MARK BAGLEY Leaving Marvel

[davegraham]

Its over at Newsarama (http://www.newsarama.com/dcnew/Bagley/moves.html)

Newsarama has learned that long-time Marvel penciler Mark Bagley, whose current exclusive contract with the publisher reportedly expires at the end of this year, will move to DC Comics to take on an undisclosed high-profile project likely sometime in 2008.

This is a little shocking. He has been drawing Marvel comics as long as I have been reading them. Not that I am not enthused to see him on some of my favorite DC characters. Hell the guy could probably carry DC through their next weekly. Its just...odd.

[esophagus]

I'm really stoked for this. I think he should do Titans or Legion. Something like that. He's just really good with the young'uns after Ultimate Spidey.

[six-gun]

I don't know how much of a coup this is when Marvel's signing exclusive contracts with Phil Jimenez

[conorkilpatrick]

22 years almost entirely at one compay* is quite a long run.

* He has drawn for other companies, including DC, in his career.

[cam-]

Bagley probably wanted a change of scenery, that's a lot of Spidey.

Maybe the Bendis' batman book I've always dreamed of will happen someday too. (Not likely I know, he's exclusive for 100 years or something).

[luthor]

I really hope he stays on book starring a younger cast, I think that is his strong suit...but I have this feeling he's going to end up on Superman.

[six-gun]

I'm talking quality-wise.

[conorkilpatrick]

I'm talking quality-wise.

It's in the eye of the beholder.

[six-gun]

Agreed I behold him as mediocre ;)

[jon_samuelson]

I wonder who winds up on 'Mighty Avengers' now?

[iSteve]

I wonder who winds up on 'Mighty Avengers' now?

Though I am a Bagley fan generally, I am still happy to know that he will be off MA. I just didn't think he was a good fit.

[jon_samuelson]

Though I am a Bagley fan generally, I am still happy to know that he will be off MA. I just didn't think he was a good fit.

I agree with you. I generally like Bagley's art just fine, but I've never really been impressed by it either. I think a good word for it is "workmanlike". After Frank (I'm slow as hell) Cho's beautiful art, Bagley would have been kind of a letdown.

[iSteve]

After Frank (I'm slow as hell) Cho's beautiful art, Bagley would have been kind of a letdown.

Precisely!

[racemccloud]

I love Bagley. Put him on Teen Titans!

[davegraham]

Oh wow. He has already has done some stuff for DC. Some Superman, some Superboy, and something called Power Company. Interesting.

As much as I would like to see him on Teen Titans or Robin. I think that would be more of the same stuff he did on Ultimate Spider-man and New Warriors. I wonder what he could do for Green Lantern or Green Lantern Corp. I wonder if he could make interesting constructs. Maybe more Superman? I bet he could do the Flash well.

[labor_days]

Dear Mr. Bagley,

I will pay you to not draw my favorite comics- DC or otherwise.

PM me if interested.

Sincerely, Labor Days

[jon_samuelson]

Wow, that's some vitriol...

[iSteve]

Dear Mr. Bagley,

I will pay you to not draw my favorite comics- DC or otherwise.

PM me if interested.

Sincerely, Labor Days

Labor Days, your flashing avatar is giving me multiple seizures. I convulse every time I come on the forum. :eek:

[labor_days]

Labor Days, your flashing avatar is giving me multiple seizures. I convulse every time I come on the forum. :eek:

B-but I'm a hipster reppin' the SubGlam! ;-)



(I'll work on another one just for you, bro.)

[dave-accampo]

I like Bagley. Not my favorite artist, but he knows his stuff, and he's FAST.

I wonder if -- given the huge delays that both Marvel and DC have faced in the past couple years -- if the deadline-exceeding artist will become the new hot commodity. Guys like JRJR, Bagley, or Stuart Immonen, who can do more than a monthly book while still maintaining consistency, etc.

Seems like it might be a smart move, especially while the publishers are still toying with weekly(ish) comics.

