New series from Dan Slott!

[CantThinkOfAName]

Oh man, I cant wait to read another eight issues of Slott goodness

 

[Not Jake]

Dude earlier today I was gonna make a joke telling people to set 25 bucks aside so they could buy every issue of this series

but I couldn't get the wording right so I passed. I suffer for my art

 

[rigel7soldiers]

did he? I might have to pick that up, I wasn't sure if any of those characters would ever return

anyone know if Humpty Dumpty has reappeared?

I'm not sure if he actually appeared, but he was mentioned as a member of the Secret Society. Which is wierd, since he's no good to them institutionalized.

 

[Sabretooth]

But that's what I like about Dan Slott. He's really not out to just give you WOW moments all the time. He keeps things simple and it's what makes him stand out from a lot of the big time writers at Marvel.

I just can't exactly get into the guy though, I pick up She Hulk and keep trying to give it a shot but nothing grabs me. I might like some of his humor more if I knew more about the obscure characters usually involved....

 

[CantThinkOfAName]

Dude earlier today I was gonna make a joke telling people to set 25 bucks aside so they could buy every issue of this series

but I couldn't get the wording right so I passed. I suffer for my art

Its ok, masteryoda will show us the way to correctly word a Dan Slott insult

 

[Darthphere]

I just can't exactly get into the guy though, I pick up She Hulk and keep trying to give it a shot but nothing grabs me. I might like some of his humor more if I knew more about the obscure characters usually involved....

Wikipedia.

 

[Zoken]

I just like how this guy uses and embaces continuity, often dredging up something without changing it.

 

[deemar325]

Good news for Slott, but it seems this is par the course for Joey Q, he's forcing Slott to sweep under the rug his true talent for solid, fun, super heroics in favor of the Bendizing of Marvel.

 

[Dread]

I'll give the series a look, hopefully it'll be just as good as THE THING or better (THING still really should have done better).

If its CHAMPIONS, I'd probably bust a gut.

 

[deemar325]

Oh..I hope!!!

 

[Dread]

I'm glad Slott was included in whatever "summit" there was. Quite frankly, he's more willing to be honest to the genre without feeling the need to apologize for it, like a lot of writers do.

 

[deemar325]

They can only benefit, and maybe he'll rub-off on them?

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

Good news for Slott, but it seems this is par the course for Joey Q, he's forcing Slott to sweep under the rug his true talent for solid, fun, super heroics in favor of the Bendizing of Marvel.

Didnt the interview say that Dan approached Joe with a series pitch?

I dont see how you can get " Joe is FORCING Slott to sweep under the rug his true talent and blahblahblah" from THAT.

I must have missed the part of the interview where Joe put a gun against Dan's head and demanded he write a particular kind of story, lol.

 

[JewishHobbit]

Haven't you heard? Joe Q is Satan and Bendis is his Anti-Christ, and they can do no right, and all are oppressed under their mighty thumb.

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

Haven't you heard? Joe Q is Satan and Bendis is his Anti-Christ, and they can do no right, and all are oppressed under their mighty thumb.

Oh that's right! My bad, lol.

 

[Darthphere]

Haven't you heard? Joe Q is Satan and Bendis is his Anti-Christ, and they can do no right, and all are oppressed under their mighty thumb.

You say that playing around.

 

[SpideyInATree]

Good news for Slott, but it seems this is par the course for Joey Q, he's forcing Slott to sweep under the rug his true talent for solid, fun, super heroics in favor of the Bendizing of Marvel.

Ummm, he's not forcing Slott to do anything. Maybe Dan wants to do something more serious and had an idea...pitched it...and everybody is getting behind it. Dan, and Joe, are both hoping that it will be his big breakout hit. Yeah, many posters here and in other boards are behind Slott, but the mainstream comic book fans may not really know who Slott is...or what he's capable of.

But, hey, if you really want to think that Dan Slott is ****ing himself because you think Bendis is the know all and say all at Marvel...then go ahead. But that's not what the original post implied from even Dan Slott himself.

So...you know....and lets not forget that Mr. Slott is also a poster here on the boards. So, I wouldn't be surprised to see a nice rebuttal from the man himself. I'm sure he'd gladly admit that he's jerking Bendis off to get his story ideas accepted, and it couldn't have been his fantastic work over the years at Marvel that got him in this position or anything!

