who do you follow, the character or the creator?

which are you more apt to do...

buy a book created (written, illustrated, painted, inked, etc.) by your favorite creator?

or buy a book featuring your favorite character?

example: say you hate daredevil, but love the work of jeph loeb and tim sale. will you buy their upcoming daredevil books?

conversly, would you buy it if you hated loeb and sale, but loved daredevil?

Generally I go for character, hell I suffered through The Hama run on the Bat-Man.
But with writers like Ennis and PAD I woll try and grab whatever they do and Brubaker is fast becoming a favorite.

quote:
Originally posted by THE Franta:
But with writers like Ennis and PAD I woll try and .

tee

I buy by the character. I have a huge stack of unread X-Men comics to prove it!

-----once over and twice twisted-------

I go both ways, as four and a half long boxes of Spider-Man will prove.

Usually, if it's somebody I really like (PAD, Ennis, Azzarello, Perez) I will pick up anything they do. I also look forward to Daredevil:Yellow because of Loeb & Sale. Their Batman work never really impressed me (just not a big Bats fan), but Loeb's work on Superman has blown me away. Otherwise, I can't really think of anything else I've really enjoyed by him without Tim Sale. Hmmmm...Nevermind, I guess...

Anyways, those guys I've listed above, along with a couple of others, I'll follow around like a crack addict in heat. Hell, I've got a copy of Popeye weds Olive Oyl to prove it!!!

Plus, for some reason, even tho he hasn't really put out anything redeeming in about a decade, I still buy most of the stuff John Byrne does. His Superman/Batman: Generations was alright, and I enjoyed the first couple of issues of X-Men: Hidden Years, but otherwise, pretty much everything else has been crap. Of course, I know about this cus I've wasted money on it all...I feel so used...

I do a little bit of both....

If it's JSA related...I'll usually pick up the book, or some revamp of a Golden Age character, just to see what's up with it.

Certain creators I follow religiously, no matter what they are working on. Howard Chaykin, Mike Mignola, Alan Moore, Alex Ross, Arthur Adams...

Sometimes, if it's a new title with new character, if the concept or creative team seems interesting, I will pick it up....but this usually comes back and bites me in the ass, because nothing I take a huge amount of interest in lasts all that long, and gets cancelled within about 2 years.

Certain characters I will buy books about, even if I hate the creative team. I buy them just specically for the reason that that specific character is headling the book.

With Marvel...it's usually any book that features any of their Western characters or Sgt. Fury...I can't explain the appeal I find in either, but I can't help myself.

With DC...like I said...if it involves Golden Age characters (especially the Golden Age Vigilante, my personal favorite), or anything that features Kirby's Fourth World stuff.

I seem to have an odd tendency these days of picking up something just because it's presented in a "retro" manner. Some examples of this in the last couple of years have been Marvel's FLASHBACK #-1 books, the Alan Moore 1963 miniseries that he produced over at Image....which probably explains my incredible interest in and the joy I get from reading TOM STRONG, Captain Gravity, and BIG BANG COMICS. I don't know why I like it...I just do.

There are certain characters that I have been a long time fan of, but don't buy their books on a monthly basis...I just pick up an issue or two every 6 or 7 months, just to see what's goin' on with the character. Books that fit this category would be IRON MAN, GREEN LANTERN, THOR, THE AVENGERS, some of the Superman titles, and THE FLASH. All the books in this category I collected on a regular basis in the past, left for some reason, and am usually looking to see if the book is worth buying on a monthly basis again.

quote:
Originally posted by britneyspearsatemyshorts:
tee

Woll you quit it!

Wud i do?

Wud woll dese gobers due nex?

----onced ober an twiece twissded--------

quote:
Originally posted by The Human Tornado:
With DC...like I said...if it involves Golden Age characters (especially the Golden Age Vigilante, my personal favorite), or anything that features Kirby's Fourth World stuff.

Yay!

If it's a character I really love, like Hulk, then I'll read the book even if John Byrne is writing............oh the pain!

But if there's a creative team I enjoy but they are doing a character I really don't like then I won't pick it up as I have no interest in the character no matter how well written!

Having said that, I really love Spider-man but just had to give up after all the Carnage bull a good few years back! Maybe if their had not been so many titles I'd still have been picking it up!

...i quit reading spider-man after Uncle Ben got shot,i just really lost interest...

I quit when Aunt May came back from the dead. That's a lie, I quit years before that gayness!

I gave up on Spidey sometime right before the whole clone fiasco. Since then, the only Spider-man stuff I've bought was the first few issues of "Chapter ONE" (which I completely despised....my thoughts on the matter were if it ain't broke, don't go fixing it) and the much missed "Untold Tales of Spider-Man" series. Since "Untold" got cancelled, I've just made it a point to re-read the run of Marvel Tales that reprinted the complete Lee/Ditko run on the book over and over again....

OH MY GOD!!!!! Someone's shot Uncle Ben?!?!?! Now who'll make that delicious rice I enjoy? Please .....someone tell me it ain't so.....(sob)...

I used to buy anything and everything Bat-related, until it got to cost too much, and I wasn't satisfied with the writing or art, either.

I pretty much buy anything Alan Moore writes, which means I pick up the entire ABC line, but I wouldn't pick it up if anyone else took over writing it, unless it was James Robinson or someone like that.

