Anyways, I wish him luck with Superman. I’ll probably pick up the first couple of issues but I’m hit or miss with his work. It will at least be interesting to see how his characterization of Superman differs from Hyperion.

Mike

Sorry, Alan. My second and third paragraphs were directed at Heidi’s comment in the post preceding that comment, which were:

HM: “My point is that a fun to read book is a joy forever and worth waiting for. The JMS Thor was a success from every angle, including sales, but there was no place for it to continue to be a success in Today’s System.”

To which I replied:

“Must be the “Oliver Twist” school of comics fandom talking. Meakly asking “Please sir, can I have some more?” and hoping the benevolent creator will bestow yet one more communion wafer of story upon the grateful masses?

When did this “I don’t care how long it takes to create” mentality really start to kick in? Do you apply that same mentality to other commodities in your life? And, yes…creative works ARE a commodity.”

Again, sorry for the confusion.

I bought JMS’s THOR for about ten issues, after dealing with doubts about how the reboot was structured, but the focus on Loki’s machinations killed my interest. When the local comics shop stopped pulling THOR for me months ago, I stopped getting it and haven’t missed it. Is Loki really a character, or just an animated plot device?

LEGION OF SUPERHEROES was one of the few DC series I bought several issues of back in the ‘70s, but I lost interest in that at the same time I lost interest in SUPERMAN, around ‘71 or ‘72. What I’ve noticed most about the series since then has been the repeated reboots. Five? Six? If JMS were to write the series, would he use an existing version or create his own? The repeated attempts by both Marvel and DC to market failed characters in their own series is one of the oddest aspects of the superhero comics market. What TV producer would try to revamp a pilot for a TV series several times?

SRS

As such, we get a great, short-lived, but hopefully when all’s said and done, memorable enough run on Thor that will feel complete, not diminished by editorial mandate.

I know this certainly is not always true, but sometimes some of the great superhero runs are short ones that just come in and tell the story they mean to tell.

Now, if only JMS learns that this means he has to start writing tighter and kicking up the pace on his books, because you never know when editorial **** might come in to mess you up.

As for creators leaving superhero titles, how often is it nicely tied-up? Remember inventory stories? Back in the day, it was fairly common for writers and artists to change on books or quit.

So enjoy great stories when they appear. And remember… the author is not your bitch.

Any recommendations for JMS’ comic work to check out?

Did Rising Stars ever finish?

Mind you, I’m not sure how I’d feel about him writing the Legion, but isn’t that at least as probable as Superman, especially if he has enough clout to divorce the 31st century DCU from 21st century crossover madness?

maxwell’s hammer — I, too, am frustrated by unfinished stories, and massive delays between issues, but I have decided that, in most cases, it’s just not important enough for me to get an ulcer from worrying about it. Planetary being one example.

As for JMS: I liked “Midnight Nation” an awful lot…

On the other hand, recent columns have focused on digital comics distribution, Wizard Magazine, Quantum and Woody, Darwyn Cooke’s next project (an “osbcure” comic in the Direct Market based on a best-selling novel series), Superboy, Gatecrasher, Shockrockets, She-Hulk, and Ka-Zar.

As for the podcast — Yeah, there’s some surface-level opinion in there. I admit to it. I like adding in a light-hearted touch here and there. But I’m experimenting with a few ideas that might enliven the podcast for you. Stay tuned.

And, hey, how about that Thor? I’m signing up to read JMS’ “Superman” project right now…

Beat - I hope it’s a fun book. I hope it completes its run. I hope it gets a good artist. I hope JMS gets to finish it. I’m just not holding my breath. Because, yeah, that’s the state of comics these days.

I didn’t read Thor, but I know lots of people liked it. I feel badly for them.

Has JMS ever commented on The Twelve and what’s the deal?

Can’t we thank him for Thor AND then kick him in the “‘nads” for not finishing up SS and The Twelve?

You mean actually bringing the storyline to a finishing point? We’re thanking people now for telling an entire story arc…and not just half or three-quarters?

Must be the “Oliver Twist” school of comics fandom talking. Meakly asking “Please sir, can I have some more?” and hoping the benevolent creator will bestow yet one more communion wafer of story upon the grateful masses?

When did this “I don’t care how long it takes to create” mentality really start to kick in? Do you apply that same mentality to other commodities in your life? And, yes…creative works ARE a commodity.

My point is that a fun to read book is a joy forever and worth waiting for. The JMS Thor was a success from every angle, including sales, but there was no place for it to continue to be a success in Today’s System.

To quote Achewood, “Welcome to the only game in town.”

Thor is the only $3.99 book that I continue to purchase because it is a dense story and of high quality. It is Marvel’s shame that they can’t retain JMS to continue doing his Thor story. They let Brubaker do it with Captain America and they won’t bend for JMS? This is foolish on Marvel’s part, and the next team to take over has a monumental task of maintaining the sales level. For a Thor book, good luck. I’ll hold my opinion until it’s announced, but chances are good that this results in yet another recent drop from my pull.

Augie - don’t you have an obscure French comic book to read or something?

Perhaps I should forego that thought and meekly join in the hivemind’s kick to the ‘nads.

Game. Set. Match. Great point.

Does a (supposedly) bright guy like JMS honestly and seriously believe he won’t be subject to the same Big Event dictates as he was at Marvel?

As a Superman fan, I’m certainly not looking forward to JMS getting his slow-as-molasses writing style and work ethic on DC’s flagship character. Even if it’s a “one-off” mini series from the main books, it’ll be promoted as an Important Story (as Marvel’s “The Twelve” was), get some initial flash and critical acclaim…then utterly disappear from the radar….per the JMS work ethic.

At what point do we finally catch on to these prancing ponies who can never quite deliver the whole package?

So, yeah, there’s a Superman project coming from JMS. And DC will offer it to an artist who’ll be late after two issues despite a multi-month lead it, pair the story with a back-up story that doesn’t fit in well so they can justify a higher price point, and then throw a bunch of fill-in artists at it to kill it.

Not on purpose, mind you. It’s just What Will Happen.

SRS