"Top Creative Teams" - the new marketing catch-phrase?

Ricky

Ricky

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How many times have we recently heard about "Top Creative Teams" taking over books?

"Brian Bendis & David Finch on New Avengers" - a top creative team! (why, certainly)
"Frank Millar & Jim Lee on Batman Allstars" - a top creative team?

Mark Millar and Brian Hitch on Ultimates" - certainly a top creative team!
And even though were not told who will surpass them on the team, we are certainy told that it's be another top team...

But it makes sence, from a business perspective. Hype is the best way to sell a (monthly) comic book. Unlike Graphic Novels or Trades, you can't just keep them around, relying on quality alone, because by the time the majority is told how good the book really is (if they ever are, or listen, at that), it's already been out of print for long.*

And you know what - it does work! Most of the time I read another announcement for another top creative team, I merely roll my eyes, but then again, there are a number of people that really do get me excited. I might not buy everything they put out, might not even like everything they put out, but I'm certainly curious, and the least thing I'll do is flip through the first issue of their run, probably buying it just as well.

So, with all the big announcements flying around, I just decided to put a little list of all the big names together, that CAN get me excited, just by hearing they work on a new title:

Writers:
J.M. Stracinsky
Mark Millar
Warren Ellis
Brian K. Vaughan
Neil Gaiman
Allen Moore
Alan Heinberg

Artists:
Alex Ross
Brian Hitch
John Cassedy
Jim Lee
Cheung Young
Frank Sybal
Adam Kubert
Andy Kubert

I'm actually kinda following the writers more then the artists, but any combination of them on a book I'd already been intrested in, and I'm sold.



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*By the way, I'd really prefer it if the big producers switched completely to the trade format. Most recent stories are writen for the trade anyway. I'd really prefer if I got two - three new trades each month instead of 12-18 single issues, most of which are from the middle of a story arc I've been really excited about a month ago, but which has lost a lot of its appeal in the time in between.
 
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I'm not much of an artist guy, I mean if its bad then the book s ruined, but if the writtings good I can slog through some crappy art. Not so much the other way around. Having said that, my lists.

Writer
Warren Ellis
Brian K Vaughan
Tom Peyer (Yeah, he's done like 2 good things, but damn were they good)
Niel Gaiman
Geoff Johns
Ed Brubaker
Chuck Dixon (Charles if you read any old moon knight :D )
Greg Rucka
Priest (Though I didn't like Cap/Falcon)

Artist
Alex Maleev (I'll probably end up trading the Spider-Woman series for him alone)
John Cassidy
Steve Dillon
Eduardo Risso
John Romita Jr.

Othe the flip side, is there anyone you guys don't get? Like I can't understand why people flip over Frank Quietly's stuff. He's just so.... chunky. And his women all look like Bruce Campbells face after he climbed out of the false Necronomicon.
 
roguefan said:
The guy that's doing Ultimate X-Men at the moment (sorry, but I'm really tired and can't remember his name)
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Stuart Immonen? Something like that. Yeah, I like him too. Not my favorite, but I really can't understand why so many people on here hate him. Maybe they're all just spoiled by the ultra-realistic art styles of the other books that a more cartooning approach turns them off.
 
While the subject of talking about writers and artists as 'recognizable brands' and 'hot talent' has come up time and time again, but I think 'top creative team' runs deeper than we choose to read it.

'Top creative team' means that marketers/publishers are beginning to recognize how important the alchemical synergy between writers and artists is to the creation of good product. It's funny because back in the 90s and 80s, it 'felt like' most Marvel/DC artists were just stuck with the writers they got and vice versa even if that wasn't always the case.

I think this has something to do with the fact that mainstream comics journalism and marketing has moved a bit from the 'shattering events that change EVERYTHING' of the 70s and the 'hot product/commodity' of the 90s to a mentality today that's more about 'not-to-be-missed blockbuster event' of the century.

And even Frank Miller would attest to that fact, that comic books are becoming more like Hollywood even if they aren't fully recognized by Hollywood. Creative teams like Hitch/Millar, Bendis/Maleev, Loeb/Sale are the Ang Lee-James Schamus, Burton-Depps of Hollywood. Which makes perfect sense in an industry that has long valorized the collaborative perfection of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
 
Baxter said:
Stuart Immonen? Something like that. Yeah, I like him too. Not my favorite, but I really can't understand why so many people on here hate him. Maybe they're all just spoiled by the ultra-realistic art styles of the other books that a more cartooning approach turns them off.
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If that were the case I wouldn't really like Frank Quitely, but I do.

Look at Wolverine in the opening scene of Ultimate X-Men #62. He looks like Michael Jackson.
 
