Donny Cates: Writing About Addiction

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Donny Cates is an up and coming young writer at Marvel Comics, writing Venom, Thor, Guardians of the Galaxy and more. This video takes a look at his history interning at Marvel, studying at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and getting his work published at Dark Horse Comics and Image Comics as he broke in. Specifically, this video analyzes the themes Donny Cates writes about which include father issues and addiction issues.

[@HovektheArtist]

Only a true legend gets their avocados in the toy section

[@n.maximo5505]

Wait, do they have different flavors of Avacado in the toy section? I gotta get me some!

[@Udgrasil13]

Right ? I buy mine in the bookstore like a sucker. Guess I have to step up my Mexican berry game.

[@TheMelMan]

😂😂😂😂

[@mitzara25]

first i thought it was one of those dinosaur egg toys lol

[@MarvelBoi44]

Donnie Brasco: Fuggedaboutit

[@shadowspectrum]

We sincerely appreciate and care about you too, Chris.

[@joe3489]

7:35 ComicTropes: "It's weird that he kept killing dogs..." Hirohiko Araki: "What's so weird about that?"

[@Geck0GC]

Has he gone through a part without killing a dog?

[@alphatrion100]

Its not normal

[@jeruhenderson3950]

@@Geck0GC I think part 5 if you don't count already dead dog then part 4 too

[@Geck0GC]

@Qwerty yeah true.

[@SomeDumbKid1]

@Qwerty A dog almost gets run over by a car in part 2 but Kars saves it. Basically the only non-asshole thing Kars ever did.

[@TheBazingaGames]

Chip Zdarsky is a name that is really bumping in the comics Market. Would be interesting an episode about him

[@oswaldosanchez8938]

Yes, please. I loved his Spectacular Spider-man 310 😪

[@stefanmrkonjic9279]

I made a mistake of considering Zdarsky just a "comedy" writer but it turns out he can write great superhero comics with actual emotions. Loved his Spider-Man and Two-in-One work.

[@BrenttHarshman]

Yes! Zdarsky episode would be SUPER interesting.

[@ImpulseCase99]

Yes! His Daredevil series is soooo good!

[@acevsknight6194]

Yeah but he was born in '75, so he is not a millennial, but he is a great writer!

[@lwaynexlvii9654]

So glad you're covering Cates, his Venom and Thanos series pulled me into the modern marvel comic sphere. Silver Surfer is another great one too. Love your content

[@jacksonschlee7058]

Dude, if you like those comics, check out his new series on Thor. It is STELLAR. What he does with the character is astounding

[@GHOSTRIDER373737]

Read his Thanos because Cosmic Ghost Rider, it's was pretty average to be honestly.

[@truefanforum3273]

Jackson Schlee I agree, I love his Thor series. I can't wait for it to come back.

[@lwaynexlvii9654]

@Al X. Andra if you don't want to support him then don't read the comics, that's shitty

[@nunyabizwacks6711]

the thor run is garbage

[@phillipjohnson8903]

I'd love an episode on Tradd Moore. His work is truly unique in modern comics and worth an analysis

[@EZE1722]

Agreed 🙏🙏🙏 One of the best artists in the game

[@slothbaby2104]

I hope he talks about Luther Strode

[@nunyabizwacks6711]

yea tradd needs some recognition for sure. its like you only see work of his pop up ever so often. but also i could see his unique style possibly turning alot of ppl off which may hinder his ability to get alot of quality work, but i love his stuff. the silver surfer black work was amazing

[@blackphoenix77]

I'd love to see an episode about Jonathan Hickman.

[@levidu99]

You should talk about Chip Zdarsky, also kind of new but great writer, dude nails just about every character he gets his hands on

[@Ashguy733]

Zdarsky is awesome his Invaders and FF/Xmen comics are awesome.

[@levidu99]

Sergio Ruiz his Spider-Man stuff is fantastic too, him or Cates are my picks for ASM after Spencer finishes his run

[@Ashguy733]

@@levidu99 I agree he really should be put on Spiderman after Spencer is done, id love to see that.