Some characters appear so infrequently that it's not a problem keeping up with all of their appearances, but generally speaking I'd rather pick up a book because the writer and artist team kicks ass rather than because it's a character I like.

It depends, really.

I usually follow certain writers, like James Robinson, Tom Peyer, and Joe Kelly. These guys seem to be able to make almost ANYTHING interesting to me.

Otherwise, it's a toss-up. For example, I used to enjoy Jeph Loeb. But now the bastard has started this whole "Bring-Back-the-Silver-Age-Origin" on Superman. And I absolutely cannot stomach retroactive crap like this. The key to recognizing a writer's inability to use his imagination, is when he begins to retcon perfectly good writers that came before him. Needless to say, I literally ripped my copy of last month's Superman to pieces. Fuck 'em.
However, Joe Kelly's ACTION COMICS continues to be the best Superman on the market. PLEASE read issue #775 (still on the stands) if you haven't yet. Kal-El takes on an extreme 'homage' of THE AUTHORITY. And, for the first time, in MY opinion, Kelly truly explains the reason for a "Superman" in a world with a team of modern psychos like The Authority. It left me speechless, and with the definite impression of who the FIRST true hero of comics is. Salute!!

I must say that Carlos Pacheco's latest stint of the Fantastic Four is incredible! I am really beginning to enjoy a creator that, not only, is a brilliant artist, BUT, can write fresh stories like these. If you haven't yet, give the latest FF issue a try. If you like Byrne's run, you won't be disappointed with Pacheco.

That said....HEY ROY! HEY FRANTA! HEY BSAMS! HEY GOB!

I have to second that opinion on FF. Right after his first issue, I knew this book would end up being something special. Of course, after Chris Claremont's run, even something like Tom DeFalco's run would seem good...

I'll go with creator. A lot of the titles I read are creator owned anyway.

If a character I like is being written badly then I'm not going to spend money on something that's going to piss me off. I didn't rush out and buy all those 'Sandman Presents' titles that Vertigo put out after Gaiman's 'Sandman' series had concluded because, with a few exceptions, they weren't very good.

I almost dropped Hellblazer during Paul Jenkin's run and only continued reading it after it was announced that Ennis and then Ellis would be taking over writing duties. I dropped The Authority after Robbie Morrison took over.

Ultimately if you don't like what a writer is doing with a character then that character becomes devalued.

It works the other way too. I'll check out titles that I wouldn't generally go for, if I like the creative team. I'll definitely be having a look at what Ellis does with Ultimate FF and I'll be checking out Azzarello's work on Superman too.

I lean towards the character usually, though the creator might be able to sway me, depending on reviews. I originally swore not to pick up Ultimate X-Men or Ultimate Spider-Man but ended up getting them because they got good reviews.

Character definitely. It adds authenticity to the story and character in question. It allows me to enjoys it more in the sense that I can understand the character more and more and why the character does what it does. The writers matter not. They're all just tools.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other.

Usually, I follow the Character.

A Specific creator usually won't make me pick up a book I hate. Warren Ellis is a favorite of mine, but I won't read his Ultimate Fantastic Four due to the fact that I dispise the Ultimate line. Geoff Johns could write every X-Men book, and I wouldn't touch 'em with a ten foot pole.

Also, there are some writers I will not read, no matter what they do.

For example... I've been a Captain America fan since I've been reading comics. The only time I haven't read a Cap book is when Dan Jurgens was writing, because Jurgens.. .well, he sucks.

I refuse to read anything by Brian Michael Bendis. I dropped Daredevil as soon as he came onboard. If I want pages of Dialogue and no action, I'll read a 1930s Radio script.

I dropped Avengers when Chuck Austen took over, because Austen writes crap.

So, I suppose it all depends.

I follow the creators. Even with characters I love.

Both.......but mostly the characters......you have to if you like Superman.

Character. Most of my comics are all batman and spiderman, regardless of some of the crappy stories (hama and clone saga

)

It use to be both but now it's down to pretty much the characters. (JSA, Legion & Avengers) A couple of years ago I followed writers from various books (PAD, Moore & Morrison to name a few) but cut way back on my titles to accommodate Archives & some of the DCD stuff.

I follow the characters, but only if they continue to be written well.

I like to follow characters..but can't drag myself to read anything by a piss poor creative team. hence I hardly ever pop open a Marvel comic anymore. I'm no longer a completist. But I can be drawn into anew concept I wouldn't normally read if it is by someone I greatly like.

I'm wasn't a huge Catwoman fan, but i like Brubaker..
I despise Gulacy's art, but i like Brubaker..
So, I still buy catwoman. That should explain it.

I pretty much think Supermna/Batman is pretty much crap but Supergirl is coming and then Pacheco...so i'll probably buy it until then...

As said earlier..a little of this.....

Quote:

Rob Kamphausen said:
which are you more apt to do... <P>buy a book created (written, illustrated, painted, inked, etc.) by your favorite creator?<P>or buy a book featuring your favorite character?<P>example: say you hate daredevil, but love the work of jeph loeb and tim sale. will you buy their upcoming daredevil books?<P>conversly, would you buy it if you hated loeb and sale, but loved daredevil?

I buy based on characters and don't care what the name on the credit box is.

I praise good creators and criticize (sp?) bad ones based on the work.