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Back in the day, how cool was it to pick up the newest Lee/Kirby collaboration? How did it feel to race to the nearest spinner rack and find the newest Gil Kane or John Romita? I have to say that it must have been swell, because I have found that these and many other writers and artists from the 1950s through the 1970s represent a sense of adventure and flat-out fun that seems missing from the current age of comicbook creators, by-and-large. Don’t get me wrong — there are many fine current creators out there, and interaction with them is easier than ever thanks to the Internet, but in most cases everyone (including the fans) seems to maintain some level of seriousness. I take comicbooks very seriously as well, but oftentimes long for the mysterious wonder of days gone by; thankfully, a new wave of creators seemingly have those same feelings and have taken steps toward honoring the fine tradition established by their creative forebears.

The first creator that comes to mind is Dan Slott. Slott’s work on She-Hulk and The Thing has been phenomenal, and he tackles the Marvel Universe with a “nudge-nudge, wink-wink” aspect that acknowledges the readers without making the stories corny or dumb. Slott transforms his love of comicbooks into well-conceived, well-written series and packs in tons of references to what has come before without bogging them down in continuity or making them inaccessible to new readers. Every issue Slott writes could be somebody’s first, and each issue is equally understandable and entertaining on its own. Moreover, in his writing, in interviews, and in person, Slott comes across as someone who genuinely loves comicbooks and the creators that came before him, easily recalling details from books read in childhood that he can use in current stories. Slott just sounds like he’s having fun, and it infectiously comes across in his work.

Believe it or not, I give Joe Quesada a lot of credit for his approach to being EIC at Marvel. Quesada has had a lot of crap to deal with during his tenure — from “the suits,” the fans, the bottom line, and Bill Jemas — yet through it all he has endured and taken his victories where he can get them. All the while he has maintained a rapport with the fans, at conventions, through e-mail and message boards, and by doing regular features like “Joe Fridays” over at Newsarama. Plenty of people have complained about certain mandates (“Dead is dead,” anyone?) and cryptic information, but you have to understand the guy is in a position of great power, and with great power comes responsibility, yet he at least does what he can to stay in touch with fans. You nor I may like every single decision he makes, but he does try to have fun and rile up fans at all times, keeping us on our toes.

There are other creators who maintain a sense of fun about their jobs, especially burgeoning writers and artists like Dan Slott who fondly remember their youths filled with comicbooks. Brian Bendis spearheaded the movement back when he mainly worked on his creator-owned material like Jinx and pre-Icon Powers, especially in his famous (infamous?) letter columns (which were often as entertaining as his books). Bendis has largely foregone the lettercols (due to a large workload), but traces of that persona still come through in interviews. I think (hope) we will see more of this type of thing in the next decade, as we move away from creators who had to respond to the darkening of comicbooks because of Dark Knight and Watchmen in the 1980s and have an influx of creators who more fondly remember Marvel Two-in-One and the lighter days of Amazing Spider-Man.

The best example of this new breed of creators, however, are the “Go-To Guys,” Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray. Seriously, these guys seemingly came out of nowhere in recent years with a plethora of comicbook ideas that are anything but status quo. Palmiotti and Gray have given any and every genre a try and have somehow gotten projects through the system that no one else could get to fly. First they did 21 Down at Wildstorm, then tried their hands at Monolith for DC. After that, though, these guys really got on a roll with Hawkman and started getting taken seriously as writers (despite the already great quality of their previous books). More recently they have pulled the real coup, getting Jonah Hex off the ground at DC despite all publishers seeming antipathy towards Westerns. The Team Supreme have shown them, however, making Hex an absolute “must-read” every month since it started. They also brought back Daughters of the Dragon, the first issue of which I liked but had some reservations; subsequently, though, I have enjoyed each new issue more than the previous one, with #3 being absolutely outstanding and leaving me highly anticipating #4 and beyond. Not only that, but they have also signed on for a new Heroes for Hire update, spinning out of Daughters, that looks unbelievable and, despite lacking Cage or Iron Fist, has a unique line-up (including Shang-Chi!) that is sure to make for an entertaining series. After all, any writers who can pull Humbug out of the mothballs have got stones, and Palmiotti and Gray have that in spades. The “Go-To Guys” have done it time and again, all the while making their presence felt all over the Internet and at conventions, spreading good cheer to everyone in sight. Considering Palmiotti inks somewhere around fifty books each month (rough estimate), I don’t know where they find the time to be this cool.

The bottom line is that comicbooks should be fun for the readers and the creators, and that fun should come across in any and all interactions between the two groups. Enough with the Haters and Trolls; let’s focus on meaningful conversation and enjoyable entertainment instead, and return some of that sense of wonder that was so prevalent in earlier ages of comics. If more creators follow the lead of these fine creators I think that it will rub off on fans, and then some of these people can finally throw away (or at least wash) their old Gambit T-shirts and trade in what those shirts represent for some interesting dialogue and renewed sense of adventure.

But that’s just one columnist’s opinion, and I could be wrong.

But I’m not.