Coker was pretty sick. That's the reason the Series couldn't finish. But the Scripts for Issues 9 - 12 are done and the last Update in 2023 was, that Coker, now that he's more healthy, is still working on it. But those Issues are double sized, so it would take time.
Coker said on Facebook in the Black Monday Fan Club, those last Issues will be 64 Pages each. And they want to complete all of them before they'll be solicited. And the Series will be completed with 12 Issues.
I haven't been to Facebook in at least a decade. But I sure do appreciate knowing the series is being worked on and it will conclude! Now, I wish I could edit the video and add that in. Instead, I think I'll pin this comment for others to see. Thank you very much for the information!
Yes, this is exactly what I meant when I recommended the Brubaker/Phillips retrospective. More of this please! Then you can expand to the Moore's and Morrison's of this world
Brubaker/Philips is still in the works. Those guys have done a lot together. :) If there's enough support I'll gladly continue to do retrospectives. Hint, hint. Everyone watch this all the way through and comment and stuff.
@@Gwedotastic personally, I recommend all of them except Kill or Be Killed, which is the only work of Brubaker's I would consider boring. Below his standards, anyway.
Was sent this video from a friend. I've sadly been reading less comic books recently, I mainly stick with fantasy and sci-fi novels, but something about Hickman just does it for me. I think it's because he can't just tell a simple story. He's constantly worldbulding. He's constantly exploring off the wall concepts. It's what I love to read, and I can't get enough of it. I consider him one of my favorite sci-fi writers.
At least as far as I understand it the Black Monday murders is supposed to be coming back, the series was put on indefinite Hiatus because of the artist's health problems, but as far as I've heard he's been recovering lately.
Hey there. Here is an idea for a video topic that would be up your alley: Agents of Atlas. During the period between the gold and silver age (between Timely and Marvel) Atlas Comics had a few superhero-esque characters. The characters debuted as a team in "What If" in 1979 and in 2006 they brought into the main universe with miniseries. I have done a search on TH-cam and there really isn't any good videos on this team.
Bruh you gotta be kidding me, you and another TH-camr I'm subscribed to both uploaded at the exact same time and now I have to choose one or the other to. THREE. NOW IT'S 3 PEOPLE AS I'M TYPING THIS OUT WHO ALL UPLOADED AT THE EXACT SAME TIME.
It's a conspiracy! (A little insider knowledge: These videos are uploaded days or hours beforehand and scheduled to go live at a specific time. We didn't upload at the same time. We just scheduled them to be released at the same time. Pedantic? Sure. But now you know!) Edit: Spelling mistake.
Not pedantic when it is an obvious cover to this so called coincidence of predetermination connecting three topically dissimilar channels (comics, tool reviews, selling your own hair for profit) . Cover. Blown. On to you? We are. Just cannot even get over, after all this time, you have been the mastermind of this, now known and named group, yet only a singular being craftily pulling the strings of manipulation. Selling your own hair, i can vet past that, it does grow back. Cynical comic review channel like 10 people watch, i am number 6, so duh. Tool ... Reviews ... Is contemptable. It is unnatural. Why would the Triad of Terrible be so debased? It hurts to be so very mislead. Go to hell, bastard, i bought every single Ryobi too you featured and you did them all. Gathered my shekels to spend on the pulp publications on the Strange Brain collected works. Now i have all these tools i do not know how to use and a bunch of ash from the comic book dump bin fire last week and a heavy heart. Oh, and, would anyone be interested in a pile of lightly charred TH-cam Content Creator hair? I have ... Oh lord ... I have a lot.
I don’t usually agree with your takes but the amount of effort you put in every video to make a decent critique for every comic, and the amount of comics you’re able to review , is truly great. The editing is also well done.
Thank you! I don't expect everyone who watches to agree with my opinion on the material. But I do like to think I am fair in that respect. I certainly don't shit on something for the sake of shitting on it.
After reviewing my infographics and data pages, I can confirm that this truly is the greatest Jonathan Hickman retrospective ever. In all seriousness, this was great. I didn't know that Hickman had a lot of unfinished projects. The only indie book of his I've read is Nightly News. Might check out East Of West.
This channel is an absolute blast, I love the way you think and analises your topics. I think would be great if you do a retrospective about the work of Rick Remender too. Thanks for all your videos and a great hug here from Brazil.
As usual, you've given me more to explore through trains of thought than would let me leave a brief, efficient comment. So I'll just say: another very cool vid from one of my very fave comics channels. You make a lot of these titles feel worth seeking out. Thanks again!
Great retrospective. I love these. Thank you! Quick suggestion: when you move from ano title to another you show the covers or a title card, but you don't read it out loud. That's an issue when I listen to your videos on the go, or in the background during work hours. If you read the book title would be very helpful for me.
