Comics Question

[snurri]

Lately I've been thinking about comics. I've always wanted to write a superhero comic, and I hope that someday it will happen. Maybe something with Green Arrow, maybe something team-related. Marvel or DC, it doesn't matter. And I'm curious; how many of you think about the same thing? If you're a writer--assuming you're a comics fan--what characters would you like to play with? Alternatively, if you're not a writer, what writer(s) would you like to see take a crack at which character(s)?

Comments

[gregvaneekhout.livejournal.com]

I always bought into the notion that the best way to break into comics was to write a character whose title doesn't sell much, giving you the freedom to do almost anything you want, since nobody will much care. So, Alan Moore got to do cool stuff with Swamp Thing, and Frank Miller got to play with Daredevil. I always imagined myself writing an obscure character like Man-Bat or Dr. Midnight or OMAC or Red Tornado. But I would love to do Green Arrow or Superman. Or, hell, X-Men, why not?

[snurri.livejournal.com]

There is definitely something to what you say. The trick, I think, is picking the right character.

Also, you do know that the new JLA is heavily focused on Red Tornado, OMAC was a huge part of the recent Crisis, and Grant Morrison is bringing back Man-Bat in his Batman run?

I guess that leaves you with Dr. Midnight :-)

[gregvaneekhout.livejournal.com]

Well, damn! Even Matter-Eater Lad has a devoted following these days.

[gregvaneekhout.livejournal.com]

The trick, I think, is picking the right character.

I wonder about that. I don't imagine Alan Moore had any desire to write Swamp Thing before he got the job (not that I have any way of knowing if this is true or not), but once he got the assingment, he channeled his genius through a pretty lame character. I mean, I read the Marty Pasko/Tom Yeats version of Swamp Thing that preceded Alan Moore's, and it really didn't look like very promising ground.

[snurri.livejournal.com]

Well, I think that Swamp Thing was the right character for Moore, you know? He was able to take a sort of chemical horror character and move it in a totally different, earth-elemental sort of direction. It fit with his sensibilities. In the same way that I could see you playing with, say, the Metal Men, or Iron Fist, or something.

[gregvaneekhout.livejournal.com]

I take your point, though I think Alan Moore is sufficiently brilliant that he could have done interesting things with pretty much any character he was handed.

Metal Men. Yeah, they would sure be a lot of fun!