12. Paul Dini

Harley Quinn: H-he told me things, secret things he never told anyone...
Batman: What did he tell you, Harley? Was it the line about the abusive father, or the one about the alcoholic mom? Of course, the runaway orphan story is particularly moving, too. He's gained a lot of sympathy with that one.
Harley Quinn: Stop it!! You're making me confused!
Batman: What was it he told that one parole officer? Oh, yes... 'There was only one time I ever saw Dad really happy. He took me to the ice show when I was seven...'
Harley Quinn: Circus. He said it was a circus.
--The Batman Adventures: Mad Love, DC, 1994

Batman: If it starts with one person, and then a neighborhood, then perhaps redemption can spread through an entire city, and finally back to me.
--Batman: War on Crime, DC, 1999

Superman: I think back to my father. As a farmer, he had a natural understanding for the Earth. I remember him telling me this world is capable of providing for all its creatures. Even now, with so many more people, there exists enough food for everyone. 'The problem', Pa used to say, 'is people. As far back as we go, we've always had problems with sharing. Seems everyone's too busy holding on to what they've got to care how their neighbors are doing.' Pa said it would take a special individual with no personal agenda to make everyone realize what the world has to offer. Someone who could put his own needs aside to help the greater good. I don't pretend to think I am that person, though I have always tried to be there for others.
--Superman: Peace on Earth, DC, 1999

Also recommended: Batman: Mr. Freeze, Batman: Harley Quinn

I love Bendis when I love his work, and really don't when I don't. He was considered for a low spot on my list because he's written many things I love (Ultimate Spider-Man, Alias, Daredevil, Torso...), but fell off my list on the strength of the comics I don't. (especially Avengers)

#12-Max Allan Collins.
Solely for giving the comic book world the toughest Private Dick around...Ms. Michael Tree. The hard as nails, shoot first, sort it all out later, don't take crap from any bad guy or even her friends, woman doing what was always considered a "man's" job. And she is better and tougher than most and stylish and beautiful and in heels while doing it!

Collins is willing to take on ANY subject and explore what it really means to being human. Making mistakes, false assumptions, rape, standing up for yourself, killer cults, politics, emotional loss, unexpected pregnancies, assassins, Vietnam, drugs, physical abuse, gangsters and more. You name it, Collins has likely written about it in Ms. Tree at some point.

The necessary mystery tropes are all there yet made new and relevant for today. A cast that is fully PART of the adventures with their own personal stories (actually told, explored and included) as characters which are just as important in Tree's life and job. Collins knows the detective world inside and out (go read his Nate Heller or ANY of his other mystery books/series for crying out loud, you won't be disappointed) and he uses every tool at his disposal (both good and bad at times) in delivering hard hitting, intelligent comic book stories without any capes or tights to be found.

#12 - Scott Gray (Primarily selected for writing various Doctor Who Magazine comic strips)

Born Warwick Gray in New Zealand, Scott Gray came to the UK in the early 90s. In his time, he has edited various Marvel UK titles, but I’ve selected him for his role as writer of various Doctor Who strips within the pages of Doctor Who Magazine, particularly the Eighth Doctor who was portrayed in the TV series by Sylvester McCoy from 1987 to 1989.

Gray has this uncanny ability/knack to make his Doctor stories both epic in scope and deeply personal/relatable. You can be in awe of the various themes and the worlds he creates (this guy does sci-fi very well!), but there’s always something drawing you into the story on a personal level. And that’s what appeals to me the most. Worlds and universes shattering mean nothing to me if I don’t care about the personal relationships and dynamics. Without the personal stuff, it becomes the comic book equivalent of a fireworks display, leaving no lasting impression on you.

