You're so right about the hulk franchise brother. I really really dont understand how marvel does business sometimes. Sometimes they decide to rock the boat when no rocking was even needed. Planet Hulk was a critically well received story, people were liking the direction Pak was taking the hulk and it was received well. So what does marvel do? They go in the opposite direction undo everything. They make Hulk dumb again, add a red hulk, make Rick Jones A-Bomb for no reason, and above everything else, they pretty much ignore all the progress Greg Pak made during his run. Now we have this nonsensical World War Hulks thing, why? WHY? Pak had a good thing going with the hulk and now they're doing this?! They think all these new hulks are going to draw people in?? Sigh....
Oh and yeah Wolverine is a complete mess. But its too late, marvel's already damaged him beyond repair. Marvel really needs to calm down with this over saturation thing. It really does kill characters.
I always personally wished the Hulk could have made more of a life on Sakaar and stayed in space a while. I thought PLANET HULK was wonderful in providing a new world and transformation for the Hulk himself that I was a little annoyed that it all had to end because of a crossover event. Still, Pak did that himself, as in writing it, so it had his blessing. And, compared to HOUSE OF M or CIVIL WAR, had more a clear narrative, a clear beginning, middle, and end (even if, like many events, it was not all executed as well as it could have; not even Brubaker can hit a perfect bullseye for an "event" as he does with normal CA issues). Plus, well, space makes everyone better. Except Spider-Man...he'd screw it up with whining, I imagine.
Marvel makes these decisions because they want to sell more books, and they see that any character who gets hot can sell more books. But, rather than slowly build, they go for the full cash in immediately, which usually works well for the short term, and crashes in the long term.
Which leads us to Deadpool. In a way, what is happening with him is almost too similar to what happened to Punisher and Ghost Rider in the early 90's. Now, by then, both were not "new" characters. Both were created in the 70's. Just the times happened to favor anti-heroes, and both benefited from it. But, quickly, one book wasn't enough; they got two, and then even three. On top of having cross-overs and/or guest appearances in every ongoing series under the sun, and atop of that the occasional one-shot or mini. It sold well for a while, but the crash happened and then both tanked so bad, they had to be rested for a good, long while (as in at least 5 years) before they could support their own books again. And even then, it wasn't easy; Punisher's first MARVEL KNIGHTS stab bombed, as did Ghost Rider's. Both, not by coincidence, did so because both launches took the characters too far from their roots; Punisher became some supernatural demon slayer, and Ghost Rider became some guy in an office building. Lo and behold, relaunching characters without relying on their strengths backfired, a lesson Marvel has failed to learn with Namor, or the New Warriors, or Dr. Strange, almost literally every single languishing franchise that they have been unable to relaunch successfully. Who the **** wants to read DOCTOR STRANGE when he's powerless and needs some random teenage girl, who is SO a refugee from RUNAWAYS it isn't funny, doing all the magic for him? What NEW WARRIORS fan wanted to see them drawn terribly doing a reality show? I mean come the hell on, Marvel. Imagine if they "re-invented" Wolverine as a teenage boxer in a suit of armor, and then were stunned it didn't sell. Well, golly gee!
Rather than slowly build and maintain Deadpool, Marvel is cashing in their chips now. It will backfire, probably by 2011 or 2012, and the character will be so toxic that he won't have any series at all. One hopes that this doesn't happen to the Hulk, as he is a far longer lasting character. Taking away what makes him unique and special, which isn't simply a design and explosions, takes away his essence and reason for existing. Besides, Jeph Loeb has so poisoned the franchise with his run, that I'm not sure Pak can skillfully revive it as he once did with a story that links up with Loeb's.
The irony is when both Marvel and DC occasionally want to make a bit of a stunt, what do they do? They offer some "preview" book that is cheap. Not long ago, it was a comic that was a dime, or nine cents. Now it might be a $1 first issue, like VERTIGO is doing. It is like they understand that cheaper comics bring more readers, or at least encourage readers who might not otherwise give a launch a chance to do so, but don't apply it. Marvel's strategy of making a #1 issue the most expensive is both cynical and short sighted. They did that in the 90's, too, (a #1 issue might be $1.95 or $2.50 while a regular issue might have still been, say, $1.25 or $1.50), and it didn't work out then. I think one major problem is the current editorial administration both acts as if nothing ever got done at Marvel before 2000, while also being too afraid to slow down the car to think about being lost or making a wrong turn.
Marvel doesn't make a wrong move with everything, but some moves, boy, if you have any memory or perspective, they make you scream, "What are you, NUTS!?" And while some people will go, "every decade had their rubbish stories or ideas", the thing is, one can actually learn from the past, by acknowledging and studying it, not assuming a modern age is superior to a past one just because we have cell phones and "24" now. Some of the Hulk stuff is one of those areas.
