Event after Event after Event.

[hippy fascist]

The difference (& reason I didn't count it) being that Secret Wars & Crisis On Infinite Earths stood alone. They happened, & we didn't see any more such events for a while. Now, you can't catch your breath from one gimmick before the next one hits. Before we could recuperate from House Of M, we got The Other. While we're still rolling our eyes over that, we get Civil War-gimmicks wrapped in a gimmick. While that's still going on, we get the "Who is Daredevil?" mystery & they had to actually take a break from CW for the Storm/Panther wedding (Which I think nobody on these boards was happy about except me.) it's just too much, too close together.

part of it is a reflection of the times though, look at modern warfare. Sporadic until recently but now there seems to be a new "major threat to freedom" every five seconds in the real world.

I know that's not why they do it but it just fit's so well, doesn't it!

 

[Chris Wallace]

Funny you should say that; I recently argued that the Registration Act was a bunch of bull$h!t; just government throwing legislation at a problem in order to pacify angry parents, & a poster replied "What did they do after Columbine?"
Further, the Registration Act is just the superhero equivalent of the Patriot Act; sacrificing freedom to make people feel "safer".

 

[MyPokerShirt]

Enough is enough. I'm sick and tired of every comic marvel is putting out now part of some big event, and when that one is finally over, they just start a new one.

Lets take Spiderman for example.

From last year, we had the Other. An epic event that will change Spiderman forever!
We're currently on Civil War. An epic year long event that will change the face of the marvel universe!
Next for him is "Back in Black". An epic even that will come from the ramifacations of his actions in Civil War.
Directly after they're speaking of another event, though nothing has really been said.

Where the hell did all the oneshots or 3part mini-arcs go that have no real relevance to anything in the spiderworld other than a 'well this was the 251 time I defeated Doc Oc'.

Cheese more. Most of the titles are doing this too. Xmen, Avengers, Hulk, FF. Well maybe not FF, but I don't really read that.

Yes, how dare those PR people at Marvel do their jobs by plugging everything as huge. Don't they know that millions of people read comics and there's no need for stunts?

 

[SpideyInATree]

Batmans 'Face the face' wasn't an event, it was a cross over.
Supermans first OYL arc wasn't an event, it was a cross over.
HoM, Dissasedmbled, CW, Back in black, Planet Hulk, the "hulk comming back and beating the **** out of everyone and everything", so on and so forth are Events.

Maximum Carnage wasn't an event so much as a cross over either. I'm just saying, Marvel for the past twoyears or so hasn't really had that much other than "THIS WILL CHANGE THE MARVEL UNIVERSE FOREVER" crap, on it's major titles. Things like Runaways, Young Avengers, Spidergirl, the Ultimate lineup, so on and so forth are exempt from the major event stuff to a certain degree.

Marvel has had their share of events. But I'd also like to point out that nobody was holding a gun to your head and telling you to buy everything.

 

[hippy fascist]

Marvel has had their share of events. But I'd also like to point out that nobody was holding a gun to your head and telling you to buy everything.

Amen brother

 

[BrianWilly]

I don't mind events so long as there's a balance between that and the normal, non-crossover stories. Characters need time to have their own stories and their own developments or else they lose coherence and get "faded out" against the backdrop of having to conform to storylines, as opposed to the storylines conforming to them. As great as IC was and even as it bolstered titles to prominence and quality, other titles like Green Arrow, Wonder Woman, and Teen Titans all suffered noticeably for it simply due to the fact that their storylines were more or less forced into a crossover event.

Right now in Marvel, the most drastic offender of this is Amazing Spider-Man, and sometimes the other Spidey titles. Over the course of the last two or three years, I can't remember a single issue where Spidey hasn't been caught up in some sort of major event crossover storyline or whatever. Either they're trying to establish him as a New Avenger, or they're giving him new costumes or new powers or whatever and having him act like a foil to other characters in his own book, and for the longest time the character of Pete himself has felt secondary to the events of the Marvel universe.

And I have to agree, all the overhyping of events and stuff gets irritating. As of the last months, you'd really have to search far wide to find one sentence in any Marvel solicitation that doesn't end in an exclamation mark!