Ricky said:
"Brian Bendis & David Finch on New Avengers" - a top creative team! (why, certainly)
"Frank Millar & Jim Lee on Batman Allstars" - a top creative team?
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Are you saying you wouldn't class Jim lee and Frank Miller as a top team? Damn man, wake up!
And I'd go for:

Writers:
Alan Moore
Frank Miller
Paul Jenkins (I love this guy!)
Garth Ennis

Artists:
Dave Gibbons
Jim Lee
Andy Kubert
Steve Dillon
Frank Miller
Humberto Ramos (I love this guy!)
 
Writers

Miller
Millar
Bendis
Morrison
Johns
Brubaker
Heinberg
Krueger
Pak

Artists

Lee
Hitch
Finch
Jimenez
Cassaday
Deodato Jr
Tan(On a good day)
Andy Kubert(When paired with Isanove)
Maleev
Turner
Ross
Frank
Land

Colourists

Isanove
Martin

People I Don't Like

Jenkins' Spider-Man work, excluding "A Death In The Family"
Humberto Ramos
Jim Mahfood
Salvador Larocca
John Paul Leon
Rob Liefield
 
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Writers:

Frank Miller
Mark Millar
Grant Morrison
Neil Gaiman
Warren Ellis
Allen Heinberg

Artists:

Brian Hitch
John Cassady
Greg Land
Alex Ross
Frank Miller
Phil Jimenez

Baxter said:
Othe the flip side, is there anyone you guys don't get? Like I can't understand why people flip over Frank Quietly's stuff. He's just so.... chunky. And his women all look like Bruce Campbells face after he climbed out of the false Necronomicon.
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Quitely not one of my favorites, but I do like his art. I really can't explain it....

Stuart Immonen? Something like that. Yeah, I like him too. Not my favorite, but I really can't understand why so many people on here hate him. Maybe they're all just spoiled by the ultra-realistic art styles of the other books that a more cartooning approach turns them off.
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I liked Immonen's UFF. I think his style is great.

Bass said:
You're just ignoran'!
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I'M PETER PAN!
 
Johnny Bravo said:
I'm talking about Ramos' fugly art and the crap Jenkins wrote for Spec and Peter Parker.Fusion also wasn't bad.
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Ramos pwnz. I love his style, looks so damn cool. Buy Revelations when it comes out, its Jenkins and Ramos again.
 
Off the top of my head, some good teams:

Grant Morrison and Cameron Stewart on Seaguy. They also did Manhattan Guardian from the Seven Soldiers line that's currently running, but I'm not fully sold on it as I am on Seaguy.

Warren Ellis and John Cassaday on Planetary. Planetary ownzorz and there is nothing more that needs to be said.

Peter Milligan and Philip Bond on Vertigo Pop! London. I honestly think this is one of the best things Philip Bond has ever done, whose fun and quirky Hewlett-ish art style isn't employed as well as it deserves to be.

Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch on The Ultimates. PLEASE. Like I need to explain that to this board.

Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos onAlias. To be fair, I've only read two trades of this, so I don't know how well their synergy lasts towards the end, but IMHO this is where Gaydos' art seems to meld perfectly with the style that Bendis uses for the book. It feels like a perfect replication of Bendis' old Caliber Press work but without the unabashed amateurishness of the Bendis' old art.

Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo on Fantastic Four. I'm not always too hot on Waid's writing or Wieringo's art, but their combined approach to FF is perfect. Waid's sense of fun is matched by the cheeky cartoonishness of Wieringo's art.
 
ourchair said:
Off the top of my head, some good teams:

Grant Morrison and Cameron Stewart on Seaguy. They also did Manhattan Guardian from the Seven Soldiers line that's currently running, but I'm not fully sold on it as I am on Seaguy.

Warren Ellis and John Cassaday on Planetary. Planetary ownzorz and there is nothing more that needs to be said.

Peter Milligan and Philip Bond on Vertigo Pop! London. I honestly think this is one of the best things Philip Bond has ever done, whose fun and quirky Hewlett-ish art style isn't employed as well as it deserves to be.

Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch on The Ultimates. PLEASE. Like I need to explain that to this board.

Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos onAlias. To be fair, I've only read two trades of this, so I don't know how well their synergy lasts towards the end, but IMHO this is where Gaydos' art seems to meld perfectly with the style that Bendis uses for the book. It feels like a perfect replication of Bendis' old Caliber Press work but without the unabashed amateurishness of the Bendis' old art.

Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo on Fantastic Four. I'm not always too hot on Waid's writing or Wieringo's art, but their combined approach to FF is perfect. Waid's sense of fun is matched by the cheeky cartoonishness of Wieringo's art.
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But lets be honest, the ultimate team is Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon.
 
GMaster said:
But lets be honest, the ultimate team is Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon.
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I don't see how that actually has anything to do with the post of mine you quoted. Way to have a discussion.

But on the other hand, Preacher does ownzorz.
 
GMaster said:
I was saying how you forgot to add them to your list.
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"But lets be honest, the ultimate team is Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon." isn't exactly the right way to say that.
 
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