Has There Ever Been a DC Writer as Hated as Tom King?

[Vordan]

How much is the writer to blame? Dissembled still bothers me but was it Bendis' idea? I'm guessing someone in management wanted Spidey and Wolverine in the Avengers and hired Bendis to write it.

Nah putting Wolverine and Spidey on the Avengers was Bendis’ idea, I remember reading an interview looking back at his Avengers run after it wrapped up. Lol when he pitched the idea at the Marvel summit the whole room went ape**** at him, and Joe Quesada talked about seeing $$$ because if the writers in that room got all worked up just imagine what the fan base would do. And guess what? It worked, Bendis Avengers was one of the top sellers when historically Avengers had been where the B and C-Listers were dumped.

[DebkoX]

Call me old-fashioned, but once someone receives death threats, it isn't fun for anyone.

[Frontier]

Nah putting Wolverine and Spidey on the Avengers was Bendis’ idea, I remember reading an interview looking back at his Avengers run after it wrapped up. Lol when he pitched the idea at the Marvel summit the whole room went ape**** at him, and Joe Quesada talked about seeing $$$ because if the writers in that room got all worked up just imagine what the fan base would do. And guess what? It worked, Bendis Avengers was one of the top sellers when historically Avengers had been where the B and C-Listers were dumped.

Although I think those B and C-listers had better and more meaningful Avengers stories, but that's just me .

[married guy]

I remember the hate for Judd Winick when he was writing Green Lantern.
TOTALLY off base too I might add, he did a great job - but people lost their **** with the Terry character.

In regards to Tom King, other than Omega Men, I have disliked everything I've read of his work. (Batman and Sheriff of Babylon).
NOBODY should get death threats - especially over imaginary characters for Christ's sake.

[SixSpeedSamurai]

I guess everyone agreed that Tony Daniel was bad but he was never the head Batman writer.

I acutally liked his Detective Comics run in New 52, I thought it was fun.

[paulojrmam]

Regarding King, the things of his I liked best were when he was held back by something. Batman because he's being held by having to write more mainstream and Grayson because he didn't write it alone. The rest is pedantic

[Aahz]

I haven't read it but I can't think of a major Batman writer who hasn't gotten mixed reactions like this at first. Again, I remember how much people absolutely despised everything about Morrison and there was plenty of rage about Snyder too.

The thing is Kings has at this point already written roughly as many issues of "Batman" as Morrison had in his run, if you include "Batman", "Batman and Robin" and "Batman Inc." (if you just look at "Batman" King has written far more).

And Snyders run lasted also only 52 issues.

So after know 70 issues King should have brought really more to the table than he has untill know.

And I would actually claim that most people were quite enthusiastic about Kings run in the beginning, and that the first story line was quite well received. The hate started to build up with the later disappointing story lines, got a boost by the non-wedding, and has now reached it's peak with with the current issue of HiC.

[Frontier]

And I would actually claim that most people were quite enthusiastic about Kings run in the beginning, and that the first story line was quite well received. The hate started to build up with the later disappointing story lines, got a boost by the non-wedding, and has now reached it's peak with with the current issue of HiC.

The way I look at it is that the book became progressively more "King" over time, compared to the first arc where I think Johns helped ghost-write it, for better or worse depending on who you ask.

[Ilan Preskovsky]

The way I look at it is that the book became progressively more "King" over time, compared to the first arc where I think Johns helped ghost-write it, for better or worse depending on who you ask.

Oh really? I didn't know that. Weirdly, the first arc was one of my least favourites of what I've read (all the deluxe HCs released so far).

[paulojrmam]

The first arc was that about Gotham Girl and her brother, right? I liked it but I think it was one of the least good ones in the run.

[Robanker]

Call me old-fashioned, but once someone receives death threats, it isn't fun for anyone.

Yup. Regardless of how you view these characters and their world, this behavior is never justified.

[TravelerInTheDark]

Readers hated Chuck Austen so much it got him canned from AC. There were multiple stores that refused to stock his comics. Personally, I don't blame them. I've not read his entire catalogue, but everything I've read by Austen left a very bad taste in my mouth.

[TravelerInTheDark]

Also, funny thing about King...

The vitriol pointed toward him by many readers is, from what I have seen, matched by the undying praise for everything he touches by his fans. We have conversing sides of hate and worship. It's quite strange and I don't think I've ever seen anything like it in Big 2 comics since Meltzer after he wrote Identity Crisis.

Regardless, he deserves neither, in my opinion. He has some big hits and some big misses. I wish the more rabid among us could just accept that without getting weird.

[millernumber1]

And I would actually claim that most people were quite enthusiastic about Kings run in the beginning, and that the first story line was quite well received. The hate started to build up with the later disappointing story lines, got a boost by the non-wedding, and has now reached it's peak with with the current issue of HiC.

I am actually the opposite. The "I Am" trilogy was mostly frustrating to me, with a few bright spots, and it's only after the Catwoman marriage plot that I started to get really invested. Even after the disappointment that was #50, I hung on, and have really enjoyed most of the post-50 stuff.

[paulojrmam]

Nah putting Wolverine and Spidey on the Avengers was Bendis’ idea, I remember reading an interview looking back at his Avengers run after it wrapped up. Lol when he pitched the idea at the Marvel summit the whole room went ape**** at him, and Joe Quesada talked about seeing $$$ because if the writers in that room got all worked up just imagine what the fan base would do. And guess what? It worked, Bendis Avengers was one of the top sellers when historically Avengers had been where the B and C-Listers were dumped.

Personally, I side with the summit room that went ape****. I have almost no interest in the usual Avengers, but the New Avengers really interested me, I read it and I thought it was really good. Now the second volume of the New Avengers by Bendis, somehow, isn't so good or memorable. And the third, by Hickman, even though Hickman is extremely acclaimed by fans and critics, I thought it wasn't so good as that first Bendis run. I can agree that it isn't an Avengers book, but it's not called just "Avengers" anyways. Still, I think Bendis hate is reasonable now with them ending well-received Superman runs, plural, to put him in place of all of them. It's ridiculous that they did that. It's overkill to give an entire line to one writer alone. With King, at least he's not the sole writer of Batman and HiC is self-contained and might be ignored or downplayed in other books.