Hello Netizens, Fracadactyl here. Today on Creator Highlights, we’ll be going over one writer who a few long runners can learn from. Jonathan Hickman writer of some of the best Fantastic Four, Avengers, and X-Men stories. But unlike Mark Millar, Grant Morrison, or even Brian Michael Bendis he seems to have it all down.
The Building Image of Jonathan Hickman
Infographic Exposition
Before any work with Marvel’s first family or Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Hickman had to start small. He begins his journey at Image Comics; his first comic being the Eisner-winning, cynical, political thriller The Nightly News. By combining fake news with infographics with an overwhelming amount of detail and visuals, who can blame them? Then there’s Pax Romona usage of timelines, where Hickman is uses the changes to display how time travel can keep itself stable. These series lay the foundations of a number of Hickman’s storytelling. Why are creators like Hickman and Chelsea Cain the only ones to use infographics?
Alternate History = Historical Reinterpretation
In any case, Hickman builds on his strengths with alternate history. The Manhattan Projects reinterprets the titular atomic bomb as a front for more mad science behind the scenes. The campier depictions ultimately serve as a gateway to reexamine some of the United States’ history, including how the CIA actually made use of former Nazi agents during the Cold War. A lot of things just go wrong because no one is willing to take responsibility for avoidable losses. With everybody going off on their own tangent, you’d think that disaster was inevitable. But it’s not all bad, some people just learn to make it work; Einstein and his alternate self even make peace.
Other times Hickman is willing to indulge in satire and analogues like in The Black Monday Murders. Because with how finance workers control people’s money, it’s practically black magic. Every email, file, or document is part of a ritual in service to a demon god.
Genre Ensembles
East of West meanwhile is a bunch of genres smashing together in an alternate post-Civil War/transcontinental world. Hi-tech sci-fi cities, political thrillers, colonial westerns, wuxia, and apocalyptic fantasies galore! Despite the set-up, they all mesh together for an epic tale of destiny. The end times should be something people would want to avoid; but the North American leaders have more interest in getting power out of the end with regular occurring backstabbing. Like a weird west Game of Thrones, most people only seem to focus on the political end of things. Every thing anyone does just seems to drive the end ever close. With very minimal detail all on display in motion, the end of the world offer perspective into different lives.
Visual Perspective
That focus on perspectives ends up being the main attraction of Decorum. Through artistic rendering from Mike Huddleston, Hickman injects each point-of-view with its own language. It all but necessitates the usage of infographics for the reader to know what’s going on. Because they can’t possibly understand the characters even after seeing the world through their eyes. But maybe translating the basics is all they’re going to need.
The Jonathan Hickman Marvel Method
At Marvel, Hickman meets Brian Michael Bendis, long time veteran creator and his initial collaborator. Together the pair introduce a major plot point in Captain America: Winter Soldier; HYDRA controlling SHIELD from the shadows. Bendis eventually gives Hickman the reins to Secret Warriors after six issues. It proves to be well worth the handover; Hickman from his time with Bendis grows his interconnected storytelling techniques. Because when it comes to politics and conspiracies, what starts as simple spins into a huge web that requires visual context. A lot of fans even compare the two creators for their merits.
But that’s kind of a disservice to both of them. Bendis’ strengths are in streamlining characters like a mystery. Hickman on the other hand sticks to a premise and works on them from start to end. In fact when it comes to the themes, I can compare Hickman to Harold Remis of Groundhog Day. This allows characters to feel like part of the story and their choices and actions feel natural. Secret Warriors‘ Nick Fury retains his ultra-competence from his older days; yet then and now he is still a vulnerable man, the most human he has ever been.
The First Family’s Predicament
The moment we’ve all been waiting for. After Mark Waid’s more than stellar run with Marvel’s First Family; not many creators could work the magic of the Fantastic Four. Jonathan Hickman however after showing his potential in Dark Reign got his turn. But in order to do that, Hickman has to strike at what’s holding the four back. In this case, it’s the character development of Mr. Fantastic through Hickman’s alternate histories.
Reed Richards has a habit of going to and from a caring family man and a narcissistic shut-in. Some people even wonder if the relationships Reed has with other people is healthy. Hickman’s main drive in this series is the fear of Auteur Theory, how a single person is considered the driving force of something. Between Hickman and Reed, there’s a sense of dependence on the one executing the ideas. But what’s the point of all this without acknowledging the people who help get you places?
And Its Reinvention
Fantastic Four is ultimately about the exploration of family including what Reed takes from his father Nathaniel Richards. The rest of the Four meanwhile go about their own ways, showing the complexities of their lives outside of Mr. Fantastic. Sue Storm isn’t just a wife or mother, she’s a negotiator. Johnny Storm meanwhile grows into a real hero willing to make sacrifices while retaining comic relief. Ben Grimm finds his wish for a larger family thanks to kids who give him a temporary antidote for his rock form. Those kids in the meantime represent challenging the future when things seem set in stone. Because if things remained as they were, Reed would’ve lost his conscience. Without it, he would be no better than Doom or the Council of Reeds, an ego and envy driven ascension seeker.
