Posted by Pym Particle on 4/10/2008, 3:00 pm, in reply to "New She-Hulk Artist named"
62.178.191.153
This thread raises so many questions I have asked myself so many times. What makes us stick to a book/a character? To whom does a character belong? � To the creator? To the company? To the fans? (Of course I know that franchises belong to the company legally [except creator owned], here it is a cultural question.) What is important, what is the key issue why I like/love/read/buy a book?
Writing comics has so many facets. It�s the story told that counts (the material substrate of the story: She-Hulk fights the Absorbing Man in behalf of Titania). It�s the way the story is told (are there flashbacks, are there parallel strands, are there subplots?). It�s the dialogues, maybe some �meta text� (you might remember the off panel commentaries of the assistant of the Black Panther (�the client�) from Christopher Priest�s 90�s Black Panther run). The story and the way it is told I would call plotting. The dialogues and meta texts I would call writing in the strict sense of the word.
Then we have the art. Regularly the penciller will be the most important artist. In rare cases the inker and the colorist will have equal importance.
The decision to read a book may be lead by the characters, feature and supporting characters of the book. But each creative adds to the characterization of the character. Some characters are icons (Spider-Man, Cap, the Thing) that may only be changed slightly to avoid violating their icon status (but sometimes just this is wanted by the editors, see the recent Spider-Man controversy). To characterization may add: speech patterns (writer), plots (f. i. power and responsibility; plotter), body language (penciller, the way Spidey swung feet over head during McFarlane�s take on him was part of his characterization in the late 80s).
Then there is the �feeling�, the tone of a book. I cannot describe this better, but sometimes when you read a book there is a message on a sub-level that is not to be described as an element of the components above. F. i. a book has a Silver Age feeling (at the same time as being modern and contemporary; Spider-Girl does this to me; here inkers might be important too).
Well, if all works best your favorite writer teams up with your favorite artist on the book with your favorite character(s) and gives this (these) character(s) exactly the treatment you think to be fitting for this character. This sometimes happens (but very, very rarely; for me that was f. i. the Lee/John Buscema FF, the Lee/Romita Spidey in the 60s/70s, the Harras/Epting Avengers, the DeFalco/Frenz Thor in the 90s).
So what is the worst thing that can happen to a fan? It is the end of such a perfect run. And it�s even worse than worst when the sequel is just the opposite of what you loved.
This is when emotions flow. You feel betrayed. You feel dispossessed. The editor/writer does not understand this character! It is utterly destroyed!
Well, why do I buy or cancel a book?
Is it the character? I have collected each and every issue of Amazing Spider-Man either in original or in reprint. I have navigated through ups and downs. Now I will cancel the subscription. Why? Is it because of Mephisto? Is it because of dissing MJ? Yes and no. The book just does not have the feeling of Spider-Man any more.
Is it the artist? Steve Epting was my favorite penciller in the 90s (Avengers). Now I tried his Cap book, and it did nothing to me. John Romita and John Buscema were my favorite artists in the 70s. I almost could read any book by them and enjoy it. But they were not only great pencillers, they were great plotters too and they could add characterization and �feeling� to any book they did.
Is it the writer? Well mostly for me since some time. For me the writing and plotting dominates the question whether a book is fun for me. Peter David is my favorite writer at the moment. I have done the unthinkable for him, crossed the company border and purchased books of other companies than Marvel. Gary Frank, Kale Deown, Larry Stroman, Pablo Raimondi are great artists. But they just are not my favorites, i. e. I would not follow them to another series. But for David�s run on Hulk Frank and Deown were just perfect, for David�s take on X-Factor Stroman and Raimondi were the best. In some cases I bought a book in spite of the artist (ChrisCross on Captain Marvel, but finally his facial expressions grew on me). It was the way the story was told that counted for me and the writing and plotting added characterization and �feeling�.
So why do I post this on the She-Hulk page?
Just by happenstance (or maybe just not) I loved Dan Slott�s run on She-Hulk (and on Thing and GLA too by the way, but I hated his A:I and ASM). And I still love everything what Peter David is doing. I have reread his Hulk, X-Factor and Captain Marvel runs during the last months and I know what he can add to a series in the long run. It�s his subplots that count, it�s his slow take on a character that makes his longest runs his best. That�s why I hope that his run will be long.
Characters are not that import for me any more, I have seen too many of them destroyed in my point of view (Avengers, Spidey). I long for good story telling, feeling and characterization. I would not follow Madrox, Layla Miller or She-Hulk if they guest appeared in another book, I want them in a long range story. Would I read on if Millar/Hitch took over Spider-Girl? Not a single issue. But I would give the team of f. i. David/Nauck the confidence (although I have to admit that Millar/Hitch�s FF surprised me).
Well, die-hard She-Hulk fans, I admit I have forsaken all my favorite characters during the years. It is hard to accept that we are not allowed to own what we love. Bob Dylan took the electric guitar and some devil with a pen or a pencil took away our favorite character. We have to live with it. But move on, other mothers have pretty daughters and sons too. Read the good stories. David and Slott have delivered some of the best in She-Hulk recently. And I think that it is not important who does the pencils. Although I liked Bubillo, Pelletier, Moll and Semeiks.
This website, its operator, and any content contained on this site relating to She-Hulk, etc. are not authorized by Marvel Comics. This site is not sponsored, approved or authorized by Marvel Comics. The opinions of this site are not necessarily those of Marvel Comics and this site is not an authoratative voice of the views of She-Hulk, and characters and situations as written by Marvel Comics. This site serves as a non-profit scholarly work which reviews, promotes, and documents the elements of "She-Hulk", etc. in comic books and other media during the 20th century and beyond. All ideas in this site are expressed as a continuation of thought covering the pop culture associated with She-Hulk, etc. These thoughts are not necessarily the ideas of Marvel Comics. Some illustrations and words are the creation of others that may or may not have appeared in other publications or websites. Their inclusion in this site is not intended as an infringement of their copyright in any way, but rather is done in the interest of documenting and reviewing pieces of pop culture "comic book" history. She-Hulk and other related properties and images are � by Marvel Comics.
This Message Board is owned by Mitch Taylor (Irn12).
