So you know how sometimes Bendis writes really well and other times it’s horrendous? I was wondering why. Thinking about it, I’m wondering if it’s because of how many series he typically does at once. Despite such a large amount of work, he tends to get issues out on time. A lot of his bad writing shows signs of being written quickly (odd sentence structure, repetitive use of phrases/words). Which makes me think that sometimes he just quickly types up scripts close to when they’re due. Other times he has time to refine them, and that’s how we get his good work. I don’t know if this has been discussed before, but I’m interested in hearing everyone’s thoughts.
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It’s mostly because he has a few characters he clearly loves (Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Peter Parker, Lois Lane, etc.) and so when he’s asked to write other characters by editorial (i.e. THE REST OF THE AVENGERS) they all just sound like quippy sarcasm machines.
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I’m a massive fan of Bendis, but he has very clear, major faults. That said, reading Powers or Alias (or even his current DC output, honestly) is like watching a master at work.
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@Batwing52 A lack of motivation to write the characters he doesn’t care about well may be it, but sometimes you get things where he clearly cares about the characters but the writing is horrendous, like Event Leviathan #1.
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@Batwing52 A lack of motivation to write the characters he doesn’t care about well may be it, but sometimes you get things where he clearly cares about the characters but the writing is horrendous, like Event Leviathan #1.
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Oh no! It’s the return of the double post glitch!
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My take on Bendis is sometimes his slow methodical pace gets scrapped when needed. For example, in Man of Steel, Jon is his fun, quirky, and cute self, but in Superman #7 he says things like “That’s a strange thing to say to an 11 year old.” He also loves to go full exposition to explain back stories. Naomi has two issues which are all exposition dumps. Then a title like Event Leviathan comes along and I’m constantly intrigued. With his favorite characters like Lois, he writes them really well but then he realizes he needs to move the story along so he dumps lots of exposition. He shows so slowly he is forced to tell. (Show don’t tell)
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Bendis does so much right (supporting characters, reviving semi-forgotten heroes, humor, and more) that I tend to forgive his weaker efforts. He does have hits and misses though. At the other company he introduced two legacy characters for Spider-Man and Iron Man. The first is fantastic, believable essential to Marvel now; the second was like “look I’m a genius kid and built this” and I just never bought into it.
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The thing about Bendis (my opinion, of course) is that he IS good…but only with a certain TYPE of story. Namely, Bendis can write the HECK out of the “street-level, crime fiction Noir-type” stuff (ie, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Defenders, Event Leviathan [not exactly street-level, yes, but still involves a mystery and a group of detectives], and Batman Universe). Likewise, Bendis is good at writing teen characters, even if the stories themselves may vary in quality.
The problem, though, is that Bendis is…not really all that great when it comes to the “bigger scale, cosmic level”-type stuff (see literally any Marvel event comic ever written by him, his run on X-Men, Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, any time he tried to write Dr Strange, etc)? I imagine this is because Bendis’ strengths lie in character interaction and slow-burn suspense, so when asked to write something action heavy and bombastic, or when asked to do world building that isn’t a gritty realistic city, he falters.
Again, this is just my opinion, but I feel like this is illustrated best by his current work on Superman. “Action Comics” is great because it’s largely concerned with how organized crime works in Metropolis (Bendis’ wheelhouse), while “Superman”…has GREAT interactions among the Kent family, but is honestly kind of dull when it’s about the space stuff. Bendis just isn’t that kind of writer, but he’s a popular one that meets deadlines, so companies keep giving him their biggest properties regardless of whether or not he’s be a good fit.
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Since he’s been writing for Marvel, I really don’t know. I haven’t read his Superman stuff yet, but I don’t like what I hear about it. I was enjoying Jurgens and Tomasi’s work in him. Ah currently enjoying, I suppose I should say, since I’m catching up.
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CaptT I agree with you on his strengths and weaknesses, though I like the Superman space stuff he’s doing more than you.
And, if you’re not reading his Superman, start right here.
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Ha, ha, ha
You can tell when BMB “phones in” an issue, as there is a whole page of the hero and a close support character saying “way!”…“No Way!! Really?!?”…“Yes way! Really!”…“No Wayyyyy!” and it just goes on for panels, and he’s lauded for being so “hip”.
His stregnth is in his long term plots, and when he meshes characters who don’t usually go together.
Bendis has done some of my favorite concepts, but he can stumble on the dialogue sometimes.
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I hadn’t heard of him before DC, since I don’t keep up with Marvel. The hype got me excited and I must say he has lived up to it. His Superman and Action Comics have been a lot fun, and have made me a fan. To be fair, I did notice the odd bits of dialogue here & there. It hasn’t been by any means distracting, but it’s consistent enough (usually with the shorter bits of dialogue) where it led me to believe he might just be somewhat of an oddball in his own head. I say that endearingly since I like his work so far…obviously I don’t know the guy to make that judgment 
. I’m not really familiar with the whole publishing process, but you’d think a good editor can pick up on those little nuggets.
I can’t write a story or draw worth #€%¥!..so I’m very forgiving when it comes to judging these guys’ talents.
The way his characters speak is actually a stylistic choice. He is trying to make them talk like real people, rather than sound scripted. Of course people disagree about how well he pulls it off, but it’s not him being lazy.
I do wonder if DC Universe could get his Jynxworld comics now that DC is publishing them. Because some of his best work is his early creator owned comics.