is Brian K. Vaughan the best comic book writer currently

[Clairaudient Freedom Soldier]

I want to see BKV collaborate with Hickman and Remender on a Marvel/Image crossover, what about you?

[Detox]

That can be a double edged sword. I'd argue that everything Rucka, Brubaker, Hickman and Aaron are currently doing is great. The difference between them and Vaughan is that they're producing more work.

That's a solid list. I'd add Lemire personally, but like you said it's all preference.

[Jack00]

Up until now his only comic in progress is SAGA, which was excellent for the first 15 issues, but it lost alot of momentum. And the topic is "currently", so I really don't think with just one title you can be a contender for best current writer. His new serie we stand on guard just started and to be honest it didn't do much for me.
Guys like Aaron, Remender, Hickman, Kirkman and Snyder are leagues ahead of Brian K. imo.

[wwise03]

Up until now his only comic in progress is SAGA, which was excellent for the first 15 issues, but it lost alot of momentum. And the topic is "currently", so I really don't think with just one title you can be a contender for best current writer. His new serie we stand on guard just started and to be honest it didn't do much for me.
Guys like Aaron, Remender, Hickman, Kirkman and Snyder are leagues ahead of Brian K. imo.

In fairness, Vaughan is doing We Stand on Guard, which was very good (sort of an average Millar-type movie pitch book mini), and has Paper Girls in the works, which I expect to be good.

I'm debating between Aaron and Hickman being the best now, but think Aaron will take the prize when the Goddamned is released.

[Dr. Cheesesteak]

He is decent, and very popular with casuals, but if you read a lot of indie comics, he is just one of many talented writers, of which I have no way of choosing one favorite. Jason Aaron, Rick Remender, Robert Kirkman, Jonathan Hickman, Cullen Bunn, Bendis, Geoff Johns, Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis, Scott Snyder, Jeff Lemire, etc...

This is a ridiculous question. He's not even in the top 10.

That resume does not equate to him being the best writer. Off the top of my head, I'd vote for Brubaker, Hickman, Aaron, Rucka, Snyder, fraction, Morrison and maybe barbiere above Vaughan. I don't want to make it sound like I don't think Vaughan is a good writer, he is. But he hasn't earned the title of being the best.

I mean, I get it. Opinions and blah blah blah... but Snyder, Bendis, BUNN?

I don't mean to diminish any writer's ability (except Bendis's), but some of those guys are nowhere near BKV's skill and ability. Great dialog (although a bit too snappy/sassy for me at times), some excellent storytelling techniques, generally great plot progression and twists/cliffhangers, etc.

And to the ppl saying his bibliography is small, since when does quantity > quality? Vaughan has Runaways, Pride of Baghdad, Ex Machina, Y, Saga...even Swamp Thing and various X-men entries. Not like he's only written 2 stories ever. If you just take a writer's Top 5 works, I'd say his Top 5 competes against almost anyone's except the "masters" - Moore, Morrison, Gaiman, etc.

Anyway...as much as I'm slobbering all over Vaughan, I wouldn't say he's the best current active writer. He may be Top 5 current active writers. He's actually not a personal favorite of mine, but I can easily acknowledge how good of a damn writer he is.

[Supernature]

Definitely one of the best as far as I'm concerned.

[C_Miller]

I definitely agree with your bolded guys, but Brubaker doesn't belong on that list. He's fantastic. I'd say he's a little one note, but that really diminishes his talent, so I won't say it.

[AstroWolfboy]

None his work really did it for me. Y the Last man , I remember it exploding with reviews like " This is how comics should be done" " Its not a stupid super hero book for once" . And Reviews like that are pretty bold , to call all other works for idiots. He just about smoked the competition at the Einser Awards. But at the Oscars, there always seems to be a set film type and a hand full of directors who the academy favorite that get nominated. Dramas , War films , Spielberg , Wes Anderson. And what the Oscars does for movies is tell people , these are the films you should see. And with the Eisners , these are the comics you should read .

And when you see should , it looks like have to, as is Im being ordered to bow down to K. Vaughan . Thing is, If I went to comic con and got a signed copy of Saga from him, it wouldn't phase me. Because I don't see the chemistry , or like how he writes chemistry. He had the audacity to have a character that is the last man, but rather then have him go nuts, he remains loyal to this one girl traveling with a monkey. See most people saw that as K. Vaughan writing as a genuine true willpowered person , but I saw it as him being shaming any pigheaded guys for thinking , OH Im the last guy , no more competition , more for me.

And same goes for Saga, but on a more grand scale , this times its false flag messages of Family morals and tacky things to make people chuckle with laughs , all the while readers are conforming to whatever indifferences they may have with some the issues in the book wither it be about gender issues, Homosexuality or same sex issues. Or like today with the Confederate flag and other social indiffrences. He's just adding political correct ideologies for the simple sake of pandering to the "Wise ones" in the comic industry.

