blogs_blog_1497

 

It's not the end of the world that Greg isn't doing the writing

To be completely honest I wouldn't mind having a different writer on Bionicle.

 

It's not the end of the world that Greg isn't doing the writing

To be completely honest I wouldn't mind having a different writer on Bionicle.

 

i would love it

 

 

It's not the end of the world that Greg isn't doing the writing

To be completely honest I wouldn't mind having a different writer on Bionicle.

 

i would love it

 

I would love having a better writer. But not just a different one. Don't forget that Hero Factory had a different writer (well, several different writers), and as a result, the few chapter books written by Greg were almost unquestionably the best stories the series ever offered. There are a lot of writers better than Greg, but how many of those are willing to devote themselves as fully to a kids' toyline as Greg did? I'm not saying that the ideal writer doesn't exist. And Lego's slam dunk with the Lego movie shows that they have the capability of finding writers who are willing to give their all for a brand they're passionate about. But regardless of the overall quality of Greg's writing, he does leave big shoes to fill.

Not only is Greg not an exceptional writer, but even if he were, BIONICLE doesn't necessarily need an exceptional writer. A lot of people make BIONICLE out to be amazing and groundbreaking, and while it certainly was that for LEGO (which had never previously had such an fully-fledged IP, let alone one as story-driven and character-driven as BIONICLE), its mythology wasn't that much more complex than many existing stories, even those of the merchandise-driven variety.

 

And frankly, a writer or storyteller doesn't need to be a master of their craft for their stories to be enjoyable. Do you think people's nostalgia for the generation one Transformers cartoon is based on its quality or sophistication? Hardly — like many 80s cartoons, it was a low-budget production characterized by blatant product placement and an assortment of contrived or hamfisted storytelling decisions. Even the toys were not exceptionally complex. But thanks to the iconic, archetypical qualities of the central concept, not to mention its pivotal role in many people's childhood experience, the Transformers franchise is both beloved and timeless, and the original cartoon was a foundation for all the franchise's successes.

Right, but the main point I was trying to make here was that everyone seems ready to throw a fit over Greg not writing, and I wanted to address the main crux of their complaints, which mostly seem to revolve around Greg being some sort of god among writers, when he's really just... average. Even if quality was their highest concern with writing, which as you pointed out, isn't necessarily necessary, Greg is entirely replaceable as an author with no considerable drop in quality.

My personal theory is that every writer eventually runs out of ideas if they work on a story too long. This happens throughout various media - the quality of the final few Artemis Fowl books declined, Steven Moffat has been mostly terrible since the end of Series 6, and of course, the decline of Greg's work on BIONICLE.
 
It's not a matter of Greg being a good or bad writer, he just worked on one story too long.

Right, but the main point I was trying to make here was that everyone seems ready to throw a fit over Greg not writing, and I wanted to address the main crux of their complaints, which mostly seem to revolve around Greg being some sort of god among writers, when he's really just... average. Even if quality was their highest concern with writing, which as you pointed out, isn't necessarily necessary, Greg is entirely replaceable as an author with no considerable drop in quality.

Some people are scared of change in general. Good or bad, Greg's writing is what people are used to. It's kind of like how people might be scared of going to a new school. even if they know the school they're in isn't that great, they've been there long enough to find their bearings and learn what to expect, and a new school means having to do that all over again.

 

That also brings up another important point, though. Change is scary, but things will never change for the better if your strategy is to avoid any risks or changes whatsoever. Sometimes you have to put on a brave face and learn to embrace the inevitability of change and the uncertainty that comes with it.

Not only is Greg not an exceptional writer, but even if he were, BIONICLE doesn't necessarily need an exceptional writer.

I wouldn't call him one, but with the exception of all the stupid mid-combat one-liners, I really liked his style.

 

Nothing needs an exceptional writer. The point is that, naturally, a better writer would be better. Frankly if the writing style gets shallower than Greg's (and I don't mean simpler, simpler is both good and necessary this time around), I will be very disappointed, and my fandom will likely go from just the comics and sets to just the sets. That'll be really off-putting for me... it could honestly be one of the only things that would end my participation in this franchise.

Ah, but therein lies the part where Greg, not being an exceptional writer, could easily be replaced by someone at a similar, if not higher, skill level. It's not that hard to put Bionicle media in good hands.

 

Also, you already wouldn't be able to be a fan of the comics; we aren't getting comics, at least not next year.