Jason Aaron keeps my hopes alive for another good X-men team book besides Uncanny X-Force.
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=34070
The first concern is juggling all the various plot elements. You want all the different characters to have their own stories, their own beats, but you want it all to intertwine as well. That’s more a challenge of mechanics, of advance outlining, though it’s one that will only grow more complicated as time goes on. The first big challenge for me upfront has been in defining 14 separate characters. Putting meat on their bones, so to speak. Making them substantial, beyond just an individual costume or power set. Crafting for each of them an original perspective and a voice that’s clearly distinguishable from one another.
In a good team book, you can recognize the characters just by dialogue. If someone was reading to you from an issue of Claremont and Byrne’s “X-Men” or Grant Morrison’s “JLA” or Rick Remender’s “Uncanny X-Force,” you’d know which character was speaking without having to see them. Because the characters are so carefully defined and unique from one another, their voices are easily discernible.
Very true, and I love all those books.
Now compare that to a badly written team book. I won’t name names, but I’m sure you can find one. The characters tend to blur together. They speak with the same voice. While they may sometimes fight about things, their perspectives aren’t always discernible. They’re not substantial enough to stand apart. They’re built on fluff, not bedrock.
HMM I WONDER WHO HE'S TALKING ABUOT
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