 

[hippy fascist]

the only thing that's really pissing me off atm is that cap and iron man, the leaders of each side, are both off intheir own titles doing something else altogether. It's a small gripe but if you're reading those books and civil war at the same time (taking into account that all three are in the same continuity) it kinda breaks the suspension of disbelief. This is made ten times worse considering the two characters status in the event and also why the **** are they only getting two tie-ins each yet fantastic four and spiderman are geting 8 or so????


It's a small gripe but could have easily been solved with better planning

 

[Phaedrus45]

I feel that way with Iron Man, definitely. But, that's because he's been so dull for so long, that having Civil War effecting his title right now would have finally made me want to read it monthly. With Cap, I'd rather Brubaker continue with this great storyline he's been developing since Captain America #1.

 

[SpideyInATree]

the only thing that's really pissing me off atm is that cap and iron man, the leaders of each side, are both off intheir own titles doing something else altogether. It's a small gripe but if you're reading those books and civil war at the same time (taking into account that all three are in the same continuity) it kinda breaks the suspension of disbelief. This is made ten times worse considering the two characters status in the event and also why the **** are they only getting two tie-ins each yet fantastic four and spiderman are geting 8 or so????


It's a small gripe but could have easily been solved with better planning

I'm to come to the understanding that the storyline in Captain America and the storyline in Iron Man take place before Civil War. And then they'll have they're respective tie in's. Just like Captain America only had a one issue tie in with House of M, while many others had multiple tie ins.

It also has a lot to do with Captain America's current storyline kicking so much ass that it doesn't need any Civil War tie in's.

Books like Fantastic Four and Spider-Man are rather key to what Civil War is all about, especially Spider-Man with the unmasking and everything. There is a lot of story to be told with those characters through it all. Iron Man and Captain America can be covered in various other tie in's and the actual Civil War miniseries.

 

[hippy fascist]

I feel that way with Iron Man, definitely. But, that's because he's been so dull for so long, that having Civil War effecting his title right now would have finally made me want to read it monthly. With Cap, I'd rather Brubaker continue with this great storyline he's been developing since Captain America #1.

another idea would have been:

civil war:iron man and civil war:captain america

It would be nice just to have a book each so we could see each battle from the perspective of each side. Yes you get that to a certain extent from other tie-ins but it would also act like each "general"'s war journal.

 

[Darthphere]

I don't mind events so long as there's a balance between that and the normal, non-crossover stories. Characters need time to have their own stories and their own developments or else they lose coherence and get "faded out" against the backdrop of having to conform to storylines, as opposed to the storylines conforming to them. As great as IC was and even as it bolstered titles to prominence and quality, other titles like Green Arrow, Wonder Woman, and Teen Titans all suffered noticeably for it simply due to the fact that their storylines were more or less forced into a crossover event.

Right now in Marvel, the most drastic offender of this is Amazing Spider-Man, and sometimes the other Spidey titles. Over the course of the last two or three years, I can't remember a single issue where Spidey hasn't been caught up in some sort of major event crossover storyline or whatever. Either they're trying to establish him as a New Avenger, or they're giving him new costumes or new powers or whatever and having him act like a foil to other characters in his own book, and for the longest time the character of Pete himself has felt secondary to the events of the Marvel universe.

And I have to agree, all the overhyping of events and stuff gets irritating. As of the last months, you'd really have to search far wide to find one sentence in any Marvel solicitation that doesn't end in an exclamation mark!

Thats just good avertising.

Cap faces an old ally turned enemy in London.


Cap faces his greatest battle ever as he comes face to face with a ghost from his past, you wont believe who it is!!!!


I wonder which one is going to interest people more.

 

[SpideyInATree]

And just like on commericials for an upcoming television show. Usually it's billed as "the most griping event in *insert main characters name here*'s life!"

And then two months later the same thing might be said about the same character.

But it's like that in every medium of entertainment. Just like when they have those movie traliers with the critics quotes about the movies. I mean, which ones do they show? They usually clip out the best quotes they can find to make the movie more appealing.

 

[Darthphere]

And just like on commericials for an upcoming television show. Usually it's billed as "the most griping event in *insert main characters name here*'s life!"

And then two months later the same thing might be said about the same character.

