I must begin by apologizing for being slightly oversensitive on the dismissive issue. I was reading at the same time another discussion concerning MoS, which have a tendency to make my head hurt so, so bad, and I fear my reaction from it bled over to this discussion. My sincerest apologies for that.
After some pondering, I actually have to agree that there has been a change in his stories, but I perhaps believe it is more due to the fact that he is no able to write more of the stories that he wanted to then, as you pointed out in your last paragraph. Even then, though, I feel there is a constant presence of the same character types and glorification of certain actions/approaches as the only ways to really solve anything.
I do, to repeat myself, completely understand why people like Ennis's work. He is an excellent writer with a good grasp of pacing and scene building in the medium of his work. For me personally, the reason I can never really consider him a great writer is that he remains so nestled in his comfort area to truly ever challenge him to tell a different story or to use a different perspective.
And by the way, I agree that Adventures of the Rifle Brigade was truly ghastly and to me perhaps illustrated a larger problem with when Ellis tries to something satirical as his work as he, for me, rarely manages to truly make fun of those character types at the heart of them. Although I do have to admit that despite my many problems with The Boys, it is probably the closest Ennis has ever gone to examine his problematic main characters.
no subject
After some pondering, I actually have to agree that there has been a change in his stories, but I perhaps believe it is more due to the fact that he is no able to write more of the stories that he wanted to then, as you pointed out in your last paragraph. Even then, though, I feel there is a constant presence of the same character types and glorification of certain actions/approaches as the only ways to really solve anything.
I do, to repeat myself, completely understand why people like Ennis's work. He is an excellent writer with a good grasp of pacing and scene building in the medium of his work. For me personally, the reason I can never really consider him a great writer is that he remains so nestled in his comfort area to truly ever challenge him to tell a different story or to use a different perspective.
And by the way, I agree that Adventures of the Rifle Brigade was truly ghastly and to me perhaps illustrated a larger problem with when Ellis tries to something satirical as his work as he, for me, rarely manages to truly make fun of those character types at the heart of them. Although I do have to admit that despite my many problems with The Boys, it is probably the closest Ennis has ever gone to examine his problematic main characters.