Top 10 Comic Book Writers

I've always liked lists (watching High Fidelity at an impressionable age is probably what caused that) and for someone who reads a lot of comics it's always a great way to prioritize things. As a guy who tends to follow creative teams more than a character, I think it's important to know what writers to follow and who will make a good book. On a personal note, I feel doing that allows you to appreciate the medium of sequential art a lot more than reading a comic because you like Spider-Man or whoever. I'm guilty of that myself (I'm looking at you, almost every single X-Men title) but it doesn't let you appreciate the medium for what it is and what it can accomplish. So without further ado: the list!

10. Mark Waid

One word: Daredevil. I've always liked Waid to a certain extent, but his Daredevil run consistently makes it to the top of my reading pile every month, regardless of how far behind I am on everything else. If you're not reading Daredevil and you like comics, you're missing out.

9.  Matt Fraction

Fraction really only tops Waid here because on this list because he has a larger body of work that I enjoy. Casanova is some top-notch creator owned work and worth checking out. His work-for-hire stuff is pretty hit-or-miss (Immortal Iron Fist was fantastic and Invincible Iron Man was great but Mighty Thor was a bit lacking) but anyone who writes a team-up book between Nikola Tesla and Mark Twain deserves some respect.

8.  Kieron Gillen

Gillen's creator-owned series Phonogram is what really drew me to this guy, and I've never stopped liking his work. I was a little nervous to see him write a cape comic, but his Uncanny X-Men has never been disappointed, even though I'm really not too fond of some of the artists he's worked with on the book.

7.  Scott Snyder

Give Snyder a year or two, and I'm pretty sure he'll be higher on this list. I hardly ever see someone write so consistently good on both the creator-owned and work-for-hire fronts. Batman and Swamp Thing are easily my two favorite New 52 books, and American Vampire actually made me care about vampires again.

6.  Brian Azzarello

I have a confession to make: I have a soft spot for crime books, the mafia, and conspiracies. Azzarello's 100 Bullets delivers all of those things wonderfully. Azzarello may not be the best crime writer in the business, but  I'd say he's definitely high up there. I also really enjoy the way he has interpreted the Greek pantheon in Wonder Woman. It's always impressive to see someone make Wonder Woman a title that actually sells.

5.  Greg Rucka

Rucka is, for my money, the best crime writer working in comic books today. He's a perfect match for Punisher right now, and I'm incredibly excited to see Stumptown back on the shelves. The amount of love Rucka has for the private eye genre practically oozes off ever page of Stumptown. At my comic shop I always recommend Gotham Central to anyone. It's one of the few books I can suggest to people who only read cape books and people who don't read any cape books.

4.  Ed Brubaker

Brubaker is another excellent crime writer. Criminal, Incognito and Fatale are noir masterpieces. Noir in any media format is usually a pretty easy way to siphon money from my wallet and Brubaker doesn't disappoint. He's also pretty capable at writing for cape books, with his Captain America being a prime example. Captain America (Vol. 5) #25 should be required reading on how to write an issue with a twist in the age of the internet.

3.  Grant Morrison

Morrison is accused of doing a lot of drugs. Partly because he has, but mostly because he writes some of the most off the wall stories I've ever read. Morrison fills his books with these incredible concepts that, if you tried to explain them to someone, seem like they could interfere with the story, but they're what make it. With Morrison, the devil is in the details. He's a great writer, but sometimes his stories can get away from him (or at least seem like it) and when he does work-for-hire, it feels like he occasionally has too tight of a leash, but they're always worth checking out.

2.  Jonathan Hickman

Hickman has done the impossible: he made Reed Richards likable. He's Marvel's rising star right now, but still finds the time to churn out these innovative books at Image about time travel, alternative history, and spy dramas. It boggles my mind how far ahead he can plot his books, but at the same time it frustrates me. His plotting means I'll be buying Avengers for at least a couple of years, and seeing his plotting diagram for Fantastic Four made me feel inadequate is a write.

1.  Warren Ellis

Transmetropolitan is my favorite comic of all time, but that isn't what makes Ellis the top here. I have honestly never read anything by Ellis that I didn't like or thought got away from him at all. He has the most varied body of work I've ever encountered. If you can think of a genre, Ellis probably has at least one story in that genre and it's great. He wrote a novel just so his agent would stop pestering him to write one, thinking it would be too ridiculous to publish, but it was fantastic. Even when he's trying to not get published, he produces gold.

With writers covered, the next step is artists. That list should be up soon.

Marvel NOW! December solicits aren't doing quite as well.

The first wave of Marvel NOW! teasers really caught my eye, but so far this new set has not been doing its job. Not for me, at least.

The new Thunderbolts just looks boring to me. Daniel Way has never really been the best, and this new team looks simply awful. The only character I care about is Punisher, and he simply works better on his own.

Plus, the whole idea behind Thunderbolts is criminals in some sort of rehabilitation program, and none of these characters are really villains. Sure, they’re all somewhat on the cusp, but that’s not what this book should be. On a personal note, I’m pretty sick of Red Hulk, and doesn’t a general have better things to do than lead a squad made of a few anti-heroes?

Avengers Arena? Wow, another Battle Royale / Hunger Games but this time with children! Oh wait. Nevermind.

With the Superior teaser not fully explained, the only book that I’m even considering getting the first issue of is Cable and X-Force. In all honesty, it’s only because I like Dr. Nemesis so much (although I hate the redesign) and I’m somewhat fond of Colossus. I could not give a damn about Cable, regardless of how ’90s extreme he isn’t anymore.

Although writer Dennis Hopeless has said that he’s setting it up like a crime story, and I’ve always been a sucker any crime book. This book will get lots of love from me if Dr. Nemesis comes up with a wacky heist.