I just can't exactly get into the guy though, I pick up She Hulk and keep trying to give it a shot but nothing grabs me. I might like some of his humor more if I knew more about the obscure characters usually involved....

I know what you mean. I had trouble at first with the She-Hulk stuff but if you enjoy the humor of the book and it's entertaining you...do some research of the obscure characters. That's what I did and I've learned a lot more about things in the Marvel U and learned that Dan Slott has a ridiculous knack for stong continuity, something that many writers at Marvel lack.

 

[deemar325]

Didnt the interview say that Dan approached Joe with a series pitch?

I dont see how you can get " Joe is FORCING Slott to sweep under the rug his true talent and blahblahblah" from THAT.

I must have missed the part of the interview where Joe put a gun against Dan's head and demanded he write a particular kind of story, lol.

As I stated before, it seems Slott has no other choice, but to become one of the 'gang' it's a matter of survival.

For as long as Slott has been at Marvel he has been one of the few guys who honored Marvel's history with solid characterzation and brisk stories without cheating the reader with 6-part stories that don't lead to anything. Slott is what someone else refered to as a creator not a destroyer like Bendis.

So it's not putting a gun to someones head, but it's that long tradition of having to bend to someone elses will and throw away what made you unique to fit in with the guys in charge.

 

[Dread]

There have been a few people who have seemed disturbed that Slott claimed this new series is a deviation from the "fun comedy stuff" he has become good for at Marvel (with SPIDER-MAN/HUMAN TORCH, GLA, GLX-MAS SPECIAL, SHE-HULK, and THE THING). I'd just like to add my own commentary on it. Of course, as a SHH poster, Mr. Slott can answer for himself if he has the time.

Firstly, "goofy" stories are not easy; comedy only looks easy if the person doing it is genuinely good at it. You can easily tell when someone is simply TRYING to be funny. Trust me, I've read countless Spider-banter lines that were trying to be funny vs. actually being funny. Mostly from USM, but I digress. Even actors will usually claim that doing more dramatic stuff is sometimes easier than being really good at comedy roles.

Secondly, Slott's stories usually involve more than just "comedy". To only see the comedy is to miss a lot of the stuff underneathe. SPIDER-MAN/HUMAN TORCH was a story about the two superhero rivals/friends who have shared their careers together and about how their lives intertwined, and it had a lot of heart. GLA had plenty of "dark" moments, the easiest to spot were the moments with Mr. Immortal, a man who cannot die yet anyone he loves usually does; that's VERY dark if you think about it. In fact I found a lot of Mr. Immortal's stuff from GLA/X-MAS downright heartbreaking and allowing me to appreciate him as a character and a hero, rather than just a "goofball". Even THE THING has plenty of moments that aren't for laughs, like Thing's revelation that all money has done for him was make people who usually think he's a freak act phoney around him, and that he's foolishly neglected his real friends, or what he could do with wealth. And SHE-HULK recently had a storyline that depicted Starfox in an incredibly realistic way; as a metahuman date-rapist who is hardly apologetic about his "forced" sexual trysts. That isn't anything that he wasn't before, just taking his premise and applying it to a post-modern world of sexual harassment and so on. Even his TWO-GUN KID Western story wasn't a "comedy", but a straight-foward Marvel western that followed the conventions of the genre, to fighting the supernatural and even some of the outdated slang.

Thirdly, comic book writers can get "typecast" if they are only known for one niche, which is why they like to vary the tone and range of their stories to display their real talent. I mean, Bendis may not be as good at mainstream superheroics than he is at crime noir, but you can't fault the man for wanting to try something new (and its not like Marvel hasn't been behind him anyway). As such, while I am sure Mr. Slott is proud of his work, I could understand if he wanted to try something a little new with Marvel work for a change so he's not just seen as "Mr. Funny". Especially since most of his series, good as they are, haven't sold as well as they should. The man has to brake out if we want to see him on the "mainstream" titles that some fans crave for, like ASM. Why NOT use the CW-train and a fresh idea to do that?

