On a much less serious note than priests on reproduction or even waiting for the bar, I'd like to take time out to talk once more about comic books. One of my pet peeves today about comics is never getting to see my favorite characters drawn by my favorite artists. Sometimes this is attributable to the exclusives wars between Marvel and DC, and sometimes it is simply due to editorial or managerial directives. Whatever the reason, it can get pretty irritating. It really gets on my nerves, for example, that every A-list artist of either Marvel OR DC has drawn that overexposed buffoon Wolverine for at least one issue, but only a fraction of that number has actually drawn a full issue of Spider-Man.
Here, therefore, is my wish list:
Steve McNiven (Marvel Knights' 4, Ultimate Secret) on ANY Spider-Man book. This guy has professed a love for the character and a desire to work on the flagship book Amazing. His work on Marvel Knights' 4 was some of the most polished stuff I'd seen in ages. He would be a welcome break from Mike Deodato. Having him work with current writer J. Michael Straczynzki would be perfect.
Jim Lee on Daredevil. What's painful about this is that Lee has practically sung ballads about how he grew up on Frank Miller's Daredevil, and how he loved The Man Without Fear, the origin miniseries crafted by Miller and John Romita Jr. I would also like for him to draw in a Spider-Man cameo. For some reason I don't think Lee's work suits the wall-crawler, but I would like to at least see his take on him. The last Spider-Man image he did was a Punisher cover, and that was when he hadn't yet evolved to his current status. Team him up with Kevin Smith, Brian Bendis or Frank Miller and I'd be a happy man. Something tells me that if Jim Lee got to team up with Miller on Daredevil, he'd be happy too.
John Romita Jr. on Batman. I know we saw him do Batman in the Punisher/Batman team-up, but given that JR Jr.'s worked at Marvel over half his life now I'd like to see him distanced somewhat from the company, let him get his feet wet in some new territory. Besides, Klaus Janson, his inker in Punisher/Batman, makes his work look horribly messy. He'd be better off with Scott Hanna or Al Williamson. Brian Bendis or Chuck Dixon could write some great scripts for him to draw.
J. Scott Campbell on Spider-Man. Anyone who's seen Campbell's Spider-Man posters and covers knows this guy is McFarlane refined. Even just a one-shot would make me happy, especially if Straczynski or Mark Millar wrote it.
Dale Keown on Hulk. He's actually already done Hulk, but his talent has since grown considerably. Actually, if I only had a copy of his "Hulk: The End" one-shot, I'd probably remove this request.
And that's all I can think of now. Please note that I didn't mention any artist for Wolverine or the X-men, because like I've said, I'm pretty sure every artist in the industry has drawn freaking Wolverine by now, even the guys that don't like him. Boy that sucks. Anyway, once upon a time I dreamed of seeing Arthur Adams draw Spider-Man for more than a few pages in an issue of freaking Longshot, and I got my wish with Fantastic Four #s 347-349. I once dreamed of Joe Quesada drawing non-mutant major Marvel characters, and he gave me the incomparable Daredevil revival, so one can always hope...
6 comments:
Stumbled on this and. . . could not agree more with Steve McNiven. The guy is burning on all cylinders and I'd like to see him do more. While Warren Ellis' writing and the cliffhanger on Ultimate Nightmare whets my appetite for the forthcoming sequel Ultimate Secret, McNiven's art sure sweetens the deal. Oh, and Romita Jr., I think, is the most underrated comic-book artist out there. Him on Silver Surfer would rock. :-)
hey jim, check out my website
www.millcase.com
the latest product of ryan's genius.
the website could use a redesign though.
To dodo: welcome to the tantrum! Nice to finally meet a fellow fan who's taken notice of Steve McNiven! JR Jr. is one of my favorite artists, and has been since his Daredevil days, although I have to say, in fairness to both Marvel and fandom, that his achievements have not gone unnoticed. Mark Millar's current run on Wolverine was considered an event because he was being teamed up with John. Hope to hear more from you!
To ryan: Checked out the site...veeery nice. I have to say it's funny that you used my face and Jay's name, though. I would have said yes if you'd asked...anyway what's done is done. I found myself cracking up at the "comic shop owner" thing. I have to say this product is very, VERY attractive, although I confess to having some concerns about its cost. Comics are expensive enough (especially here) without having to shell out an extra buck (or at least sixty pesos, as I'm sure they will charge for them here).
While in the long run, it is definitely superior to anything that is out there, unless you market this thing really well you may have trouble breaking through to all but the most affluent collectors...just my two cents' worth.
i needed a united colors of benetton thing, i couldn't go with all asians in the pics. you're world famous!
anyway, it's true that the product is 'expensive' but that's as cheap as i can make it. (actually, it's going to have to be a little more expensive in the future)
anyway, just wanted to let you know what's happenning
Hello! I got here from Budjette Tan's blog.
Aside from Dale I'd also like to see Gray Frank and Cam Smith do their tag team magic on the green behemoth.
I loved their run with Peter David. :)
Hah! Welcome to the blog world, jimmy boy! ;)
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