The (Possible) Marvel Reboot.

Today Marvel had a big press conference about their latest Earth-Shattering crossover, Secret Wars, and it looks like it might actually live up to the hype.  In said press conference they announced this crossover would be the climax for the story that's been running in Hickman's New Avengers about different Earths smashing into each other.  And, surprising no one, said crossover would involve the Ultimate and 616 Marvel Universe smashing into each other and becoming something new.

To quote Tom Brevoort himself, "The Marvel Universe as you know it is done."

To say I am unhappy with this is an understatement.

I get what they're trying to do.  They (Marvel) wants to make the Marvel Universe a place that's accessible to everyone (and especially the younger set) by doing away with the years and years of awesome, weird, and ugly stories that they've accumulated throughout the years.  They're probably thinking that by streamlining everything they'll get more readers because they won't feel as daunted by the vast history staring them in the face.

It's a noble goal, to be sure, but it's crazy flawed.  Continuity isn't a hold up for kids, it's a hold up for adults.  

Way back when I started reading, I jumped into the middle of the most continuity driven era of X-Men ever and I loved it.  I didn't really know who all the players were or what was really going on, but I was excited to discover it all.  I would pour over manuals, guides, trading cards, you name it so I could learn who all these weird characters were.  And then that expanded to the multiverse, then to other universes and whatever new fun continuity popped up.  It left me with all kinds of weird trivial knowledge that I'll never really need outside of terrible Geek gameshows.

It was my hobby, and like all good hobbies when you're younger, it kinda took all my attention.

But, as I got older and my attention was needed elsewhere - like paying rent, getting a girlfriend, and hanging out with real people - my focus became diffused and I didn't have time to worry about all the ancillary comic stories and continuities.  I knew what I liked (the 616) and I only wanted to read the stories set in that universe and not waste my precious brain resources on anything else(sorry Ultimates, MC2, and 2099).  And that's not to mention my outright refusal to try to learn any new universes (sorry Valiant, I'm sure you're awesome).

Anecdotal?  Maybe.  Just consider this:  When was a last time a kid didn't think they were ready for, say, the latest issue of Avengers because they hadn't read the 50 years of books leading up to it?  You know who does that?  Adults.

If Marvel really wanted to appeal more to a younger set, they ought to refocus their books to be more about the big fights and less about conversations.  Maybe if they stopped doing 6 issue arcs for everything, tightened up the storytelling, and just started having more fun with the stuff they can do they'd get that audience they want.  But as it stands, they're courting an audience who won't care at the expense of the ones who do.

I really hope I'm blowing this announcement out of proportion.  I very much wish that this crossover ends up being like all the rest with minor cosmetic changes to the 616 and maybe a few new characters hanging around (I'm looking at you, Miles.)

Otherwise, it's been a good run Marvel, but I'm too old to learn a whole new history.  

Spider-Man and His Henchmen

Marvel has decreed this week to be 'Superior Spider-Man' week and as such has been releasing all kinds of information on some up and coming Spider-plots. Today's announcement (which you can read here) says that OttoPeter debuts a new look while going after the remnants of Shadowland utilizing new methods that Spider-Man has never ever used before. It comes with this image:

It doesn't take a brain surgeon to gather from this picture that Otto is going to get entrepreneurial and hire some assistants. On the surface, I really dig this idea. I mean, of course a supervillain turned hero would fall back on his old tricks, including and not limited to, hiring lackeys to do his bidding; He'll be like his own street-level SHEILD. Honestly, I'm surprised more heroes don't try doing this. Seems like something Iron Man would have done a few years ago around Civil War when he was trying to save everyone.

Anyway. While I like the possibilities inherent in this idea, it makes me even more concerned about what's going to happen with Peter. Especially considering that at the beginning of the week, the big tease was a more near-future story in which Peter and Otto fight it out to see who will control the body that is Peter Parker.

So... If this happens first and then Spider-Man is hiring help with matching uniforms, I think we can surmise that this is a battle that Peter doesn't win (Also this headline doesn't help). So what happens to him?

My cynical, paranoia addled brain came up with this insane scenario: It all leads to a new clone saga.

Crazy, I know, but hold on. The way I see it, the way to expel Peter would be to give it a psyche for it to exist: cue clonage. What with the Jackal running around again in the books and an emphasis on 90s storylines (I'm looking at you Scarlet Spider!), it's not that big of a leap to consider that happening. Then, Original Recipe Peter exists in a new cloned body while Otto runs around in the old meatsuit which allows for all the neat storytelling of OttoPeter to continue while not totally ruining Peter.

So then, after the story has run it's course, you can have Peter wake up in his cloned body and go fight Otto. I see it ending something like this:

Admittedly, most of this crazed idea comes exclusively from Otto's new suit looking like Ben Reilly's, but who's to say that makes it any less valid?

I could go further with my crackpot theories involving the age of this supposed cloned Peter, but it makes so much sense that it scares me. Also, we seem to be at our limit for crazyness today. Maybe later... if you're lucky.

I'm Officially Jealous of Franklin Richards

Now if I could just figure out where to get my own...

From the pretty stellar FF #1 by Matt Fraction and Mike Allred.

What's This About Marvel Now?

Didja hear the news? Marvel is doing a reboot!

What? Old News? Are you implying that because I've been noticeably absent the past few months that I missed out on my chance to talk about the craziness that is Marvel NOW? Maybe you're right, but indulge me.

I won't lie, the first time I saw this picture my heart sank a little bit. I was already preparing rants about what a huge mistake Marvel was making and how after twenty years I'd be finally walking away from this hobby I love so much. So imagine my excitement when it was announced that this wasn't a reboot in the DCnU kind of way, but instead a line wide refresh without doing away with any of the old continuity. And that friends, is how it should be.

Continuity is something that should be cherished, loved, and discovered. It should be something that adds to your enjoyment, but doesn't detract if you don't know it. Further, I think the more caveats you have to add, the less new reader friendly comics become.

The way DC did their refresh (because no commentary on Marvel NOW would be complete without a full comparison to the DCnU) in the end, only adds more headaches and creates a larger wall for the uninitiated fan to get over before they can enjoy the books. I find it problematic that when someone asks me a simple question about Superman, I have to qualify my statements with eras and relations to reboots to make sure I'm answering their question correctly. Try it. Try answering: "I thought Superman was married to Lois Lane, what happened?" Headaches.

Meanwhile, the Marvel method to refreshing the line becomes much easier to explain things. Sure, as with any long running fiction story you'll have bits of "they died but got better" or "they just kind of ignored [fill-in-the-blank]", but at least all the stories 'matter'. It's that respect for the overall long-running narrative that gives the Marvel method more merit in the eyes of a new reader.

The more I read about the new creative teams, storyline teases, and character combinations I find myself more and more excited about Marvel come November. There's a crazy freshness and new found energy in all the interviews that's hard to ignore. It reminds me a lot of the NuMarvel stuff from the turn of the century, when titles like Allred's X-Force, Morrison's New X-Men, and Tangled Web were challenging the limits of what you could do in a Marvel Comic. Except this time, it seems they're diving head first into big time super heroics, instead of focusing on the small interpersonal stuff.

I'm getting all revved up just thinking about it! What about you?