Mind Wipes... please
I recently (just this morning... i know i'm a little behind) finished reading X-Men Deadly Genesis. Now let me pre-face all of this by saying that I enjoy the work of both Ed Brubaker and Trevor Hairsine. I thought this mini-series was crap, i kept on waiting for a huge payoff, and what did i get... more mind wipes. This is the second huge Marvel mini-series, Secret War being the other, where the big payoff was a mindwipe. C'mon Marvel do something original.
It's been over a year now since DC used a mind wipe in "Identity Crisis". It was definitely the biggest, most controversial, and talked about moment of the comic year. Not only did they wipe Dr. Light, but they also wiped Batman, and we also learned they didn't stop there. Numerous villains were wiped. That revelation changed the landscape at DC and laid the groundwork for every huge story that has followed.
Since the above-mentioned mind wipe, it seems that that has been Marvel's answer go to plot choice. Oh wait, there has also been the rape in the long-delayed "Evil That Men Do" Black Cat and Spider-Man story. Again, a plot thread that was brilliantly used in Identity Crisis and just seemed out of place in the Spider-Man story. The adult themes in both that story and Daredevil: Father (another long-delayed project) just seemed so forced and reactionary to what DC has been doing.
Marvel just seems more interested in selling comics (seriously, how many comics do I need to see Spider-Man and Wolverine in on a monthly basis) than building a cohesive universe. One of the most frustrating things to me is reading various Marvel titles and basically seeing different versions of Spider-Man and Wolverine in in-continuity stories. I always feel like they are speaking with a different voice, or acting completely out of character. I never feel that way in the current DC Universe.
Now I'm not trying to say that I hate everything Marvel. I think they put out high-quality work in the regular monthly series Daredevil, Captain America (told you I liked Brubaker), The Ultimates (whenever it comes out) and the Runaways. Everything else seems really hit or miss. The Mutants have been in disarray for years, Spider-Man (don't even get me started on the god-awful "The Other") is a mess... and The New Avengers, I'm sorry, I just don't get. I still have high hopes for "Civil War"... as long as I don't have to buy all the titles I don't currently buy to get the full story.
At just about the half way point of the year, If this was a boxing match between the companies I'd have to call the fight now and give it to DC on TKO.
It's been over a year now since DC used a mind wipe in "Identity Crisis". It was definitely the biggest, most controversial, and talked about moment of the comic year. Not only did they wipe Dr. Light, but they also wiped Batman, and we also learned they didn't stop there. Numerous villains were wiped. That revelation changed the landscape at DC and laid the groundwork for every huge story that has followed.
Since the above-mentioned mind wipe, it seems that that has been Marvel's answer go to plot choice. Oh wait, there has also been the rape in the long-delayed "Evil That Men Do" Black Cat and Spider-Man story. Again, a plot thread that was brilliantly used in Identity Crisis and just seemed out of place in the Spider-Man story. The adult themes in both that story and Daredevil: Father (another long-delayed project) just seemed so forced and reactionary to what DC has been doing.
Marvel just seems more interested in selling comics (seriously, how many comics do I need to see Spider-Man and Wolverine in on a monthly basis) than building a cohesive universe. One of the most frustrating things to me is reading various Marvel titles and basically seeing different versions of Spider-Man and Wolverine in in-continuity stories. I always feel like they are speaking with a different voice, or acting completely out of character. I never feel that way in the current DC Universe.
Now I'm not trying to say that I hate everything Marvel. I think they put out high-quality work in the regular monthly series Daredevil, Captain America (told you I liked Brubaker), The Ultimates (whenever it comes out) and the Runaways. Everything else seems really hit or miss. The Mutants have been in disarray for years, Spider-Man (don't even get me started on the god-awful "The Other") is a mess... and The New Avengers, I'm sorry, I just don't get. I still have high hopes for "Civil War"... as long as I don't have to buy all the titles I don't currently buy to get the full story.
At just about the half way point of the year, If this was a boxing match between the companies I'd have to call the fight now and give it to DC on TKO.
Labels: Comics
posted by LEV at
5:11 PM
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