X-Men - Part 4

[Mad Ones]

Why do people want Bendis to fail so badly? Is it personal or something? ANXM was pretty good, and its a good sign of things to come... but people don't want to talk about that.

 

[Donnie Darko]

He had a strong run on Daredevil, too.

 

[Havok83]

Why do people want Bendis to fail so badly? Is it personal or something? ANXM was pretty good, and good sign of things to come... but people don't want to talk about that.

Bc his Avengers run which was pretty long was for the most part awful. I thought he started strong with New Avengers but it got boring and fell apart after CW. From what Ive seen, his Mighty Avengers and Avengers were unimpressive as well. I know many longtime Avengers fans hated him bc tore the team down and did away with the classic team and vibe in favor of a more street level lineup composed of nontraditional members like Wolverine and Spiderman. The sour opinions started with Dissassmbled and many didnt get over it

 

[runawayboulder]

Bendis is highly overrated. His work on DD was up there with Miller, I never read USM but I'll be fair and take everyone's word that it was great but his Avengers went only as high as decent and as low as awful. His events were fairly well done but relied way too much on tie-ins in mini's.

 

[Manic]

Bendis ruined the X-Men comics about 6 years ago when he was only the Avengers writer. The damage he could do now that he's actually writing the X-Men is downright incalculable.

 

[Anubis]

Why do people want Bendis to fail so badly? Is it personal or something? ANXM was pretty good, and its a good sign of things to come... but people don't want to talk about that.

I'm gonna tell you I told you so right now. Cuz in 5 years when he's f**ked the X-Men like he did the Avengers, I might not be here. So understand that once the realization that things are going all wrong, we f**king told you so.

 

[JewishHobbit]

Bendis ruined the X-Men comics about 6 years ago when he was only the Avengers writer. The damage he could do now that he's actually writing the X-Men is downright incalculable.

I actually don't blame Bendis for that.

1) It was something Quesada wanted done, and so Bendis wrote it (remember those genies Quesada wanted put back in bottles? That was one of them). The decimation of mutants falls on his shoulder, alongside OMD.

2) The quality of the X-Men books after that fall on the shoulders of the X-Men writers who underperformed with the aftermath. Brubaker just didn't want to deal with it. Milligan tried but it was just mediocre. Nothing else was really done until Messiah Complex, where it got better but was then dragged out horribly... and eventually it got worse.

Just because Bendis wrote the story doesn't mean he should get the blame. Blame him for the quality of the story if you want, but not for the deed itself.

 

[JewishHobbit]

I'm gonna tell you I told you so right now. Cuz in 5 years when he's f**ked the X-Men like he did the Avengers, I might not be here. So understand that once the realization that things are going all wrong, we f**king told you so.

And if the X-Men are doing great in 5 years, will you own up to how great Bendis will be doing?

 

[runawayboulder]

JH, you should make his quote your sig for the next 5 yrs.

 

[Anubis]

Go ahead I'll probably get myself banned or something by then anyway.

 

[CConn]

I couldn't help my curiousity and bought ANXM #1 just to see if my assumptions about it were right.

They were. Ungodly so. It was pretty much your perfectly prototypical Bendis issue; absolutely nothing happened in it, it took the entire issue just to get to a reveal that should've happened in about page two, and absolutely everything progresses exactly how'd youd guess from reading interviews or even just the solicit.

 

[Havok83]

Its called setup. If he had the O5 show up in page 2, there would be no issue. He set the stage for this series as well as his upcoming uncanny X-men in this book and its clear the direction he will be going in with both.

 

[CConn]

Lol, if that's the proper way to plot an issue than Grant Morrison, Brian K. Vaughan, Jonathan Hickman, Sam Humpries, Rick Remender, etc. are all doing it wrong by writing books that are entertaining, surprising, and actually have progression between page 1 and page 20.

 

[Havok83]

Nothing happened and there was no progression? In the first page we learn Beast is further mutating and killing him. We are introduced to two new mutants who had their X-gene activated following AvX. The Extinction team makes their first appearance post-Consequences and they are set up as mutant revolutionaries taking up a similar goal of the original X-factor, yet with a different approach. This is of course is contrasted with the JG school cast whom are setup as clear opposers to them. And we have the finale of the time travelling kids whom are about to be brought to the future and see where their lives and world end up. Quite a bit happened in this first issue and Im sure it will be expanded upon in the issues to come

 

[CConn]

I'm pretty sure Grant Morrison detail all of that in a panel.

