I'm REALLY FREAKING TIRED OF BIG EVENT STORIES!!!!

Posted by Darkmount1 (1200 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

I keep saying this over and over, and I'm saying it once again: even if Flashpoint (and by extent, Marvel's Fear Itself) ends and things go back to normal, I now DEMAND that the Big Two take my word of advice...and it'd be great if someone here would forward this for me to the Big Two:

TAKE A LONG, LONG BREAK FROM DOING BIG EVENT STORIES. FOR A WHILE. NO MORE FOR A WHILE. DO STANDALONE ONE-ISSUE STORIES, DO TWO TO THREE-ISSUE STORIES, DO ORIGINAL GRAPHIC NOVELS, BUT JUST NO MORE BIG EVENT STORIES (OR MINI-EVENT STORIES IN CERTAIN TITLES) FOR A LONG, LONG TIME! MAYBE EVEN DRAW UP FINALIZED, UNALTERABLE GROUND RULES FOR CONSTRUCTING BIG EVENT STORIES, SUCH AS HAVING THEM DONE ONLY EVERY FOUR YEARS, SIMILAR TO THE WAY THEY DO THE OLYMPICS. THAT IS ALL I ASK. HEED THIS ADVICE. THINK ABOUT IT. TAKE YOUR TIME. PLEASE.

Who here agrees with me on this one??????

#1 Posted by longbowhunter (3591 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

Your not the only one tired of the big events. I still follow them in hopes of something great occuring, but more often than not it isnt the case.

#2 Edited by Darkmount1 (1200 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

A second message to the Big Two--even THESE guys agree with me:

#3 Posted by StarKiller809 (1204 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

I get really tired of big events too. Some of them turn out good while others fail missrably.

I really wish that DC Comics would let someone other then Geoff Johns write an event. (I love Geoff Johns but would like him to have an ongoing series)

#4 Posted by War Killer (17688 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

Hate to tell you this, but Marvel is already setting up a big storyline with the Avengers and Ultron that will most likely be the Marvel event for 2012.... -___-

And what's funny is that when Siege was going on I could have sworn that Marvel said they weren't going to do any more big events for a while, so much for that lie....

#5 Posted by Aronmorales (9329 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

Here here!
The Big Events need to STOP! Let the characters deal with little things; give 'em a break!
How many Big Events did DC go through this year alone? Marvel?
ENOUGH!!!

#6 Posted by Darkmount1 (1200 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

Someone pass this along to somebody who works at either of the Big Two. I really want to give them a piece of my mind!

#7 Posted by xerox_kitty (15758 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

I couldn't agree more. And it's crazy that the Big Two have to release them both at the same time! Are they really THAT desperate to try and beat each other on sales of a story that'll be long forgotten in 12 months time?

Moderator

#8 Posted by Lvenger (8228 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@xerox-kitty: Well they kinda are desparate to beat each other at sales. If one publisher releases a big event the other's like "Oh my god we need a big event so that we get lots of sales as well!" That's why the crappy Siege was hurriedly released in response to Blackest Night. And as with the big Ultron thing from Marvel previously mentioned, DC are either going to reboot the DCU or something. But I agree they should focus on individual characters and their storylines as opposed to big events

#9 Posted by xerox_kitty (15758 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@Lvenger: Yeah, I know they're in competition. I mean, can't they time it so that they don't clash at the same time. Thereby giving us (the comic buying public) a chance to financially recuperation before investing in the next big cross-over.

I hate these big cross-overs anyway. Marvel decided that it's only been 4 years since Inferno. The Inferno took place in 1988. That's 23 years ago! There's been a major cross-over event pretty much once a year... and with increasing numbers each year in recent years. The amount of world saving adventure would be too much for the same few individuals to cope with. At some point they'd just it back, throw their hands in the air and let the world blow up... just so they can get some rest.

Moderator

#10 Posted by Lvenger (8228 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@xerox-kitty: And the tie ins they produce are pretty costly as well. They cross into regular series or are specially produced mini series for series that are too popular to deviate from their own stories. And they aren't really necessary to the main story as well which makes you ask what is the point of producing them then? The continuity of big events is pretty confusing if I'm honest and I'm not really sure when stories like Invasion or War of the Gods took place which is pretty annoying.

#11 Posted by Jslab425 (44 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

I couldn't disagree more, and while there is a vocal minority (see above) alive and well on the internets, the sales of these big events speak for themselves, much louder than any fanboy whining too.

