Do you blame the Writers or Characters?

[cc008]

Solo says it happened, it happened.
Team book says it happened, and Solo confirms, confirmed. If not confirmed cautiously dismissed.
Crossover said it happened. and solo and team confirms, confirmed. If not confirmed easily dismissed.

This is pretty much what I go by too. If the character has the solo, what the solo says: goes.

If there are no solos for a certain character, and they change gradually over time, then that's on the character. If there's an abrupt change in how they're acting, I put that on the writer. In simplest terms anyway. SpiderClops broke it down nicely too.

[Confuzzled]

Depends on the character. If he/she was lame or offensive from the beginning and I never care for them much or just downright hated them (Scarlet Witch, Beast, Fantomex, Inhumans) then the character.

However if the character was usually awesome and was bursting with potential but then TPTB came and railroaded them then definitely the editors and sometimes the writers (New X-Men, Bishop, Storm as leader).

[FluffyCyclopsRLZ]

Who cares about blame? If it happened on-panel, it happened on panel, period. Making fun of a writer's hateful agenda/lazy tactics is one thing. Pulling a "Lalalala, it's bad writing and I don't like it, so I'll pretend it never happened and pat myself on the back for it" is something else entirely.

Gotta take the good with the bad.

[Knives]

That is a good question depends on several things but in general what always decides this is how the story is told and if the actions of the character are in accordance with what the readers know about it.

Another important factor is the reaction of the characters after doing something bad. Do they express remorse? Do they have a arc of redemption?

If it's a crossover or mega event most of the time it's always the fault of the writers and editors.

[Sin Nick]

I don't even understand why characters are even an option as they're just fictional characters. It will always be either the writer's or editorial's fault when a character or story is written terribly. Beast turning himself into a cat, Bishop hellbent on killing a baby, Wolverine joining the Avengers, Cyclops' affair with Emma, Storm forgetting how strong she really is... I don't see how anybody can actually blame a character for any of these actions tbqh.

[The Whovian]

Pretty much this. Take older beast, hes been written as a jerk for so long that its been a very consistent characterization. Being a jerk has become in character for beast.

Unfortunately, this is true.

[The Whovian]

Still...

LOL! Thanks dude. That made me laugh

[The Whovian]

My take on this is rather simple. If "x" character is suddenly written out of character, then it's on the writer for poor writing. If "x" character is written like he has been for several years, then it's on the character.

[useridgoeshere]

I don't even understand why characters are even an option as they're just fictional characters. It will always be either the writer's or editorial's fault when a character or story is written terribly. Beast turning himself into a cat, Bishop hellbent on killing a baby, Wolverine joining the Avengers, Cyclops' affair with Emma, Storm forgetting how strong she really is... I don't see how anybody can actually blame a character for any of these actions tbqh.

I don't see how anybody can't blame characters sometimes. Characters are the entire point of the medium. Many of us are fans of characters based on decades of established behaviors being prescribed to them. If you can't ever feel negatively towards a character like Beast or Wanda then how can you feel positively towards a character? I don't think I even understand this idea of always being completely detached from the characters. I mean, how does it feel to say, "Wow, Soule and Lemire did something awesome" when Emma whacks Black Bolt in the throat, rather than "Emma was awesome"?

[craybest]

depends. if it's a character I know from before and they do something stupid I blame the writers. like in most events, lots of characters act OOC and their power levels vary a LOT.
but if it's a character I don't know and they do something wrong, I start disliking the character itself, like when the Squadron supreme killed Namor. I HATED them for it, and didn't even read any more of it until he started coming back.

[Londo Bellian]

LOL! Thanks dude. That made me laugh

Someone else posted it on these forums before. Just passing it forward. Affleck acting right there.

[skyvolt2000]

Always writers and depends on the characters. Writers never gets my support after. If writers aren't talented enough to create something interesting when editorial gives them a mandate then they don't deserve to be writing for Marvel/DC

What if they are not allowed to?

See New 52 Static Shock. How does an editor allow an artist with NO writing experience to take over a book from a writer-who worked for Milestone? Previous wrote Static and created Xombi.

Or your writer gets a character a lot of folks don't care for? Especially management.

It like being given the task to write Generation X with Jub, Synch, Monet, Skin & Chamber. And the editor doesn't care for Jubliee? Guess who gets short changed by that editor?

[Neko]

Sometimes nobody knows who the writer is - all that is known and shown is based on what is in print - it becomes a character thing and what a reader it taking from the story.

[Sin Nick]

I don't see how anybody can't blame characters sometimes. Characters are the entire point of the medium. Many of us are fans of characters based on decades of established behaviors being prescribed to them. If you can't ever feel negatively towards a character like Beast or Wanda then how can you feel positively towards a character? I don't think I even understand this idea of always being completely detached from the characters. I mean, how does it feel to say, "Wow, Soule and Lemire did something awesome" when Emma whacks Black Bolt in the throat, rather than "Emma was awesome"?

I can't blame characters because they're not real... simple as that. I can feel positive towards a character because I like the idea of what they're suppose to represent or I'm a fan of that archetype. That doesn't mean I'm completely detached from them though... then again, the way most of the X-characters are written nowadays, I can understand why some would be.

Take the movies for example, is it Wolverine's or Bryan Singer's fault that Wolverine was so prominent and the central figure in most of the flicks?

[yogaflame]

It's always the writers/editors/creators. Now, a deep, expansive run by a single writer whose work you are enjoying creates the space for characters to become something of their own, but always its the hand behind the scene who is responsible. Some writers just can't do great work with some characters. Is it that character's fault, or is it the fault of the writer? That boils down the obviousness of it all.