Fourthly, this series was Slott's pitch, and his idea. Writers are artists who can get inspiration from stuff like anyone else. They may not be as afraid of trying something new as many of the readers, because that's how art works. The issue with comics is that professional comic books aren't usually about art anymore, but about maintaining a franchise, which entails some sacrifices (as well as maintaining a "brand").

Slott's stories aren't about simple laughs. They're about not being afraid of the conventions of the genre and feeling the need to apologize for them. He's not afraid to have bright costumes, or heroes-fighting-giant-robot-apes sort of things (which in the past were played DEAD STRAIGHT). He also maintains a strict continuity and researches the past of his characters for story angles (look at all the past Warriors allies he dug up from limbo for SHE-HULK #8). And lastly they usually have heart. He's not writing stories most times to shock, to appall, to rip apart and tear down; in fact, he's satirized comics that do that.

But I never read his Arkham story; just because he does the above stuff doesn't mean he can't do a more serious story. I mean, INDIANA JONES movies aren't comedies, although they have some light interludes. Same as STAR WARS or many other franchises. I doubt Slott is going to write a Frank Miller-esque yarn here. "He walked through the blood and bile, razorwire in his hair, the head of a dead prostitute in his hand and the scent of her love-stink still on his pants..." C'mon. I doubt it.

 

[Elijya]

ok, first off, Dan always refered to GLA as something that was different from the rest of his stuff, too. Same with Arkham Asylum. Guess what, though? He LOVED doing those books, and they were still lots of fun, they were just darker.

Don't pigeon hole the guy, he can do ALOT more than just comedy. And whatever this project was, it was HIS idea, no one pushed him into it, everybody just loved what they heard. I don't know how you can possibly be making something, I don't know, sinister out of that.

and the editorial retreat was something for EVERY Marvel writer, so no, he's not all of a sudden more chummy with Quesada and BMB any more then he was last month, or last year

 

[Dread]

Basically, so long as this premise involves characters I would like to read about, I'm sold.

I mean, heck, Giffen has ranged from dead-serious to outright-goofy stories, and balances both well. Why not Slott?

 

[deemar325]

Ummm, he's not forcing Slott to do anything. Maybe Dan wants to do something more serious and had an idea...pitched it...and everybody is getting behind it. Dan, and Joe, are both hoping that it will be his big breakout hit. Yeah, many posters here and in other boards are behind Slott, but the mainstream comic book fans may not really know who Slott is...or what he's capable of.

But, hey, if you really want to think that Dan Slott is ****ing himself because you think Bendis is the know all and say all at Marvel...then go ahead. But that's not what the original post implied from even Dan Slott himself.

So...you know....and lets not forget that Mr. Slott is also a poster here on the boards. So, I wouldn't be surprised to see a nice rebuttal from the man himself. I'm sure he'd gladly admit that he's jerking Bendis off to get his story ideas accepted, and it couldn't have been his fantastic work over the years at Marvel that got him in this position or anything!




I know what you mean. I had trouble at first with the She-Hulk stuff but if you enjoy the humor of the book and it's entertaining you...do some research of the obscure characters. That's what I did and I've learned a lot more about things in the Marvel U and learned that Dan Slott has a ridiculous knack for stong continuity, something that many writers at Marvel lack.

Let me break this down for you since you seem to think you can read my mind. Dan Slott is and will always be one of the few writers at Marvel that I will forever respect and enjoy, he has a energy and honesty about him that is admirable.

So I will support anything he chooses to do. Now that said, it is so obvisous to me that Slott has come to the realization that, he has to get with the 'Bendis/Joey Q' program. Which means fore going his more pure style of writting and go back to his Arkham style, which is fine he may finally get his break out hit!

Now my thing is why should he have to feel that he must let go of his traditional style in favor of the 'Bendis' style? Why? Because Marvel is now in Bendis' creative hands there is no falsity in this statement.

I accept Bendis' power it's not gonna change anytime soon, but when it means other writers must katow to his influence or risk being marginalized it's a problem to me.

