Do you agree with the saying "There no bad characters, only bad writers"?

[kalorama]

There are plenty of bad characters and bad writers, but the latter tends to hold dominion over the former. In other words, what we think of as bad characters are generally the byproduct of bad writing (even if the writer him/herself is generally good; everybody has off days). A good writer can take even the most poorly conceived character and make something worth reading about, while a bad writer can take the best idea in the world and turn it into crap.

I learned this lesson relatively early in my formative comic reading days, which is why pretty much stopped buying books based on characters and focused on the creators.

[Mr.Majestic]

Yes. A good writer can fix anything. Case in point Prophet right now. Or any other Extreme/Awesome character Alan Moore finagled.

Sometimes I do.

LOL. I was hearing that in Bobby Lee's North Korean scientist voice.

I've thought of Captain Cold as a lame and boring character right from his debut until Geoff Johns made him cool badass villain.

Yeah Johns instead of souping up a character to make him popular gave him a personality and a raison d'être.

But that's why you need thoughtful and creative and intelligent writers/editors. Sure, if the story is just a matter of beating up a wife beater, then it's not much of a challenge physically. But how does Superman beat up poverty? How do you heat vision anti-semitism? His super-speed isn't going to help get a jury to believe a girl who was drunk at a frat party who says she was molested.

There's some good writers out there but a definite dearth of good editors.

[Ghost Rider TheHellfireDemon]

Nope. No one will ever be able to write a compelling story featuring the Rainbow raider.


No one else does.

His motive may be the most idiotic lamest thing I have heard for the motive of a comic book super villain.


Cluemaster
He is a poorman's riddler but a inept version.
Orca
She is so sad its not even funny.She's a lame version of Killer Croc, and the boobs make her highly laughable.

These are bad characters one lamer than the other. They are jokes that can't be saved by great writers.

[Ghost Rider TheHellfireDemon]

I disagree with the statement. Bad characters exist. They tend to be created by bad writers.

Yes, a really good writer can take such a character and do something worthwhile with it, usually by changing so much about the character that it really isn't the same character anymore. Like how the Yellow Claw was changed into the Golden Claw for Agents Of Atlas.

Of course, in superhero comics, characters don't need one good story, they need a near infinite amount of good stories.

Bad characters can also be the result of a good writer being delusional convinced its a good or great idea then learning the hard way that it is a bad or awful idea.
A great director or actor will have successes and stinkers.

[PretenderNX01]

Nope. No one will ever be able to write a compelling story featuring the Rainbow raider.


No one else does.

His motive may be the most idiotic lamest thing I have heard for the motive of a comic book super villain.

Isn't artist-turned-villain the motive for one of Batgirl's rogues? And well....Hitler

Maybe they could give Rainbow Raider power to wield the Emotional Spectrum.

[Ghost Rider TheHellfireDemon]

Isn't artist-turned-villain the motive for one of Batgirl's rogues? And well....Hitler

Maybe they could give Rainbow Raider power to wield the Emotional Spectrum.

As i recall rainbow raider being blind can't appreciate art so the world will suffer when he steals art to share in his misery. That is his greatest tragedy how moronic.


I'm not familar with Batgirl's rogues. Seems laughable to keep the girl part if she is a woman.
Hitler didnt succeed at art, and it went beyond he wasnt good at art.

[Totoro Man]

As i recall rainbow raider being blind can't appreciate art so the world will suffer when he steals art to share in his misery. That is his greatest tragedy how moronic.


I'm not familar with Batgirl's rogues. Seems laughable to keep the girl part if she is a woman.
Hitler didnt succeed at art, and it went beyond he wasnt goid at art.

if memory serves Hitler's art wasn't that bad-- but it was extremely conservative, traditional, and not very imaginative. it's not uncommon for an artist to fail because their work is not "of the time" or following a popular trend. most normal/uneducated people would consider Hitler's work better than that of any of the German Expressionists... but that was the most popular artistic tradition in Germany when Hitler was attempting to paint. it's almost like he was trying to sell people the style of Bing Crosby after people had long since moved on to the Clash, the Sex Pistols, and the Stooges.

I find the failed <insert name here> as a motivation for villainy to be pretty unconvincing.

although every time I see the Rainbow Raider declaring "I believe in me!" I want to add "I believe in Crystal Light because..." in front of it.

[Carabas]

Seems laughable to keep the girl part if she is a woman.
Hitler didnt succeed at art, and it went beyond he wasnt goid at art.

Well, there already was a Batwoman when they decided to demote Barbara from Oracle to Batgirl, and they deaged her significantly when they did that.

She's probably younger now than she was in the 70's.

[jeanvaljean]

Cluemaster
He is a poorman's riddler but a inept version.

See, and when he was written fully conscious of that (I think by Chuck Dixon in Robin), he made for good reading.

[Ghost Rider TheHellfireDemon]

See, and when he was written fully conscious of that (I think by Chuck Dixon in Robin), he made for good reading.

How exactly?

[Goggindowner]

Nope. No one will ever be able to write a compelling story featuring the Rainbow raider.


No one else does.

give him to grant morrison, i guarantee you he can write something compelling.

To be fair, Grant Morrison can take just about any oddball concept and make it shine. I don't know anything at all about the Rainbow Raider, but in three issues I bet Morrison could make me care a whole lot.

[Carabas]

To be fair, Grant Morrison can take just about any oddball concept and make it shine. I don't know anything at all about the Rainbow Raider, but in three issues I bet Morrison could make me care a whole lot.

The problem is that the next writer won't be as good, or worse, get all nostalgic and revert it to status quo. Like what happened to B'wana Beast.

[Ghost Rider TheHellfireDemon]

The problem is that the next writer won't be as good, or worse, get all nostalgic and revert it to status quo. Like what happened to B'wana Beast.

I found the same problem with Mad Hatter.

Simone does him Justice bur then a different writer still decides to make him a chump.


Nfl Superpro
The guy is so awful stilt man bragged about beating him.

[jeanvaljean]

How exactly?

Mostly by using the viewpoint of his daughter who was so embarrassed she became spoilers:

Spoiler

end of spoilers just to get him to stawp already.

[Ghost Rider TheHellfireDemon]

I believe that stan lee said he didnt know what he was thinking when he created Diablo, or that he's a bad character.