But it's like that in every medium of entertainment. Just like when they have those movie traliers with the critics quotes about the movies. I mean, which ones do they show? They usually clip out the best quotes they can find to make the movie more appealing.

Ebert's Review: Fun, if you like hearing nails sractched on a chalkboard.

Movie Poster: "Fun!"-Roger Ebert.

 

[SpideyInATree]

Ebert's Review: Fun, if you like hearing nails sractched on a chalkboard.

Movie Poster: "Fun!"-Roger Ebert.

HA! Exactly. Except it's usually more like this.

"FUN...!"

 

[Fred_Fury]

cause DC kicking marvels BUTT

 

[Darthphere]

cause DC kicking marvels BUTT

Id ask you to elaborate, but I know thats impossible.

 

[Arkady Rossovich]

Catch up in what sense?

Success,i know that Infinite Crisis was good.But im not sure of Marvel has catched up,money or fan praise wise.

 

[hippy fascist]

Success,i know that Infinite Crisis was good.But im not sure of Marvel has catched up,money or fan praise wise.

the words you're look for are if and caught... do I need to tell you what goes where or can you manage on your own?

 

[SouLeSS]

the words you're look for are if and caught... do I need to tell you what goes where or can you manage on your own?

The word you're looking for is "looking"

 

[Darthphere]

Success,i know that Infinite Crisis was good.But im not sure of Marvel has catched up,money or fan praise wise.

Marvel still outsells DC 11 out of 12 months in a year, and fan praise wise is subjective anyway, therefore theres no way that your statement can be correlated.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Ah, a DC mark! Fact is that OYL, after the initial month, proved that everything returned to normal after a year's time. The only thing that is worth promoting in the DCU is 52. Sure, there are still some good books, but they're the same books I was buying before Infinite Crisis.

And, Brave New World isn't very new. Wow, replacing old superheroes with younger versions, ala New Atom...hasn't DC been using this trick for years??? Ignoring a character's entire history by acting like he's entirely new, ala Creeper??? It's DC same old tricks.

Plus, things that interested me before, like the whole Jason Todd mystery, got totally ruined once I picked up Nightwing.

Make mine Marvel...still.

 

[Xofenroht]

Ah, a DC mark! Fact is that OYL, after the initial month, proved that everything returned to normal after a year's time. The only thing that is worth promoting in the DCU is 52. Sure, there are still some good books, but they're the same books I was buying before Infinite Crisis.

And, Brave New World isn't very new. Wow, replacing old superheroes with younger versions, ala New Atom...hasn't DC been using this trick for years??? Ignoring a character's entire history by acting like he's entirely new, ala Creeper??? It's DC same old tricks.

Plus, things that interested me before, like the whole Jason Todd mystery, got totally ruined once I picked up Nightwing.

Make mine Marvel...still.

Ummm OYL did not prove that everything returned to normal. Isn't Ollie mayor of Star City now? Doesn't it look like Ralph Dibny is taking up the Dr. Fate mantle at the moment? Flash has changed and so has Wonder Woman I think. Alot has changed...

As far as these big events go, I'd just like to see an issue that stands alone as a good story in itself. You know, like that issue of Wolverine that was a tribute to Will Eisner? I could do without the stories clearly made just to be collected in a trade.
My problem is nearly with the way comics are handled rather than the changes they are making to the character. At the end of the day the mainstream titles all seem like capitalist ploys to get money. They don't seem like some art form that has come a long way or anything that just leaves too large of an impression on your mind to forget. Maybe they would if each event weren't advertised to death. For instance, if we hadn't known that the SHRA would be passed ANY WAY and the Civil War would be a retaliation against that, the story would have been much better. We were given way too much information at the start of it. Yes we have the option of not reading what's posted about the event, but we can't help it if so much information is packed into what we read that there's no need to read the story.
Right now I have to say my favorite story is "Fables" simply because they're telling a story and absolutely nothing is being ruined for me. With their "Wolves" storyline (which lasted about 2 issues I think) they didn't flat out say what happened to Bigby nor did they say what he'd do once he was found and we didn't know whether or not he'd returned until the end of that story. The 50th issue wasn't spoiled either.
So I'm all in favor of trading big events in exchange for better (and in continuity) stories. There's more than one way to drill into our minds that these characters live in the same Universe.