QoTW: Rucka or Brubaker?

So, another week, another question.  Last week the question was fairly simple so y'all could understand who the folks at ComicsAnd... are and how we think.  Maybe not how we think but what at least what comics influenced us.  This week I wanted something a little bit trickier.  A real test of who people liked more... so this week it's

Greg Rucka, author of White Out, Queen and Country, Gotham Central

- OR -

Ed Brubaker, author of Batman, Sleeper, Captain America, Deadenders, Criminal.

Lee: Ooohhh, this is a tough one because both of these guys are great writers. My initial thought was to go with Rucka because I haven't been thrilled with Bru's Cap series. But, once you talk about Criminal, Sleeper and everything that isn't Cap I've absolutely loved it. Then again, I'm not sure I've read a bad Rucka story yet. I'm gonna go Brubaker because of volume. He's had a couple of misses but he's had so many hits that I have to give it to him.

Jim: This is a hard call especially as these writers have worked together on Gotham Central and both worked on Batman. Still Rucka has Stumptown coming out again and his work seems to be grounded more in reality. Add to that his contributions to the 52 weekly series and his Batwoman work and Greg tells slightly more compelling stories then Brubaker. Finally I think Greg has better pacing with his work then Brubaker. Neither writer is a slouch.

Matthew: I've really only read Brubaker's Captain America, so I have to vote for him. But, I'm not getting Brubaker's Captain America anymore, so I don't know what that means...

Thomm: I’m the opposite of Matthew (in so many ways), but I’ve only read Rucka, so he has to get my vote. The fact that I loved his Batwoman and Stumptown would likely get him the win anyway.

Gwen: Rucka, no contest. I really liked Brubaker's Criminal but with work like Stumptown and Whiteout Rucka has my vote. As a side note, did anyone besides Jim and I watch the Whiteout movie? It actually wasn't so bad but I feel that it wasn't marketed well.
Thomm: I don’t ever remember the movie existing.
Gwen: It had Kate Beckinsale in the lead
Thomm: That’s not helping my memory any. I guess that goes to your comment about the marketing.

Question of the Week

I am starting a new feature. It's the Question of the week. Kind of an either/or situation that requires a brief explanation. Usual rules apply (mostly to Matthew)... 3-5 sentences. No more than 7. The objective is clear and concise. Responses by Monday please.

Question of the week: There have been comic book tie ins to toys for as long as Jim can remember. It's a great marketing tool for toy companies and sometimes we readers even get great stories. But, sometimes publishers lose the license and suddenly something that was once fantastic cannot be reprinted. This week, which toy inspired comic deserves to be reprinted more: Micronauts or Rom?

Lee: It has to be Micronauts. Both were poorly written so the deciding factor has got to be art. Rom had the very workmanlike Sal Buscema for the majority of the run until some inspired work by Ditko at the series end. But Micronauts, oh la la the Micronauts. It starts with a masterful 11 issues run by Mike Golden which is just stunning! Then it gets Ditko, Chaykin, Kane, and early Butch Guice. For that reason alone, Micronauts needs reprinting.

Jim: Lee has a point, but I actually thought Rom's story was decent. Plus, if memory serves it actually had an ending. Micronauts wins art, but at times I remember it being muddy, Maybe if done today it would look better, but I'm still voting Rom, story over art.

Matthew: I've only ever managed to get a handful of Rom comics, but I liked the ones I've read and hope to one day get the whole series (the first Annual is really good). But, Lee is way off base about the Micronauts being "poorly written" -- SACRILEGE, I SAY!!! -- as it is one of my all time favorite comic stories (and it did have a definitive end, actually two of them). The first TWELVE (not eleven) issues of Micronauts may be the best Bronze Age story of all time with great character dynamics: Rann and Mari; Biotron and Microtron; Bug and Acroyear; Acroyear and Shaitan; Ray and Steve Coffin; Force Commander and Baron Karza (the greatest villain this side of Darkseid); even Slug and Lady Belladonna. He also forgot to mention the best artist to come after Golden and that's Pat Broderick (Chaykin's work was RUINED with poor inking)! Two omnibuses should do it for Micronauts (forget about the second series), which definitely should be reprinted first (I'd buy an IDW Artist Edition). However, both should be collected by Marvel, since they crossed over with the regular Marvel Universe often. Now, please apologize for that disparaging remark concerning Sal Buscema's wonderful art!
There. I counted seven...creative...sentences.
 
Thomm: Need is far too strong a word for either series.  Neither needs to be reprinted.  I read most, if not all, of Rom, which was not good, in either art or writing, final ending notwithstanding.  Micronauts definitely looked better in the few issues I read and appeared to have more variety in its character development.  Rom was all knight errant and genocidal slaughter.  I vote for not republishing either of them, though. Lee, you’re just making Matthew into a master of the run on sentence.
 
Matthew: Gwen can just donate some of her leftover sentences to me.