[esophagus]

I like Bagley. Not my favorite artist, but he knows his stuff, and he's FAST.

I wonder if -- given the huge delays that both Marvel and DC have faced in the past couple years -- if the deadline-exceeding artist will become the new hot commodity. Guys like JRJR, Bagley, or Stuart Immonen, who can do more than a monthly book while still maintaining consistency, etc.

Seems like it might be a smart move, especially while the publishers are still toying with weekly(ish) comics.Agreed. I don't think he's the best artist around, but after 100+ issues of Ultimate Spiderman I've learned that he's fast and looks good enough. That's all I need.

[racemccloud]

,I wonder what he could do for Green Lantern or Green Lantern Corp. I wonder if he could make interesting constructs. .


I was gonna say that, but I don't know how suited he'd befor the cosmic stuff. For me, his work is too clean and grouded in reality to work real well on that level. (Just like I love Vac Sciver's [sp] Green Lantern, but Wouldn't want to See him on n street-level character like Spidey or Daredevil.)

Still, I'll buy anythingBagley draws, and I'll continue buying whatever it is if the writing doesn't suck.

[davegraham]

Wait. Is it possible that Spider-man will become a DC character after One More Day?

[jon_samuelson]

What do you mean "after"?

[six-gun]

Dear Mr. Bagley,

I will pay you to not draw my favorite comics- DC or otherwise.

PM me if interested.

Sincerely, Labor Days

I'll chip in ;)

[labor_days]

We should start a fund for Bagley. Paper has some change in his couch, I am sure of it.


(Bagley may be a great person and I don't begrudge his admirers. But his work is terribly flat and dull to me. Bleh.)

[paper]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!


God, No!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, god, why!!!!!!!????????


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y192/polcapn/Hindenburg-1.gif


Agreed. I don't think he's the best artist around, but after 100+ issues of Ultimate Spiderman I've learned that he's fast and looks good enough. That's all I need.

Don't be part of the problem! Be part of the...not the problem!

[cormano]

What do you mean "after"?

Bahahaha!!!

But I'm sad to see him leave Marvel. I kind of assumed he would end up the permanent artist on Mighty Avengers, as well.

[jgg0610]

I heard an interview with JRJR recently and when asked to give his style of art a name he said simply "deadline style". I think this fits Bagley perfectly as well. While I like Cho, he is incredibly slow. Books that Bagley works on are consistently out on time. There's a lot to be said for that.

[labor_days]

See, I get that folks admire Bagley's ability to make deadlines. That's great.

However, I am very much of the mind that "a single great dish is better than a buffet of mediocrity".

[torippu]

I wonder if -- given the huge delays that both Marvel and DC have faced in the past couple years -- if the deadline-exceeding artist will become the new hot commodity. Guys like JRJR, Bagley, or Stuart Immonen, who can do more than a monthly book while still maintaining consistency, etc.

I'd throw Scott Kolins on this list as well. He's a guy who can crank out work monthly as well.

[dave-accampo]

Don't be part of the problem! Be part of the...not the problem!

For me, it depends on the situation. Do I want a beautiful, incredibly illustrated trade or hardcover, or do I want cheap, disposable serial entertainment?

Comics can be both. There are a lot of serialized books that I read for cheap, pulp thrills. If that's the case, my art standards are different, but I want each chapter like clockwork.

But take someone like Cassaday...well, him I want on something that I can put on my bookshelf and show off to people.

So to answer Labor's comment: I like a buffet and a fine dish -- each for different reasons. :)

If I were a publisher, I'd take stock of that and adjust projects accordingly.

[paper]

As someone who wishes the industry could switch to trades only, I'd be cool with slow and fantastic. There's so much STUFF out there. There could be quality stuff every week. Less stuff to buy, but also less terrible or, worse, mediocre stuff.

So, Paper says: Artists? Take your time. Take your time and bedazzle me with all you've got.