Trust me, if you have even a slight affinity for Doctor Who, track down the strip “Uninvited Guest” (Doctor Who Magazine #211), where the Doctor tangles with a group called the Eternals, who are toying with and destroying worlds. This arrogant bunch of immortals need taking down a peg or two. Who better than the Doctor? I hope someone here decides to read it, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Here’s the Eternals, dismissing the Doctor:

#12 Roy Thomas

Roy the Boy is probably my favorite Marvel writer, of the Bronze Age, overall. There are individual works I like better; but, Roy was probably the most consistently entertaining, with both a great handle on story mechanics and character. He sort of defined the Marvel Epic (even though Stan & Jack had already done that, with Galactus), with the Kree-Skrull War, where the story kind of spilled beyond the Avengers, setting the stage for later writers, like Jims Starlin & Shooter. He was able to capture the playful tone of Stan, when he wanted to, yet give characters greater depth. He also was a great concept person, adding so many lasting characters and ideas tot he Marvel Universe. Sure, he could be wordy; even overly cute, but, it usually worked quite well.

Some would go so far to argue that the popularity of Robert E Howard and Conan owes as much to Roy Thomas as it does Howard, as Roy either adapted or penned more stories than anyone. Conan was a massive seller and one of Marvel's comics to transcend audiences as it was a major favorite with African-American audiences, far more than Marvel's attempts at copying Blaxploitation films.

Roy could adapt to the needs of the character and story, whether it was providing the grandeur of Asgard or the misfit collective of the X-Men, or the comic banter between Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm. Roy was the first writer to really key on the elements of the X-Men that would lead to their dominance in superhero comics, teaming with probably the best work of Neal Adams' career.

When he went to DC, Roy took fan-fiction to new levels (even after Marvel) with his All-Star Squadron, a loving tribute to his beloved JSA and their contemporaries, mixing in real history along the way (though never moving past mid-1042). He gave DC a hit, right out of the gate, though it wasn't able to sustain readership. He also gave us some historical adventure, with Arak and helped give some depth to Wonder Woman, even if he was unable to reach the heights of Perez. He still laid a lot of groundwork that dug Wonder Woman out of the cliched hole she had been buried in.

Roy would part ways with DC and pop up in unexpected places, such as when he and wife Dann wrote the adventures of a lost hero and his son, in Hero Comics series Captain Thunder and Blue Bolt. It was a nice modern twist on old fashioned superheroes and it was also a bit of a middle finger at the big two, as he showed them how to do a post-modern hero, and still keep the "hero" element.



Roy is, first and foremost, a comics fan and he has never lost sight of what makes people fans of comics: characters and engaging plots. He has also been a tireless chronicler of the history of comics and the creators who built those stories we love.

12. James Robinson

There was a real battle royale for the 12th and final spot on my list, but I ultimately went with James Robinson, as he had the most and most varied projects that I enjoyed. I've heard that his more recent works after his return to writing comics haven't been universally well regarded, but back in the 90's and early 2000's he was on a roll.

Though I thought Starman meandered a bit at times, Robinson pulled it back together to complete one of my favorite stories/series ever. I also was a fan of his earlier work on Firearm at Malibu, and in the Golden Age mini-series. The one that put him over the top for this selection, though, was Leave it to Chance, which I wish had gone longer than it did, especially given where it ended.

On the first day of Christmas, Santa brought to me the works of Jan Strnad...



Works that garnered his favorite status: Dalgoda, Sword of the Atom, Talos of the Wilderness Sea, and his many collaborations with Richard Corben

Why I like his work: I first discovered Strnad' work on the Sword of the Atom mini-series with Gil Kane and loved the sword and sorcery vibe on a super-hero work. I thin saw his collaboration with Gilbert Hernandez in Anything Goes #1, which led me to checking out Dalgoda when I saw it. Strand's work is never generic. He captures the tone and feel of whatever genre he works in seamlessly. His horror work is distinctly horror, sword and sorcery, sci-fi, whatever, yet he retains a distinctive voice that is all his own. He's worked with a killer's row of creators as well, and brings out the best in each, and creates work that retain his voice yet also feel distinctively unique for the artist he is working with (i.e. his Corben stories retain a Strnad voice but are unmistakably Corben stories and don't feel like his stories done with Gil Kane for example, but neither loses the Strnad's voice either). That is a priceless ability when working in a collaborative field.

If you haven't tried his stuff a single work I would recommend starting with is:



-M