It's going the same way with movies, though. I couldn't make Raiders of the Lost Ark or 2001 to save my life.

I could, however, come up with the next Blair Witch or Clerks.

Things just keep getting dumbed down (and I like Clerks, don't get me wrong!) and professionalism and artistry in the craft just go down the toilet. Instead of being proud to show off a modicum of talent, writers these days tend to pander to the lowest common denominator, and when that sells well, they feel justified in their actions.

I could write the current Avengers stories pretty much without anyone noticing. Just put Bendis' name on it and no one would really tell the difference - his schtick is just too easy to figure out. And I haven't read his Avengers since issue 7 of New Avengers.

I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out how to write the World's Finest story I just read last night with the two aliens tricking Superman and Batman, and them going to Batgirl and Supergirl for aid, and ... the mystery, the pacing, the fact that it fit in 20 pages and every scene counted.

It's like the old saying goes "forgive me for rambling on for so long, I didn't have the time to edit my letter down"

The latest victim of DC's creative bankruptcy.

_______________________

The latest but not the last. DC has let me down over and over again in the past couple of years.

Hopefully, they'll be in the next ESSENTIALS edition. Finding them, and at a good price, is a task worthy of the Odinson himself.

Didn't Sinnott ink those issues?

If I'm remembering correctly, Joe Sinnott or Vince Colletta inked those issues of Thor...so if you're expecting the same linework as when Neal was inked by Giordano, Palmer or himself you may be disappointed. 

I think JB draws pretty much the definitive version of most heroes. Except for Batman. The only thing I see in my mind's eye when I think of Batman is Neal Adams. Built enough to look really strong, but lean enough to look limber and quick. It just looks right, and makes the most amount of sense since weightlifters don't move as fast as Batman needs to move to be effective. And the way he used the cape, the cowl and the eyes to establish mood, not only of the scene of the character himself was simply amazing.

The only person who comes close for me is Jim Aparo, but Aparo kept himself locked in a little too much for my taste whereas Adams would let Batman flow to suit the story.

I wish Adams had done some nice long runs on... anything (and I mean that; if he drew a superhero it tended to become 'his' in a way very few could match. And that was without remaking the character! Just doing it... right. The way they should look) from Marvel and DC in the late Eighties, early Nineties so I could have been a kid discovering his work for the first time in new stuff. Even though I liked old comics they never meant as much to me as the ones I bought with my own money.

Looking forward to Essential Thor #4. Will be picking it up.

I can thank my younger brother for introducing me to Neal Adams. He was a DC fan as I was a Marvel. I remember him getting Batman #251. I had always liked Batman but this issue blew me away. I remember begging to read the entire issue. After giving him my dessert he gave in and let me look at it.