Worst Writer of 2009
Jim Doom: Tony Daniel
I don’t know why DC decided one of the most important periods in Batman’s history was the right time to let someone practice writing comic books. Daniel’s plots are predictable and his dialogue is groan-inducing. My best guess is that they needed someone to tread water while Grant Morrison’s big picture came into focus, and no actual writing talent wanted to agree to terms of “You can write Batman, but you can’t make anything interest happen or it might conflict with Grant’s plans.”
Professionals were probably like “No thanks,” and Daniel was like “You’ve come to the right man!”
Honorable mention: Jason Aaron. Maybe I’m just reading the wrong stuff, but everything I’ve read from this guy is just one long unfunny joke. Take the Wolverine’s Day Off story – which he claimed wasn’t supposed to be funny – or the terrible Fat Cobra story in which a once-interesting character was reduced to nothing more than a series of juvenile punchlines. His growing workload suggests he’s apparently doing something right somewhere – just not in the books I buy.
Fin Fang Doom: Reggie Hudlin!
Did anyone else notice that Reggie Hudlin directed an episode of The Office this season? He almost made me hate that show too, even though Pam wasn’t spectacularly out of character. Well, I guess that’s probably because he didn’t write it.
This year Black Panther turned into a lady. I’m not even sure Hudlin wrote that story, but I know he still writes Black Panther comics, so I’m going to blame him for it’s idiocy.
Here were our picks for Worst Writer in previous years:
2008:
Jim Doom: Ultimate Jeph Loeb
Fin Fang Doom: Reggie Hudlin
Doom DeLuise: James Robinson2007:
Fin Fang Doom: Reggie Hudlin
Doom DeLuise: Jeph Loeb
Jim Doom: (tie) Brad Meltzer, Dwayne McDuffie, Paul Dini, Jeph Loeb, and Andy Diggle
Doominator: Joe Quesada2006:
Jim Doom: Bruce Jones
Doom DeLuise: Bruce Jones
Fin Fang Doom: Reggie Hudlin
Doominator: Frank Miller2005:
Fin Fang Doom: Reggie Hudlin
Colonel Doom: Reggie Hudlin
Jean-Claude Van Doom: Reggie Hudlin
Jim Doom: Peter Milligan
Scary thing is the Battle for the Cowl collected version is selling really well in the mainstream market, which probably helps explain why they are still letting Daniel write Batman. I suspect though the success of the Battle for the Cowl is more to do with people wanting to fallow Morrison’s run and not realizing there was a change in writers.
Jason Aaron’s work does come down to what you read by him. He is like Robert Kirkmen with one truly great book and then a bunch of others that range from good to lousy. Aaron’s Scalped is his great work. Sadly most of his Marvel work has not clicked. His run on Ghost Rider was pretty good, but his Wolverine work has been very disappointing over all.