[@ajiththomas2465]

@@Ashguy733 Yeah, I was pretty surprised that Nick Spencer's run on Spider-Man was as good as it was. Because let's be honest, his run on Captain "Hail Hydra" America was controversial to say the least. Still, better to be pleasantly surprised than consistently disappointed. If Donny Cates is given a chance to continue Spider-Man after Spencer, I hope he can keep up the momentum because I think Cates' style would really fit with what Spencer has been setting up in his Spidey run. Namely, there have been hints with the character of Kindred and stuff that they'll finally maybe will be undoing One More Day and get Peter and MJ back together. It would be really interesting to have Cates write about a Peter Parker who's back together with MJ and maybe they're expecting a child again. So Peter has to deal with the responsibility of being an expectant father, grappling with the legacies of his own father and father-figure Uncle Ben (along with maybe a few other father figures that Peter has had in the past like JJ, Connors (the Lizard), Osborne, Octavius, etc. It would also be great to see Peter bond with his secret long lost sister Teresa Parker and maybe bond with Eddie Brock again. Maybe reconcile and make amends with the Venom symbiote. Hell, even play a father/mentor like relationship with Miles Morales (or Hope Summers, who was Spidey's temporary student during the Phoenix Five incident). And hell, the theme of addiction can still be played by Peter struggling with an addiction to heroism and his constant guilt complex, while he grapples between the responsibilities of being Spider-Man and the responsibility as a husband and father to MJ and their child respectively. I'd also love some references to Leah and Timmy Robinson (if you're a true Spidey fan, you know very well who I'm talking about). As for cosmic stories, Cates could always have a plot about Spider-Man being the Center of the Web of Life and Destiny. Maybe even reference all the times he's met Death or that time that he met Thanos and Death and threw the gauntlet down at Thanos, all to save the soul of a child. There, fatherhood, addiction, and cosmic stories. Goddamn, all the ideas I just wrote down basically wrote themselves. It's fucking perfect for Donny Cates and Spider-Man!

[@patoren3gou653]

@@ajiththomas2465 I think Donny Cates works better with marvel Cosmic/marvel magic stuff than spider man .he's kinda like a reverse bendis in that way

[@ShawnWeeded510]

Donny Cates is a fucking beast. Marvels change in talent was scary at first but Donny Cates, Chip Zdarsky, Jason Aaron, and Al Ewing quickly picked up the ball and have been making classics at marvel for characters like Silver Surfer, Venom, Hulk, Daredevil, and Thor.

[@SnapperChannel]

I’ve been reading Donny Cates’ Marvel titles and I’ve been really enjoying them. This is the writer that actually got me to care about Venom. Silver Surfer Black is my favorite of his titles thus far.

[@residentgrigo4701]

Cates is 4 years younger than me. Huh. A solid writer. All the dogs die in the JoJo manga btw but it mostly stops after a point. And Berserk hates horses. It still does.

[@JohnnyJP7]

Dio did nothing wrong.

[@JianCB2]

@@JohnnyJP7 That is the least correct thing I have ever seen.

[@chellejohnson9789]

Araki stopped doing that after Angelo for the most part

[@JohnnyJP7]

@@JianCB2 Jotaro might be the protagonist of part 3, but Dio is the protagonist of the whole thing.

[@abdurrehman4932]

Dio is gonna come back in p8. They guy is in every part directly or indirectly.

[@joaoandrade88]

This channel is one of the best ones I found in quarantine, thank you for being such a comic lover and not a stupid comicsgate kinda guy.

[@ComicCollectionComplete]

Cates is currently writing Thor also.

[@BrenttHarshman]

Yep, and it is off to a STRONG start. He had BIG shoes to fill and he's taken the character and made it his own.

[@mattjohns-mv8cl]

Taqi 616 Thanks for that info, Thor is my favourite character so I’ll be checking out what Cates does with him 👍

[@mattjohns-mv8cl]

Thanks for highlighting Cates- his stuff sounds really great and I’ll def be checking his stuff out

[@Tamlinearthly]

There actually was a Spider-Man backup story in the 90s--I can no longer remember what the issue was--accounting for Venom's compulsion to protect people: Here we see Eddie Brock newly bonded with the alien creature and dedicated to revenge, but unsure how to go about tracking and confronting a foe like Spider-Man. He turns to an old friend who'd served in the military for advice on how to commit to violence, and after a few counseling sessions together the tips pay off. Grateful, Eddie gifts his old pal some money, only to later find that he used it to buy drugs and has died of an overdose. Initially Eddie blames himself, but almost immediately Venom decides that no, actually Spider-Man is to blame for this death and now must pay for it as well--but he vows to never again let another innocent person become collateral damage in their vendetta. This was a minor story, and I'm not surprised nobody remembers it now. Still, it's interesting that it touches on some of the same themes in Cates' writing today, and that it dates to the period that most influenced him as a writer.

