I think the best compliment I could ever give a comic book (or any book for that matter) would be to call it a good read. And to have good readin' you need good writin'. And to have good writin' you need good writers. And that's what THE WRITER'S BLOCK is all about. Good writing and a unique way of experiencing it.
	What is the WRITER'S BLOCK about you ask? I would like to say that it is about 24 pages, but you would probably put the book right down if I said that. In short, three writers are given the same six pages to dialogue without any foreknowledge of the story or being allowed to speak to each other. After which, each writer talks about his career in general and how they approached this assignment in particular. This isn't, however, a "What If" or "How To" series.  It is totally about reading a good story. One growing from a common ancestor to be sure, but taking on a life of its own. Each tale's individuality brought into sharp focus by its similarities to the other.
		The genesis of THE WRITER'S BLOCK begins with what's been called the "Marvel Method" of writing comics. Pioneered by one Stan Lee in the early 1960's, it was a way to maximize output and stay on deadline. Before the Marvel Method, comics were pretty much written like little paper movies with a full script complete with panel to panel breakdown of action, dialogue, etc. Lee was blessed by working with some of the best storytellers in comics. Men and women who didn't need to have every bit of action broken down for them. Lee discovered that a brief story meeting or plot synopsis was enough for these creative giants to render the visuals and then Lee would dialogue the penciled pages after they were turned in by the artists. It has proven to be such an efficient and inspirational method of producing comics that it has gone from being a fringe element in the comics industry to the accepted standard operating procedure. Virtually no one works from a full script in contemporary adventure comics anymore (sit down, Alan Moore).
			Some wonderful comics have been created using this method and some not so wonderful. The nature of the deadline industry has necessitated times when more than one creator has had to jam on an issue to get it out on time. It  also has not been unusual for one writer or editor to craft the plot while a different writer would actually do the dialogue and caption scripting. It was instances such as these that would always get my little brain wondering how the stories would vary if different writers would script the same stories. Oh, I knew the basic thrust of the narrative wouldn't change, but I wanted to see what nuances different scribes could bring to the work.
			Years later, it would strike me that this wouldn't be a bad premise for a comic book series. Half entertainment, half parlor game. The reader would be able to experience a story as they never have before. And by so doing, get to understand not only the craft of writing but a little bit about the writers themselves.
			I knew from the beginning that this would be a difficult exercise for even seasoned professionals. It would take writers with a certain pedigree to pull it off. And if I could extend that analogy, I think I was able to attract the "best in show".
		Mike Baron. Jim Shooter. Roy Thomas.
	Three startlingly different talents whose only common denominator is that they are masters of their craft. They have contributed greatly to the artform of comic books and have contributed greatly to this one. I could go over their accomplishments and histories, but that information is covered elsewhere within these pages.
	And now, it is time for me to yield the floor and let you sample this unique comics-reading experience for  yourselves. I suggest reading the individual chapters before reading the authors' interviews.
	And, of course, I am interested in your opinion of my little literary experiment. Please send e-mail  to WRITERSBLOCKMAIL@aol.com
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