In the first nerds-feather roundtable (albeit with only two participants and without any physical table, let along one that is round), Philippe and I are going to discuss those big, splashy summer events Marvel and DC love so much, and talk about what works and what doesn't. I get the ball rolling, and apologies for all the caps...
Hi Philippe,
So it's summertime again, and you know what that means: BIGGEST! COMICS! EVENT! EVER!
This year we have AVENGERS VS. X-MEN (self-explanatory) and SPIDER-MEN (Spider-Man meets Ultimate Spider-Man) from Marvel, and NIGHT OF THE OWLS (Bat-people fight Owl-people for Gotham), THE CULLING (Teen Titans and Legion of Superheroes team-up) and SECOND WAVE (actually just 6 new titles) from DC.
Wait, what?? Where's HEROES FROM EVERY BOOK CURRENTLY BEING PUBLISHED VS. MONSTROUS EVIL FORCE THAT THREATENS THE UNIVERSE IN A BATTLE THAT PROMISES TO CHANGE THE MARVEL/DC UNIVERSE FOREVER?!
None of these books are like that, though several suggest lasting impacts on characters central to these universes. Is that a good or a bad thing? Do these giant crossover summer events mean anything anymore? Where did they go wrong? And is it possible to do it right?
I'm going to start off by suggesting that it's a good thing. We need a break from the unending stream of nothing-will-ever-be-the-same, which, frankly, has gotten to the point where it kinda sorta all seems the same. We don't just need one break--we need several.
That said, I do think it's possible to get it right. What do you think?
-The G
