracle Man issues and the 2nd Cerebus TPB)

There currently is NO Atlantis Chronicles TPB that I know of, and Aquaman: Time and Tide is basically it's sequal.

I can't highly recommend enough BOTH the Incredible Hulk Visionaries: Peter David and X-Factor Visionaries: Peter David TPB series.
Also be sure to check out:
Maddrox: Multiple Choice TPB, (aka X-Factor vol. 0).
The current X-Factor series with 9 TPBs and HCs currently out and two more HCs on the way, and X-Men: Messiah Complex TPB.
The Fallen Angel Omnibus vol. 0

Unblessed · Post by **Unblessed** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 9:35 pm

Cyberstrike wrote:
Unblessed wrote:
Lightning Strike wrote:
Unblessed wrote:Ordered some PAD stuff from mycomicshop.

Can't wait to read it.
Cool, what did you get?
Atlantis Chronicles 1-7 (didn't see a TPB)
Aquaman Time and Tide TPB
Aquaman Sword of Atlantis TPB

(Plus 2 Miracle Man issues and the 2nd Cerebus TPB)
There currently is NO Atlantis Chronicles TPB that I know of, and Aquaman: Time and Tide is basically it's sequal.

I can't highly recommend enough BOTH the Incredible Hulk Visionaries: Peter David and X-Factor Visionaries: Peter David TPB series.
Also be sure to check out:
Maddrox: Multiple Choice TPB, (aka X-Factor vol. 0).
The current X-Factor series with 9 TPBs and HCs currently out and two more HCs on the way, and X-Men: Messiah Complex TPB.
The Fallen Angel Omnibus vol. 0

I have this huge anti-anything-Marvel thing going on right now. Having been typed, I will keep these in mind.

X-Factor does appeal to me over any X-Men/X-Force book. Don't like when things get over played.

Of course MyComicShop's discount is for DC A-L comics this week.

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