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    Brian Michael Bendis

    Person » Brian Michael Bendis is credited in 3003 issues.

    Brian Michael Bendis is a comic writer, and former artist. He is well-known for his extended tenure on Ultimate Spider-Man, Avengers, and Daredevil for Marvel, as well as for his creator-owned series Powers and Scarlet. Bendis' work has earned him five Eisner Awards.

    Is Bendis a Hypocrite?

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    Silkcuts

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    Edited By Silkcuts

    Is Bendis a Hypocrite? Thanks  J1ml33 for sending me this link.

    First off, I know this is Hypocritical by Copy and Pasting Blogging.  So what? Big deal, I confessed on this one.  This was just too good to ignore.  These two guys I agree with a lot.  Bendis is in the front of the line of the industry. Then he says something but is doing something different.  He can say he wants better written reviews, but really does the masses care?  I don't think they do.  It is easier to have "Knee Jerk" reviews then to have laid out critical reviews.  There are a whole bunch of great Journalistic bloggers on this site, but do people care to read them?  The threads that get the most traffic are the shallow superficial threads like "Which chick is hotter?".
     
    Back to the point.  Bendis says one thing about "Better critic and better journalism", but his best selling comics are not something you can always praise.  So does he really want to hear the good stuff and the better journalism?  To make money in comics you have to sell out.  These guys hit it out of the park with Scarlet. Does it sell Avengers numbers? No. To make money you have to water down the product.
     
    The Comic Industry is hurting as an Art form.  As an Entertainment it is healthy, but most fans don't want to know how comics work.  I am grateful to Mat 'Inferiorego' Elfring for mentioning my Blog and my Batwoman review in his Around the Vine: Community Wrap-Up 10/15/10, but does users on the Vine care for these suggestions?  The Artist blog has not really had any activity, which is likely because most people don't care for "better journalism" and higher criticism. I am not saying it is brilliant, because it is not, but it was researched.  My most passionate work and at times my best is written "FREE", so Bendis is right that writers write best when its free.  When you are making money, you have to write to the masses because you have to sacrifice something to make it more appealing.  When you write to the masses you have to write more shallow and avoid any depth, the more complicated the work, the more likely the fans won't like it.  I like to think of Grant Morrison and his X-Men.  I enjoyed it, but it is light years a head of any X-Men before it, so a lot of the masses didn't accept it.
     
    I listed Bendis as the number 1 most overrated writer because of his confusing stance on creating comics.  When he writes for himself, I have nothing bad to say.  When he writes to the masses I rather use the comics as kindle.  In retrospective, maybe that was hash, but its true.  Most of the writers I listed there were better writers before they catered to the masses. If Bendis means what he says, then I would love to see him raise the bar in his superhero writing.  It is very easy to say it when you have the money.  I don't make a cent with the what I write on the Vine, but when I get the one or two readers it is all worth while.  Writing for me is about the substance, something I feel is lost in comics today.  This rant of a blog is not to single out anyone on the Vine, it is about Bendis.  He is on to something?  If so does that make him a hypocrite? 
     
    Does the industry need a change?
    Cheers
    - Silkcuts
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    J1ml33

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    #1  Edited By J1ml33

    You make a great point that when  a writer or artist who at first writes what they want to without editorial telling them to dumb it down to make it accessible to the masses  just to make a fast buck , well some times it does not work like that I guesses since we all live in an imperfect world where vaules are king and being an artist is only secondary in the craft  of what is considered to be the modern comic book industry . yes we want writers to succeed and to make an honest living doing what they love . but in some cases they could or become tools and their once free spirited , thoughtful detail daring and sometimes brave  storytelling   is what made them interesting and smart only to be later on put Thur the corporate machine only to be come the Lady Gaga of comics (meaning they lose their edge and become plastic and commercial ) for example mark millar before this man took creative risk and did things that he believed in all in the name of art (which later on became greed and narcissism backed by his writing skill greatly becoming less edgy and more commercial and artificial and hopefully not in the end hollow and souless )   besides one must must ask himself does every comic you buy in Wednesday have to be names you know and trust followed by brands you have groaned up with since you was a kid or may have see as a popular motion picture . and also why would people want to know the behind the sense play by play of how a comic book is made really worth unfair and sometimes unneeded criticism (we all get enough of that with movies, music and television mainly so called reaility Television so the play by play would only hurt the comics industry not help !)and that goes double for writers and artist sometimes editors producers  I get enough of that from watching a really good DVD full of extra behind the seens footage and the making of ... and lastly tell me you the public if your so invested in this one persons creative process why dig deeper into what might possibly be wrong for everybody else ..? and also this why would bendis  even ask for such a thing for everyone else and to only bend the rules when you see fit now tell yoyu me that ? ( the people who buy his books and those who buy do not ? )

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    Silkcuts

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    #2  Edited By Silkcuts
    @J1ml33:  Passionately spoken, it may have come on deft ears.  To break from the "comfort zone" is scary and that is why people stick to the shallow pool of creativity.  The deeper you think of something, the better chances someone will tell you "It's wrong" and with shallow comics it is easy to say "That's right".  Not everyone can handle negative comments.  It is easier to taken the clear path:  "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — / I took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference." - Robert Frost - The Road Not Taken (1920)
     
