Will the Real Brian Bendis Please Stand Up?
Posted by Don MacPherson on February 26th, 2008
Brian Michael Bendis. He’s been a cornerstone of Marvel’s creative efforts for the past several years, even serving as the single most vital creator in the publisher’s stable of talent as the 21st century got underway. He remains a cornerstone of Marvel’s comics, and there’s been no sign that the professional pairing is going to change in any way in the near future. There was a time when any mention of his name in connection with a new project had me chomping at the bit to check it out. While I still read his work today, I haven’t been really excited about Bendis’s comics in some time, though.
The bloom is off his particular rose, but the question arises: why? Have I just moved on to focus on other voices? Has his work grown repetitive? Has it weakened? I find it difficult to choose just one answer, and I think that perhaps they all apply. To hash it all out, perhaps a subjective examination of recent issues of Bendis’s current ongoing projects will be of help.
The reason I chose to write about these questions is because of one particular recent release penned by Bendis. New Avengers #38 reminded me why I was once so excited about seeing the writer’s name among the credits for a comic book. Though immersed such event-driven storylines as Civil War and Secret Invasion, this conflict in NA #38 was an emotional, interpersonal one. I was riveted by Bendis’s revisiting of the relationship between Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. More importantly, I appreciated the new look at Jessica’s personality, beliefs and priorities.
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Originally Posted by LenNWallace
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