# Comics  > Image Comics >  SDCC: Spotlight on Jonathan Hickman

## CBR News

With Marvel's "Secret Wars" currently unfolding, superstar writer Jonathan Hickman addresses fans in a solo spotlight panel at Comic-Con.


_Full article here._

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## wwise03

Hickman is too talented to be constrained by Marvel and DC. Hope he sticks with creator owned stuff

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## Dorktron

> Hickman is too talented to be constrained by Marvel and DC. Hope he sticks with creator owned stuff


Agreed. Hickman and Rucka need to keep pumping out independent books.

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## jonny_anonymous

> Hickman is too talented to be constrained by Marvel and DC. Hope he sticks with creator owned stuff


Agreed for the most part but I would actually kill to have Hickman be the one to reintroduce the Legion back in to the DCU.

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## Gotham Thrasher

> Agreed for the most part but I would actually kill to have Hickman be the one to reintroduce the Legion back in to the DCU.


Omg that would be amazing! Hickman on anything DC would be great! Can you imagine Hickman on JLA or Doom Patrol or The New Gods?!

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## heliophoenix

Really love what Hickman writes (his Image titles are just great) . Both of his Marvel events were/are solid so he will really be missed in the MU. And I'm really glad he recommended Aaron. The trio of Aaron, Hickman and Remender was so good for Marvel. Oh well, at least I'll have Gerry Duggan.

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## Dr. Cheesesteak

> Hickman is too talented to be constrained by Marvel and DC. Hope he sticks with creator owned stuff


isn't it a reflection of talent to tell a great story while still working w/in guidelines or restrictions?  

If a chef can make a profound dish being forced to use just 5 ingredients, instead of his entire pantry, it just goes to show what a true culinary master he is.

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## DocSpin

Would love to hear a story about Hickman's television script for Da Vinci's Demons which aired last year. Fraction did one as well.

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## Lot 49

Hickman would do a kickass OMAC...

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## Tom Reed

I agree, Hickman should stay with creator owned stuff and stay away from Marvel. What great news.

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## wwise03

> isn't it a reflection of talent to tell a great story while still working w/in guidelines or restrictions?  
> 
> If a chef can make a profound dish being forced to use just 5 ingredients, instead of his entire pantry, it just goes to show what a true culinary master he is.


He has and is telling great story lines within restrictions. See Secret Warriors, Avengers, and Secret Wars. 

But none of those compare to his creator owned stuff. He's at a point where he is going to put out greater work and make more bread doing creator owned.

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## C_Miller

> isn't it a reflection of talent to tell a great story while still working w/in guidelines or restrictions?  
> 
> If a chef can make a profound dish being forced to use just 5 ingredients, instead of his entire pantry, it just goes to show what a true culinary master he is.


It is certainly is more impressive. But if I were getting a meal from a five star chef, I'd much rather have them go hog wild and produce something without restrictions. While knowing that they had to use a power drill as their hand tools or they were forced to use certain ingredients and still producing a fantastic dish would make me look at them as more talented, but I'm not really interested in being impressed by the hoops they had to jump through, I'd rather just enjoy the story for what it is. 

And while I have enjoyed Hickman's Marvel work (like I have all of their big time indie writers, Aaron, Remender, ect.), I have enjoyed East of West far more.

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## Dr. Cheesesteak

> It is certainly is more impressive. But if I were getting a meal from a five star chef, I'd much rather have them go hog wild and produce something without restrictions. While knowing that they had to use a power drill as their hand tools or they were forced to use certain ingredients and still producing a fantastic dish would make me look at them as more talented, but I'm not really interested in being impressed by the hoops they had to jump through, I'd rather just enjoy the story for what it is. 
> 
> And while I have enjoyed Hickman's Marvel work (like I have all of their big time indie writers, Aaron, Remender, ect.), I have enjoyed East of West far more.


I agree and understand.  But to be fair, DC is pretty hands-off right now for a lot of titles.  And there's always the Earth One route.  Hickman's restrictions at DC would pretty much just be language and characterization of serialized characters.  Neither of which seem like huge handcuffs for a great story for him to tell.

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## DaddyX

> Agreed for the most part but I would actually kill to have Hickman be the one to reintroduce the Legion back in to the DCU.



FUCK yass!!!

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## Joker

Rather have Hickman spend his time on interesting creator owned projects at Image than anymore corporate work for hire.

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## Mjolnir

Nice to know that he finally acknowledged Dying and the Dead being so late. I don't know about him saying it's going to press this week because I just looked at the recent release schedule and another week and another delay for issue #3. Last week it was bumped to August 5th, and now today it's listing as August 12. I have no idea anymore if these delays have been Ryan Bodenheim or Hickman being so busy he hasn't been getting Bodenheim the scripts. After issue #3 finally comes out, I'm hoping issues 4-7 will then be somewhat regular. At this point, I'd be fine with bi-monthly just to get this series done.

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## Joker

It's probably Ryan. His books with Hickman always run super late. His work is fantastic, but he's not a fast artist. I expected these delays with this series, so they don't bother me.

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## YounG03

Man, I didn't even know he did secret warriors. Thus guy is incredible. Maybe I need to venture out of mainstream and see what his mind can really unleash.
As much as I like him on Marvel DC needs help. All this new DC and rebirth and whatever gets on my nerves. Make me want to throw up.

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## sven

> Man, I didn't even know he did secret warriors. Thus guy is incredible. Maybe I need to venture out of mainstream and see what his mind can really unleash.
> As much as I like him on Marvel DC needs help. All this new DC and rebirth and whatever gets on my nerves. Make me want to throw up.


If you haven't read *East of West* definitely check it out.

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## BFF

> Rather have Hickman spend his time on interesting creator owned projects at Image than anymore corporate work for hire.


Hickman's young at 43 years old.  I say give him a nice 5-year stint on DC doing whatever he wants (Legion, as others mentioned, would be great), and then he can do creator-owned until he retires.

I don't know how other writers think about things.  But for me, to be totally fulfilled with my career, I would want to have excellent creator-owned work, an excellent stint at Marvel, and an excellent stint at DC.

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## sven

As someone who doesn't read anything DC I'm perfectly OK with Hickman staying with Image full time.

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## Joker

> Hickman's young at 43 years old.  I say give him a nice 5-year stint on DC doing whatever he wants (Legion, as others mentioned, would be great), and then he can do creator-owned until he retires.


Yeah, this isn't how people's choices work. Hickman makes way more money doing his own books at Image than at Marvel or DC. Never mind that he's clearly over doing the work for hire stuff right now.

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## BFF

> Yeah, this isn't how people's choices work. Hickman makes way more money doing his own books at Image than at Marvel or DC. Never mind that he's clearly over doing the work for hire stuff right now.


Right, I understand the benefits of Image.  I'm just saying this dude is 43 years old.  He's really going to go the rest of his life without touching DC?  That'd be fine and okay and up to him.  But I figure what he could do is take a break from the Big 2 for a year or two and refresh, then go half-and-half DC and Image for about 5 years, and then go Image-only for the rest of his life.

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## Joker

> take a break from the Big 2 for a year or two and refresh, then go half-and-half DC and Image for about 5 years, and then go Image-only for the rest of his life.


What I'm saying is I don't think life really works that way when you have total freedom. Hickman may decide at some point he wants to play with DC's toys, but who knows when or for how long or if the opportunity to do something interesting to him will present itself at the right time. 

You have to have a pitch that the company is interested in, and the timing of those things don't line up more than they do.

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