A few months back, while I searched through the pages of Diamond's
(boo!) catalog in order to compose my monthly order form (the local comic
shop'sequivalent of a pull list), I happened upon solicitations for LIVE KREE
OR DIE! My heart filled with joy, upon seeing who was at the helm of this
four book crossover: Waid, Ostrander, and Busiek! I immediately added
all four to my order form. They would probably all have made the list
eventually (such is the nature of crossovers), but I was too excited to wait. After
all, how can a story penned by three great writers fail?
The month has passed, and all four chapters of LIVE KREE OR DIE! have
come and gone; as has a little time for reflection. Allow me to share
with you some of the ideas that come to mind from this storyline.
First up was IRON MAN #9, written by Kurt Busiek. Most of the first
seven pages are recap. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that what the
gatefold cover is for? Granted, it is a lot of information they're giving us, but
the inside cover page could have been used to lighten the load a bit, and
get the story underway a bit faster. This probably put me in a sour mood.
Especially page 4, when Carol Danvers says: "I don't need a recap. What's
your point?" I half expected Iron Man to say something like: "But the
readers might. It is a crossover, after all."
From there, things follow the path of least resistance. Our Heroes
stumble onto the crossover's villains, get in a Big Fight, receive a
handful of vague clues, and go their separate ways. Not terrible, and (to my
surprise) a number of pages were spent on Iron Man's subplots. Word is
that the X-Offices order all sub-plots be put aside for Big Crossovers.
Next comes CAPTAIN AMERICA #8. I went into this chapter handicapped,
because I hate that shield! But the coloring on this book was so striking, I
was immediately pulled in. In the end, though, the rough spots in the
story and art really make this issue seem weak. At least Cap's shield was
smashed to rubble.
The strangest thing about this issue was that, in retrospect, it
feels so much like the Iron Man issue before it. Two heroes take on some Kree,
argue a little, and then {title character} saves civilians while Warbird flies
off after the escaping Kree ship.
Chapter Three is QUICKSILVER #10. I've liked Quicksilver since his
tenure in X-Factor; and I like writer John Ostrander, since his days on Suicide
Squad. Plus, it featured my favorite Avengers, Hawkeye and Scarlet
Witch, on the cover. This chapter should logically have been the best. Maybe it
was.
But, the entire effort felt dragged down by both the art and the
overwhelming feeling that this issue was crammed into the storyline for
the purposes of a sales spike for a failing book.
Finally comes Avengers #7. Showing absolutely no concern for the
hostile aliens that Our Heroes left alive and well-armed on the moon, the
Avengers hold a special tribunal for Warbird. On the plus side, this gives us a
page of recap for those who were smart enough not to slavishly follow the
crossover around. Only then does Vision figure out that them aliens are
still a threat.
Cue the big fight. The true plan is revealed, the Carol Danvers
subplot is resolved (rather, it's relegated to IRON MAN, according to the letter
page), and all is right with the world.
Well, I didn't make it sound too bad, did I? Except, sometimes it
seems like every crossover suffers from silly things that happen only for the
sake of the crossover, and lack of communication between creative teams:
Iron Man is nowhere to be found between his chapter and AVENGERS #7.
Why would Iron Man be unavailable, knowing the threat? For that matter, why
didn't he take off after the Kree as soon as he finished his rescue
efforts in IM #8? Because, the crossover would have been too short!
Also, in AVENGERS #7, Captain America's shield is present and in one
piece, despite the beating it took. I bet it will still be mashed up in
the next issue of Cap A. It's really sad that a good editor, and writer who
cares so much about continuity, would let this slip past.
LIVE KREE OR DIE would have served much better as two issues of
AVENGERS, with one book between them, perhaps QUICKSILVER. This story
could easily have replaced those two issues with Squadron Supreme (What
was the point there?) Ah, but Marvel must always keep an eye on that Bottom Line!
Now I have to wonder. Is a good crossover possible anymore? I
remember enjoying MILLENIUM and SECRET WARS as a child,
but nowadays, both seem rather lame. Maybe the format just doesn't
work, and the rare quality crossover (like INVASION) are the exceptions
that prove it. Or perhaps, the fault is not with the writers, but with myself.
This could well be the first sign that I am outgrowing the genre. I
suppose time will tell.
Comments, questions, and so forth are all welcome. I always like
discussing crossovers!