On his Tumblr, Brian Micheal Bendis was asked about why he’s stayed with Marvel when so many others have gone 100% creator owned.
Seems like most of the guys from your generation (Fraction, Brubaker, Millar) made a name doing their own stuff, built up a name at one of the big 2, then left to do their own stuff but with a bigger following. What makes you stay on at Marvel? Do you think you always had different goals from the start?
and he pointed out some very good reasons to stay:
Everyone to their own path.
but it’s weird that I keep being labeled, by some, as just marvel dude because I do produce as much if not more creator owned work as everybody else doing creator owned work. in fact with the powers TV show just a few weeks away I am as involved in the benefits of creator owned then just about anybody on the planet aside from Robert Kirkman. it just so happens that Marvel is also my home for creator owned work and have been publishing powers for over a decade
but why Marvel? I absolutely love it. I feel an immense honor being one of the caretakers of these characters that mean so much to so many. my kids are little and all of their friends love the guardians or the avengers and the thrill they feel when they find out I’m somewhat involved is very inspiring. I am afforded a great deal of freedom to express myself in characters that mean the world to so many.
so I get the best of both worlds. why wouldn’t I do both?
You know, there’s nothing wrong with sticking with a job you love, especially when you have a “TV” show coming out that will potentially rewards the fruits of creator-owned labor over many years. Bendis has had one of the most successful careers in comics history, ad having choices is what helped make it so.
I saw this as well. He’s one of the guys I’m really happy to see do well in comics. He loves the medium and loves multiple genres.
I love that you posted this the same day that you posted Clowes calling people who work for Marvel fourth generation imitators who make awful comics.
Bendis didn’t work for Marvel in the 90s; in fact, he was recruited to revive the company. And he seems to have.
the people who revived the company were the entertainment lawyers who un-kinked the movie rights. the creative types just do what they’ve been doing for 40 years, rearranging the furniture in the house Jack and Stan built.
that being said, my first post wasn’t a dig at Bendis, it was me enjoying the juxtaposition of the two articles.
I remember Quesada hiring Bendis back in the day. It was one of the moments when I knew Marvel was going to make a comeback. They went for talent, and had people up top who supported them. Bendis has been given a blank check to do whatever he wants at Marvel, and it seems to work for all involved.
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