Sentinel:
I don't know about everyone else, but I'm picturing this issue along the lines of Wednesday Comics ... separate page for everyone by a different artist for each character uniquely suited to their character/ storyline (at least that was the feel I got from it).
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GM:
Cool! This gave me an idea. Everyone, please tell me who is the ideal writer/artist for your Vanguard character’s comic book? I think this could tell me even more about how you think of your PCs.
Thanks!
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Menagerie:
Menagerie will be written by Marv Wolfman and drawn by John Bryne. While Perez is my favorite artist, Bryne would do such a wonderful job on Pachy. I had to choose him.
Thanks
Tom
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Symbiote:
Since "The All New Atom" and Ray Palmer/Ryan Choi were sort of my inspiration for Symbiote, I'll say Gail Simone for writer.
Artist? Keith Giffen. In his early "Legion of Super Hero" days, before he stared aping Jack Kirby so blatantly.
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Sentinel:
Ok, been thinking about this one all week and I have a few moments to jot it down. I've been running it down 'through the ages' in my mind and really for Kirk, since he's a my prime hero type, my choices really would follow some of my faves over the years.
The theme is that although I really can appreciate various styles on the art, my favorite has always tended to run towards the more 'realistic' of the times. Writers were a bit harder particularly as we regress in the ages, but it helped me realize that I always tend towards those that write with a respect for what has come before and try to build on it. And very interesting to me (and a revelation of sorts) is that the JSA has always been important and close to what I liked best... even though I always focused on the JLA in my mind. Kind of funny in that Kirk's creation brought the Jarkaverse's JSA and multi-generational concept and that I missed the Jarkaverse JLA (Freedom Force) as a player (Jeff did retcon one of my old-time characters Pathos into the last incarnation of the Freedom Force, but he wasn't actually played by me as a character in this universe) but am fortunate to have been asked to be part of the Jarkaverse 'modern age' of comics.
Modern 2000-present:
Very easy : Geoff Johns. From his unsurpassed run on Justice Society to his revitalizing and bringing Hal Jordan back and to heights of glory not seen since the silver age he would be the ultimate writer. As artist I'd likely go with Evan Van Sciver for battle scenes since he is in my mind in recent years and has the realistic style. Although I'd have to say for Kirk's 'inspiring' moments, where he goes all Beacon of Light with his powers seemingly lighting the skies and everywhere at once, I'd have to go with Alex Ross paintings.
If we backtrack to the 1990's I think I'd go with James Robinson in vein of his run on Starman (much better than his recent Superman stuff in my opinion) and I think Tony Harris would be a nice choice for the current issue with Kirk hosting the Odyssey Club party - I can see him capturing the retro feel of the time period evoked from the event.
From the 80's it would be Roy Thomas (again the JSA man of the times) who virtually always displayed respect for the past aside from when corporate forced it otherwise (the wretched Last Days of the Justice Society Special when Corporate DC wanted the JSA taken out of things). I certainly wouldn't have a problem with Jerry Ordway on pencils, but would have to go with George Perez as my first choice for this time period. Backup would be John Byrne but only if it has Terry Austin inks ala X-Men in their prime. Austin could make anyone shine, but his inks on the young Byrne were the best ever and Byrne would never top that time period in my eyes. Certainly Marv Wolfman writing Kirk would be great stuff too.
Moving back into the 70's it would have to be Dick Dillin with inks by Frank McLaughlin. He defined so many DC characters visually in my mind when I first found comics with his JLA work (including the annual JLA/JSA x-overs) and we lost him much much too soon. Second choice would be the crisp pencils of a young Mike Grell. Too many writers from this time that I loved since this was my 'golden age' and since my standards at that young age were easier. But names like Steve Englehart, Gerry Conway, Cary Bates, and Paul Levitz come to mind.