That's a great suggestion! I have to admit, I did notice I hadn't announced the titles late in the editing. So, I will remember to do that in the future. Thank you!
Love your videos, and this one is also great, makes me want to buy Hickman's indie comica. I knew him from X-Men and I loved very much HOXPOX. While I don't agree that the post-Hickman Krakoa-era is a mess, as you said, I'm curious to see what you think about it in detail. I think a Krakoa retrospective video by you after the era is finished could be really interesting.
I did try to read a bunch of post HOX/POX but it didn't gel with me. Probably because of the numerous titles with numerous voices. So, that's on me. But it's something I will likely get back to at some near point and see what I can see.
@@StrangeBrainParts Yeah, that's understandable. As of now, WOlverine and X-Force, both written by Ben Percy, are probably the best titles. They are basically one big story divided in two titles. I highly recommend them, along with everything Kieron Gillen wrote.
I haven't read any X-Men since HoX/Pox, having seen reviews talking about how scattered and varied it is. My plan is to read the compilations, when it's all over, of that stuff written by Hickman himself. That way, I'm hoping to glean some idea about what Hickman's vision was.
I'd second that Gillen and Ewing did some great work. Not equal to Hickman, naturally, but good! Definitely among the best work on the line. Percy has the very obvious virtue of creator consistency and getting to tell his Wolverine/X-Force stories all the way through. It also ties into the two Sabretooth miniseries by LaValle, which were also good. I wouldn't recommend reading absolutely everything, but there's plenty of nice material involved.
One of the first comic writers I fell in love with after reading his Fantastic Four when I was little, still might be my favorite writer in the industry.
@@StrangeBrainParts No, Thank YOU! LOVE the video :) excellent editing, fantastic script. The videos are flawless. I also love how you always give your opinion without being mean spirited and encouraging everyone to form their own opinions. :)
I'm curious Mr. Brain Parts, what are the comics you are currently reading? Me I'm reading "Wesley Dodds: Sandman", "Ultimate Spider-Man", "Immortal Thor" and "Power Girl" (Last just because I want to see how Leah Williams misses the point of the character). I'm also re-reading Pollack's Doom Patrol and 1975's "The Champions"
Right now I'm reading Kieron Gillen's run on Darth Vader to see if it was a good as I remember. (It is.) I'm also going through X-Statix by Milligan and Allred. And I'm re-reading the Murphy-verse because that's something I'll likely be working on next. There you go!
A lot of current stuff doesn't appeal to me. That aside, I have to do a lot of reading for the topics I cover. So, generally speaking, my reading time is dedicated to whatever I'm doing a video about. I used to do reviews of stuff that came out that week. But they always tanked.
Great overview of his indie work. Manhattan Projects was the first time I made note of who this guy was. It's a shame the stuff that's unfinished will never be picked again (BMM) as there were some great ideas in there.
I normally hate videos that describe relatively recent phenomena as the "greatest of all time," but I knew before clicking that you meant it in jest. Still, a good job!
I've yet to dive into his independent works, but I really should. It would be great to see a story of his that isn't forced to suffer from the lack of control over the story.
Totally forgot about Feel Better Now, I was looking forward to that book for so long, I remember Hickman saying the story was either too depressing or cynical so decided against releasing it. I think some of the series you mentioned in the video not being finished are because Hickman has had bad luck with artists for various reasons I wish Manhattan Projects was never abandoned, there were rumours he and the artists fell out but they seem to get on now at least. The plan was miniseries focusing on adventures of various characters that would eventually come together for a final part set in the modern day. East of West was set over four years which each omnibus being ‘The Apocalypse: Year One’ etc. but the series ended with three years, I think sales may have dropped off so the ending was rushed to finish the series but this was never stated. Another point is I want to mention is that Ryan Bodenheim unfortunately died a few years ago, so that’s why Dying and the Dead was never finished. I assume his poor health led to the delays in that series and Secret being a seven issue series as that was originally billed as a long running ongoing book Black Monday Murders delays are supposedly also due to Tom Coker’s ill health, with four issues remaining but I’m not sure on the current status
Ironically, I was going to do an infographic at the end and rate each series. But I just couldn't decide on an order. So, you're almost right in your evaluation. :)
The Black Monday Murders is easily my favorite Hickman. I don't feel like any "arc" was particularly "complete" and really hope the remaining issues will be finished some day. I really wish Marvel editorial had let Hickman "finish" his run on the Mutant titles.