Don't settle. "Settle" is what frontiersmen do. You're not a frontiersmen. You don't wear a hollowed out raccoon on your noggin and succumb to dysentery on the Oregon trail.

Don't settle. "Settle" is what silt and sediment does. You're not silt or sediment.

I could go on.

[six-gun]

You don't wear a hollowed out raccoon on your noggin and succumb to dysentery on the Oregon trail.


well, says you

[esophagus]

Don't be part of the problem! Be part of the...not the problem!When I say "fast and good enough" I don't mean I like sacrificing guality for quantity is a good thing. I just mean that, had he been slow, I wouldn't like him so much. But he managed to put out a lot of good issues, and did a lot of it on time, and they didn't look bad. They were, in fact, steadily good. Not always great, but good. Had he sucked and taken months, I would have been pissed. Had he taken months, and been as good, or better, all the power to him.

[jaflanagan]

There's something I haven't heard mentioned very much when talking about Bagley. While I'll grant you that his art is not necessarily the most visually stunning work out there (although, everyone has their own opinion), in addition to always either making or exceeding deadlines, he's a consummate storyteller. His pages are always clear and never muddled. He can tell the store. This is a very important skill. There was a time when I didn't like John Romita Jr. very much at all, and now when I read his work, I'm actually awed somewhat at his ability to tell story with the page. It's the same with Bagley. The problem is, he does it effortlessly. We've also seen him do the exact same thing for 7 years, so in any world, that's going to make him seem a bit bland. But the fact is, if I'm a writer, I can hand him a script, and he's going to make something out of it that people can read clearly, whcih is too rare. To my mind, storytelling is the most important skill an artist in comics can have. Without that, you've got nothing. Unless you're into pinups.

[dave-accampo]

As someone who wishes the industry could switch to trades only, I'd be cool with slow and fantastic. There's so much STUFF out there. There could be quality stuff every week. Less stuff to buy, but also less terrible or, worse, mediocre stuff.

So, Paper says: Artists? Take your time. Take your time and bedazzle me with all you've got.

Don't settle. "Settle" is what frontiersmen do. You're not a frontiersmen. You don't wear a hollowed out raccoon on your noggin and succumb to dysentery on the Oregon trail.

Don't settle. "Settle" is what silt and sediment does. You're not silt or sediment.

I could go on.

I getcha, but it all starts with what you want out of comics. So, we're a little different in our tastes there.

I like beautiful trades and timely serials. I don't consider it settling when it comes to the art on the serials. I just consider it one of the restrictions with that particular model.

For example, I don't mind Television SFX being less convincing than film SFX. I accept that the model of Television doesn't allow for the time/budget necessary to create movie-grade SFX.

Same for comics. I didn't mind the less-than-stellar artwork on 52 because they in turn gave me a cool, serialized novel that I could expect every week.

It just depends on what you want out of comics. I can totally understand the trade only model, and i love OGNs where you can tell they got it all RIGHT before they printed it.

I don't mind the Whedon/Cassaday Astonishing schedule because it's a full and complete package that's of stellar quality. But I'll take a 52 weekly novel while I wait for Astonishing. I won't buy the trade for 52. I might even roll up an issue and stick it in my back pocket. By contrast, I'd probably buy a hardcover omnibus collecting the entire Whedon/Cassaday run.

Just a personal preference, of course, but I like that comics can accomodate it all.

[dave-accampo]

There's something I haven't heard mentioned very much when talking about Bagley. While I'll grant you that his art is not necessarily the most visually stunning work out there (although, everyone has their own opinion), in addition to always either making or exceeding deadlines, he's a consummate storyteller. His pages are always clear and never muddled. He can tell the store. This is a very important skill. There was a time when I didn't like John Romita Jr. very much at all, and now when I read his work, I'm actually awed somewhat at his ability to tell story with the page. It's the same with Bagley. The problem is, he does it effortlessly. We've also seen him do the exact same thing for 7 years, so in any world, that's going to make him seem a bit bland. But the fact is, if I'm a writer, I can hand him a script, and he's going to make something out of it that people can read clearly, whcih is too rare. To my mind, storytelling is the most important skill an artist in comics can have. Without that, you've got nothing. Unless you're into pinups.