[@Scroogs]

I remember that one! I can still see Eddie about to open the door with the fast food bag. It was funny as hell how Eddie was in that era where he talked in that melodramatic way. Very different from today

[@derektyler5817]

Just a tidbit. I was at a convention last year that had Cates and Starlin. There seems to be no Ill will between the two which is good. Brevoort imo has overstayed his welcome as an editor for Marvel and needs to go.

[@brentandrew2419]

He's been there longer than many people at Marvel have even been alive, and yet the aging fans never want to drag him out like they constantly did Didio. He's a fanboy who got too much power and defines his life by the control he has.

[@Popcultureguy3000]

Derek Tyler Glad to know all the blame lies with Brevoort on this, Donny Cates doesn’t seem to be one to want to step on anyone’s toes from what I’ve heard of him.

[@nunyabizwacks6711]

@@Popcultureguy3000 whos toes? def not other writers, he seems to have 0 problem doing that

[@socialmedia4637]

(Chris lifts head from a small mountain of blow on the table) *OH HI!! You just caught me...*

[@marcobott7243]

Chris and Scott the Woz are similarly minded men, perhaps

[@raycearcher5794]

He did that a while back with syringes. I think the line was "oh hi, you caught me doing a drug!"

[@thewyldness]

Definitely Brian K Vaughan, particularly the phenomenon that is Saga. (also, I checked out that other comic channel that people were talking about on the live stream, and though it's solid, your channel feels like home. Going back and watching the full library. Thank you for your work.)

[@chuckskillz5184]

I love Cates current run on Thor. It's amazing!!

[@1973Ganesh]

Is it still good?

[@justingoers]

I met Donny Cates at a restaurant. He was super polite and cool and friendly. Solid dude for sure.

[@astrograph7875]

I love this guy’s work especially on the absolute carnage storyline and he was one of my inspirations to become a editor. Currently in college and reading his works is what keeps me motivated.

[@andrewanastasovski1609]

There was a Jekyll and Hyde show a few years ago where when Jekyll turned to Hyde, there was no make-up, or transformation. The actor just became different, and more confident, and kind of unstoppable. I kind of took it that the Doctor had just had a drink or two, or a little sniff sniff in the bathroom. I thought it was an interesting way to show a "transformation". It is interesting to write a hero who got their powers that way. A hero who got their powers that way would have a huge dilemma.

[@BeaPlot]

The parallels between Cates' personal life and my own is a bit baffling. Currently attending SCAD, transitioned majors from sequential art to dramatic writing after being a bit dissuaded from the artistic skill of the other sequa majors. I'm also a millennial, though I came to college a few years late after having an issue with substance abuse. I'm gonna have to check out this guy's work.

[@robertweikel5796]

I think this is the only KZbin show that I've watched since its inception and from the very first episode I watched to now this has become my Sunday morning staple.

[@seedhillbruisermusic7939]

I bloody love comic tropes!

[@lunarmodule6419]

Word Up!

[@seedhillbruisermusic7939]

@@AlohaBlade sexual. Chris is a sexy thang!

[@lordtazzman3140]

Best pure love of comics YT channel out there.

[@theMoporter]

The comment about millenials being closer to their families is odd, as someone born in 1996. Then again, I look at how distant and toxic father characters were in fiction 30+ years ago and consider that abnormal and unhealthy, so maybe there's some truth to that.

[@JoeJoe-lq6bd]

A lot of this could have to do with economic status. As people have more money, they are less connected to their families. Millennials saw a drastic drop in income from previous generations so it would follow that they'd be more connected to family than previous generations.

[@c-manthebarbarian2105]

You aren't a millenial, you are gen Z the cut off is 1995

[@Tamperkele]

@@c-manthebarbarian2105 You do know that there's no official "cut off"? The years are all pretty arbitary and changes from study to study.

[@brentandrew2419]

@@c-manthebarbarian2105 Eh I'd say 2000 or so, I had a lot more in common with classmates born in 1996 than I did with the zoomers four years younger than that who think they need to protest everything.

[@brentandrew2419]

I think he's making generalizations he's oblivious about and extrapolating, but he's coming from a good place in genuinely trying to study up on "this new hip generation" and means well.

