|
We've dealt with the big recent events. For DC it was the Final Crisis and for Marvel it was the Secret Invasion. I didn't touch the Secret Invasion directly. Any money I had that went to it went there because it happened to tie into a title that I was reading. Frankly I think Marvel is on a big downslide. In their attempt to be more "edgy" or whatever it is that their doing, I've given up on them for the most part. I'm down to just a few titles that come from Marvel. Final Crisis really fell flat in my eyes. It was a nice concept but unfortunately it was just way too disjointed. Even within the core title there were information gaps. It came to the point where I thought of the line in the Chevy Chase movie Funny Farm that goes, "I counted 10 flashbacks, 12 flash-forwards and I think there was even a flash-sideways."
For me the Final Crisis title was a great opportunity for Grant Morrison to really show some interesting things. Unfortunately he once again fell short, or the decisions made in how the title would be created fell short. I'm sure many of his hardcore fans are happy as he got to work in some stuff that he's been dealing with for a while in the DC Universe, but as someone who doesn't follow him specifically, I felt out of the loop. Gee, it's like his X-Men run all over again. The Morrison followers get their fill while the everyday readers get left out in the cold. The confusing, tripped-out cold. But now each publisher is moving on to the next big thing.
Marvel's next big thing appears to be this whole "Dark Reign" thing. I really have no idea I just know that the word "Dark" is appearing in front of things so I'm guessing that points to the Dark Reign concept being the driving force for the Marvel Universe right now. DC's next big thing is "The Blackest Night." Now, I will be upfront in saying that I am HIGHLY biased in favor of DC's big thing for two reasons. First, this is something that will be a part of the Green Lantern mythos, which anyone who knows me knows that the Green Lantern concept is my favorite superhero concept. Second, it's coming from the mind of Geoff Johns. Now, while Johns' first few issues of the current Green Lantern title sucked it's only been good things since he moved past that point.
I'm sorry, but things that Bendis touches seem to turn to crap. Annoying, frustrating crap that I wish I hadn't spent my time and money on. Johns pretty much has the Midas Touch in my book. The man creates great stories, writes great characters, has good dialogue and most importantly has a serious skill for setting up one story while another closes. He's really good at laying the groundwork for what comes next. Many times he can do so without it being too obvious, which just makes for better reading.
So, while Marvel and DC each gear up for their next big thing I just need to decide if there is any reason as to why I should throw money Marvel's way. I've quit most of their titles I read and don't want to touch anything with the word "Avengers" in it right now. I bought the first issue of Dark Avengers to be fair though. Still, I will not be picking up any others. DC already has my money. I already read both Green Lantern titles and just about every other title I read has someone in it who has died recently so I know they're going to get sucked into the Blackest Night at some point.
I guess it's fair to say that each publisher right now has darkness on the horizon. Marvels' darkness appears to be largely helmed by Brian Michael Bendis while DC's darkness appears to be helmed largely by Geoff Johns. I'm sorry but I believe that DC's darkness will be a much more entertaining ride and the overall experience will be positive. I just don't see the same being said for Marvel. I mean no disrespect to Bendis or anyone at Marvel, but I really couldn't care less folks. You seem to have lost your way. I'm not sure what your next big thing will be after Dark Reign, but I'd like to hope it would be something that I could get behind and be supportive of. I really do. For now though I'll take those funds I've withdrawn from Marvel and keep them in my pocket. I guess my next big thing is saving money, the Marvel way.
|