Another atrocious thing Marvel is doing is that they are coming up with huge crossover events (like Civil War II, Avengers versus X-Men, Inhumans versus X-Men, and many, many, many more) nearly every two months. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good crossover event, but if you do it this often, it loses its distinction. It’s no longer special.
Marvel also seems to be in a rush to put out all these ‘specials’ at the expense of good writing. Civil War II and Inhumans versus X-Men were just plain garbage. Yes, they were that bad. Every issue of Inhumans versus X-Men in particular seemed to be reactionary to the criticism of fans. Each time fans complained about something in an issue, they would try to address it (in a stupid way) in their next issue. They wouldn’t have had to do this if they had a comprehensive and well-written story to begin with. What’s worse is that they even tried to portray the X-Men as the ‘bad guys’. Why? It’s because they had a vendetta with Fox studios.
Marvel should stop churning out these mega-events every minute and stick to developing great characters and compelling stories.
Disrespecting Their Core Characters
Marvel Legacy Characters: Ms. Marvel, Iron Man, Thor & Hulk
If you’ve noticed, MCU actors, like Chris Evans and Robert Downey, Jr., will be ending their contracts with Marvel soon and the studio needs to come up with a way to replace their core characters (Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, etc.) with legacy characters (characters that will inherit the core characters’ mantles). How better to do this than to replace them in the comics first, right? It seems logical. However, how they are doing it is just plain wrong.
Earlier, I wrote about the new versions of Thor, the Hulk and Iron Man. These legacy characters have already replaced our core characters in the comics. Honestly, that should have been fine. But, just how did they do it? Well, they turn Tony Stark into a villain and then kill him off (to find out how, you have to read the comics) and they also kill off Bruce Banner (again, read the comics to find out how) and they turn Thor into an ‘unworthy’ prince who is just a shell of himself. The other core characters didn’t fare much better either.
The disrespect they showed to their core characters is appalling. They didn’t give them a fitting or even a respectful demise; they just killed them or shamed them. Marvel forgot that, for more than half a decade, these core characters had a fan-base that loved and respected them. To get rid of them, in the manner that they did, simply rubbed many of the fans the wrong way. And, just who are these characters who replaced them? They seemed to have popped out from nowhere or were forced into the story. There was little to no set-up for these guys. Marvel didn’t even give us the time to get used to them before turning over the mantle of our beloved heroes to them.
DC Rebirth by Geoff Johns
Iron Man’s replacement, Riri Williams, for instance, is a 15-year-old girl that just appeared out of nowhere. She was only introduced a few issues before Marvel’s infamous getting-rid-of-Iron-Man plot-line, so we hardly got any backstory on her. Now they want her to be the new Iron Man? And, the way they got rid of Iron Man is just… disrespectful (for lack of a more politically correct word).
I understand the need for legacy characters; but let them grow on us first before forcing them to take over an iconic core character’s place. And, for Pete’s sake, please treat your core characters with some respect, Marvel!
In stark contrast (pun intended), DC understood and respected their core characters. Sure, they have legacy characters like Dick Grayson (Robin or Nightwing) or Roy Harper (Red Arrow or Arsenal) or Wally West (Kid Flash), but we already know them so well that, if they replaced Batman or Green Arrow or the Flash, we’d be more willing to accept them. In fact, before DC’s New 52 run, Wally had already replaced Barry as the Flash for several years when Barry died. I would like to point out that Barry died saving the world. This is how you pay respect to a character. You give him a good death.
According to Geoff Johns (DC’s chief editor at that time), When DC launched Rebirth, they asked themselves one question, “What did the fans love about each of their characters (and of DC, in general) in the first place?” This simple question launched one of the most successful campaigns in comic book history…DC Rebirth. It seems Marvel needs to ask themselves the same question.
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Comic fans, what do you think of this? Do you agree? Share your thoughts in the comments!
I am a more popularly known as an entrepreneur and the foremost sales management consultant in the country. But, what most people don't know is that I am also a geek... a vintage geek, perhaps. I love comic books (DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Image, you name it), and I love how they have grown from print to TV and movies. But, comic-book themed TV shows and movies aren't the only things I watch. I, basically, watch any genre of TV show or movie... and I love to critique all of them.