 

[JewishHobbit]

True, but Grant Morrison also has to squeeze in all the extra drug-induced nonsense, so he has to rush the good stuff.

While Morrison is good, I'd take Bendis any day. I prefer my comics to be paced well and make sense thank you

 

[CConn]

While I agree Morrison is on the opposite end of the extreme, you're downright wrong if you think Bendis paces his comics correctly. His books are some of the most woefully paced and decompressed works I've ever read.

There are SOOOO many other better writers and books to concentrate on.

 

[roach]

I dislike Bendis because he writes characters the way he thinks they should act instead of how they should act. Sounds weird I know but it makes sense to me.

 

[CConn]

His pacing is what bothers me the most.

But I understand what you mean about the characterization.

The other really awful thing he does is he has pretty terrible long-term plotting/storytelling ability. SO many of his plotlines have meandered for literally years only to end with little resolution of a thoroughly unfulfilling conclusion. It's like his goal is to give his readers a permanent case of literary blue balls.

 

[runawayboulder]

I dislike Bendis because he writes characters the way he thinks they should act instead of how they should act. Sounds weird I know but it makes sense to me.

No, you pretty much hit the nail right on the head.

 

[Anubis]

Yeah. Him, Fraction, few others.....they change the characters to fit the story, they don't change the story, to fit the characters.

 

[JewishHobbit]

While I agree Morrison is on the opposite end of the extreme, you're downright wrong if you think Bendis paces his comics correctly. His books are some of the most woefully paced and decompressed works I've ever read.

There are SOOOO many other better writers and books to concentrate on.

I'm not saying Bendis is the best writer at Marvel or anything, I'm just saying that he's not as bad as people claim and I think he'll do a fine job on All New and Uncanny X-Men.

As far as his decompression goes, I think he's gotten better. Back when he used to write 6 issues per arc no matter what, it got old. He's moved away from that a bit though. Most of his stories seem to be 4 issues now (which is a good fit for him), though he does drag it out occassionally. The recent Norman Osborn story is an example of that. He's even written several done-in-one stories, such as Luke and Jessica's 1st date and most of the event tie-ins. Heck, his AvX tie-ins (in New Avengers) was some of the best stories to come out of that event.

His lack of decompression is part of the reason why I think New Avengers vol. 2 was some of his best work.

His pacing is what bothers me the most.

But I understand what you mean about the characterization.

The other really awful thing he does is he has pretty terrible long-term plotting/storytelling ability. SO many of his plotlines have meandered for literally years only to end with little resolution of a thoroughly unfulfilling conclusion. It's like his goal is to give his readers a permanent case of literary blue balls.

Hah! That's great.

Though I admit to struggling with coming up with examples of his doing this. The Scarlet Witch is the only thing I can think of. Most everything else is typically wrapped up within a year or two of being introduced. The Ultron War maybe.

 

[Lord]

I generally prefer Bendis's work in Ultimate Marvel than on the mainstream MU, but i don't like how the changes characters to fit his stories.

 

[Ipodman]

Didn't know so many people hate Bendis...

Bendis wrote the first comic that I ever read... (Ultimate Spider-man)

 

[JewishHobbit]

I generally prefer Bendis's work in Ultimate Marvel than on the mainstream MU, but i don't like how the changes characters to fit his stories.

I also don't think he does this as much as people say, and at least he usually gives a good reason for it when he does. Yeah, Wanda and Simon are prime examples of it being done wrong, but most everyone else has been fine. His biggest flaw, in my opinion, is simply having too many background characters on the team. Why was Storm even there? Or Quake, or Iron Fist for a time, etc. It wasn't that he changed the characters, it's that he'd go spurts without doing anything with them.

Again, that's why I liked New Avengers vol. 2. Every character had a roll and were handled well.

Didn't know so many people hate Bendis...

I don't think there's as many as people might think. I just think that those who do hate Bendis are very loud about it.