Marvel Comics Spotlight

[Skyknight]

MARVEL SPOTLIGHT # 1
The Story: It's the summer, which means it's time to hit the beach with some summer reading! And that means adding a little SPOTLIGHT to your fun in the sand and surf! This month, we'll check in on all the events that are making Summer '09 a season to remember: The original Human Torch is back, and he isn’t the only one returning; there’s a new Fantastic Four and a new creative team on DAREDEVIL; the REAL Clone Saga is laid bare; and more. If we add anything else to this issue, we'll have to include a complimentary parka to help you make it through December! SPOTLIGHT is your Summer Events HQ with exclusive content you won't find anywhere else — so buy one for yourself, and one for your friendly neighborhood lifeguard! Rated T …$2.99

http://www.marvel.com/catalog/?date=2009-08

Combine this with the third Clone Saga in Spider-Girl, the return of Darkhawk, Claremont's X-Men Forever and the recent TPB of Spider-Man 2099, and Marvel seem eager to return to the era that almost bankrupted them.

The creative misfires of the last six years for several titles (Spidey, X-Men, FF) arent going to be made better with roster shake-ups and the POSSIBLE return of Ben Reily. Hell, I'm tempted to drop Brubaker's run on Cap because the new Bucky is the female version from Heroes Reborn

 

[Tanuki]

I dunno; I just quit Marvel when they decided to make She-Hulk a slut. She doesn't got to be a prude, but I'd like some morality in my superhero comics. (I can accept moving from one relationship to the next, though I think she should be seeing a shrink for her poor ability to get and stay commited without finding some excuse related to mind control to go out looking for a new guy).

Even Cap- We don't like this moral wet sponge, honest hearted Captain America. Let's get Jack Bower into the suit so he can shoot people in the name of America.

 

[Skyknight]

I agree. Ed's Cap run has just died on it's ass for me, despite a strong beggining.

At least Miller and Hitch are off FF...that made DeFalco's Reed and Doomless stint in the 1990s look awesome.

 

[Ragna "D" BloodEdge]

I'm actually glad something's being done with Darkhawk in War of Kings. This whole Fraternity of Raptors angle seems interesting.

 

[Eldar]

Combine this with the third Clone ...d probably even a Dark FF by the looks of it.

 

[wildwolf]

I dunno; I just quit Marvel when they decided to make She-Hulk a slut. She doesn't got to be a prude, but I'd like some morality in my superhero comics. (I can accept moving from one relationship to the next, though I think she should be seeing a shrink for her poor ability to get and stay commited without finding some excuse related to mind control to go out looking for a new guy).

I think the "slutty" She-Hulk is from an alternate reality (Earth-721, aka Earth-A or the Alpha universe).

 

[Skyknight]

How are these going to drive Marvel into the ground again?

You act like I'm expecting these events to bomb. I didnt say anything of the sort.

I was commenting on the vast resurgence of elements that dominated the company in the 1990s and they can be easily seen by fans as desperate sales solutions, this is backed by how flimsy the Miller/Hitch run on FF was recieved, and how badly ASM is doing.

They might certainly pose a problem imo if these were the main line events for Marvel, but they aren't

Actually, if they WERE, it'd be a hell of a lot more refreshing than the gimmicky, morally bankrupt, backwards crap pretending to be Marvel right now. That's more an audience and fanboy preference problem than a creative problem though.

There aren't going to be really any major roster shakeups just more Dark Reign spinoff teams such as Osborn's Dark X-Men and probably even a Dark FF by the looks of it.

How droll.

This is what I'm talking about though. The Dark Reign crap is going to be forgotten about in ten years or laughed at and used as an example of how desperate gimmicks began to define Marvel all over again, if it hasnt already.

 

[Tanuki]

I think the "slutty" She-Hulk is from an alternate reality (Earth-721, aka Earth-A or the Alpha universe).

No, that's mainstream she-hulk who admitted to being a slut in court when she was defending some villain

 

[Eldar]

I was commenting on the vast resurgence of elements that dominated the company in the 1990s and they can be easily seen by fans as desperate sales solutions, this is backed by how flimsy the Miller/Hitch run on FF was recieved, and how badly ASM is doing.

Sales had nothing to do with BND/OMD, it was done because JoeQ was suffering his version of a midlife crisis and couldn't stomach Spider-Man getting married and settling down. If you look at the current numbers, pre-OMD/BND ASM outsold the current incarnation.

As for FF, it hasn't been a major comics franchise since the Byrne days. Really offing the FF, replacing them or hell stopping publication would have zilch effect. Milar/Hitch or Claremont/Larroca , the book really doesn't matter.

This is what I'm talking about though. The Dark Reign crap is going to be forgotten about in ten years or laughed at and used as an example of how desperate gimmicks began to define Marvel all over again, if it hasnt already.

Thats a criticism for almost all across the line comics crossovers. Aside from the original crisis (and even that has problems), none of them can really hold up with time.

 

[Skyknight]

If you look at the current numbers, pre-OMD/BND ASM outsold the current incarnation.

...I was agreeing with you...

I was using the 90s throwbacks as an example of boosting current sales because ASM's in the shitter presently

As for FF, it hasn't been a major comics franchise since the Byrne days. Really offing the FF, replacing them or hell stopping publication would have zilch effect. Milar/Hitch or Claremont/Larroca , the book really doesn't matter.

I quite liked Waid's run. First time I'd picked up an FF comic since the Heroes Reborn **** ended. Once Mark jumped, so did I.

Thats a criticism for almost all across the line comics crossovers. Aside from the original crisis (and even that has problems), none of them can really hold up with time.

Some are underlooked (Armageddon 2001 in particular had an awesome "Superman as President" story I want established as a freaking status quoe one day), but otherwise, very much true.