Who do you think is the best writer Marvel had?

[skyvolt2000]

Honorable mentions

Priest-to take a character you don't like (T'Challa) and have the longest run of that character's existence and that be the standard that many consider is the best run. Says something about being a professional in the industry. Unlike those who followed him in 2016-2022 in their runs.

Fabian Nicieza-put together a team of trash and added a new POC as the leader and made it into one of the books of the 90s in New Warriors. He could NOT do that book in today's climate.

Nunzio Defilippis & Kyle-New X-Men Academy-the LAST X-Men I own every issue of. New characters & POC leads-yet another book that couldn't be done in today's climate. Sadly the only book Prodigy has been treated with respect.

Mike Benson on Moon Knight. Only one I have read the entire run.

McDuffie's Deathlok run.

I would recommend the ENTIRE Nam run. Doesn't matter the writer.

Dr. Eve Ewing-mainly for Ironheart.

[Sutekh]

Fabian Nicieza-put together a team of trash and added a new POC as the leader and made it into one of the books of the 90s in New Warriors. He could NOT do that book in today's climate.

Nunzio Defilippis & Kyle-New X-Men Academy-the LAST X-Men I own every issue of. New characters & POC leads-yet another book that couldn't be done in today's climate. Sadly the only book Prodigy has been treated with respect.

Great choices. Fabian had a great ability to bring less-used characters to life, while adding some interesting new characters (even if I was more partial to Silhouette, than 'Thrasher).

And those New X-Men/Academy X years were chock full of interesting new characters, and not since better days of Spider-Man, have I felt the *humanity* of a set of characters. They weren't just collections of powers, or roles from a list of tropes, but felt like real people, a collection of sometimes contradictory impulses.

Honorable mention, John Francis Moore - X-Men 2099. One of the best X-Men books, with some great characters and some amazing world-building, and rarely even remembered.

[skyvolt2000]

Great choices. Fabian had a great ability to bring less-used characters to life, while adding some interesting new characters (even if I was more partial to Silhouette, than 'Thrasher).

And those New X-Men/Academy X years were chock full of interesting new characters, and not since better days of Spider-Man, have I felt the *humanity* of a set of characters. They weren't just collections of powers, or roles from a list of tropes, but felt like real people, a collection of sometimes contradictory impulses.

Honorable mention, John Francis Moore - X-Men 2099. One of the best X-Men books, with some great characters and some amazing world-building, and rarely even remembered.

I found out that is what happens when editors stay in their lane. Yet when some books start selling or get attention suddenly guess who wants to mess it up? Looking at you Burnside Batgirl (because that is what happened to them).

Because that is the SAME thing I could say for Chuck Dixon's Robin, Early Milestone's Static and at Image Comic's Monarch.

I can say those are 3 books along with X-Men Academy that I bought and READ as soon as I got home.

[clonegeek]

Peter David had high quality long runs on Hulk and X-Factor, he might shade it for me.

The other contenders for me all have claims primarily based on long Fantastic Four runs: Lee/Kirby (think Jack K was effectively co writer for bulk of their run), John Byrne, and Jonathan Hickman.

(The Frank Miller Daredevil run also marvellous.)

Frank Miller's Daredevil is one of the funniest runs I have ever read

[JBatmanFan05]

Some of Marvel's best writers IMHO: John Byrne, Frank Miller, Grant Morrison, Garth Ennis, Roy Thomas, Roger Stern, JM DeMatteis, Chris Claremont..& surely others.

[Cap808]

My favorites were Millar on the Ultimates, and JMS on Supreme Power. Writing on both of these were amazing because they were a combination of a universe 'grounded in realism', but yet also open to endless possibilities when it came to super humans situations.

The way these stories were told, they both reminded me a lot of Busiek on Astro City and Warren Ellis on Planetary.

[JT221]

My favorites were Millar on the Ultimates, and JMS on Supreme Power. Writing on both of these were amazing because they were a combination of a universe 'grounded in realism', but yet also open to endless possibilities when it came to super humans situations.

