"Given that it was the Jemas regime that gave birth to
the ULTIMATE line, canceled XHY because there
were "too many x-books" and then replaced it with 5
new x-books, while doing their best to rip off every
new movie and TV show (including "Smallville"!!!)
that came along ------- well, let's just say I am
inclined to disagree!"

I should've been more clear....I didn't enjoy much of what was offered, I just think that currently they are in a creative wasteland.

Good thread title.

JB, I agree wholeheartedly your assessment concerning Marvel, it's something I've been complaining about for at least 2 years.  It's also the main reason as to why I've dropped so many titles from them.  I used to collect upwards of 15 titles from them, now I'm down to 3 monthly titles and 2 mini-series. 

Out of sheer curiosity, what's your opinion as to what DC is doing currently and its direction?

QUOTE:   think the Jemas/Quesada reign accomplished only one good thing, which was moving away from the Image-era look that was defacing Marvel.  Comics in the nineties had been unspeakably ugly and improved considerably when they moved in.  Now, of course, the pendulum has gone way too far and ^^***** covers and interior art are duuuullll....

Thats not true at all.  Marvel had already moved beyon the Image garbage.   You had

Busiek/Perez on Avengers

Jurgens/Romita Jr on Thor

Buseik and Roger Stern/Sean Chen on Iron Man

Fabian Niceza/Mark Bagley on Thunderbolts

Mackie/Byrne on Amazing Spider-Man

Mackie/Romita Jr on Peter Parker

Even the X-Men books were good during this period.    

Unfortunately, I started to give up on Marvel around 1991 and when certain books I enjoyed were either cancelled or driven in to the ground I gave up completely.

I suppose a real first warning sign should have been when Rob Liefeld's characters shoulders started getting bigger and their feet statred getting smaller.

I think Mr. Byrne has done a good assessment of where Marvel is at now. The books and characters have become secondary to corporate ideas (Hollywood, cartoons, merchandising, beach towels, etc.).

Therefore, who wants real change when real change will alter the characters too much from their core. The "illusion of growth" is all we'll ever get from Marvel or DC.

It's all just rehash now. I've heard that Bill Jemas was let go from Marvel because Avi Arad and others felt he was doing too many "original" things with the characters!! I do not consider Jemas an innovator, but even his "rocking the boat" was halted by Marvel's corporate bosses.

"I should've been more clear....I didn't enjoy much of what was offered, I just think that currently they are in a creative wasteland."

They really weren't much better under Jemas, though.  The only titles I really remember grooving to about four years ago were Morrison's X-Men (OK, but not his greatest work, and it had some big-time problems- most notably the characterization of Cyclops), Milligan/Allred X-Force (a lot of fun with a great concept and great art, but two of the central premises of the book were borrowed from the '80s Suicide Squad comic and- of all things- Rob Liefeld's Youngblood), and Kurt Busiek's Avengers (a holdout from the previous regime).  Everything else was just as bad as it is now.