 

[deemar325]

There have been a few people who have seemed disturbed that Slott claimed this new series is a deviation from the "fun comedy stuff" he has become good for at Marvel (with SPIDER-MAN/HUMAN TORCH, GLA, GLX-MAS SPECIAL, SHE-HULK, and THE THING). I'd just like to add my own commentary on it. Of course, as a SHH poster, Mr. Slott can answer for himself if he has the time.

Firstly, "goofy" stories are not easy; comedy only looks easy if the person doing it is genuinely good at it. You can easily tell when someone is simply TRYING to be funny. Trust me, I've read countless Spider-banter lines that were trying to be funny vs. actually being funny. Mostly from USM, but I digress. Even actors will usually claim that doing more dramatic stuff is sometimes easier than being really good at comedy roles.

Secondly, Slott's stories usually involve more than just "comedy". To only see the comedy is to miss a lot of the stuff underneathe. SPIDER-MAN/HUMAN TORCH was a story about the two superhero rivals/friends who have shared their careers together and about how their lives intertwined, and it had a lot of heart. GLA had plenty of "dark" moments, the easiest to spot were the moments with Mr. Immortal, a man who cannot die yet anyone he loves usually does; that's VERY dark if you think about it. In fact I found a lot of Mr. Immortal's stuff from GLA/X-MAS downright heartbreaking and allowing me to appreciate him as a character and a hero, rather than just a "goofball". Even THE THING has plenty of moments that aren't for laughs, like Thing's revelation that all money has done for him was make people who usually think he's a freak act phoney around him, and that he's foolishly neglected his real friends, or what he could do with wealth. And SHE-HULK recently had a storyline that depicted Starfox in an incredibly realistic way; as a metahuman date-rapist who is hardly apologetic about his "forced" sexual trysts. That isn't anything that he wasn't before, just taking his premise and applying it to a post-modern world of sexual harassment and so on. Even his TWO-GUN KID Western story wasn't a "comedy", but a straight-foward Marvel western that followed the conventions of the genre, to fighting the supernatural and even some of the outdated slang.

Thirdly, comic book writers can get "typecast" if they are only known for one niche, which is why they like to vary the tone and range of their stories to display their real talent. I mean, Bendis may not be as good at mainstream superheroics than he is at crime noir, but you can't fault the man for wanting to try something new (and its not like Marvel hasn't been behind him anyway). As such, while I am sure Mr. Slott is proud of his work, I could understand if he wanted to try something a little new with Marvel work for a change so he's not just seen as "Mr. Funny". Especially since most of his series, good as they are, haven't sold as well as they should. The man has to brake out if we want to see him on the "mainstream" titles that some fans crave for, like ASM. Why NOT use the CW-train and a fresh idea to do that?

Fourthly, this series was Slott's pitch, and his idea. Writers are artists who can get inspiration from stuff like anyone else. They may not be as afraid of trying something new as many of the readers, because that's how art works. The issue with comics is that professional comic books aren't usually about art anymore, but about maintaining a franchise, which entails some sacrifices (as well as maintaining a "brand").

Slott's stories aren't about simple laughs. They're about not being afraid of the conventions of the genre and feeling the need to apologize for them. He's not afraid to have bright costumes, or heroes-fighting-giant-robot-apes sort of things (which in the past were played DEAD STRAIGHT). He also maintains a strict continuity and researches the past of his characters for story angles (look at all the past Warriors allies he dug up from limbo for SHE-HULK #8). And lastly they usually have heart. He's not writing stories most times to shock, to appall, to rip apart and tear down; in fact, he's satirized comics that do that.

But I never read his Arkham story; just because he does the above stuff doesn't mean he can't do a more serious story. I mean, INDIANA JONES movies aren't comedies, although they have some light interludes. Same as STAR WARS or many other franchises. I doubt Slott is going to write a Frank Miller-esque yarn here. "He walked through the blood and bile, razorwire in his hair, the head of a dead prostitute in his hand and the scent of her love-stink still on his pants..." C'mon. I doubt it.

Very good points and I agree, as I said I will support Dan in whatever he does, I just don't like the smell of the circumstance.

 

[Kool-Aid]

You're post is hilarious if you do it in Samu-L's voice. Nice avvy.

 

[deemar325]

Yes Dan Slott deserves to be a top writer and I hope Bendis burns in Hell!!!!