Why Marvel is Losing to DC in Comic Book Sales
Too Many Mega-Crossover Events
Marvel also seems to be in a rush to put out all these ‘specials’ at the expense of good writing. Civil War II and Inhumans versus X-Men were just plain garbage. Yes, they were that bad. Every issue of Inhumans versus X-Men in particular seemed to be reactionary to the criticism of fans. Each time fans complained about something in an issue, they would try to address it (in a stupid way) in their next issue. They wouldn’t have had to do this if they had a comprehensive and well-written story to begin with. What’s worse is that they even tried to portray the X-Men as the ‘bad guys’. Why? It’s because they had a vendetta with Fox studios.
Marvel should stop churning out these mega-events every minute and stick to developing great characters and compelling stories.
Disrespecting Their Core Characters
Marvel Legacy Characters: Ms. Marvel, Iron Man, Thor & Hulk
If you’ve noticed, MCU actors, like Chris Evans and Robert Downey, Jr., will be ending their contracts with Marvel soon and the studio needs to come up with a way to replace their core characters (Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, etc.) with legacy characters (characters that will inherit the core characters’ mantles). How better to do this than to replace them in the comics first, right? It seems logical. However, how they are doing it is just plain wrong.
Earlier, I wrote about the new versions of Thor, the Hulk and Iron Man. These legacy characters have already replaced our core characters in the comics. Honestly, that should have been fine. But, just how did they do it? Well, they turn Tony Stark into a villain and then kill him off (to find out how, you have to read the comics) and they also kill off Bruce Banner (again, read the comics to find out how) and they turn Thor into an ‘unworthy’ prince who is just a shell of himself. The other core characters didn’t fare much better either.
The disrespect they showed to their core characters is appalling. They didn’t give them a fitting or even a respectful demise; they just killed them or shamed them. Marvel forgot that, for more than half a decade, these core characters had a fan-base that loved and respected them. To get rid of them, in the manner that they did, simply rubbed many of the fans the wrong way. And, just who are these characters who replaced them? They seemed to have popped out from nowhere or were forced into the story. There was little to no set-up for these guys. Marvel didn’t even give us the time to get used to them before turning over the mantle of our beloved heroes to them.
DC Rebirth by Geoff Johns
Iron Man’s replacement, Riri Williams, for instance, is a 15-year-old girl that just appeared out of nowhere. She was only introduced a few issues before Marvel’s infamous getting-rid-of-Iron-Man plot-line, so we hardly got any backstory on her. Now they want her to be the new Iron Man? And, the way they got rid of Iron Man is just… disrespectful (for lack of a more politically correct word).
I understand the need for legacy characters; but let them grow on us first before forcing them to take over an iconic core character’s place. And, for Pete’s sake, please treat your core characters with some respect, Marvel!
In stark contrast (pun intended), DC understood and respected their core characters. Sure, they have legacy characters like Dick Grayson (Robin or Nightwing) or Roy Harper (Red Arrow or Arsenal) or Wally West (Kid Flash), but we already know them so well that, if they replaced Batman or Green Arrow or the Flash, we’d be more willing to accept them. In fact, before DC’s New 52 run, Wally had already replaced Barry as the Flash for several years when Barry died. I would like to point out that Barry died saving the world. This is how you pay respect to a character. You give him a good death.
According to Geoff Johns (DC’s chief editor at that time), When DC launched Rebirth, they asked themselves one question, “What did the fans love about each of their characters (and of DC, in general) in the first place?” This simple question launched one of the most successful campaigns in comic book history…DC Rebirth. It seems Marvel needs to ask themselves the same question.
–
Comic fans, what do you think of this? Do you agree? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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About The Author
I am a more popularly known as an entrepreneur and the foremost sales management consultant in the country. But, what most people don't know is that I am also a geek... a vintage geek, perhaps. I love comic books (DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Image, you name it), and I love how they have grown from print to TV and movies. But, comic-book themed TV shows and movies aren't the only things I watch. I, basically, watch any genre of TV show or movie... and I love to critique all of them.