[@murewaayodele3277]

This was a nice episode. I'm a big fan of Donny Cates and a millennial... so it's nice to watch an episode about someone I actually started with.

[@brentandrew2419]

I figure about 30 years of Gen X creators and their same interests was enough.

[@Mattg1616]

Hey im in the medical field....just wanted to let you know that lots of my coworkers who tested positive for COVID only had GI symptoms...no fever, no aches...something to keep in mind, regardless glad youre good! keep making great vids!

[@MrLOKWORD]

I love you Chris, your channel has saved me from the antilife more than once

[@Mrsierramist1]

They are probably polarizing, but Vita Ayala and Leah Williams are some of my favorite young writers. Great video by the way. I saw that Donny Cates also enjoyed it. I'm already a patreon for a few places, but you are at the top of my list if I decide that I can afford another one. You are putting out some good work.

[@ostrider3500]

Jesus, this video came full circle. I was born and raised in Savannah and my ex went to SCAD (graduated class of 2019). I am a recovering heroin/ opiod/ opiate addict and idk why but it just feels like I was meant to watch this video today.

[@ostrider3500]

I just dont know what to do anymore though, getting clean and sober is one thing but I'll be 27 this year and it feels like this entire year has been completely shot due to world events. I feel like I'm a failure and there's nothing but wasted time and blown opportunities over the past few years.

[@dantecrottogini529]

you mentioned Remender's run but there was a run by Mike Acosta before Cates took over

[@K3M15A]

God Country left me in awe.

[@Greycaspa]

It's kind of... weird? That Flash Thompson venom had father and addiction themes and then the next runs writer is known for both of those. Not bad at all, just like...weird right?

[@afonsolucas2219]

I mean, maybe they chose him thinking that he'd be a good fit for the character.

[@randalldowling1068]

A video on Eric Powell would be right up your alley.

[@rell127]

Blerdwithoutfear interviewed with once and he spoke on his addiction issues and that's what he's always writing about.

[@facespaz]

Chris-- your videos are helping me keep my cabin fever at bay during this pandemic. Keep doing your thing, love ya bud!

[@ninjaworshipper]

Jodi Houser is a great millenal writer. I read her work with Spider-Man renew your vows after Gerry Conway left and it was great despite poor artwork she was saddled with

[@MrAkbarman]

I love your videos. It's presented and organized well and I love how well-researched and informative your videos are. It obviously takes a long time and effort and I appreciate the hell out of that.

[@simongallagher9301]

James Tynion IV might be another young writer to talk about. He's been doing big things in the DC comic universe

[@bankansh]

Al Ewing, he is not from millennial generation, but man when its comes to deal with comics history, lore, continuity, he is the man, I would say best in current Comics Industry.

[@ZiKoN22]

Venom is excellent. I can't wait for King in Black!

[@aamishakya95]

I love your show. The sincerity and love with which you present your topics, just makes me happy.

[@hisalexness8478]

This is is so interesting. Your recent videos have been excellent.

[@khdur]

Thank you Chris, it's great for "we of the old guard" to get some perspective on newer creators. It's an easy thing to fall into familiar cultural time slots and expose to fresh ideas keeps us thinking. And glad you are feeling better too. Even while staying home we are subject to the occasional G.I. bug or common cold. A bit of extra self care is essential right now. Don't forget a daily probiotic of some sort. We've taken to making our own sauerkraut and kombucha. ...oh geeze, talk about a trope.😆

[@brotheryeti]

Daniel Warren Johnson! He is an artist and writer. I loved his early work, Space Mullet, but he was nominated for an Eisner award for his last book Extremity! He is special.

[@JS-bu5oj]

I love his artwork dude. He's definitely one of my favorite current artists.

[@tomcallmusic4295]

Loving the upgrades to the filming quality! Well deserved. :D

[@rorusch1]

Love the video. Thanos and Cosmic Ghost Rider are two of my favorite books. Cool to see you cover a newer creator.

[@ShinbrigTV]

It's thanks to Cates that not only do I love Venom now, but I'm getting a Venom tattoo.

[@markburns4837]

His inhumans run sounds interesting

[@JRWorkAccount]

Finally, I can get my Comic Tropes fix! Great job as always Chris!

[@belgiumcomics2537]

Thank you for showing my drawing Chris ❤️

[@dk7541]

So appreciative of all your content. It's all be so good. Thank you again!

