The Crotchety Old Man Has Spoken: Right is Wrong When Hype Is Written (updated from 2012)
“Right is wrong when hype is written…” – De La Soul (1989)
Am I wrong for not being excited about Avengers vs. X-Men (dubbed “AvX” for short)? As much as websites, interviews, and journalist have pumped this up to “Event of the Year” status, I’m just not feeling it.
I know I may not have my finger on the pulse of comic book fandom, but I can, usually, still feel when something is truly huge. DC’s New 52 was that way, it was a really big thing, and it took some time before it tapered off.
I can understand why I, and any long time comic fans, may not be hyped to see this crossover, because we’ve seen it many times before. The X-Men and Avengers have been clashing since Uncanny X-Men issue # 9, way back in the 1960’s, when the mutant “hippie” teens went up against the parental “square” super team. I can still remember Silvestri’s 1987 mini-series, another time when Magneto had joined the team. In that, “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” wanted Magneto for his mutant terrorist crimes, and the X-men fought to protect one if their own. And, before that, it was the X-men vs. the Fantastic Four four-issue mini, maybe in the same year.
What about the new fans, though? Are they looking forward to this? I don’t hear much from new readers, now that I think about it. Or, they’re not open about being new, preferring to blend in with the rest.
So, is it me, or is this just not as big as Marvel and the press are making it out to be?
Myoho-Renge-Kyo
JPG
I have to agree with you as well, I’m not feeling this either. Once upon a time, it seemed as if Marvel produced great story lines within their individual books. Now they just seem to jump from major company crossover event to the next major crossover company event. Civil War, Invasion, Fear Itself, etc…The individual story lines within their books are just fillers for these events.
As a longtime reader, this is the type of thing that pushes me away for a while. Back in the day, when they had these types of crossovers, they were treats and extra icing on the cake in addition to the great stories that Marvel produced in their books. Now it’s a yearly occurrence that spans the Marvel Universe and hijacks nearly all of the titles involved. It feels sometimes as if the character development and interaction that once made Marvel books special has all but vanished as a casualty to these events. And what about the villains? Why are the heroes fighting each other at nearly every turn? I read once that a hero is only as great as the villains he faces.
New readers might not know the history of these events, nor have the experiences of re-living these crossover events previously. But, I wonder how long it will be (seeing the frequency with which these events occur), before they too will begin to wonder if Marvel’s individual story lines have all but disappeared.