Bodenheim and Coker's health are big reasons for problems with their series. Secret was solicited as an ongoing that became a 7 issue mini, hence the rushed conclusion. Hickman and Coker have both stated they want to finish BMM but that Tomm would need to finish everything before they solicit and his health problems have not improved enough for that to happen
I love love love Hickman's work. One thing i have noticed though, is that he has a problem with endings. In my opinion, his endings are not as strong as his beginnings promise. But the ride is epic.
I have never read anuthing by Jonathan Hickman but thisnis making wanna check his work oyt finally always excited to watch a nee video of yours. Also, will you be doing an elfquest video since yhe news of the new cartoon was announced?
I have always loved Hickman’s indie stuff. Manhattan Projects was off the wall and perfect. East of West is possibly my favorite of his series but to me it was a very busy ending. I’ll have to go back and read it again
Que la obra, de Jonathan Hickman feel better now, no se imprimió nunca!!?? Ya decía yo que nunca lo vi publicado en España. Ahora mismo me parece el Santo grial, del cómic americano👍👍😁😁😎😎
Only read some Hickman indie work - but I loved his FF stopped reading marvel soon after though - I am still salty about the Spidey and MJ marriage thing and it’s been twenty years
That's not a bad idea, actually. It hadn't occurred to me to do a retrospective of his work. I've covered a fair amount of it, but there are quite a few holes, too. Thank you for the suggestion!
I'm currently reading his Avengers and find he is telling the kind of stories this caliber of a team deserves. The dark complexity of The New Avengers plays so well with the mainstream of The main Avengers book leading to awesome stories that could have been told about the lies of the Illuminati when they would have been revealed eventually. The stories that could have been told after would have been so interesting. Sadly after Secret Wars the marvel universe was reset but imagine the repercussions after especially what they did to Cap in New Avengers. How could you ever trust again? Really loved this! Jonathan Hickman is such a great writer!
His work on the Avengers, which leads to Secret War was pretty darn good. I'd also suggest the Fantastic Four and Secret Warriors. You can see how he was building towards Secret War many years beforehand. Or, I guess, he was dropping nuggets for a day when he might have a chance to tell a story of that nature.
@@StrangeBrainParts I definitely seen that in Fantastic Four. Which made me be a huge fan of him! He is one of my favorite writers and anything by him has my interest. Imagine if he could have told his XMen story! He had so much that was hindered by weak creators! They didn't allow him to tell his story! Marvel keeps doing this to him! Let him speak!
@@StrangeBrainParts anyway love your channel dude! Awesome Retrospective on Hickman! You have earned a fan and just keep on keeping on! So happy to meet like minded people who share my love of story and especially in comic form! Thank you so much for what you do and replying to my stupid comment.
Until Ultimate Spider-Man, I'd never read a Hickman book. Sounds like a good thing as he doesn't land many projects. Or doesn't finish them. Either way, a lotnof abrupt endings or no ending doesn't give me confidence.
I thought they did a couple years ago? I have both of them and paid less than msrp so they must have been second prints, if they never reissued they’d be crazy expensive.
@@chrisw6164 hey no problem! Hope you can find some at a good price, I’m trying to get the whole Secret War saga he did from FF to Avengers/New Avengers and I’m only missing Avengers vol 2
Sorry mate, can't watch this. When I'm finished with my current reads I'm doing a Hickman bender, and I don't want any spoiler. Rest assured though that when I finish it I'll come back to this video and see your amazing analysis of him, because it'll obviously be very well done.
Loved Hickman since Pax Romana. Felt rushed at the end but love his ideas. Nightly News may feel inappropriate to some given the last 8 years but in a way it fortold the backlash to corporate news amd chasing ratings and money more than facts. He's an edge pusher and provocateur in a way that's smart, in contrast to writers like Mark Millar who seek shock value IMO.
I haven't read much from Hickman. I remember starting both Power of X and Black Monday and thinking they were great but... never followed through after the 3 episodes or so. I´m catching up with Copra after your video... awesome comic!
I would love to know your take on Hickman and his taking the 15 Lives of Harry August and using it for the X-Men. I've heard there is drama about it online but I've never looked it up. Is it that bad?
You forgot (or purposely left out) The Core from Top Cow. It was a one-shot “pilot” issue that never continued because readers voted for another series.
@@StrangeBrainParts it is very obscure. I only discovered it because I saw it on eBay one day. A few months later and I found it in a dollar bin. Art by the great Kenneth Rocafort
I would love to know more about 3W3M. Meaning, is it a worthwhile endeavor to invest in. I am a big fan of his work. His Fantastic 4/Avengers run brought me back into comics as an adult.