    I am not on comicvine to chat about the non sense, like trying to pick up a chick, I am here for my love of the medium.  It is easy to say "I love comics", but how deep is that love?  To really love something, you have to digest it.  Its like when you tell a loved one "I'm going to eat you all up". Comic love should be primal and the want to eat up everything.
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    danhimself

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    #3  Edited By danhimself

    I really don't pay attention to reviews no matter who writes them...if I like a book then I don't want some person possibly influencing my thoughts on it by continuously telling me how bad they thought it was...I don't need that kind of negativity in my life...Bendis should just get over it and stop paying attention to reviewers and pretty much for the same reason....I don't want some person's negative thoughts possibly influencing a story either

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    AMS

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    #4  Edited By AMS

    It's a big club and you aint in it.  
     
    George Carlin.
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    Silkcuts

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    #5  Edited By Silkcuts
    @danhimself said:
    " I really don't pay attention to reviews no matter who writes them...if I like a book then I don't want some person possibly influencing my thoughts on it by continuously telling me how bad they thought it was...I don't need that kind of negativity in my life...Bendis should just get over it and stop paying attention to reviewers and pretty much for the same reason....I don't want some person's negative thoughts possibly influencing a story either "
    Nicely said.  Your right negativity is bad energy.  I can understand your view on reviews and that is very far.  Thanks for sharing.
     
    @AMS said:
    " It's a big club and you aint in it.   George Carlin. "

    Keep mine Exclusive then ;)  nice quote Carlin, rest his soul.
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    johnny_spam

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    #6  Edited By johnny_spam

    Bendis should not be worried over what the internet critics and journalists thinks of him and just think about his own writing in my opinion.  In all likelihood he probably is in a bubble like pointed out in the video because many comic book writers tend to pay attention to their own books mostly and don't read much else. 
     
    I am not sure the industry needs better journalists and critics they first and always have needed good comics then get people to read them who wouldn't. 
     
    I can understand the criticisms against Bendis in this video I think at most they are bothered that he has two different voices and one is less creative then the other and I wonder why not keep a unique voice for even superhero comics time has proven that fans can appreciate that as well maybe as the story goes on but I doubt he is interested in eventually getting there like that. 
     
    The one problem I have with these videos is that the two guys in the video bring up Bendis almost every other video and it seems they have some vendetta against him I don't think that is there intention but it seems that way.  
     
    @J1ml33 said:

     besides one must must ask himself does every comic you buy in Wednesday have to be names you know and trust followed by brands you have groaned up with since you was a kid or may have see as a popular motion picture . 
    I would think not everyone can afford reading many books not everyone can try out stuff they are not familiar with so they trust a name more then anything else.
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    Silkcuts

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    #7  Edited By Silkcuts
    @johnny spam:  Your right Bendis does have two voices and I don't think he sees that.  A good writer so not compromise and I think he does.
     
    As for these two guys, I never seen them before, someone sent me the video because he though I would enjoy it which I did. There maybe past history with these guys and Bendis, or to what I know they could be friends of his that "Burn" him to keep people talking about him.  This entry is about the medium and that Bendis says its healthy, yet it is not.  Bendis says he wants better criticism but blocks tweeter feeds.  Bendis is a good writer, but overrated because he most acclaimed books are his weakest.  The ratio between his praise to his passion is weird when it comes to his released comic.
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    Liberty

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    #8  Edited By Liberty

    These guys bugged me not because I disagree with them but they are terrible public speakers.  Now that I said that I think his whole argument it a bit nit-picky.

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    #9  Edited By Silkcuts
    @Liberty said:
    " These guys bugged me not because I disagree with them but they are terrible public speakers.  Now that I said that I think his whole argument it a bit nit-picky. "
    They are terrible public speakers.  But you disagree?  So Bendis is complaining about lack of smart reviews, then when smart reviews that attack his work he is upset with.  Plus their points on the heart of comic writing verses writing to the masses?  It was writing to the masses that got Ted Kord killed.  Bendis is confused because he wants respect from the credible reviewers, but he is catering to the masses and his written skills are never really seen.  
     
    I think those two guys make interesting points, they do seem to be attacking Bendis.  But he is not the quality writer in his superhero books (Where he gets great money) compared to his creator owned books that are better (Where he doesn't get as much money). Writers shouldn't compromise their quality, Bendis is quality of that.
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    Liberty

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    #10  Edited By Liberty
    @Silkcuts:   I wrote that poorly I agree with the bloggers but can't stand their public speaking.
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    Silkcuts

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    #11  Edited By Silkcuts
    @Liberty said:

    " @Silkcuts:   I wrote that poorly I agree with the bloggers but can't stand their public speaking. "

    that makes more sense.  Yeah, they are Snarky... lol
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    Amegashita

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    #12  Edited By Amegashita

      It seemed like I was listening to Mike and Mike on ESPN Radio.

