Saturday, June 20, 2009

Catching Up on Comics


The other day we got our DCBS shipment in, which is good. I read my books and then tried looking around the internet to see what is going on. The biggest thing I can tell you is this: I am really lost when it comes to the big picture in Marvel and DC.


For example, Marvel is focusing on "Dark Reign". As I understand, this is the aftermath of the whole Skrulls storyline. What I don't catch is exactly what the story is other then the fact that Norman Osbourne is now in charge of a non-SHIELD peace keeping organization. It also appears that several of his "Dark Avengers" are not the original heroes they are dressed as.


I looked at Ms. Marvel and it doesn't seem to be Carol Danvers. There is a completely different character under the mask. Also, I checked out Uncanny X-Men annual and something major is cooking with Emma Frost.


My big thing is this: having major cutbacks and not following the Marvel universe as a whole has completely made my ability to figure out the "big picture" impossible. No clues here anymore. To make it worse, Marvel is advertising a big crossover event with Dark Avengers and X-Men, and there is another "Secret" event that will be underway this fall. Crap.


DC has the Black Lantern "Blackest Night" saga coming up. I understand that to follow it, I will need to get the special Black Lantern Book, Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, and a series of special books. Also, there will be a larger portion of the DCU that is affected. I already know I can't spend that kind of dough and I am bummed. I have been really looking forward to this event.


Let me ask you this- how are you able to follow "Events" in the big two? I am gravitating being pissed and being relieved. A few books mean there is no need to follow, but the completist in me feels like I am missing the big picture.


Suggestions?

5 comments:

Carl said...

I have felt this way for years. I don't buy mainstream comics anymore save for JSA and The Spirit. At least now with Captain America's return I can get Marvel, but with all these damned changes and bs, outside of The Punisher, Cap, DD and maybe a few others, make mine Marvel? Not so much. I'm enjoying Sherlock Holmes, The Man With No Name, Captain Action, Zorro, Doctor Who, The Walking Dead and The Phantom. DC and Marvel? Bring back the rest of the real, original heroes like Cap and maybe we can do some more bidness...

Sea-of-Green said...

From DC, the only two main titles I've been following for the last few years are Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps. I haven't had any trouble following the events in them because (with the exception of a couple of tiny crossovers) the Green Lantern mythos has pretty much been forging ahead without any interference from the rest of the DCU. It's also obvious that the Green Lantern stories as "events" have snuck up on DC (like Sinestro Corps War did), and DC has only recently started to take advantage of it via crossovers galore. So far, the Blackest Night stuff has been easy to track compared to other DCU events, like Final Crisis.

As for Marvel, I don't even know what to think anymore. Despite their history of having long, drawn-out storylines in their comics, Marvel stories used to be very easy to track. One could even leap into a title mid-story and still be able to figure out who's who and what's going on. Now, with minor exceptions, it's nearly impossible. Has the writing at Marvel really gotten that bad?

Heidi Meeley said...

Carl, I see what you mean. I didn't realize it any sooner, because I was getting so many titles. Now that I have cut way back, it is just plain confusing.

Thank you for the list of other titles, BTW. I was wondering what you have been reading!

Heidi Meeley said...

Sea-of-Green- I talked to my hubby about this, and he agrees with you that the GL story hasn't been bad. As a follower of the two core titles, it has been a nice ride. I am just praying it doesn't infest every DC title during the "Blackest Night" saga! :-)

I have pretty much given up on following the Marvel stuff. It is too much money and not enough patience on my part to try and afford it all AND keep a check list. You are so right about that!

Mike Blake said...

You're right that the Ms. Marvel we're seeing isn't the orginal, Carol Danvers. Like the rest of Osborn's Avengers they're villains in disguise. She's the old Hulk villain Moonstone, psychiatrist Dr. Karla Soffen. "Hawkeye" is Bullseye, and so on.

Amazing what you can learn just from reading the previews on Newsarama...though I don't know if I spelled Moonstone's name right.