I think shared universe events are one of the biggest joys of comic book reading. I feel I get more for my money, get to see all my favorite characters in one place, and experience A list artists and writers touching on characters they would never have the opportunity to work with if they only did solo series.

Boom!

#12 Posted by Darkmount1 (1200 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

Hmmm, I just got to thinking.......

Anyone want to help me come up with something equivalent to the Magna Carta or the US Consitution, right here in this thread? We could call it something like "The Code of Comic Book Companywide Crossovers". I'm serious. Think about it. Let's make a contest out of this. Each reply, put in a submission for an idea to contribute to the Code, we vote on the best sounding of each submission, and finalize it into one thing. Who wants to do a preamble?

#13 Edited by Aronmorales (9329 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@Darkmount1: I dig it! In fact, I'll submit my biggest beef right now: I am tired of characters coming back to life. Let them die, please.

#14 Posted by Kastiel (8919 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@Darkmount1: Good idea but a lot of work.

#15 Edited by Darkmount1 (1200 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@Kastiel:
All the more reason to try it. We get our creative processes working here in this thread, see what we bring to the table. I urge you all, please, give this thing a try. Tell you what; we'll have it work like a mad libs puzzle, each of us submits a line until we reach the end we desire. Pass this along to others on the site, encourage them even. See if the mods themselves get involved. I really want this to happen. And people, be serious about this. Let's make this a good discourse.

I'll start:

"Between the years 1984 and 1985, Marvel and DC Comics each debuted a twelve-issue maxiseries which tied in to a select number of each respective company's ongoing titles: Crisis On Infinite Earths (DC) and Secret Wars (Marvel); the first of their kind, they are the foundations upon which the companywide crossover is built."

Next?

#16 Posted by Aronmorales (9329 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@Darkmount1: "But as good as they were, there shouldn't be more of them in such a short time-span" How about this?

#17 Edited by Darkmount1 (1200 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@Aronmorales:
Can you frame it in a way that would sound a little....formal?
Also, we're starting with a preamble. No offense.

#18 Edited by Aronmorales (9329 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@Darkmount1: I'll give it a shot.

"As popular as both respective titles are, the attempts made by both Marvel comics and DC comics to regularly keep their respective characters involved in "Big Event" story-lines have not received the same level of admiration and as such have had a negative effect on certain readers who feel that the characters involved are not getting, in essence, "time to rest". Readers would prefer instead that characters receive smaller and simpler stories instead of these "grand epics" that seem to come out so readily".

By-the-way, my memory on the word "preamble" is hazy; what does it mean?

#19 Posted by Darkmount1 (1200 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@Aronmorales:
A preamble is like an opening statement; think of the one for the US Constitution or the UN Declaration of Human Rights. The way I see it, we're pretty much going to be fighting for another type of character rights altogether.

Also, very nice line. You may want to adjust it a little to make it broader, you don't necessarily mean ALL readers, right?

Next commentator?

#20 Posted by ARMIV (4140 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

Man, I couldn't agree with you more! I'm almost out of breath trying to keep up with all of what's going in comics today! Wasn't Marvel just going into the "Fear Itself" thing when they were already on "The Heroic Age"? And now they're on this thing called "Schism"? Oish!

#21 Posted by RisingBean (749 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

What I find amusing is that supposedly the big two want to reach out to the casual reader and get them into reading comics. Then they make it so expensive, and complicated that it's impossible.

I quit reading for a few years(and still only pick things up in trade.) and I honestly feel like I am in bizarro world most of the time.

So if somebody like me with some prior investment can't really get behind the majority of these dumb arcs, how do they expect John Q. Average to do so? It's backwards, greedy logic.

#22 Posted by Darkmount1 (1200 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@RisingBean:
Welcome to the club. Want to add to the Code?

#23 Posted by Aronmorales (9329 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@Darkmount1: Ahh, I see now, thank you, and of course I can adjust. To be honest, I molded my sentiments as a follow up to yours.

"As popular as both respective titles are, the attempts made by both Marvel comics and DC comics to regularly keep their respective characters involved in "Big Event" story-lines have not received the same level of admiration and as such have had a negative effect on certain readers who feel that the characters involved are not getting, in essence, "time to rest". Those certain readers would prefer instead that characters receive smaller and simpler stories instead of these "grand epics" that seem to come out so readily"

#24 Posted by Timandm (3374 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

COMPLETELY AGREE... How about instead of these 'big story events' that don't really change a thing, Marvel focus on some unfinished story lines and settle those...