Hickman is a great contemporary author. I agree that his best work is in the independent side of things but the things he's done for the X-Men and now with that first issue of Ultimate Spider-Man are pretty nice too. The Manhattan Projects is my favourite of his works. Nice video Allan. Greetings. ✌🏻
I still consider East of West his best work. I even think it gets better on a reread (sure there are some characters that are not fleshed out as they should have been). Dying and the Dead went on hiatus because Ryan Bodenheim unfortunately died of cancer which is a shame.
I really enjoyed Nightly News when I first read it more than a decade ago. I tried to reread it recently and found it shockingly awful. It's far more edge lord than anything I've read by Warren Ellis in my view.
From an objective view, after watching this video, Hickman really doesn't like finishing projects. Even when he can he gets to the point hr's trying to make and quickly wraps things up. The man is walking ADHD.
Probably going to get flamed for this, but I’m not a fan of Hickman. Confusing plot lines and jargon. I like complicated things but I feel with Hickman there is no payoff that wraps everything up.
Personally, I have no appreciation for dialog-free/captionless panels in comics. The images are too simply rendered to convey meaning in an impactful way. Also, the Legion of writers after Grant Morrison, who want to deliver encapsulated introductions to their own pet interests rather than tell stories, leaves me ice cold. Morrison is a particularly gross offender, and instances of him taking lines of dialog from movies, TV and elsewhere to serve as a patchwork approximation of character interaction while he gets on with his self-involved, ideological mission statement are rife in his comics. A reliable rule when reading GM is: if every line sounds quotable, but nothing makes sense or feels organic, then Grant has been one one of his plagiarizing scavenger hunts.
I've only got scant experience with Hickman's work, but it's always fallen into the "brevity may be the soul of wit, but ellipsis is unsatisfying" category.
Black Monday Murders was my single favorite comic, and now I'm not sure it'll ever be completed.
I thought it was pretty great, too. But I don't think it's going anywhere beyond that one arc. However, I'd like to be wrong about that.
Coker was pretty sick. That's the reason the Series couldn't finish. But the Scripts for Issues 9 - 12 are done and the last Update in 2023 was, that Coker, now that he's more healthy, is still working on it. But those Issues are double sized, so it would take time.
Oh, they'll be like the original four or five issue then? Excellent. I hope Mr. Coker continues to improve.
Coker said on Facebook in the Black Monday Fan Club, those last Issues will be 64 Pages each. And they want to complete all of them before they'll be solicited. And the Series will be completed with 12 Issues.
I haven't been to Facebook in at least a decade. But I sure do appreciate knowing the series is being worked on and it will conclude! Now, I wish I could edit the video and add that in. Instead, I think I'll pin this comment for others to see. Thank you very much for the information!
Yes, this is exactly what I meant when I recommended the Brubaker/Phillips retrospective. More of this please! Then you can expand to the Moore's and Morrison's of this world
Brubaker/Philips is still in the works. Those guys have done a lot together. :) If there's enough support I'll gladly continue to do retrospectives. Hint, hint. Everyone watch this all the way through and comment and stuff.
Brubaker/Phillips would be awesome too
I’m a big Hickman enjoyer, and enjoyed Brubaker’s marvel work, I’d love to learn about his crime works with Phillips
@@Gwedotastic personally, I recommend all of them except Kill or Be Killed, which is the only work of Brubaker's I would consider boring. Below his standards, anyway.
@@StrangeBrainParts i very much enjoy these retrospectives. they end up getting me to read a bunch more works.
Was sent this video from a friend. I've sadly been reading less comic books recently, I mainly stick with fantasy and sci-fi novels, but something about Hickman just does it for me. I think it's because he can't just tell a simple story. He's constantly worldbulding. He's constantly exploring off the wall concepts. It's what I love to read, and I can't get enough of it. I consider him one of my favorite sci-fi writers.
East of West is amazing. And Sword of X is some of the most fun I’ve ever had with a Comic book.
You have great taste. :)
At least as far as I understand it the Black Monday murders is supposed to be coming back, the series was put on indefinite Hiatus because of the artist's health problems, but as far as I've heard he's been recovering lately.
Hey there. Here is an idea for a video topic that would be up your alley: Agents of Atlas. During the period between the gold and silver age (between Timely and Marvel) Atlas Comics had a few superhero-esque characters. The characters debuted as a team in "What If" in 1979 and in 2006 they brought into the main universe with miniseries. I have done a search on TH-cam and there really isn't any good videos on this team.
Consistently the best comic book analysis channel on youtube
Thank you! That's very kind of you to say. Hear that algorithm? Some people like this channel. :)
Commenting before watching:
Considering I've never seen a Hickman retrospective, I'm quite confident it will be the greatest!
If that's the case, it will definitely be the greatest you've ever seen!
