Marc Guggenheim: Kick ASS.
Marc Guggenheim: Kick ASS.
Oct 30I hate TV writers.
For several years, I yearned to become a TV writer. Throughout those years, and in my current state of not BEING a TV writer, I built up a significant resentment for this rareified breed, these lucky duckies who sit in posh writers’ rooms and eat free food and make jokes all day and then get paid lots of money.
If there’s anything I hate MORE than a TV writer, it’s a TV writer who also gets to write COMIC BOOKS. Yeah, thanks, dude. You really need to have TWO dream jobs, don’t you. I’ll just toil away at bullshit while you get to fulfill every fantasy I’ve ever had. Go ahead–lick whipped cream off the bald head of Ving Rhames. Take away ALL my hopes and dreams.
In spite of all this, I have to confess that I am loving Marc Guggenheim right now. If you’re not familiar, Guggenheim just wrapped a kick-ass arc on Wolverine, maybe the best Civil War tie-in story, and now he’s teamed with Howard Chaykin on Blade’s latest attempt to support an ongoing title.
I am confused as to why more fanboys aren’t wetting themselves over this Blade title. It’s firmly rooted in the Marvel U, it’s got CHAYKIN drawing VAMPIRE CLOWNS, and Guggenheim’s writing is suffused with bad-assery. That second issue, the Doctor Doom time-travel issue, just kicked all kinds of tail. And Guggenheim’s structuring it in a great reader-friendly way–a larger story that weaves quietly through each issue, but a main story that’s completely stand-alone. In other words, just pick one up and let it beat the shit out of you, already.
So Marc Guggenheim, I hate you so much that I love you. Or something.
Word!
The Blade series came out of left field for me and I dig it. C’mon… a SHIELD Helicarrier manned by a rogue faction of SHIELD agent vampires.
Aaaaaaah. Bliss.
I don’t understand Chaykin’s appeal. My only exposure to him was his issue of New Avengers (The Cap Civil War issue) and I thought the art was atrocious. I swore off ever buying another book with his name on it, but since then I’ve seen so many people sing his praises. Did I miss something? Was that a bad example of his ability? Am I blind? Please help, because now I’m wondering if Rob Liefield really sucks, or if I’m imagining that too!
Hilton, art is of course SO very subjective, and so it’s totally up to the beholder…
I’m very much a latecomer to Chaykin, but what I like about his work is the energy of it. And his facial expressions seem particularly well-suited to Blade…he gives Blade this look of “I’m gonna kick ass and enjoy it” that gets me every time.
Having said that, I wasn’t particularly blown away by his New Avengers issue either, but I like his work on Blade a lot. I saw an interview where he sang the praises of Guggenheim’s scripting so maybe it’s a case where he’s just really excited to draw these particular scripts?