Vaughn and Claremont

Lost is possibly the most involved and complex storyline to ever air on basic cable. A deeply moving and dramatic show, its appeal has become almost universal. So loved by the public, in fact, that the sixth season premiere forced the state of the union address to change nights because of projected low ratings. But what makes Lost so good?

I believe that a fictional storyline is only as good as it's writers. In recent years, television has learned that an excellent writing team makes an excellent show. To this end many tv producers have turned to the world of comics. Comic writers understand how to lay pipe for long storylines. They can create complicated interweaving plots. Lost has one of the best comic writers with Brian K. Vaughn. Vaughn is an Eisner winning writer. The Eisners, named after Will Eisner, are the oscars of the comic world. Vaughn won his first Eisner for writing with his series Y The Last Man. He's also been awarded for the graphic novel Pride of Baghdad, and nominated for the political thriller Ex Machina.

Comic writers working on television is not a completely new concept. Chris Claremont, famous for his work on X-men, was a prime writer for the X-Files. G. Willow Wilson, writer of the beautifully moving sci-fi series Air, has lent her skill to the hit show Glee. Hopefully this trend towards borrowing comic writers continues. The results of employing them in television has led to some quality productions.