@@StrangeBrainPartsHa😂
Bruh you gotta be kidding me, you and another TH-camr I'm subscribed to both uploaded at the exact same time and now I have to choose one or the other to. THREE. NOW IT'S 3 PEOPLE AS I'M TYPING THIS OUT WHO ALL UPLOADED AT THE EXACT SAME TIME.
It's a conspiracy!
(A little insider knowledge: These videos are uploaded days or hours beforehand and scheduled to go live at a specific time. We didn't upload at the same time. We just scheduled them to be released at the same time. Pedantic? Sure. But now you know!)
Edit: Spelling mistake.
Not pedantic when it is an obvious cover to this so called coincidence of predetermination connecting three topically dissimilar channels (comics, tool reviews, selling your own hair for profit) . Cover. Blown. On to you? We are. Just cannot even get over, after all this time, you have been the mastermind of this, now known and named group, yet only a singular being craftily pulling the strings of manipulation. Selling your own hair, i can vet past that, it does grow back. Cynical comic review channel like 10 people watch, i am number 6, so duh. Tool ... Reviews ... Is contemptable. It is unnatural. Why would the Triad of Terrible be so debased? It hurts to be so very mislead. Go to hell, bastard, i bought every single Ryobi too you featured and you did them all. Gathered my shekels to spend on the pulp publications on the Strange Brain collected works. Now i have all these tools i do not know how to use and a bunch of ash from the comic book dump bin fire last week and a heavy heart.
Oh, and, would anyone be interested in a pile of lightly charred TH-cam Content Creator hair? I have ... Oh lord ... I have a lot.
Who are the other two
@@erenja3ger871 I'll never tell
I don’t usually agree with your takes but the amount of effort you put in every video to make a decent critique for every comic, and the amount of comics you’re able to review , is truly great.
The editing is also well done.
Thank you! I don't expect everyone who watches to agree with my opinion on the material. But I do like to think I am fair in that respect. I certainly don't shit on something for the sake of shitting on it.
After reviewing my infographics and data pages, I can confirm that this truly is the greatest Jonathan Hickman retrospective ever.
In all seriousness, this was great. I didn't know that Hickman had a lot of unfinished projects. The only indie book of his I've read is Nightly News. Might check out East Of West.
This channel is an absolute blast, I love the way you think and analises your topics. I think would be great if you do a retrospective about the work of Rick Remender too. Thanks for all your videos and a great hug here from Brazil.
Hug right back from Canada! Thank you very much and thanks for watching.
Low by Rick Remender is one of my favorite comic book.
As usual, you've given me more to explore through trains of thought than would let me leave a brief, efficient comment.
So I'll just say: another very cool vid from one of my very fave comics channels. You make a lot of these titles feel worth seeking out. Thanks again!
Thanks for dropping by once again and, once agin, leaving a comment! You're awesome and I hope you enjoy whatever you might pick up.
Great retrospective. I love these. Thank you!
Quick suggestion: when you move from ano title to another you show the covers or a title card, but you don't read it out loud. That's an issue when I listen to your videos on the go, or in the background during work hours. If you read the book title would be very helpful for me.
That's a great suggestion! I have to admit, I did notice I hadn't announced the titles late in the editing. So, I will remember to do that in the future. Thank you!
Love your videos, and this one is also great, makes me want to buy Hickman's indie comica. I knew him from X-Men and I loved very much HOXPOX. While I don't agree that the post-Hickman Krakoa-era is a mess, as you said, I'm curious to see what you think about it in detail. I think a Krakoa retrospective video by you after the era is finished could be really interesting.
I did try to read a bunch of post HOX/POX but it didn't gel with me. Probably because of the numerous titles with numerous voices. So, that's on me. But it's something I will likely get back to at some near point and see what I can see.
@@StrangeBrainParts Yeah, that's understandable. As of now, WOlverine and X-Force, both written by Ben Percy, are probably the best titles. They are basically one big story divided in two titles. I highly recommend them, along with everything Kieron Gillen wrote.
I haven't read any X-Men since HoX/Pox, having seen reviews talking about how scattered and varied it is. My plan is to read the compilations, when it's all over, of that stuff written by Hickman himself. That way, I'm hoping to glean some idea about what Hickman's vision was.
I'd second that Gillen and Ewing did some great work. Not equal to Hickman, naturally, but good! Definitely among the best work on the line.
Percy has the very obvious virtue of creator consistency and getting to tell his Wolverine/X-Force stories all the way through. It also ties into the two Sabretooth miniseries by LaValle, which were also good. I wouldn't recommend reading absolutely everything, but there's plenty of nice material involved.
9:28 That issue wasn't drawn by Pitarra though, it was drawn by Ryan Browne
One of the first comic writers I fell in love with after reading his Fantastic Four when I was little, still might be my favorite writer in the industry.
