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Underground > Comic Books >

The Best of Bendis

22:43 / 07.12.04

What it says on the tin. What do you think of as the best of Brian Michael Bendis's work and what is it about it that you find especially worthy of praise. Please show your workings in the margin.

For my money, I rate Fortune and Glory, Bendis's own account of his dealings with Hollywood as he attempts to see one of his comics get turned into a movie. Its engaging, warm and genuinely amusing and, unlike some of his fiction, it seems bereft of any self-conscious elements of style. Bendis hadles both the art and writing on the comic and despite using a lot of 'cheats', such as sampling film posters, he never seems out of his depth as an artist. All in all, it's well worth checking out.

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

23:51 / 07.12.04

I'd recommend Torso.

The art is a bit of a struggle, but it is probably the best of his "crime noir" graphic novels. It is based on the Cleveland Torso killer of the 40's, and sticks close to historical facts. I liked how he treated the time, did the research and made it into an entertaining story.

Of course, I have a deep, abiding love for Eliot Ness, and have studied his career, so I'm already familiar with this case.

08:16 / 08.12.04

i like alias. it's a refreshing, subtle, wordy reinvestigation of the superhero genre using the tropes and styles of detective fiction. there is a well-drawn supporting cast of famous and not-so marvel heroes, who through great use of conversational dialogue are developed into real, believable characters. stories are told with cunning blocking and highlighting techniques, such as hearing just the one side of a telephone conversation. the setting, marvel manhattan, allows interesting splash pages as local heroes swing past, and we are given real insight into how normal, or wannabe-normal, people respond to having the marvelous intrude daily onto their consciousness.

most importantly, it has a realistic, resourceful, emotionally authentic, self-determining female character at its centre, something the marvel universe has not done as often as it might.

is that it? have i said everything? i think so.... oh wait there is another point worth mentioning (alias is written by brian michael bendice, by the way):...she's a NYMPHO!

woo big set-up, lame payoff. anyway, he's crap, ult spidey's the only good book he does, and that's just copying other people. bah.

Matthew Fluxington

11:16 / 08.12.04

I just read the first Bendis/Maleev Daredevil hardcover and absolutely loved it. I've never read anything else by Bendis which came even close to that level of quality, so I'd suggest going after that.

ONLY NICE THINGS

12:59 / 08.12.04

...she's a NYMPHO

Meh. She's a victim of abuse with serious self-esteem issues. Much as I hate to defend Bendis, that's a rather different matter.

13:19 / 08.12.04

only read a few issues. seemed she was having sex with blokes just so a couple pages later the bloke could have a go at her for 'not respecting their feelings' enough. luke cage: 'you used me as a sex object'. doesn't make the book in the least not-bollocks.

13:47 / 08.12.04

also, not seeing the difference in having low self-esteem/been abused, and being a nympho. it's weird that of all the reaction formations she could have had to whatever abuse / 'i'm no good'-feelings she experienced, joe q and bendy went for the 'sexiest' one, and the one which 'allows' all the violent violent men in her life to take the moral high ground over her. could be wrong of course, not read the whole lot, and ultimately don't care. but what about them half-a-phone conversations? amaaaaazing, and importantly just like life.

the only other benditch i've read in the past year or so has been ultimate 6. that was very boring indeed after a promising first two issues, and spider-man, would you please keep your bloody mask on? cheers.

ONLY NICE THINGS

14:43 / 08.12.04

*Really* not discussing abuse and self-destructive behaviour in this environment or this tone.

How about "Powers"? It gains massively just by being racked next to "Supreme Power", or whatever Jim Michael StraJimski's timely and necessary relaunch of the Sovereign Seven is called...

Haus of Mystery

14:51 / 08.12.04

Having not read a great deal of Benditch, I find him to be a capable, if sometimes lazy genre writer. I know he has his tics (one-sided phone conversations) but he usually keeps me going to the end of an issue, which is increasingly difficult nowadays. I read issue #1 of Powers which was..interesting. Should I spend me shecks on the trades?
I do feel he's stretched himself too thin by the looks of things, but the guys gotta eat (caviar).