Even Doctor Doom gets his shining moments as the uncle no one wants to talk about. Except for maybe Valeria, who remains a wild card down the line for Hickman. Also I wonder if Spider-Man as that family friend might be for something bigger. This is all to say nothing of the artists and co-writers Jonathan Hickman shares the spotlight with. If there’s a phrase for this kind of story it’d be “Family Epic”.
Hickman’s Shared New Universe
Hickman’s time with Marvel redefines the terms of continuity. His first comic involving the Living Mummy for example allows for his reappearance with everyone who succeeds Hickman’s titles. Which is not an easy feat considering all of the lore and world-building he puts into it like in S.H.I.E.L.D.. But perhaps Hickman’s world-building skills need a bigger canvas. And you can’t get much bigger than the Avengers.
Avengers to Infinity
With the Avengers now a household name after the group’s MCU appearances, Hickman raises the stakes even higher. The Marvel Universe is a place too big to handle alone, so Hickman assembles a team of collaborators to tackle superheroes’ importance.
Superheroes represent many things: legendary figures to aspire towards, hope for a better tomorrow, justice for the downtrodden, etc. But what happens when these legends face indifference? When beings of cosmic horror invade the Marvel Universe, the Avengers have to pool and distribute their resources where they matter most. As such different parts of the Marvel Mythos appear including the less notable Shang-Chi and Space Knights. Everyone, no matter how obscure, has something to offer the world.
And Meets Beyond
But then there comes the conflicts; despite every victory and act of mythic heroism, Marvel’s superheroes are still only human. There are limits to what they can do, ultimately crossing into what they should never have to do. Within the New Avengers series, old wounds fester from Hickman’s Avengers vs X-Men event. With each drastic measure Black Panther has to make for his universe to survive, a lot of respect is lost. A battle between good and evil eventually becomes a war between friends.
The shared Avengers run highlights two aspects of crossover events; cosmic threats and heroes against heroes. Almost mirroring Annihilation being in the background of Civil War; the heroes are more focused on fighting each other after a certain point. It doesn’t even matter who’s right at the end of the argument, because the cosmic horrors The Beyonders are too much for them. Not unlike Dark Reign, it’s a villain who ends up saving everyone; or at least as far saving can get for Dr. Doom.
A Celebration and a Revelation
The Secret Wars event is the culmination for all of Hickman’s work, since the very first pages of Dark Reign. For Hickman, this concept celebrates Marvel’s place in larger world. This new rendition of an old event is unlike other attempts like Civil War II; instead of recreating the story, this event is a celebration of all things Marvel. From What If stories to new ideas that people can collaborate and get behind. All of this stands in opposition to Dr. Doom himself.
Doom despite being the one to stop the threat still destroys universes and recreates them in his image. He achieves everything he desires and averts disasters he foresees but still lacks fulfillment. It’s no longer a battle of necessary evils but self-reflection. Heroics here aren’t saving people from dire threats or punching the villains in the face but mundane acts of kindness. Doom’s defeat actually comes from Miles Morales giving Doom’s power source a burger. The final blow of course being Reed giving his nemesis Doom a fresh new start. One that I feel would’ve been the culmination of the best of the main and Ultimate Marvel lines; only for everything to be more like a blip in time thanks to executive meddling.
Jonathan Hickman Leaves His X Mark
Where does someone like Jonathan Hickman go after Secret Wars and East of West? Why Marvel’s other blockbuster franchise, X-Men of course. Hickman uses everything from his Fantastic Four and Avengers runs simultaneously for a new epic. With years of repeating a civil rights theme that has lost its strength, Hickman recontextualizes the mutants. In Powers of X, Moira MacTaggert serves as the gateway into several alternate histories. Each of which stating how Marvel keeps the mutants down to retain the status quo out of nostalgia. House of X meanwhile sets up a new status quo for Marvel’s mutants going forward. Thus, mutant culture reintegrates in the nation of Krakoa and their uniqueness in powers and expression thrives with dominance.
In the subsequent Dawn of X line, the mutants thrive by taking a proactive stance against a world ready to knock them down. Even if they’ve taken a more politically divisive stance against the rest of the Marvel universe. Not only that but corruption festers within their ranks, as promises and secrets clash. Even after another shakeup in X of Swords; Reign of X doubles down on mutantdom’s domineering aspects by cutting Earth off from alliances in space. But then, trouble in paradise arises with cracks in a supposedly perfect system. With the finale Inferno all but revealing the secrets of Krakoa’s leaders.
What’s Next For Jonathan Hickman?
Pretty epic stuff huh? Jonathan doesn’t seem to slow down either. He really wants to do the Teen Titans after reading their comics. Considering their crossover with the X-Men it’s not that hard to see why. For that matter, the Legion of Superheroes is in a similar position. He also wants to do the New Gods; maybe he could do something in reaction to a Fourth World movie.
Thanks for coming to the end and as always, remember to look between the panels.