If we went back to the 60's and even into the 50's and 40's (for the Liberty League and Lancaster) writer would have to be John Broome. Not only was he the GL scribe, but he wrote a relatively obscure DC character called Captain Comet who debuted in 'the Atomic Age' (between the golden and silver age) when no one was making super-heroes. Captain Comet was the first mutant hero ever. And get this, his powers were mental in nature. Given that I always seem to focus on the empathic/telepathic types and that Kirk has since grown in this direction even though I had absolutely no intention of it when we created him, it seems totally appropriate. Artist would have to be Captain Comet's Murphy Anderson. Murphy Anderson spanned from the golden agethrough the 50's and into the 60's and he handled many of the stories that included the revived Justice Society in the 60's. They were colorful and larger than life when he drew them just as those legends should be. I would probably choose the 60's revived JSA style over the original golden age versions so... Murphy Anderson would be my choice. Second choice would be a totally golden age artist and I'd cross-over to Timely with Alex Schomburg. Absolutely nobody beats his covers for the time period and any Liberty League/Golden Age Sentinel couldn't be in better hands than having a Schomburg cover. If you don't know his stuff, Google it, and pay special attention to any of the Human Torch covers ... absolutely spectacular stuff.
Anyway I know my choices almost all slant towards DC, but that's where my love really is ... and it was fun thinking about, thanks Jeff.
As an extra thought I couldn't help but thinking a young raw Joe Kubert from the 40's for Talon. I can still visualize a reprint of a golden age JSA story with Kubert pencils on Hawkman which captured his sheer savage power (unlike the 60's SF Murphy Anderson version - although that's more my style Hawkman).
Best,
Seth
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GM:
What? No Allen Milgrom??
Cool stuff, Seth!
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Lightning Strike:
Allen Milgrom ruled!!!
Anyway, I have given this a lot of thought (as opposed to my posts).
My favorite writer/artist team has to be Stan the Man and Jazzy John Romita as those were the Amazing Spider-Man comics that I bought as back issues as a kid and still love to read them. I also like the Ross Andru Spider-Mans from the 70's.
Unfortunately, I don't think Lightning Strike lends himself to the bright clean art of Romita. I used to love the colors and the fact that the lines were so clean. Now everything seems to be done in shadow and nobody looks clean. I guess that was the transition from Gold to Silver to Bronze.
Since Strike is so dark, I would go with some of the early Frank Miller/Klaus Janson work only because it fits and not because I like the artwork. I was tempted by Romita Jr. but sometimes his work is so influenced by the inkers that it is almost unrecognizable.
Given that I have about 7 or 8 years worth of the latest issues in a box, I can't comment on recent stuff.
Thanks,
Tony
PS: I actually remembered one other combo that I liked in the 80's. It was J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck who did that six issue run on the Spider-Man titles that dealt with Kraven and Vermin. It was a nice dark storyline and would work with Strike.
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GM:
Tony,I'm glad we've finally hit a topic that gets you to reply on time.
;)
I like Miller and Jansen for Strike, too.
I know Jazzy John is too clean and upbeat for Strike but how about Ditko? All the women in your book would be hideous though.
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Clone:
For artist I would have to go with Frank Cho - I really enjoy his style. As for a writer - thats a tough one - so many of them seem to run hot and cold that I rarely try to follow one over the other. Usually I'm drawn to story lines that interest me more so then who's' writing it. I enjoy the stories that catch you off guard and make you sit there and explore your own morality and soul. Take 'Civil War' for example ( Jack Flag gett'n mauled was a GREAT idea for a 'side story' in my opinion ) - it got really dragged out as far as I'm concerned, but for a while there it made you ask yourself - which side would I take? 'Dark Reign' - totally awesome in my opinion - never saw that one coming! Mind you I'm just using those two story lines as examples - there are a ton of others I could use as well, but those two just came to mind first. The 'hack & slash' type stories bore me to tears - violence in a comic ( in my opinion ) should be the result of an climactic shift in the story, or an unexpected event that sparks a story - not the meat and potatoes of the story. If you would really like me to give you one particular writer I'll need to think about it a bit more - like I said - thats a tough call for me to make.
-Kev