15:01 / 08.12.04

*not* interested in discussing those issues either. you stated that being a victim of abuse and having self-esteem issues was a rather different matter to being a nympho, when in fact the two (three?) conditions aren't mutually exclusive at all. you thought that was worth bringing up, even though it isn't a supportable statement.

15:03 / 08.12.04

Both Goldfish and Jinx are amazing, with Goldfish getting the edge by a little. Bendis' Marvel work varies, but both of those are pure gold, really inventive art, great stories, great character development, and all in one volume. I really wish he would go back to something like this, rather than doing stuff like New Avengers. Though, I will give props to Daredevil, which was pretty great.

15:12 / 08.12.04

Of Bendis' s early work I am only really familiar with is FIRE, which left me rather less than impressed - how does goldfish and Jinx relate to that?

ONLY NICE THINGS

15:29 / 08.12.04

*not* interested in discussing those issues either. you stated that being a victim of abuse and having self-esteem issues was a rather different matter to being a nympho, when in fact the two (three?) conditions aren't mutually exclusive at all. you thought that was worth bringing up, even though it isn't a supportable statement.

(edited for politeness)

Actually, you said she was a NYMPHO! Quite different - your contention was that her apparently excessive sexual desire was a character element simple. This is not the case. I would challenge your definition of "Nympho" - throughout the entire series, I believe, from memory that she has sex with three men - two one-night stands and a relationship - over a two-year run. This may be nymphomania to you, but it does not seem to me to be a sign of a terribly fast crowd. So, I said that the characteristics you identified as making the character a NYMPHO! were actually not characteristic in this case of nymphomania, but of low self-esteem and abuse trauma.

So, a) your diagnosis of nymphomania is inaccurate, and rather Puritan, b) your information is based on not actually having read much of the comic - she got drunk and shagged Luke Cage, it's not exactly Fuck Girl - and c) I did not say they were mutually exclusive, I said that they were rather different things. This statement holds up perfectly well, and indeed since in this case Jessica Jones is not by anything but the most chess club standard a nympho, must be the case.

Of course, there is a broader question about whether these topics fit into the Marvel Universe (see the Indentity Crisis thread for pointers) - is it more generally abuse-friendly than DC?

Haus of Mystery

16:09 / 08.12.04

Marvel - the abuse-friendly comics company!

ONLY NICE THINGS

16:12 / 08.12.04

Certainly "Spider-Girl's been abducted by mutant power addicts" seemed a bit silly, let alone "Hey, the Purple Man may have a stupid name, but he could really humiliate and destroy a woman!"...

16:34 / 08.12.04

I believe the Supreme Powers series By JMS is a retelling of the Squadron Supreme (who are marvel's take on the JLA as you may or may not know). Or more specificly HYPERION (another riff on Superman). I haven't read ii myself but have heard it's being enjoyed.

Sovereign Seven was that DC series by Chris Claremont which I know very little about. Not sure if those references were mistyped, misremembered or misinformed. I don't know if anyone even considers the difference relevant(as neither series is written by Bendis; sorry for going off topic). Just thought I'd point it out.

It does tend to seem like marvel is More ABUSE FRIENDLY... perhaps that's what makes the DC Identitiy Crisis so distasteful to some? (compost for another thred?)

Getting back to Bendis I think POWERS has very interestingly abused its protagonists. I initially thought Walker had it bad, what with his loss of powers and the later revelations of the ongoing tragidies of his existance. Seems like Deena Pilgrim's experiences throughout the series have been harsh and gotten harsher. The writing certainly underscores the dangers of policing a superhuman society like few other series.

I occasionally consider picking up the ALIAS TPBs but haven't... should I?

16:43 / 08.12.04

>> Sovereign Seven was that DC series by Chris Claremont which I know very little about.

It sucks, don't worry about it. Nothing about it was good, basically. Died a welcome death/cancellation.

And the ALIAS paperbacks are really good, I'd highly recommend them.

17:09 / 08.12.04

Of Bendis' s early work I am only really familiar with is FIRE, which left me rather less than impressed - how does goldfish and Jinx relate to that?

FIRE is ok but GOLDFISH and JINX are much, much better.
JINX is a sequel to GOLDFISH (with a different character as the focus), neither have anything to do with FIRE.