Love your videos, I find Hickman a little self indulgent sometimes but that’s okay. Can’t wait to see how you break this down brilliantly as usual :)
Thank you! I hope it doesn't disappoint.
@@StrangeBrainParts You never do!
Thank you. That's very kind of you. :)
@@StrangeBrainParts
No, Thank YOU! LOVE the video :) excellent editing, fantastic script. The videos are flawless. I also love how you always give your opinion without being mean spirited and encouraging everyone to form their own opinions. :)
Shoutout to engagement cause I want Brubaker Phillips retrospective!
Thanks for making sense of some of these things like Pax Romana. I got confused by what all the text said.
I've appreciate all the topics you've gone over.
I'm curious Mr. Brain Parts, what are the comics you are currently reading?
Me I'm reading "Wesley Dodds: Sandman", "Ultimate Spider-Man", "Immortal Thor" and "Power Girl" (Last just because I want to see how Leah Williams misses the point of the character). I'm also re-reading Pollack's Doom Patrol and 1975's "The Champions"
Right now I'm reading Kieron Gillen's run on Darth Vader to see if it was a good as I remember. (It is.) I'm also going through X-Statix by Milligan and Allred. And I'm re-reading the Murphy-verse because that's something I'll likely be working on next. There you go!
@@StrangeBrainParts
You don't read ongoing comics? That are coming out now, i mean
A lot of current stuff doesn't appeal to me. That aside, I have to do a lot of reading for the topics I cover. So, generally speaking, my reading time is dedicated to whatever I'm doing a video about. I used to do reviews of stuff that came out that week. But they always tanked.
@@StrangeBrainParts Shame, I'd read it. Your recommendations would undoubtedly be very appreciated
Great overview of his indie work. Manhattan Projects was the first time I made note of who this guy was. It's a shame the stuff that's unfinished will never be picked again (BMM) as there were some great ideas in there.
I normally hate videos that describe relatively recent phenomena as the "greatest of all time," but I knew before clicking that you meant it in jest. Still, a good job!
Excellent overview
Thank you very much!
Awesome video awesome writer
And an awesome you. :) Thanks for watching, man.
Great retrospective! I love this section
Another fantastic video about one of my favorite creators! Thank you SBP!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
I've yet to dive into his independent works, but I really should. It would be great to see a story of his that isn't forced to suffer from the lack of control over the story.
Totally forgot about Feel Better Now, I was looking forward to that book for so long, I remember Hickman saying the story was either too depressing or cynical so decided against releasing it.
I think some of the series you mentioned in the video not being finished are because Hickman has had bad luck with artists for various reasons
I wish Manhattan Projects was never abandoned, there were rumours he and the artists fell out but they seem to get on now at least. The plan was miniseries focusing on adventures of various characters that would eventually come together for a final part set in the modern day.
East of West was set over four years which each omnibus being ‘The Apocalypse: Year One’ etc. but the series ended with three years, I think sales may have dropped off so the ending was rushed to finish the series but this was never stated.
Another point is I want to mention is that Ryan Bodenheim unfortunately died a few years ago, so that’s why Dying and the Dead was never finished. I assume his poor health led to the delays in that series and Secret being a seven issue series as that was originally billed as a long running ongoing book
Black Monday Murders delays are supposedly also due to Tom Coker’s ill health, with four issues remaining but I’m not sure on the current status
Nicely done. Manhattan Projects should have gotten a gentle promotion push with the Oppenheimer interest last year.
The greatest channel on TH-cam!!!!!
Well, not being acquainted with Hickman's independent work, I see there are a few things to check out from this list. Thanks for this.
Amazing videos as always
This is a enlightening, sprawling Hickman data chart in video form. Bravo.
Ironically, I was going to do an infographic at the end and rate each series. But I just couldn't decide on an order. So, you're almost right in your evaluation. :)
I think Black Monday Murders is for sure his masterpiece. US financial exploitation as epic demon war.
The Black Monday Murders is easily my favorite Hickman. I don't feel like any "arc" was particularly "complete" and really hope the remaining issues will be finished some day.
I really wish Marvel editorial had let Hickman "finish" his run on the Mutant titles.
Good overview! Some stuff in here I didn't even know about.
Great job on the video!
Thank you very much!
5:17 the overlooked consequence of chemically and mechanically upgrading someone
Bodenheim and Coker's health are big reasons for problems with their series. Secret was solicited as an ongoing that became a 7 issue mini, hence the rushed conclusion. Hickman and Coker have both stated they want to finish BMM but that Tomm would need to finish everything before they solicit and his health problems have not improved enough for that to happen
Very nice work. Now I just have more stuff to read.
