Art or Writing?

[CliffHanger2]

Even though I follow most books for their writers, I'd have to go with art as the more important element. There's an old maxim in comics: an great storytelling artist can elevate even the most mediocre script into something special, but a poor storytelling artist will ruin even the greatest script. As comics are primarily a visual medium, it's the art that truly tells the story.

I agree with this. It's like a great singer who can turn a mediocre song into something classic. Whereas a bad singer can take a well written song and make it sound like garbage.

[C_Miller]

Agreed. I consider myself a writer, but at face value, I find it a lot easier to recognize bad art than bad writing.

[CliffHanger2]

Yeah bad art will turn me off to book immediately regardless of who the writer is.

[Carabas]

Agreed. I consider myself a writer, but at face value, I find it a lot easier to recognize bad art than bad writing.

I wouldn't say easier, just quicker. You can generally spot bad art by just looking at the page, spotting bad writing requires reading the book.

[FanboyStranger]

I wouldn't say easier, just quicker. You can generally spot bad art by just looking at the page, spotting bad writing requires reading the book.

I want to clear something up. When I refer to "bad art", I mean strictly from a storytelling perspective. In essence, a story that difficult to follow because of poor transitions beween scenes, pacing difficulties, inconsistancies in depicting characters between panels, a reductive approach in which all action just looks like a fight, etc. You do need to read a story to see these flaws, and some of them (particularly pacing problems) may actually be on the writer. If your comic is imcomprehensible-- or at least unintentionally imcomprehensible because, obviously, there are artists like Sienkiewicz and McKeever who use deliberately obtuse storytelling as a tool to build atmosphere within their work-- it generally falls on the artist. There aren't a lot of truly unreadable comics these days by that standard.

I'm not referring to a revulsion towards a particular style. For example, I don't enjoy Jim Lee's art because I find it very static and lifeless, but I do think he is a competent if unspectacular storytelling artist. (Where Jim does shine, in my opinion, is that every now and then he produces an individual panel that just makes you say, "Wow!") I'm also not referring to a story that you don't like because you don't what happens within it-- I am referring to comics that are a failure of craft, that fails to make sense from a storytelling perspective. There are any number of adequately told comic book stories that I don't enjoy because they're generic in theme, plot, characterization, etc-- that's usually on the writer. But those books are still readable, even if you don't enjoy them much. Unreadable comics are almost always the result of an artist's failure to tell a story clearly.

[ImprobableQuestion]

How do you view polls on mobile now that the format has changed?

I haven't voted yet because while I'd usually say art there are a couple exceptions. I wasn't to fond if the art in Iron Man: Extremis Or the last part of Deconnick's last Captain Marvel run but the writing made it worth it (and in the later case I got used to the art).

[Imraith Nimphais]

I'm an artist/graphic designer and I teach art...definitely Art first.

I have bought books solely because of the artist and to this day I cannot tell you who wrote them or wot the stories were about.

I can overlook a terribly written story and characterisation if the art is stellar. If it is atrocious however, I will either never bother to pick it up or, I will drop that book instantly even if it is by a lauded writer and featuring my favourite character.

[GlennSimpson]

I was talking to a guy yesterday at FCBD who says he has lots of comics he's never read, he just bought them because he liked the cover art.

[Jphu8414]

They both really supplement each other for me
My all time favorite comic books always have both good writing and art, it would be difficult to have one without the other

[thetrellan]

Bad art can ruin a good story, but good art can't ruin a bad story.

This is close to what I was trying to say. Bad art can ruin a fine story for me, but bad writing can't ruin great art, it can still be appreciated for its own sake. It's just a waste of the artist's full potential.

[eye of all]

Writing -- I've never once stuck with a book because it looked good, but I've read pretty of ugly books because I thought they told good stories.

[Cometman]

The art is what gets me to pick up the book but the writing has to be good enough for me to continue buying it. I can tolerate a mediocre story if the art is great. If the writing is bad or I cant stand the story I just wont buy the book. My problem lately has been with most current titles. I dont like the art OR the writing of todays comics. The only current title I follow it Punisher. Most of what I collect and read is vintage stuff.

[FanboyStranger]

I was talking to a guy yesterday at FCBD who says he has lots of comics he's never read, he just bought them because he liked the cover art.

I'm thinking that he must mostly have comics with Bolland covers. In that case, he should certainly read them.

[mysterygeekboi]

Going back to my post regarding writing being what I look for first, I'm going to discuss a book from the other leading brand - Amazing Spider-Man. Now, I don't always like Slott's writing but he gets Spider-Man right most of the time. But the art is a penciler named Humberto Ramos and artists like him are part of the reason I don't get excited about Marvel any longer. For every artist like Finch or Cho that they have, it seemed there are a bunch more like Ramos. Now I'm happy to see Spider-Man kind of self-resetting, but if the art continues to be the likes of Ramos I'm going to have a very hard time getting excited about future issues.

[GlennSimpson]

I'm thinking that he must mostly have comics with Bolland covers. In that case, he should certainly read them.

The book in question that started the conversation was an issue of "2099 Unlimited" with Hulk 2099 on the cover.