Don't let FIRE put you off Bendis' work, I read it after the other two and was, like you, underwhelmed.

And another vote for FORTUNE & GLORY. I really like it.

18:43 / 08.12.04

Which company is more abuse-friendly?

Why, whichever one Mark Millar works for!

Jessica Jones may well be questionable, but really, she's probably the best Marvel heroine since, I don't know.

All top Marvel women are nymphos (!!) anyway; Black Widow, Emma Frost, umm. Elektra?

ONLY NICE THINGS

20:36 / 08.12.04

Not sure if those references were mistyped, misremembered or misinformed.

It was a gag, but clearly not a very successful one.

20:51 / 08.12.04

...well, at least nobody was offended...

ONLY NICE THINGS

07:10 / 09.12.04

It's a good job, on the whole, that John Byrne wasn't reading. That kind of thing MAKES... HIM... MAD.

Dan Fish - @Fish1k

07:29 / 09.12.04

I'm told Powers is the cream of the crop, but I've never read it, so can't comment.

I preferred Jinx to Goldfish. GF had some great moments, but in my opinion, Bendis' skills were still in their formative stage, and Jinx made for a much better read (for me)

Alias was fantastic, best read all at once though, without a month wait between issues. The follow up, Pulse, has been entertaining enough, but has a foot more firmly entrenched in the Spider-Man universe, and suffers from Bagleys art. Brent Anderson takes over from #6 though, so we'll see if that one gets better.

My heartiest recommendation would be Daredevil hardcovers 2&3 (#1 is Kevin Smith's run), I skipped the original issues because I wasn't sure about the art, I thought it was a tad muddy, and tipped the balance too far between mood and substance. Having really absorbed it in the large HC format though, I couldn't have been more wrong. You should be able to get both HCs cheapish from Mile High or Amazon. 2&3 form a nice complete novel. Reactions to subsequent issues have been a little more luke-warm, but that may be due to overexposure or bendis-backlash. I'll be picking up HC4 regardless.

On that subject, perhaps you can have too much of a good thing - so don't go buying all volumes of everything at once. I'm taking the laid back approach, maybe I'll read Powers/Avengers/UltimateWhatever/Etc one day, just not all at once every month.

07:38 / 09.12.04

Fortune and Glory is a nice fun story, one where the Bendisisms of his dialogue work in that Aaron Sorkin sense. I also liked Total Sellout, it had some nice little experiments, and basically consisted of a bunch of vignettes.

Regrettable Juvenilia

14:42 / 09.12.04

I would second Matthew’s judgment that Bendis’ run on Daredevil is far and away the best thing he’s done (and I’m glad you finally got around to reading it, dude). Bendis has stated that his intention was to write something as good as Born Again, and I think he’s succeeded – moreover, I think he’s surpassed it, certainly in terms of characterization. The Bendis take on Matthew Murdock is less overtly religious than some versions of the character, but Murdoch’s personality is very much influenced by religion: always angry, slightly repressed, keen to punish sinners (“Go home and change your life!”

. The other key Daredevil elements are well used: he has a weakness for women, he’s not very good at keeping his identity secret. Best of all, something about the way Alex Maleev draws Murdock in a suit (plus the writing) makes him plausible as a lawyer: he’s just a little bit smug, which is sometimes very satisfying, sometimes his undoing.

The over-arching plot of the series is also a lesson in how to write something that unfolds over quite a long period of time/number of issues without too much obvious filler or too glacial a pace.

The Foggy/Matt relationship is also beautifully handled throughout: they’re such a sweet couple.

15:24 / 22.02.07

can't agree to much about the bendis daredeevil run. i think it might be my favourite arc in a marvel comic ever. plausible, totally marvel universe and in step with the history but really very fresh with it.

i find it hard to believe it is the same writer who does ultimate spiderman, being self referential about it doens't mean its okay to jump the shark. even if i was 14 i would be finding it getting lame and lamer by the issue.

am enjoying the new avengers run though and think spiderman is handled very well in there, though the Echo reveal was a bit of an anti-climax and i find the sentry stuff so pointless unless he turns out to be Thor.