Sunday, July 1, 2012

Reason I don't like Bendis

My friends know that I am not a fan of Brian Michael Bendis.  And it is not that I don't think he is a good writer.  He is.  He has a great gift for dialogue.  He has gotten better at writing action.  And he has some very good story ideas.

My problem is that I think he is an arrogant SOB.  Now, why would I say that?  Well, because as good as a writer as he can be... he doesn't seem to respect anyone else's writing.  I mean look at what he does.  He doesn't write a story where the characters are able to be themselves... he has to make them fit the story he wrote, which is why many of the characters in his story, act out of "character". 

And for the most part, he does not pay ANY mind to what another writer has done with a character. Case in point, his current series, Avengers Assemble, which he has said IS in continuity, there are three things that are driving me insane.  One of which is blatant, but the two he still has a chance to explain, but I don't expect him to as he has never done so before.

1) The Hulk - In the current run of the Hulk, the Hulk is intelligent.  A thug, but intelligent.  Able to use pronouns and also not refer to himself in the third person.  Definitely not the "Hulk Smash" Hulk of yesteryear.  And how does Bendis write him?  Well, you guessed it.  He completely ignores what the current writer is doing, and we have "No one like Hulk, even when he try to help."  Oh come on!  To borrow a segment from SNL, REALY?!  He can't just write his dialogue as it actually is right now?  OY!

2 & 3) I'm lumping these two together as they pretty much stem from the same place, Dan Abnet and Andy Lanning's cosmic stuff: The Guardian's of the Galaxy and Thanos.  Now DandA, wrote some beautiful cosmic stories, which while going off in their own direction, paid homage at least to the continuity and history of the characters.  Now what is my issue and why am I waiting to pass judgement?  Well, it has to do with the Thanos Imperative.  In the last issue, DandA has Starlord and Nova (Richard Rider) stay behind in the "Cancerverse" to make sure Thanos couldn't make it back to the regular universe.  They make a heroic sacrifice to safeguard everyone, and which also ends DandA's Guardians of the Galaxy run.  And what does Bendis do in Avengers Assemble #3?  Well have Thanos show up?  No explanation.  Well, I was hoping that maybe he will give one in Avengers Assemble #4...and the answer was, "No".  And who shows up in the end of #4?  Well the Guardians of the Galaxy, lead by Starlord.  Maybe Bendis will explain it in #5.  Maybe.  But considering his track record or paying ANY attention to what other writers have done, I wouldn't bet money on it.

Okay, rant over...for now.  But there is another kniption coming... I know it.