Bendis finally leaving Avengers, though not soon enough
6 Comments Published by Avi Green on Wednesday, December 07, 2011 at 8:10 AM.
In this CBR article, it's revealed towards the end that next year will be Brian Bendis' last for misusing the Earth's Mightiest Heroes:
The saddest part is that even after he leaves, there's little chance any of the terrible steps he took will be reversed. What is likely to happen is that another hack writer whom Axel Alonso favors will be brought in to continue making a mess out of a once famous team title, and unless Marvel is taken over by owners and publishers who actually care, the damage will never be repaired.
And not only will 2012 will be a particularly big year for Marvel's top-billed super team, it will also mark Bendis' last year working on the Avengers titles. The writer began crafting the adventures of Earth's Mightiest Heroes in 2004, and after eight years, he's finally ready to bring his run to an end.Boy, does he like to gloat and boast. The only reason why he's been on the Avengers as long as he has is because Joe Quesada approved of his unworthy approach to the fullest. First, he turned Scarlet Witch into a wacko, then, he took the series and slapped it together with parts that belonged in other books like Defenders and Heroes for Hire, and, most noticeably, he resorted to some very obvious casting like Spider-Man and Wolverine, which just shows how little faith he truly had in the official cast of the book to sell and stand on their own. And lest we forget how Bendis, the very writer who once said he detested letting Hank Pym back into the Avengers because of the embarrassing story where he was depicted smacking down Janet VanDyne in the early 80s, later went and technically slew the Wasp towards the end of Secret Invasion. With that kind of a track record, it's no wonder the book was otherwise rendered unreadable.
"I'm going to wrap up 'Avengers' and 'New Avengers.' At the same time the first storyline of 'Avengers Assemble' will be done," Bendis told CBR. "It's a good time to move on to other things. Before I go, though, I'm ending things big. I'm in countdown mode. You know when you're watching a show like 'Breaking Bad,' and every episode feels like the second to last episode? That's where I'm at. I've been on the Avengers longer than anybody in the history of the book. When you take everything into account, I've written over 200 issues. I'm very, very proud of that, and what we have coming up this summer gives me the opportunity to go out on a high note. I know enough about showbiz to know that's a great time to go."
The saddest part is that even after he leaves, there's little chance any of the terrible steps he took will be reversed. What is likely to happen is that another hack writer whom Axel Alonso favors will be brought in to continue making a mess out of a once famous team title, and unless Marvel is taken over by owners and publishers who actually care, the damage will never be repaired.
Labels: Avengers, dreadful writers, marvel comics, misogyny and racism, women of marvel
Thank God. Talk about eight years of absolute nonsensical storylines.
I'll still go, "Huzzah," but his influence will always be remembered. And we'll get plenty of it whenever Avengers: Earth's Mightest Heroes Season 2 is here. Joy. (But then, I wouldn't like it, anyway, as I don't care for space drama too much.)
Still, 8 years? Heck, most comic writers are barely around 8 months, let alone 8 years. That's impressive, albeit in a mordid and sad way.
Oh, well, at least, he didn't pull a Claremont and stay forever, right?
We lost Jerry Robinson :*(
http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/12/08/remembering-jerry-robinson/
I am glad he's finally leaving as his style of writing was never the right fit for Avengers. Avengers is and always should be a superhero title, NOT reality TV, not sitcom, and not stream of consciousness. To make matters worse, Bendis' simplistic and pre-teen dialogue - "Bendis speak" - were the nail in the coffin for me. What boggles my mind is how such a limited group, which for lack of a better term I will call the "banter groupies," made this a best selling title month-in and month-out. This group seemed to get a rise out of the banter alone, even if the characterization was off and the plot/story was dismal.
I miss Jerry Robinson, too. Sighs.
To Tribunal, I hear you about Bendis' dialogue. While I do like some of his tangents, he always tries to cram in every thought in existence whenever his characters talk (especially the thought balloons). Sometimes, you just can't do it, so save it for the next story. I write fanfiction, and dialogue is my strongest point, so I try to pay attention to such things.
Dialogue definitely matters, yet you can't always have talking heads in a superhero fight scene and there is a natural progression. Meanwhile, he tries to top himself each issue, disrupting the flow of banter. Banter is hard to do, yet it needs to flow gracefully, and some things just need to be unsaid for good subtext.
That, and he really loves "Aaaiiiee!" too much. Sounds too unnatural, unlike "Aaargh!"
Apologies, but I needed to vent about that.
I'm totally thrilled that he is leaving. A new writer could feasibly be as bad but I can't imagine one could be any worse. For the first time since he came on the scene, I'm feeling optimistic about my favorite team.