I remember really liking The dying and the dead. I was so hooked. Too bad it never wrapped up
I'm really hope Image releases a East of the West compendium or something because that's been on my comic to read list for ages
I love love love Hickman's work. One thing i have noticed though, is that he has a problem with endings. In my opinion, his endings are not as strong as his beginnings promise. But the ride is epic.
It's been a long time since I've touched East of West or Manhattan Project I outta give it another look
I have never read anuthing by Jonathan Hickman but thisnis making wanna check his work oyt finally always excited to watch a nee video of yours. Also, will you be doing an elfquest video since yhe news of the new cartoon was announced?
I have always loved Hickman’s indie stuff. Manhattan Projects was off the wall and perfect. East of West is possibly my favorite of his series but to me it was a very busy ending. I’ll have to go back and read it again
I think East Of West holds up well on a re-read. I might not have really loved the ending, but that's a taste thing, not an issue of quality.
Fantastic video
great job man
thank you for the reccs
Love east of west, got me to try some comics I’d never pick up based on the cover
Que la obra, de Jonathan Hickman feel better now, no se imprimió nunca!!?? Ya decía yo que nunca lo vi publicado en España. Ahora mismo me parece el Santo grial, del cómic americano👍👍😁😁😎😎
Only read some Hickman indie work - but I loved his FF stopped reading marvel soon after though - I am still salty about the Spidey and MJ marriage thing and it’s been twenty years
Please do a part 2!
Part two would have to be all his work for Marvel. Because I'm pretty sure I covered everything he did independently.
I appreciate this format very much.
You could do one on Tom King even.
That's not a bad idea, actually. It hadn't occurred to me to do a retrospective of his work. I've covered a fair amount of it, but there are quite a few holes, too. Thank you for the suggestion!
I'm currently reading his Avengers and find he is telling the kind of stories this caliber of a team deserves. The dark complexity of The New Avengers plays so well with the mainstream of The main Avengers book leading to awesome stories that could have been told about the lies of the Illuminati when they would have been revealed eventually. The stories that could have been told after would have been so interesting. Sadly after Secret Wars the marvel universe was reset but imagine the repercussions after especially what they did to Cap in New Avengers. How could you ever trust again? Really loved this! Jonathan Hickman is such a great writer!
His work on the Avengers, which leads to Secret War was pretty darn good. I'd also suggest the Fantastic Four and Secret Warriors. You can see how he was building towards Secret War many years beforehand. Or, I guess, he was dropping nuggets for a day when he might have a chance to tell a story of that nature.
@@StrangeBrainParts I definitely seen that in Fantastic Four. Which made me be a huge fan of him! He is one of my favorite writers and anything by him has my interest. Imagine if he could have told his XMen story! He had so much that was hindered by weak creators! They didn't allow him to tell his story! Marvel keeps doing this to him! Let him speak!
I'm with you on that. I wish everyone stepped aside and let him do what he was going to do with the X-Men.
@@StrangeBrainParts anyway love your channel dude! Awesome Retrospective on Hickman! You have earned a fan and just keep on keeping on! So happy to meet like minded people who share my love of story and especially in comic form! Thank you so much for what you do and replying to my stupid comment.
Would you ever do a video on Rick remender?
Until Ultimate Spider-Man, I'd never read a Hickman book. Sounds like a good thing as he doesn't land many projects. Or doesn't finish them. Either way, a lotnof abrupt endings or no ending doesn't give me confidence.
Hickman seems like an interesting writer.
Marvel still hasn’t reissued the Hickman FF omnibuses and that’s a shame.
I thought they did a couple years ago? I have both of them and paid less than msrp so they must have been second prints, if they never reissued they’d be crazy expensive.
@@chubbysummers69 I’ll be damned. They did. I must have checked right before they put them out, thank you 👍
Awesome! Someone looked up the information before I could. Thank you and good job.
@@chrisw6164 hey no problem! Hope you can find some at a good price, I’m trying to get the whole Secret War saga he did from FF to Avengers/New Avengers and I’m only missing Avengers vol 2
@@chubbysummers69 I had floppies but I wanted the nice, big, fat story to pull off the shelf.
Sorry mate, can't watch this. When I'm finished with my current reads I'm doing a Hickman bender, and I don't want any spoiler. Rest assured though that when I finish it I'll come back to this video and see your amazing analysis of him, because it'll obviously be very well done.
That's very fair! Come on back when you're done. I'm pretty sure the video will still exist. :)
I found the video completely spoiler free, and I'm very spoiler sensitive.
I do try not to give away too much. But I can understand someone wanting to read a series completely cold, without any idea of where it might lead.
