The most unrealistic thing I've ever read in comics is when some group of characters calls themselves the Brotherhood of Evil or the Masters of Evil. I don't believe any character believes their goals to be truly evil.

I hate the crazy, neurotic characters beyond a certain point.

I'm a neurotic New York Jew by birth. Creating characters is second nature to me.

I had never really thought of myself as a writer; any writing I had done was just to give myself something to draw.

I've never sat down and thought about the difference between plot and theme. To me, that's never been important.

I was a very sickly kid. While I was in the hospital at age 7, my Dad brought me a stack of comic books to keep me occupied. I was hooked.

In these litigious times, if you're a beginner, it's becoming harder and harder to get your work to the people who might actually be able to hire you.

A true friend is someone who is there for you when he'd rather be anywhere else.

When I'm my own editor, there's very little difference between the first draft and the final. I write what feels right to begin with. I rarely make any major changes.

Sometimes you're not even sure which of your stories were failures. There are things I've written that I thought were complete catastrophes when I finished with them that have gone on to generate some of my most positive feedback.

A writer writes. Period. No matter if someone is buying your work or not.

I've had editors over the years who couldn't find a clue if it was stapled to their butt.

Were there stories I wrote along the way that were terrible clinkers? God, yes. But they were all a product of their time, and I did the best I could.

I think there's something inherently dishonest in trying to go back and mess with the past.

People who were more concerned with themselves and looking good to their readers then they were with the characters sacrificed a series for the sake of a story.

I would like immortality.

When I got my first glimpse of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, my breath caught. In that single instant, he was Wolverine.

There is an ancient legend which warns that, should we ever learn our true origin, our universe will instantly be destroyed.

I try not to violate what came before me and to leave lots of wiggle room for those who will follow.

I try to find what makes even the worst, most despicable character sympathetic at his or her core.

Lord of the Rings, I think, is far and away the most brilliantly done stuff.

Art is always in the eyes of the beholder. Only posterity has the right to point out our mistakes.

I always wanted to fire rays out of my fingertips.

Unfortunately, there are writers whose only concern is how good they could make themselves look on a title.

What makes a story is how well it manages to connect with the reader, the visceral effect it has.

It's all about who's where on the food chain. When I'm the story editor, I expect my writers to follow my vision. When I'm working for another editor, I'm obliged to follow their vision.

The bottom line always remains the same: What is the basic humanity of the character? How do I make them resonate with the reader?

It all depends on which side of the desk you're sitting on.

When someone writes to tell me something I've written made them laugh or cry, I've done my job and done it well. The rest is all semantics.

In general, shorter is better. If you can encapsulate your idea into a single captivating sentence, you're halfway home.

You can read a dozen different textbooks or how-to manuals that will tell you the basic rules of what makes a story - a beginning, a middle, and an end.

I've always thought of myself as an organic writer, rather than a cerebral one. I feel my way along as I go, hoping I'll get to the place I intend to reach.

I became an art major, took every art class my school had to offer. In college, I majored in Advertising Art and Design.

If a story isn't working, I'm simply unable to finish it. That's what usually tells me something is wrong.

The most unrealistic thing I've ever read in comics is when some group of characters calls themselves the Brotherhood of Evil or the Masters of Evil. I don't believe any character believes their goals to be truly evil.

I realized the only thing I owed my audience was my own judgment and my own best effort.

These days, it seems that if you're not already in place, you can't get there from here.

A friend is someone who is there for you when hed rather be anywhere else.

I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.

The free man must be born before freedom can be won, and the brotherly man must be born before full brotherhood can be won. It will come into being only if we build it out of our very muscle and bone - by trying to act it out.

People are realizing that color has no bearing on what's known as brotherhood.

Only to the extent that men desire peace and brotherhood can the world be made better. No peace even though temporarily obtained, will be permanent, whether to individuals or nations, unless it is built upon the solid foundation of eternal principles.

Brotherhood is the very price and condition of man's survival.

My entire life has been an attempt to get back to the kind of feelings you have on a field. The sense of brotherhood, the esprit de corps, the focus - there being no past or future, just the ball. As trite as it sounds, I was happiest playing ball.

Brotherhood is not just a Bible word. Out of comradeship can come and will come the happy life for all.

What is a wife and what is a harlot? What is a church and what is a theatre? are they two and not one? Can they exist separate? Are not religion and politics the same thing? Brotherhood is religion. O demonstrations of reason dividing families in cruelty and pride!

Right knows no boundaries, and justice no frontiers; the brotherhood of man is not a domestic institution.

I wrote the Brotherhood song for no money out of my deep feelings about humanity, and because I was flattered that whatever talents I had, had been recognized.

I was asked by a group to write a song on the theme of brotherhood. This was before women's liberation, when brotherhood meant men and women both, so I wrote the song. Since I had always been very fond of the Passion Chorale, I wrote words to that great piece.