[@royjones8312]

Donny Cates is the man. I will literally read anything that guy writes. Thanos wins is one of the best comics I’ve read in forever and he is killin it on Thor.

[@DrPluton]

I had never heard of Donny Cates, but I do remember Loki, Sorcerer Supreme. It was good stuff.

[@MannySimoneCards]

You did an incredible job on this

[@jacobvandam9834]

Okay, I got busy and missed this one a few weeks ago, but this has to be one of the best openings yet!

[@calvomedia8427]

Savannah College of art & Design is my alma mater. And Mark Neese was my writing professor as well glad to hear a fellow alumni made it. Nice Video.

[@fearofdamonkey]

Dude your videos just keep getting better, great work!

[@marcuswalters8093]

Got to say as a fan of yours for a while now, we appreciate you too.

[@adamderosa9142]

Great video, Chris. Since your last livestream, I've been eagerly anticipating who you were going to cover for this week.

[@ssameerhrizvi]

The first time i heard of Donny Cates was on Ethan's stream. Um Um Um Um Um... Aaye Aaye Aaye Aaye... I guess he is a better writer than a speaker, if only he didn't push away his fans.

[@Spthomas47]

Huh. I'd never considered he wasn't my age. To be fair, I'd never really wondered about his ages either.... .... I just knew that anything he wrote I'd buy.

[@icynibazuki]

Hey Chris, have you ever thought about reading Brian O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim comics because they're really great and led to Scott Pilgrim vs The World

[@ralphdonn9518]

You are a legend my friend

[@DarcyDeee]

"Seconds" is also a great read :)

[@RyderLComics]

It’s probably already done or on his queue.

[@baronnickvonsick139]

As a former on and off addict of junk (dope in Chicago slang is heroin), I can now see this in a sober eye. Weird, I’ve read Cates’ stories for years but never knew he had drug issues. Kind of makes sense now looking back now. Though his Venom and his Image work is my favorite stuff, I still enjoy his other lesser praised or mentioned material stuff too. Kudos Mr. Cates

[@jedisquidward]

I've gotten back into my Lego addiction recently so the first shot really speaks to me

[@SMaddox50]

Wild. I just started reading Venom the other day, and then this pops up. Chris is reading my mind.

[@kevsil616]

Great episode and great insight on Cates. Funny that we are only 2 years apart, but I tend to value work and family as equally important

[@ApexZer0]

Thanks for the video you never cease to amaze

[@andyrebelo]

In 2018, Donny Cates became my favourite. In 2019, it was Chip Zdarsky. This year, Chris Cantwell. I mean Zdarsky's Daredevil, Cate's Venom and now Thor, Ewing's Immortal Hulk and now GoTG, and Cantwell's fucking awesome Doctor Doom and now equally awesome Iron Man has me content with only Marvel. Meanwhile DC is still shoving us with more Batman, Batman, Batman with a team and Batman Who HAHAHA

[@ajayfiction5262]

I’ve been following Donny since his Doctor Strange run, If he’s on a book I give it a shot and so far I have yet to be let down.

[@Ashguy733]

Thanks for bringing up the similar plots between Cates and Starlin's stories. I honestly really really like Starlin and I believe besides Starlin, Marz and Giffen were the only writers I felt were able to write Thanos well and grow the character. However as much as I like Starlin's Thanos stories, his last two Infinity Trilogies relied on his tropes that is unfortunate. The fault is definitely Brevoort. Im honestly not a huge fan of Cates Cosmic stuff besides Silver Surfer Black, that include his Thanos series and Guardians run. He definitely takes a lot of influence from bombastic power leveling and using popular characters as well as building up having issues of two powerhouse characters fight which is present in a lot of his work like his Thor run and Thanos comics. Its not that these don't exist in other writers especially Starlin, but I feel like a lot of the time, the set up is forced and the stories are just set up so these characters can fight instead of a plot. Overall I like some of his works, like Silver Surfer Black, Venom and actually Thor (because im curious where its going). As you said he is growing though.

[@RileyHell]

I'm stoked to read some Donny Cates now!

[@oswaldosanchez8938]

I love your show and I love Cates. I never thought I would like a Venom book and when I read it I loved it. He nailed it giving Eddie new dimension. Thanks for this episode.

[@marcanthonysepulveda3749]

How about Jason Arron or Kieron Gillen who writes Die such a good book .