- Find Nate Grey
- Let Havoc and company make it back home
- Have Spider-Man learn to fight, realize he's a genius and develop web shooters that don't run out (or remember that he can shoot webs from his wrists)
- Let Bruce Banner realize Better wants nothing to do with him.
- Give Hercules his powers back
- Put Asgard back where it belongs, dang it!!!
- Remove from existence anything resembling a Spider-Man clone
- Revive Ink. (The kid in New X-Men that wasn't really a mutant"
- QUIT SMURFING WITH DARE-DEVIL! and let him be the great guy he used to be... (yes that's right! I said "smurfing." That's my explicative.)
- Build a prison without a revolving door for inmates... REALLY getting sick and tired of seeing the Sinister-Six and The Wrecking Crew in every other Marvel title.
- Put Peter Parker and M.J. back together you flaming Smurf-hats!

and the list goes on...

#25 Posted by Darkmount1 (1200 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@Aronmorales:
Good job!

Who's next? And please, be formal, keep this discourse stable.

#26 Posted by xerox_kitty (15758 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@Lvenger said:

@xerox-kitty: And the tie ins they produce are pretty costly as well.

Ah yes, the hundred and one spin-offs and tie-ins. It makes it impossible to read those little one-offs without buying the main series to know WTF is going on.

What's so silly is that Fear Itself has taken over Marvel at a time when they hould be making the entry into Thor as smooth & simple as can be.

Moderator

#27 Posted by Lance Uppercut (23245 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@Timandm said:

COMPLETELY AGREE... How about instead of these 'big story events' that don't really change a thing, Marvel focus on some unfinished story lines and settle those... - Find Nate Grey - Let Havoc and company make it back home - Have Spider-Man learn to fight, realize he's a genius and develop web shooters that don't run out (or remember that he can shoot webs from his wrists) - Let Bruce Banner realize Better wants nothing to do with him. - Give Hercules his powers back - Put Asgard back where it belongs, dang it!!! - Remove from existence anything resembling a Spider-Man clone - Revive Ink. (The kid in New X-Men that wasn't really a mutant" - QUIT SMURFING WITH DARE-DEVIL! and let him be the great guy he used to be... (yes that's right! I said "smurfing." That's my explicative.) - Build a prison without a revolving door for inmates... REALLY getting sick and tired of seeing the Sinister-Six and The Wrecking Crew in every other Marvel title. - Put Peter Parker and M.J. back together you flaming Smurf-hats! and the list goes on...

Nate's the key story arc in New X-Men right now, Asgard got put back where it belongs by Odin in Fear Itself, Havoc's about to be a story arc in X-Men Legacy, Bruce is probably going to have a fallout with Betty, what with him receiving a hammer and going on a rampage. As for Daredevil, that would be character derailment at this point. Not that being possessed by a demon was any better. The story had no impact if Matt can just look back and say "well, demon did it, not me." But that's another story.

#28 Posted by Lvenger (8228 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@xerox-kitty: Some events though like Blackest Night and Secret Invasion could be read without the tie ins. In those cases the ties are just arbitary and useless. And I'd forgotten about the whole ease of being able to read Thor comics. New readers will pick up a Thor book and be like, "Huh? Why is Loki a child? Why is Odin acting like a dick towards Thor? Who's the Serpent? Who the hell is Sin? Why is the Hulk red?" and many other questions that could only be answered by us long time readers of comic books.

#29 Posted by RisingBean (749 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@Darkmount. Maybe I am way out of touch. Unless by code you mean add to the hatred of needless universe wide crossovers. In that case, sure, I'll add a few lines.

@Lvenger. While I do not think that Loki should be re-aged, Odin a happy dad, and other idead derailed just to bring in casual readers, I do think that knowing how the comics flow together would be a good idea. I think that big events should also be organic. The illogic that comes with these "Well lets do this for shock value" style story arcs just drain the life out of otherwise good series.

#30 Posted by Darkmount1 (1200 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@RisingBean:
I'm not implying that at all. I'm talking about a code that regulates how these things drag on, when they should be published, what kind of impact they should leave on the fictional universe they take place in, how long that impact will last, whether or not the ramifications will stick, etc. THAT'S what I mean.

#31 Posted by Timandm (3374 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@Lance Uppercut: Yeah, I know Cyclops told Daniel to take over Sam's team and go find Nate. I just hope that actually DO IT. True about DD, ' The demon made him do it..' Here's hoping they bring him back to a point where he is KNOWN and ACCEPTED as a good guy... um, preferably married to Electra, but that's ENTIRELY my opinion and totally not related to the story line...