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    Silkcuts

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    #13  Edited By Silkcuts
    @BigDick:  I you commenting directly at me? I hope your not, because you don't want me to pull up my cred. I checked your profile and your a new guy, so I'll let your comment slide.
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    BigDick

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    #14  Edited By BigDick

    @Slikcuts Nope. Just a general comment giving some insight into "these guys" and the good works they do for no pay and often a lot of grief.
     
    You want to see the flip-side? Go here: http://aaronpoehler.com/2009/09/28/ccw-tv-the-comic-culture-warrior-channel/  read the post and then watch the videos mentioned in the post. If you're not laughing and nodding your heads knowingly at all the TRUTH-- "public speaking skills" aside-- being displayed honorably and bravely in these videos-- then you don't "get" good comics.
     
    And Silkcuts, the "you" I use in the above paragraph is the universal "you"-- meant to recommend the videos to everyone-- not just you. OK? Great!
     
    (And thanks for letting me "slide".)

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    Silkcuts

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    #15  Edited By Silkcuts
    @BigDick:  I'll check those links out.  It is a reason of a doubt, I never met you, so why would you accuse me of something.  So if you have no beef with me, I have no beef with you.
    :D
    Cheers.
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    inferiorego

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    #16  Edited By inferiorego  Staff
    @Silkcuts:   
    During San Diego Comic Con, I was having a cigarette and talking to a reporter from the "big time" of journalism. (I'm leaving his name out and where he works for simply because it isn't relevant) I mentioned I wrote for ComicVine and he complimented the site and said he enjoyed what we did, especially our interviews, but then we got on the topic of other websites and how journalism has changed so much over the past decade, and he said this to me:
     
    "Every a$$hole with a keyboard thinks they're a journalist."
     I'll remember this quote for the rest of my life.... Now it seems everyone with a camera is not only the same, but credible. Anyway, I'm getting away from the point... I started out on this site 3 1/2 years ago as a blogger. I wrote random blogs and reviews, and eventually, I landed a job here. People do notice the blogs. They do like the advice people have to offer. They are paying attention. If they weren't, I wouldn't be here. 
     
    As for Bendis, I have no real opinion of him. I like some of his stuff, and I dislike some of it. I loved his Disassembled and New Avengers run, but I can't stand Powers. It's all subjective and about taste... I'm going on lunch break now.... peace out
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    inferiorego

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    #17  Edited By inferiorego  Staff

    I like how my story is a counter-point to my own point...
     
    It's been a long day at work, and I'm not thinking straight... Plus, I just wanted to tell a bunch of stories.
     
    <- Argument fail! 
    lol

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    Silkcuts

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    #18  Edited By Silkcuts
    @inferiorego:  Well said :D
    Everyone does think they are "credible".  I had to place someone in that blog as overrated, and Bendis to me is.  He is one of the biggest names and it is because he is in the right place at the right time.  I am not saying he is a bad writer, he is not, he is just catering to the mainstream and by doing so it in my opinion is not his strongest works, so on my reviews I can't praise them.  Many of my reviews I focus on layering and how the art reflects the story.  That is where I agreed with these guys, but I can agree that they are attacking him as well.. I never see these guys before, so I don't know their show.  I guess I care more about reading comics then watching for new online shows talking about comics...lol
     
    As for: "Every a$$hole with a keyboard thinks they're a journalist." Thanks for sharing that.  I'll keep that in mind.  I hope that was not a subtle comment on me :(
    But it is true, everyone has an opinion and everyone wants to share theirs.
     
    thanks as well for the story of how you got a job for the vine.  I know people read the blogs, but not all of them get the traffic because there is so many keyboards...lol  Thanks for checking out my blogs, it is always an honor knowing you read my stuff.
     
    Cheers
    - Silkcuts
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    Silkcuts

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    #19  Edited By Silkcuts
    @inferiorego:  Its is not an argument, it is an intelligent conversation.
    Enjoy your lunch.
    Cheers
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    johnny_spam

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    #20  Edited By johnny_spam
    @BigDick:  
    Calling the writer of Ash saves Obama is a little kind it doesn't matter how many followers they have that doesn't mean anything  the biggest loser on Facebook could have thousands of "friends" online and still means little to nothing. They only bring up the same people even when something is something they think is good it goes around to some people who annoy them (like Bendis and Millar) more from the vendor probably because after ten years of being a comic vendor and a year's worth of video shows his opinion does not add up as stuff he hates is always top rated stuff. 
      
    The whole thing comes down to opinion and criticism and critiques since that is what the video is about as well as what the subject is so that means all of it  Bendis, this blog and including those two are open for criticism. 
      
    I am not defending Bendis I have not read any of his Avengers comics but the amount they talk about it even when praising Scarlet makes it seem like something is up.  
     
    And just because one yells and the other stammers does not mean they properly made their point and stop assuming just because you follow some other people's blogs means no one else knows anything it's the internet and they are comic book fans allot of people know what is happening and they just don't care that is what makes the Online comics community so upsetting. 

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