[@hugazian1158]

Love your content, keep up the awesome work and congrats on 100k

[@SadirSSamir]

Excellent episode as always, Chris! Definitely gonna pick up God Country and give that a read 😊 Thanks for all the effort you put into your videos and so glad I found your channel!

[@lunarmodule6419]

These guys are so unique they command pure admiration. Theyre like super super pro althete. 1 in a million will get work. They have to be insanely talented, have creativity coming out of their ears, have read all the comics since 1965 and work like a maniac.

[@erikdaniels6006]

your intros are something else man (I love them)

[@benderbendingrodriguez420]

I freaking love Donny Cates. Cosmic Ghost Rider & his venom run are godly

[@jamespatricks5140]

Love love love God Country, Cates was really nice when I met him at Thought Bubble last year

[@clayowsley5920]

Keep it up Chris! Great stuff

[@cruddddddddddddddd]

Love Guy Davis’ work. Very underrated

[@Malekariel]

as a millennial i also grew up with the 90's boom/bust (first thing i read outside of a school assignment was spidey and nova vs the tri-sentinal) and venom was one of my favorite characters from that era. it was really nice to see the symbiote get some actual back story finally fleshed out. what is it like 25 years later and no one before now thought to talk about where they came from? i love the Klyntar ideas and the relationship between brock and the original suit. great stuff. thanks for talking about other stuff this guys written i will definately be looking into some of those titles.

[@sagebova]

I loved this. I super enjoy your show

[@Nono-hk3is]

Holy shit, that Venom run sounds amazing.

[@TheJMuise87]

Just purchased God Country on comixology, from what you mentioned here seems like a story I could really enjoy. Thinking about it, I don't know if I follow many creators of my generation. A creator who I've recently discovered is Max de Radigues, and his stories seem to be family driven. Recently read his book Bastard, thought it was great

[@corporealaegis9634]

Great episode. Love Cates' work on Venom.

[@AscendantStoic]

Very nice episode, also looking at Donny's work through a generational lens is quite an interesting and unexpected idea, stay safe and keep up the awesome work ;)

[@jeff_superscript]

Your videos are so good and thorough, which is why I’m surprised there was no mention or reference to his current run on Thor...which is SO GOOD!!! It turned me on to Cates and now it’s practically ruined all other comics for me. If you’re not reading his Thor, I highly recommend it!

[@alandoane9168]

I can't wait for the just announced THANOS: DOGKILLER.

[@MarioUcomics]

Great video!! Being a millennial around Donny Cates's age there is a lot I can relate to in this work

[@supercyc10]

Fuckin' loved God Country That bit where the old man explained dementia to a war god *mwah* beautiful.

[@robesdebah4811]

great to Hear you're doing well!

[@misterx4757]

Been looking at your videos for a while. I thought I had subbed. Now I am.

[@joe3489]

I love you ComicTropes

[@lunarmodule6419]

Word Up!

[@rolandkatsuragi]

You think Cates has issues with dogs? Well check out the puppy kill count in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.

[@adrianvelante8014]

Was about to mention that.

[@windwind3170]

Araki says that he loves dogs so when somebody hurts a dog in his stories it is to show how much a bad person that character is. Still, it is weird just how many dogs end up dead in his stories.

[@RostaFANSCR7]

@@windwind3170 man, Kars the only antagonist that cared for a dog and his comrades

[@jofox8066]

Super show - I just bought God Country! Thanks for the recommendation.

[@Alex-mb8en]

My favorite by Cates is Silver Surfer Black

[@theconqueringram5295]

Nice, I love new talent because they can have new ideas to offer.

[@GWOutsider]

Great video as always Chris. Speaking of talented millennials the first obvious name that jumps to mind is Joshua Williamson, who is writing a character defining Flash run. James Tynion is also absolutely bringing it on every book he is writing, such as his amazing Detective Comics and Justice League Dark runs (so much that he is now writing Batman). Steve Orlando is another super talented millennial, especially for those who particularly enjoy Morrison's stuff, but his indie work is also impressive. I don't know how old is he but as far as newcomers go there is Ram V, whose These Savage Shores was one of the best indie books of the last few years; also he just jumped to Justice League Dark and I can't wait to see what he is going to bring to the table. I'm also not sure about her age but Jody Houser is also a very interesting voice, I recommend her Mother Panic and even more her run on Faith for Valiant. Vita Ayala is also another young writer who just need a big book to become big, but their run on Valiant's Livewire was already a very good starting point to end up in a Big 2 gig.