From "Alias" to "Ultimate Spider-Man": Brian Michael Bendis' Greatest Runs

[CBR News]

With "Powers" coming to TV and the "Ultimate End" at hand, CBR presents the best comic book runs by modern comics master Brian Michael Bendis.


Full article here.

[_underscore]

Love Bendis for all the reasons mentioned above.

However... Secret Invasion jumped the shark when they introduced the concept of Skrulls that don't know they're Skrulls to explain writing and editorial mistakes (like needing Hank to turn out to be a Skrull after he'd spent several issues deep in thought about what to do about them in another book). The idea had plenty of potential, but everyone involved started using shortcuts to get to their ends. Not a single writer - including Bendis - put in the hard work that an idea like Secret Invasion requires to be pulled off right.

Bendis' biggest mistakes for THIS longtime fan are :

1. Staying on Avengers/New Avengers for over a year after he should have called it a day. That final year, and JRJr's artwork, were mistakes IMHO. I've never seen someone draw Iron Man as badly as JRJr did in the first few issues of the Heroic Age.

2. Age Of Ultron. Which I suspect was written while high, not unlike how Peter and Lois think they're great singers when high. This was Bendis smoking something until he genuinely felt this was good. Problem is, he didn't share what he was smoking with the rest of us so we could enjoy AoU too.

Other than that, everything I've ever purchased with his name on it seldom disappointed.

Again, speaking only for myself.

[Michael P]

Pretty sure Robert Downey Jr. never drew Avengers...

[CommentDeleted]

lol So everything Bendis did was amazing except Age of Ultron?

[Billy Batson]

I thought this was some kind of parody list when the first five things are some of the worst work he's done. Not that his best work is any good either.

[Darth Weevil]

lol So everything Bendis did was amazing except Age of Ultron?

House of M, which I liked much more than Secret Invasion, also wasn't on the list.

[_underscore]

lol So everything Bendis did was amazing except Age of Ultron?

I don't remember using the word Amazing, just that I enjoy his work and seldom regretted a purchase.

The "lols" and high school mocking/bullying tactics aren't necessary.

[Mister Mets]

Secret Invasion wasn't bad, especially the New Avengers/ Mighty Avengers tie-ins, but I don't think it belongs in a decent writer's Top Ten, and Bendis is at the very least a decent writer.

Fortune and Glory, Jinx and Goldfish were better, to say nothing of his Spider-Woman.

[Supernature]

Nope @ his work on X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy.

His Daredevil run slays though.

[Darth Weevil]

However... Secret Invasion jumped the shark when they introduced the concept of Skrulls that don't know they're Skrulls to explain writing and editorial mistakes (like needing Hank to turn out to be a Skrull after he'd spent several issues deep in thought about what to do about them in another book). The idea had plenty of potential, but everyone involved started using shortcuts to get to their ends. Not a single writer - including Bendis - put in the hard work that an idea like Secret Invasion requires to be pulled off right.

In fairness, this is a problem with almost any event—the tie-ins invariably have characters acting entirely differently than in the main book, things happen out of order, etc. House of M, which I liked much more than Secret Invadion, was even worse in this regard, with tie-ins that made no sense in light of the main series. The Spider-Man series was a particularly bad example—an interesting read, but clearly not part of the same story that featured Spider-Man prominently in the main book.

[Shawn Hopkins]

This list would more accurately be titled, "Some of Bendis' Best Runs and Some of His Absolute Worst Ones Featuring Currently Popular Superhero Characters Because to Be Honest If We Mostly Focused on Indies and Crime Comics No One Would Read This." That would be a hard headline to make fit, though.

My List:

Torso
Jinx
AKA Goldfish
Powers
Ultimate Spider-Man
Alias
Fortune and Glory, because if the Torso limited series counts as a run this should too.

[Shinglepants]

Let me start by adding that I have yet to read his Daredevil or Alias.

For me, Bendis is one of the most hit and miss writers at Marvel and I don't really get why he is so popular. When he's good, he's very good and when he's bad.....it's slow and agonising. He often starts off with a decent enough premise and a strong start but quickly runs out of steam. Happened with Avengers. Happened with X-Men. Eventually happened with Ult. Spider-Man and I don't think he ever got going on Guardians.

Really enjoyed his Spider-Woman, Moon Knight and Dark Avenger books though. Figures they were short runs when compared to his other work. I'll agree with what I often see said, he's better at the street level/grittier books. Look forward to reading Alias and especially Daredevil because I think he and Maleev make a great team.

[Spike-X]

Oh hell yeah get onto Daredevil! One of the greatest runs on any comicbook ever.

But avoid End Of Days like teh AIDS. He went back to the well one too many times there.

[Lexor7]

Also written by Brian Michael Bendis...this article dripping with praise for Brian Michael Bendis. Daredevil is a pretty sweet read.

[wiski]

Powers has been slowing down for years, and now Bendis is ending a storyline that was starting to get good and fast forwarding into the future so he can skip plot and match it up with the TV show.

I have every issue, but after years of delays, which seems to be the fault of Bendis since Oeming has enough time to work on multiple other comics, one of which he also writes, and the comic being restarted more than once for the release of the show (happened back when the show didn't work out the first time) I'm actually thinking of just not getting it anymore. The only thing that keeps me from doing it is that I only have to pick up about 2 or 3 issues a year, so it's not like it's a lot of money.