Very good point, Josh. I kinda glossed over that in my mention. But when I put Bagley in with JRJR, I wasn't just talking about guys who can draw fast, but who can do it fast while telling a clear, convincing story. There's certainly a level of skill with those guys. I think that's a great commodity for serial comics publishers.

[paper]

You raise some very good points, and I really can't argue. TV effects and 52 are really good examples. Of course, I wouldn't be very happy if my monthly books looked like a weekly.

[esophagus]

There's something I haven't heard mentioned very much when talking about Bagley. While I'll grant you that his art is not necessarily the most visually stunning work out there (although, everyone has their own opinion), in addition to always either making or exceeding deadlines, he's a consummate storyteller. His pages are always clear and never muddled. He can tell the store. This is a very important skill. There was a time when I didn't like John Romita Jr. very much at all, and now when I read his work, I'm actually awed somewhat at his ability to tell story with the page. It's the same with Bagley. The problem is, he does it effortlessly. We've also seen him do the exact same thing for 7 years, so in any world, that's going to make him seem a bit bland. But the fact is, if I'm a writer, I can hand him a script, and he's going to make something out of it that people can read clearly, whcih is too rare. To my mind, storytelling is the most important skill an artist in comics can have. Without that, you've got nothing. Unless you're into pinups.Well put, and you're definitely right. If you take away the words to an issue of US you can still get the real fell of what's going on, and that's a skill. Not just in the generic "Well, he's angry" way, either, you get a real feel of it.

[paper]

Personally, I think all of his faces look the same. That's the thing I could never understand.

"He does such great emotional reaction faces!"
"Because he's had time to practice all two of them!"

[dave-accampo]

You raise some very good points, and I really can't argue. TV effects and 52 are really good examples. Of course, I wouldn't be very happy if my monthly books looked like a weekly.

Yeah, I kinda went all over the place with the scale of the argument. :) Just following my original train of thought about how publishers might use the various types of artists in their stable.

[labor_days]

Possibly already mentioned, but Bagley is moving to DC.

Source (http://www.newsarama.com/dcnew/Bagley/moves.html).

[cormano]

I really like Bagley beyond making deadlines. I didn't realize so many people hated his stuff. I agree with Josh's point that the fact that he's been doing the same book for so long is probably a lot of the reason he may seem "stale" to some people.

[kahunablair]

Bagley is that girl in high school you're friends with. Everyone tells you, that you should date. She's smart, kind of cute, loyal, but she isn't really flashy.
She's dependable. She isn't that hot goth girl you know will tear your heart out, or that cheerleader that will probably break up with you because she finds out the team captain likes her.
No, Bagley is the good ol' dependable girl, that you can't really see dating, yet you respect her for what she is.

[mastap]

Bagley is that girl in high school you're friends with. Everyone tells you, that you should date. She's smart, kind of cute, loyal, but she isn't really flashy.
She's dependable. She isn't that hot goth girl you know will tear your heart out, or that cheerleader that will probably break up with you because she finds out the team captain likes her.
No, Bagley is the good ol' dependable girl, that you can't really see dating, yet you respect her for what she is.

I'm not even going to touch that :D

[dave-accampo]

Bagley is that girl in high school you're friends with. Everyone tells you, that you should date. She's smart, kind of cute, loyal, but she isn't really flashy.
She's dependable. She isn't that hot goth girl you know will tear your heart out, or that cheerleader that will probably break up with you because she finds out the team captain likes her.
No, Bagley is the good ol' dependable girl, that you can't really see dating, yet you respect her for what she is.

LOL...that is awesome. :)

[billy-parker]

BENDIS!! Don't forget Bendis has alot to do with Bagley's "storytelling ability."

To easily understand, look at Bagley's Ultimate SM, and Amazing SM.