It's to the point where if you don't back K. Vaughan. It's as if your Anti-Comic. Which isn't true , in the slightest remote sense. I love the battles, the love stories and the small victories that are won. I love when its a fun ride overall. But the way K. Vaughan writes , isn't it.

[Dr. Cheesesteak]

I definitely agree with your bolded guys, but Brubaker doesn't belong on that list. He's fantastic. I'd say he's a little one note, but that really diminishes his talent, so I won't say it.

Yeah, in all honestly I didn't want to include him. You are right, he is great. But you're also right about him being one-note, lacking in much variety. Plus I was thinking about that Top 5 works measurement. Not sure his Top 5 would compare to Hickman, Morrison, Aaron, Ellis, Millar even...VAUGHAN, etc's Top 5

[InformationGeek]

Are we now talking about our top favorite writers and judging where Vaughan is one them? Well alright... Vaughan for me is not within the top 5, 10, 20, or even 30. He somewhere in the Top 50 margin for me. My favorite writers are Naoki Urasawa, Jeff Lemire, Scott Snyder, Tim Seeley, and ‎Ryukishi07. Personally, my favorite writer right now who wipes the floor with every writer is Naoki Urasawa. Fantastic writer and artist, whose done Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl!, Monster, Happy, 20th Century Boys, Pluto, Billy Bat, and Master Keaton over the past 30 years.

[HsssH]

Its not fair to bring in heavyweights like Urasawa in such discussions

[Ragdoll]

Personally, my favorite writer right now who wipes the floor with every writer is Naoki Urasawa. Fantastic writer and artist, whose done Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl!, Monster, Happy, 20th Century Boys, Pluto, Billy Bat, and Master Keaton over the past 30 years.

Not to derail the thread, but that is a writer I am just getting into and absolutely loving. I read Monster, 20th Century Boys, and just this week finished the available Billy Bat chapters. He has a vast bibliography and I can't tell what I should read from him next. Any suggestions?

[InformationGeek]

Its not fair to bring in heavyweights like Urasawa in such discussions

True, he does sort of walk all over the competition the majority of the time.

Not to derail the thread, but that is a writer I am just getting into and absolutely loving. I read Monster, 20th Century Boys, and just this week finished the available Billy Bat chapters. He has a vast bibliography and I can't tell what I should read from him next. Any suggestions?

Then Pluto is your next choice since you hit all of his big titles. It's eight volumes long (so it won't be as time consuming at his other series), its a sci-fi mystery, and its an interesting retelling of an Astro Boy storyline. Also, Master Keaton is now getting translated and brought over. He doesn't write it (though implies he has helped plot some chapters), but he provides some nice artwork for the series.

[Dr. Cheesesteak]

Its not fair to bring in heavyweights like Urasawa in such discussions

I generally tend to think it's not the point (though perhaps fair) to bring Manga writers into the discussion. This is an American website w/ almost exclusively Western users on a forum about mostly American comics. I believe it goes w/o saying that almost all these types of threads, unless otherwise specified, imply being exclusive to Western - really American only - comics. It's why ppl tend to specify them as "manga" when just discussing "comics".

Not that I'm trying to detract from Manga or anything, nor am I trying to discredit anyone's opinions of how Manga creators rank amongst American writers. I think highly of Tezuka and Tatsumi as much as the next guy - true gods of manga and the comic medium. In fact, I almost cried when Tatsumi died... But whatevs, someone has to be TFG at some point, right?

[El Sombrero]

If you would have asked me a few months ago I would have easily said yes. I thought the last arc of Saga was much weaker than the preceding arcs...but even with that in consideration, I still probably would say BKV would be my top pick. I think one thing that puts BKV above most of the rest of the pack is that he is (at least to my knowledge) crap-proof and doesn't really have any clear weaknesses. Some of his work is better than others, a lot of it is GREAT, and nothing is just bad. A lot of the guys who would be competition have put out some true stinkers, or their quality is much more inconsistent.

Jason Aaron's X-Men was just horrible to the point where I can't believe the same person wrote it. With Remender, Deadly Class is so good but I really don't care for his other output at all. Gillen's voice turns me off. Hickman is too cold. Ellis can't commit to projects; if he starts to consistently finish his work, maybe he'd be my choice. I often find Rucka's work kind of boring. I always find Brubaker's work EXTREMELY boring. Fraction is just all over the place. Snyder kills it with atmosphere but hits you over the head with his themes and symbolism to the point where it's a real turnoff. I think Waid is overrated. Lemire is often good but not "this is blowing me away" impressive. Johns is great at what he does but I don't think what he does is that ambitious. Soule and Ewing are doing really strong work at Marvel but need a blowaway project. Morrison would have been my previous top writer choice but I thought his last few DC projects were weak and retreads of stuff he's already done; it feels like he's recycling ideas more than anything else at this point. I think those are all the main candidates?

BKV sometimes uses the same voice for a lot of characters, but the way he mixes genres, immediately attaches you to characters, sells emotion, it's all really strong.