This is MOST EXCELLENT news for the future prospects of Alt★Hero.
Brian Michael Bendis, one of Marvel’s most prolific writers, is moving over to DC Comics. The news broke this morning via a tweet from DC Comics, which read, “We are beyond thrilled to welcome Brian Michael Bendis exclusively to the DC family with a multiyear, multifaceted deal.”
From Bleeding Cool:
The word is out and it hit with a bang. Brian Michael Bendis, who has been writing continuously for Marvel Comics since 2000 has signed an exclusive contract with DC Comics. But why. No doubt there will be PR-friendly soundbites with the words “challenge”, “fresh start”, or “a whole new universe of characters to play with” but from involved sources, Bleeding Cool has been able to put together this timeline. All of this is unofficial, of course.
Much of it was spurred by the Marvel Comics Writers Summit that occurred last month just before New York Comic-Con, which we dubbed Fear And Loathing Before NYCC 2017.
But first, what was going on with Bendis at Marvel? He was writing Jessica Jones, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Defenders, Spider-Man, Spider-Men II, Invincible Iron Man and Infamous Iron Man. He had written the Civil War II crossover event. But he deliberately stayed well away from Secret Empire. His books didn’t crossover with the big event, and Guardians only did when he left.
However his books weren’t getting the big numbers like they used to. And a number of them were subject to being later than usual. His contract was up, the likelihood of getting a raise was low. The Marvel Comics Creative Committee of which he played a strong part no longer had any influence on the films, after Kevin Feige at Marvel Studios stopped reporting to Ike Perlmutter but to Disney instead. Bendis, who wrote the first of the Marvel end credit scenes with Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury in Iron Man, was no longer a part of that mix. Bendis had written pretty much every Marvel character he was interested in – and there was no chance of Marvel publishing a Fantastic Four comic now.
So, the Marvel Comics Writers Summit, before New York Comic Con. We mentioned how the issue of increased diversity of Marvel Comics and how to deal with negative reaction towards that, was a significant aspect. I am told that Brian Bendis, creator of Miles Morales and Riri Williams, had quite the disagreement with David Gabriel, whose interview with Miles Griepp for ICV2 regarding diversity at the publisher needed repeated clarifications.
That there was a decision made to give the title called simply Spider-Man to the Peter Parker iteration of the character in 2018, rather than the current Miles Morales, which would become Miles Morales: Spider-Man again, a battle Bendis thought he had previously won for Marvel Legacy.
That Gabriel told Bendis that diversity doesn’t sell. The counter to that being, what does at Marvel aside from Dan Slott’s Amazing Spider-Man and Star Wars?
We’re thrilled too. If Bendis succeeds in doing for DC Comics what he did for Marvel, the resulting vacuum is going to create an even bigger opportunity for alternative comics than we had previously imagined. Consider some of the comments by comics fans there.
- Hope that Bendis won’t destroy DC like he did Marvel.
- Most of what I’ve picked up from dc over the past two years has been a worthwhile read. But I’d given up on marvel, in part because of how many series they’ve let bendis ruin. I’m really hoping dc doesn’t pick the trash from marvel and end with the same bad books and terrible sales numbers.
- DC went crazy! Bendis sucks!!!
- Marvel is on a downward spiral, and Bendis doesn’t want to be caught up in it. That, and he just doesn’t have the pull he once had.
Jon Mollison has some related thoughts at Castalia House:
The flailing death throes of Marvel Comics represents only the latest softening of the permafrost. The phenomenal success of Alt★Hero represents the most obvious green shoot, but the most important sign of the coming spring is the reaction of fans to both events. No longer content to turn their backs on the cold and sterile offerings, comic book fans are turning up the heat and demanding better.
With the vast array of forces aligned against the common man, it is more important than ever that fans step back and reassess the history of the medium. Pushing back against the winds of winter and preparing the ground for the coming planting season takes some thought and effort, to be sure. But the rewards are well worth the effort. To that end, let’s turn the weapon of deconstruction around and use it against those who would replace genuine virtue in comics with the empty simulacrum of Diversity Uber Alles.