Bendis is a great writer/artist who sketches the comics he writes. Notice, Bendis storytelling is consistent, despite which artist he is using.

[racemccloud]

Bagley is that girl in high school you're friends with. Everyone tells you, that you should date. She's smart, kind of cute, loyal, but she isn't really flashy.
She's dependable. She isn't that hot goth girl you know will tear your heart out, or that cheerleader that will probably break up with you because she finds out the team captain likes her.
No, Bagley is the good ol' dependable girl, that you can't really see dating, yet you respect her for what she is.

I'd date him.

Wait, what? I'm a dude! What?

Not that there's anything wrong with that!

So, yeah, I'd date him.

[jaflanagan]

BENDIS!! Don't forget Bendis has alot to do with Bagley's "storytelling ability."

To easily understand, look at Bagley's Ultimate SM, and Amazing SM.

Bendis is a great writer/artist who sketches the comics he writes. Notice, Bendis storytelling is consistent, despite which artist he is using.

I don't think Bendis does page layouts for artists. He does full scripts. The page layouts are up to the artist, and that's where the clear storytelling comes from.

It's possible that Bagley's later work is better than his early work because he got better, which is what happens to skills.

[jon_samuelson]

Josh, your argument about Bagley's ability to tell a story is somthing that I'd overlooked. When I think back on it you're exactly right, and that is an impressive and very much overlooked skill in a comic artist. I can't even count the number of times I've looked at an artist's comic and thought to myself, "That's pretty, but it doesn't make a damn bit of sense." and that NEVER happened with Bagley.

I didn't mean to give the impression that I don't like Bagley's art, but it certainly doesn't blow me away either. A lot of people have mentioned, and I think it's possible that I may have just grown tired of him after so long on the same book. It will be interesting to see how he fares on a new book, being allowed to stretch different muscles. That all being said I still don't think he was a very good fit for "Mighty Avengers", but I could certainly be wrong.

[cormano]

I don't think Bendis does page layouts for artists. He does full scripts. The page layouts are up to the artist, and that's where the clear storytelling comes from.

It's possible that Bagley's later work is better than his early work because he got better, which is what happens to skills.

I remember Bendis saying somewhere that he was so excited when he started that he did the layouts for whole first issue before Bagley was attached. That was the only issue he did it for, though.

[dave-accampo]

Did anybody catch the Bagley story from Rich Johnston's LitG column (http://comicbookresources.com/columns/?column=13) today?

I just thought it was pretty relevant to the conversation upthread.

Apparently Bagley is (according to rumor) set to do a WEEKLY series (14-16 pages) from DC after Final Crisis. All by his lonesome.

Now that, to me, is a good use of Bagley's speed and consistency as a storyteller.

[luthor]

Did anybody catch the Bagley story from Rich Johnston's LitG column (http://comicbookresources.com/columns/?column=13) today?

I just thought it was pretty relevant to the conversation upthread.

Apparently Bagley is (according to rumor) set to do a WEEKLY series (14-16 pages) from DC after Final Crisis. All by his lonesome.

Now that, to me, is a good use of Bagley's speed and consistency as a storyteller.

Wouldn't surprise me, and I wouldn't be shocked to see DC actively pursue other fast pencillers sooner or later. When does JrJr's exclusive deal end?

[esophagus]

Wouldn't surprise me, and I wouldn't be shocked to see DC actively pursue other fast pencillers sooner or later. When does JrJr's exclusive deal end?Later this year. I can almost guarantee DC will at least try and snatch him up.

[luthor]

Later this year. I can almost guarantee DC will at least try and snatch him up.
This is way off topic, but I'd love to see JrJr do Batman on a regular basis.

http://batman.manyfacesof.com/art/JRJR_Punisher_Batman_Deadly_Knights_000.jpg

[labor_days]

Now there is a guy (JrJr.) who I strongly associate with Marvel more than DC.

DC has got to stop with these weekly comics. It's bringing me down man.