I've been avoiding many of the "Fear Itself" titles, as I want to wait till most of them are out and read them then. I'm glad to hear Asgard is back where it belongs. I assume it's connected to Midgard by the Rainbow Bridge? And I guess this means Odin in alive again... Sigh, SOOO not surprised. Nothing in the Marvel universe stays dead for long.

#32 Posted by RisingBean (749 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@Darkmount1: Yeah, I should have actually paid attention to the preamble and such spoken about a page back. *Chuckles.* I blame the code i was given to beat Mike Tyson in the old videogame as part fo a battlethread for this leap of my logic.

I know that the big two are more scared of apathy then anger. Maybe we should note to them that illogic and other ruses they pull make us angry enough to quit reading initially, and apathetic to picking up the books later.

#33 Edited by Amegashita (3601 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

Big comic events aren't that bad and they do hold their own purpose. Personally I'm all for any event as long as the story takes precedence, and ye, when there's a big event you can see a companies sales Sky rocket, but that doesn't mean anything like "The story was great and it was a joy to read", more often than not a big event means "I'm really reading to see if they decide to screw over my favorite character like they did the past 5 events". Big name events are okay and all, I like the idea of having all my favorite heroes interact with their associates in the business, but in all truthfulness there's no need to have them every single year.

Sometimes you have the great events like "Blackest Night" and "Crisis on Infinite Earths", but then you have the events like "Countdown to Final Crisis" and you just can't hold back the urge to /facepalm cause half of it is utterly unnecessary.

#34 Posted by RisingBean (749 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

In the mainstream Marvel U, I think the last big event I bothered following was the one where Wolverine got his Adamantium ripped out.

I got apathetic after that.

#35 Posted by inferiorego (19298 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

Green Lantern: So far, a 66 issue story arc.

Staff

#36 Posted by Darkmount1 (1200 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@Aronmorales:
"It is because of these detractors of current "big event" stories that we, the fans ask for a refrain from the quantity over quality approach present in these story arcs. It is for those reasons that we present this Code with which we seek to bring them under control, not only for the sake of character and story quality, but for purposes outside the general storytelling. It is believed that with this in place, paper, ink, and human effort can be saved and prevented from being brought to the brink of exhaustion. It is also believed that those newer and occasionally younger readers you, the comic book companies, seek will benefit from the implementation of this code as much as you would with the afforementioned cost-saving measures. It is such that we, the fans, in order to salvage a great industry, insure character and continuity tranquility and stability, establish new opportunities for newer/younger readers, promote each and every character with potential, provide the creators with opportunities to rest themselves, hereby do ordain and establish this Code of Comic Book Company-wide Crossovers. "

Now we can get on to laying down some rules and regulations. Unlike the Comics Code Authority, this won't fail.

#37 Posted by PowerHerc (50815 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

They can get to be too much at some point.

#38 Posted by Darkmount1 (1200 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

@PowerHerc:
Any ideas for an amendment to the code?

#39 Posted by Jordanstine (906 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

Agreed.

I missed the times in the 90's when I would read the X-Books especially X-Men #1 all the way through for a whole year without any cross-overs.

In fact, the cross-over didn't happen until issue #14 with X-Cutioner Song, and that was after more than a year.

In today's industry, we get cross-overs basically every 4 months or so... sigh.

#40 Posted by Darkmount1 (1200 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago - Show Bio

Two articles that may be useful to our conversation here:
http://comics.ign.com/articles/117/1170986p1.html
http://comics.ign.com/articles/117/1172370p1.html?RSSwhen2011-06-14_134000&RSSid=1172370&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ignfeeds%2Fcomics+%28IGN+Comics%29
It'll have the reasons why events are unnecessary right now.

#41 Posted by Stuka69 (115 posts) - 1 year, 10 months ago - Show Bio

This thread is filled with words of truth and wisdom!

Events are killing mainstream comics! Nothing wrong with an "event" with one tight storyline, but to forcefully tie-in every character and series into it, is pure madness! It just means incoherent story and missed opportunities to develope interesting minor characters!

#42 Posted by Darkmount1 (1200 posts) - 1 year, 9 months ago - Show Bio

@Stuka69:
How would you address that concern in this Code I'm trying to put together? Now that I think about it, maybe it's time we started coming up with amendments.

Flashpoint

There's a fissure in time that is leaving repercussions in the past, present, and future. Barry Allen must find the Flashpoint before it destroys all time.

I couldn't disagree more, and while there is a vocal minority (see above) alive and well on the internets, the sales of these big events speak for themselves, much louder than any fanboy whining too.

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