Sunday, April 20, 2008

Trading Places

The instructions, via plok:

“What creators who are usually associated with a certain company (or, indeed, medium) would you like to see writing someone else’s title? For example, would you want to see JMS on Hellboy? Which DC character should Bendis have a crack at? Should George Pelecanos write Batman? (Answer: Yes)

This could be a tough one. There aren't too many company-specific people left, what with Mark Bagley going to DC and Mark Waid having written some of Marvel's biggest characters (including, soon, a run on Amazing Spider-Man). But ... okay.

1. Michael Chabon and Mike Allred on Fantastic Four. It sounds like it would be a '60s pastiche, and to a certain extent it would be, but I think these two would bring a good mix of Lee/Kirby reverence, irreverence, and innovation to the book. Plus, aren't you curious to see how Chabon would do a multi-issue arc?

2. Greg Rucka and Joe Bennett on a S.H.I.E.L.D. book. Yes, it'd be Checkmate with a Helicarrier -- but also a high concept that actually pays off.

3. Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins on Incredible Hulk would give Johns a chance to indulge his bloodlust (I kid because I love); and Kolins does big, bulky carnage well.

4. I really liked plok's idea for a Hellboy-esque Mignola Captain America, so I'll appropriate the gist of it. How about Walt Simonson on a 1940s Justice Society of America?

5. Since Waid's going to be writing Spidey, I guess that particular pairing is off-limits; so let's put Paul Dini on Amazing Spider-Man instead, with Cliff Chiang drawing. (Mike Norton if Chiang's unavailable.)

6. I see that Jim Roeg has picked Ed Brubaker for New Teen Titans, and while I'd love to read that, I've gotta put Brubaker on Justice League of America, together with Alan Davis.

How's that?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, just great, Tom! Chabon/Allred FF -- damn it, I'd read that! It'd be a really New-Yorky FF, wouldn't it? Time to hit that note again, I think. Ditto Simonson on a 40s JSA, and Dini/Chiang could almost bring me back to Spider-Man, maybe.

Now that I think of it, I'd read the hell out of a Chabon Spidey, too...

Tom Bondurant said...

In fact, Chabon's Spider-Man 2 script was making the Internet rounds last week.

I know how you feel about Waid's FF, and I have been avoiding the "Brand New Day" Spidey, but I may actually get the Waid issues.

Anonymous said...

I read Chabon's script -- very interesting, to say the least.

As to Waid -- when he's on, he's ON. That's my opinion. Great rafts of JLA: Year One didn't even make sense, but it didn't matter, because he nailed everything that mattered.

I don't know. Waid's a mystery to me.

On Spider-Man, you say?

Tell you what: I'd read a Waid/Allred Spider-Man, that's for sure...

Jim Roeg said...

Greg Rucka and Joe Bennett on a S.H.I.E.L.D. book? I am so there. And Alan Davis on JLA? >swoon<

I just realized that I totally plagiarized your Scott Kolins pick for my own Incredible Hulk redesign--sorry about that...or maybe great minds just think alike? Either way, with Kolins on Hulk, everybody wins.