The way these stories were told, they both reminded me a lot of Busiek on Astro City and Warren Ellis on Planetary.

I very much agree with JMS on Supreme Power. Wonderful series.

[Mister Mets]

This is a good question.

There are some writers who did good work for Marvel who have done more work for other companies. So this isn't about the merits of Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore or Frank Miller as writers.

The obvious argument is for Stan Lee, given how prolific he was. There is the knock that the majority of what he did was cowriting, and that for some of the comics, the artist did more of what we would consider to be writing.

This leads to arguments that Ditko and Kirby would belong in lists of best writers.

I have come to appreciate more about what Claremont did, and how he was special for Marvel. What he did with the X-Men is astounding.

Roger Stern may be in the top five thanks to his work on the Avengers, Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, although I don't think I can make the case he surpasses Claremont.

DeMatteis had great psychological depth and weirdness for Spider-Man, as well as the Defenders and Captain America.

Kurt Busiek and Mark Waid have written hundreds of good Marvel comics, although much of their reputation comes from other companies, and I can't make the case that they're more impressive than Claremont.

Bendis remains Marvel's biggest writer since Claremont, and his Marvel work easily overshadows anything he did for DC (although his aficionados enjoyed his creator-owned work.)

Jonathan Hickman has done a lot for Marvel, and might be the most exciting new comics writer in recent memory. He also has a unique style, and has written exceptional conclusions to some of his runs (Fantastic Four, Avengers, Secret Warriors/ SHIELD) even if some of it petered out.

My ranking...
10. Jack Kirby
9. Frank Miller
8. JM DeMatteis
7. Mark Waid
6. Kurt Busiek
5. Roger Stern
4. Jonathan Hickman
3. Brian Michael Bendis
2. Chris Claremont
1. Stan Lee

I do need to read more Steve Gerber.

[Batman Begins 2005]

Stan Lee then Frank Miller.

[H-E-D]

Kieron Gillen is probably my #1. Love Bendis. Love Matt Fraction (ignore half his Uncanny run). Steve Gerber if you ignore Howard the Duck MAX.

Neither Alan Moore nor Neil Gaiman have written extensively for Marvel, but honorable mention there.

If we're including writer-artists, obviously Kirby, Ditko, Walt Simonson.

[Solid Snake]

Replace Stan Lee with Bendis and add Claremont that's my list for the best.

Yeah, my 6, 7 would be them.

[Triniking1234]

I miss Rick Remender.

[kevlon]

Honorable mentions

Priest-to take a character you don't like (T'Challa) and have the longest run of that character's existence and that be the standard that many consider is the best run. Says something about being a professional in the industry. Unlike those who followed him in 2016-2022 in their runs.

Fabian Nicieza-put together a team of trash and added a new POC as the leader and made it into one of the books of the 90s in New Warriors. He could NOT do that book in today's climate.

Nunzio Defilippis & Kyle-New X-Men Academy-the LAST X-Men I own every issue of. New characters & POC leads-yet another book that couldn't be done in today's climate. Sadly the only book Prodigy has been treated with respect.

Mike Benson on Moon Knight. Only one I have read the entire run.

McDuffie's Deathlok run.

I would recommend the ENTIRE Nam run. Doesn't matter the writer.

Dr. Eve Ewing-mainly for Ironheart.

Fabian definitely would be on my list. His writing of New Warriors was amazing. Every character was well written and we actually got under the skin of them unlike a lot of other group books where the favourites take centre stage and everyone else is ignored *cough cough* X-Men.

[Grapeweasel]

Harlan Ellison.

[Sutekh]

I very much agree with JMS on Supreme Power. Wonderful series.

Yeah, he had a great story, with a clear beginning and end point. (Which I feel like a lot of comics would benefit from. No need to drag something out for ten years, when a writer generally only has a few specific stories 'in them' regarding those characters.)