Quick Poll: Do You Think Tom King is a Good Writer?

[Tzigone]

Well said. I would say, though, that I have a lower opinion of his work overall. I believe he is a one note writer who focuses too much on mental/emotional trauma and I shudder to think of what he's going to do with/to Adam Strange.

I can't say he's one-note, but having heard this note a lot, I too am pessimistic about his Adam Strange. But I am not the typical reader - I read two or three issues of Mr. Miracle, which widely loved, and "noped" right out of there because it's not the type of story I enjoy. Doesn't mean it can't be a fantastic story - but it's not one I'm interested in reading.

[John Ossie]

I'd say ''good'' but not ''great'' personally.

[Starter Set]

I think he's competent. I never liked much his stories but the way it's executed most of the time is acceptable.

[Sacred Knight]

He's a good writer, of which the quality represented greatly depends on what types of characters he's writing. If the story and characters lends to be dark and depressing, it will be good. If they don't, it won't. But he can't do generally upbeat or happy. He's admitted this much.

[Rakzo]

When he's good, he's good.

When he's not, he's not.

[KangMiRae]

When he's good, he's good.

When he's not, he's not.

That’s how people describe Bendis!

[ERON]

Tom King is a lot like Bendis, Aaron, and a lot of other modern comic book writers. They're good writers, but they need to be writing something other than shared universe comics. Instead of writing stories that fit the established histories and personalities of the characters, they alter the characters to fit the high concept story they want to tell. This plays into why these writers tend to be so divisive - people who are fans of the writers or who just read comics for the stories tend to love them, while long time fans of the characters tend to hate them. If they were writing Elseworlds/What If stories or using their own original characters, they probably wouldn't be as controversial as they are.

[WTNew]

Tom King is a lot like Bendis, Aaron, and a lot of other modern comic book writers. They're good writers, but they need to be writing something other than shared universe comics. Instead of writing stories that fit the established histories and personalities of the characters, they alter the characters to fit the high concept story they want to tell. This plays into why these writers tend to be so divisive - people who are fans of the writers or who just read comics for the stories tend to love them, while long time fans of the characters tend to hate them. If they were writing Elseworlds/What If stories or using their own original characters, they probably wouldn't be as controversial as they are.

I agree with this. Being a good writer does not make you a good comic book writer, or even a good storyteller. There's a difference.

[byrd156]

He's a very good writer. His problem is that he can only write in a certain spectrum. Most good writers are like this, where they can write about certain topics, emotions, etc but only that area or through that lens.

I think King has a ton of potential but he feels like he's spinning his wheels right now.

[Ilan Preskovsky]

A genuinely great writer. Yes, he does sometimes miss BIG time but at least he swings for the fences. And when he does hit, it's pretty much a home run every time (look at me with the baseball metaphor!).

[Comic-Reader Lad]

Most people seem to think that Vision and Mr. Miracle were his best works.

I didn't read either, but I did read much of Heroes In Crisis, and I didn't like it.

So, for those who read Vision & MM, what was so great about them, and were they very different in style than HIC?

[skyvolt2000]

Batman: Mixed feelings, rather negative
Vision: really good
Miracle: Great
Hic: Bad

Does that make him mediocre?

NO.

To me that says when you give him guys who have a TON OF BAGGAGE with them-you get mixed to bad results.

You have a book called Batman & HIC where SOMEONE will be reading them way more than Vision & Mr Miracle.
That group will define King by Batman & HIC because many would not have read the other two.

You are also dealing with a different editorial staff with all for books. What he can get away with in Vision or Miracle might not work with the other two.
See Duke Thomas under King in Batman-If that was Duke Thomas in Mr Miracle-you might have seen a better characterization.

Finally-you are dealing with Batman and even some of the cast of HIC-where top talent has written them. He will get compared to them way more than whoever was the best writer for Vision or Mr Miracle. He is battling previous runs, previous sales and previous expectations.

I would expect a rebound with Adam Strange.

[skyvolt2000]

Most people seem to think that Vision and Mr. Miracle were his best works.

I didn't read either, but I did read much of Heroes In Crisis, and I didn't like it.

So, for those who read Vision & MM, what was so great about them, and were they very different in style than HIC?

Vision- I think the book was more down to Earth to show Vision trying to assimilate to human life with a family (he created). It wasn't so much about super heroing to me.

I have seen the MM trade but never read it.

[mikelmcknight72]

I rated him mediocre. I agree that he seems to be pretty one-note. Given Heroes in Crisis, he doesn't even do that note well. HinC should have been a nuanced, sensitive portrayal of coping with PTSD. It should have ended on a hopeful, uplifting note. It should have taken away a bit of the stigma of PTSD. It should have been useful to educate readers about PTSD. What we got was a slap in the face to those of us who are struggling to even live with PTSD. It came across as using PTSD as buzzword to get attention for the miniseries.

I'd have rated him lower, but we already know there was some level of executive meddling. We just don't know how far it went.

[CaptCleghorn]

Most people seem to think that Vision and Mr. Miracle were his best works.

I didn't read either, but I did read much of Heroes In Crisis, and I didn't like it.

So, for those who read Vision & MM, what was so great about them, and were they very different in style than HIC?

Vision was a nice example of Vision combining his android status and his experience as a superhero with his desire to have a "normal" family. The combination of humor, poignancy, and heroics is a great combination. It isn't a straight-forward hero and villain fight story.

Mister Miracle was a story about Scott's life as an escape artist and royalty of New genesis. He tries to live a "normal" life with Barda in a setup where the world isn't what is should be. Scott ends up leading a battle against Apokolips and Darkseid. The weird Kirby Koncepts are brilliantly handled with only enough updating to fit better into 21st century storytelling. There's a long thread about the series and most of those posting are in love with the series. Although I think the ending is pretty clear, many disagree with me. It's a deeper comic book series that is far from straight forward, but the characters are done well. And Scott and Barda get two kids named Jack and Roz.

https://community.cbr.com/showthread...ghlight=gerads

And Heroes in Crisis sucked. It looked pretty and Wally had a few good scenes, but generally, a horribly put together mystery and a poor handling of most characters made HiC crap.