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Writers
Grant Morrison: New X-Men
Other Works: Animal Man, Arkham Asylum, Doom Patrol, The Invisibles, JLA
Grant on Beak: He'd originally written The Beak (from New X-Men) as a character to be killed off shortly after his appearance in the "Imperial" storyline, but that Beak started speaking up in his head and simply wouldn't allow it. "Before you know it, he'd done all this crazy stuff and gotten a girl pregnant," Morrison mused. (Source: Newsarama) The character of Beak was also slated to die much earlier but Morrison says that Beak became too special and wrote himself into his current situation. (Source: Comic Book Resources) For proof that Grant Morrison is a mad literary genius, look no further than Beak. Grant conceived this butt-ugly, insecure, lonely and self-deprecating young mutant and took him on a journey in which he fell in love, became a father and stood up to a genocidal madman who could have flattened him in a second. Grant gave his readers a loser and transformed him into a hero (of sorts). He's still butt-ugly, he's still got a useless mutation, but he's absolutely wonderful --- three cheers for Barnell Bohusk! 
Tony Bedard: Exiles
Other Works: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Mystic, Negation, Route 666
Tony on Beak: "Beak is one of the greatest characters to come along in years! So what if he can't leap tall buildings? I was absolutely fascinated with him -- his courtship of Angel, the way he stood up to Magneto, the pathos when he was forced to beat the Beast with a baseball bat! Actually, despite his freakish looks, Beak's a great point-of-view character. He asks the same questions and has the same reactions that the reader does. I only hope I can handle him in a way that does justice to Grant Morrison's creation." (Source: Newsarama) Clearly, Tony's got terrific tastes in characters. (Whee! Alliteration!) Kudos to Mr. Bedard for recognizing Beak's worth. In Exiles, Tony sets Beak on his path to becoming a true hero. It seems our Barnell has a great task ahead of him one day, and the fate of several worlds will depend on him. Here's hoping he survives the experience! 
Akira Yoshida: X-Men - Age of Apocalypse
Other Works: Elektra: The Hand, Thor: Son of Asgard, X-Men / Fantastic Four
Akira wrote a Beak cameo in the miniseries celebrating the 10th anniversary of the original Age of the Apocalypse storyline. Since he only appeared briefly, we don't really get a feel for Akira's portrayal of Barnell. But it's cool that he included him anyway. 
Paul Jenkins: Generation M
Other Works: Inhumans, Origin, The Sentry
Paul wrote a Beak cameo in Generation M, one of several miniseries dealing with the aftermath of The House of M. Though his appearance is brief, Paul managed to nail Barnell's self-deprecating attitude, as well as provide a fairly in-character reaction to his being depowered. 
Kevin Grevioux: New Warriors
Other Works: The Hammer Kid, Underworld (film)
Kevin's Barnell is markedly different from all the character's past portrayals. Under Kevin's pen, Barnell has become a confident and capable young man, who has joined the New Warriors, a superhero group that opposes the Superhuman Registration Act. No longer an awkward teenager, he is much more comfortable in his own skin, being able to charm his old schoolmate Sofia Mantegna in order to recruit her into the New Warriors. 
Mike Raicht: Exiles - Days of Then and Now
Other Works: Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man, Zombie (MAX)
Mike offers a brief glimpse into an alternate reality where Beak fell under the influence of Quentin Quire and the power-enhancing drug Kick. His Beak is fairly frightening, not because he's a particularly dangerous specimen, but because it shows us a Beak gone wrong. Instead of rising above his inferiority complex to become a hero, this Beak has (perhaps understandably) taken the darker path of turning on a society that has abused him. It's also worth noting that Mike's Beak harkens back to Grant Morrison's original version of the character, in the weapon he wields (his trusty baseball bat, not seen on 616 Beak since shortly before Decimation) and in his broken English dialogue. |
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