Quite possibly the Best Writer in Modern Comics today.
Loved Hickman since Pax Romana. Felt rushed at the end but love his ideas. Nightly News may feel inappropriate to some given the last 8 years but in a way it fortold the backlash to corporate news amd chasing ratings and money more than facts. He's an edge pusher and provocateur in a way that's smart, in contrast to writers like Mark Millar who seek shock value IMO.
Those comic seem interesting .
I haven't read much from Hickman. I remember starting both Power of X and Black Monday and thinking they were great but... never followed through after the 3 episodes or so. I´m catching up with Copra after your video... awesome comic!
Copra does rock! I'm glad you gave it a shot. Maybe there's a few in this video that might catch your attention.
Could you make one about Rick Remender? I think he has plenty independent/Image stuff to talk about.
Some people compare him to Morrison. What's your thoughts on it?
I would love to know your take on Hickman and his taking the 15 Lives of Harry August and using it for the X-Men. I've heard there is drama about it online but I've never looked it up. Is it that bad?
You forgot (or purposely left out) The Core from Top Cow. It was a one-shot “pilot” issue that never continued because readers voted for another series.
I did not see that in his bibliography. I did leave out stuff, like stuff he did for anthologies. But I will admit I didn't see The Core.
@@StrangeBrainParts it is very obscure. I only discovered it because I saw it on eBay one day. A few months later and I found it in a dollar bin. Art by the great Kenneth Rocafort
Tom Coker said he’s working on the next issue of Black Monday Murders
Hooray! That's great news.
Could you eventually do something like this again with another comic author like Rick Remender?
i love to engage , esp here with my brain parts friends
I would like a Warren Ellis retrospective.
I never gave Nightly News a shot
I would love to know more about 3W3M. Meaning, is it a worthwhile endeavor to invest in. I am a big fan of his work. His Fantastic 4/Avengers run brought me back into comics as an adult.
Hickman is a great contemporary author. I agree that his best work is in the independent side of things but the things he's done for the X-Men and now with that first issue of Ultimate Spider-Man are pretty nice too. The Manhattan Projects is my favourite of his works. Nice video Allan. Greetings. ✌🏻
Hickman is one of my favorite modern-day comic writers. East of West will always hold a special place in my heart.
If anything, it seems like Hickman sometimes has trouble landing and ending.
I think that's fair. I found that to be the case in a few series.
I still consider East of West his best work. I even think it gets better on a reread (sure there are some characters that are not fleshed out as they should have been). Dying and the Dead went on hiatus because Ryan Bodenheim unfortunately died of cancer which is a shame.
Aw, man...I didn't know that about Bodenheim. I totally missed he had passed away. Damn.
A morsel for the tasty engagement
Pop quiz: How many nickels would you have for every unfinished or abandoned Hickman book?
I really enjoyed Nightly News when I first read it more than a decade ago. I tried to reread it recently and found it shockingly awful. It's far more edge lord than anything I've read by Warren Ellis in my view.
Jonathan Hickman is what you get if Grant Morrison suddenly stopped using drugs.
Absolutely loved Decorum...
*Yummy engagement fertiliser*
So tasty. Thank you.
Al Gore Rhythm.
"Like Star Trek, but super depressing."
So, basically modern Star Trek then?
From an objective view, after watching this video, Hickman really doesn't like finishing projects. Even when he can he gets to the point hr's trying to make and quickly wraps things up. The man is walking ADHD.
Probably going to get flamed for this, but I’m not a fan of Hickman. Confusing plot lines and jargon. I like complicated things but I feel with Hickman there is no payoff that wraps everything up.
Hey, that's fair. Not every writer is for every person.
With all due respect, this reads more like an opinion piece with a brief overview of his work rather than a true retrospective.
(=D
Personally, I have no appreciation for dialog-free/captionless panels in comics. The images are too simply rendered to convey meaning in an impactful way. Also, the Legion of writers after Grant Morrison, who want to deliver encapsulated introductions to their own pet interests rather than tell stories, leaves me ice cold. Morrison is a particularly gross offender, and instances of him taking lines of dialog from movies, TV and elsewhere to serve as a patchwork approximation of character interaction while he gets on with his self-involved, ideological mission statement are rife in his comics. A reliable rule when reading GM is: if every line sounds quotable, but nothing makes sense or feels organic, then Grant has been one one of his plagiarizing scavenger hunts.
Okay. I'm not entirely sure what this has to be with the topic of the video you're commenting on. But, sure...that's an opinion.
I've only got scant experience with Hickman's work, but it's always fallen into the "brevity may be the soul of wit, but ellipsis is unsatisfying" category.
One of the worst comics writers of all time, I really never understood why people think he’s great