Why Are Marvel & DC's Event Comics SO BAD?

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[@StarDragonJP]

I think the problem is that they used to have these events to tell these huge stories and you wouldn't have them very often. Now they have events for the sake of having an event and they're so often that they lack impact as well.

[@TheComicsPals]

That's absolutely on the money. The frequency is too high and there often doesn't feel like a point to them outside of trying to make money.

[@TevyaSmolka]

I am personally tired of events right now that basically none of these events have any stakes anymore which is just sad and depressing in my opinion.

[@TheComicsPals]

Agreed, though I have hope for Absolute Power.

[@TevyaSmolka]

@@TheComicsPals same i have hope for absolute power as well.

[@johnstylz7867]

Event comics are bad because they've become blatant cash grabs even more so than they were back in the 80s, 90s, and 00s. They are no longer done to create an epic story that shakes the lives of characters (ie black suit Spiderman, The Thing leaves the FF, or a world wo Superman).

[@TheComicsPals]

Completely agreed. And while I do believe that crafting events is a difficult task, rooting them in good, quality storytelling with a point isn't what's happening across the board right now.

[@JamesJones-bt1ms]

Simply put the big two need stop doing events unless they actually have something meaningful to say. I honestly don’t think most fans will care if we have a few summers off and just let good writers tell their stories without needless interruptions

[@TheComicsPals]

Fans certainly wouldn't care, but the Big Two would suffer financially without events.

[@shawnboahene5231]

From what I gather… it’s because events lead to no change in the status quo. Marvel had judgement day when the entire earth was about to be judged nothing changed except Ajax but as stated no one cares about the eternals. Wally murdered a bunch of people in heroes in crisis nothing happens. Events need to change the landscape of the universe and they don’t. The reader needs to be reminded that the continuity matters. Also do all events need to be a world/ universe ending crisis. Just make something that would radically alter the dynamics in the world of the characters like civil war

[@TheComicsPals]

Agreed with everything you said. Many events now end, and it feels like with a minor change here or there, things are largely the same as they were when the book started.

[@atomichound1868]

As usual when tackling a topic, the Pals nail the overall fundamental problem. There’s a lack of clarity at the Big Two regarding overall direction of their lines. I still think the pandemic and its consequences may still have some effect, but that is quickly becoming more of an excuse than a cause. I think DC may be slightly ahead, but that doesn’t mean they are good, by any means. For me, at least, they are on an upward trajectory. Beast World > Knight Terrors > Lazarus Planet > Dark Crisis

[@TheComicsPals]

I have some hope for DC given that Absolute Power is a story that's spinning out of what DC has been doing for some time, at least as it relates to Amanda Waller and Failsafe/Zurr.

[@ec_me]

I'm not sure if this has been touched on, but could it be that the industry (for the big two) sees Events as a cheap Golden Goose, that they aren't financially able to (or not willing to) reduce how much they rely on them every year. I'd like to think the big two aren't in that insecure of a place where they couldn't conceive of cutting down their events to one for a given year, and then hopefully drafting a 5 year plan. Just a thought. Also I got into comics around 06 and 07 and DC's weekly 52 comic was such an amazing jumping on point for a high schooler, they had the 3-page origin story for a bunch of them, the story was enthralling, the art was bright and engaging (even if it didn't have TOP talent like a McNiven/Reis etc), also they we're weekly at 50¢ LESS than normal, this blew my young high school mind. Oh and the other series I was reading was Pak's Planet Hulk. These both were fun, exciting, and (at least 52) had some narrative diversity to keep it interesting. I would love for 52 to be appreciated more by fans, and maybe for DC and Marvel to learn from it. Not sure if it met their sales goals but it was HYPER-unique (cost, weekly, covers, bonus origins, 10 sub stories; noir detective, superhero stories, mad scientist stories, and a sci-fi adventure all in one series). Loving the discussion sorry for my doorstop length comment 😂

[@TheComicsPals]

Yeah 52 was VERY cool. DC did that a few more times after and it was the law of diminishing returns. As for events, as much as everyone complains about them, they do provide a sales boost that the big 2 aren’t going to give up. I have no problem with good, well thought out, creatively driven events. It feels like we haven’t been getting those for a long time now.

[@ec_me]

@@TheComicsPals yeah I agree. Events do excite audiences and if their premise is simple enough (like Civil War) it could attract new readers, it did for me at least. That being said I think a factor causing the big 2 to not be able to plan events as much is the way they react to movie success and failures. They want to coordinate and capitalize on success/interest from a movie (naturally so) but the success or failure of a movie project could cut the legs out from an event or could generate studio/editorial pressure to shift already set plans. I think the two mediums don't lend themselves to long-term concurrent planning, and not to say either studio is attempting to lock step make their comics and movies naturally coordinate, but there's a structural factor that makes capitalizing off movie interest a dangerous thing for Marvel or DC. Even successful movies shouldn't be able to cause a multi year plan to get curbed, the broad cost to "the story of marvel" as Sean was saying could be huge, even if it brings in new readers. This is a lot of theorizing though, and there could be info that contradicts some of thoughts 🤷🏻

[@juggergrimm]

Really the biggest problem is bloat. Everything is too damn big now. Fifteen titles, fifty issues, at least? Too much. And every year? Every other year? And God help you if you follow both if the big 2 and have to buy into Marvel's big event and then DC's big event. The problem is not the content. The story is usually fine. There's at least a good idea in these events somewhere. But a 'fine' idea can't support a fifty issue event. The bloat is the problem.

[@TheComicsPals]

I can appreciate this perspective, though I disagree that the problem is not the content. Having events mandated makes it so that whether there's a good idea or not, we're going to get an event, and the writing often reflects the forced nature of these stories. That's how we get things like Knight Terrors, which frankly felt half-baked. During the mid to late 2000's both Marvel and DC were pumping out annual events, but they felt earned by the storytelling and the stories were quite good, despite the fact that they had probably more tie-ins overall than we see now by and large.

[@TheComicsPals]

@@maxwellchrisI just do not agree that events now are on the same level of quality as they were in the 2000's or even the 10's. It's hard to understand an argument that places Knight Terrors or Beast World on the same level as Civil War or Infinite Crisis or Annihilation. It's a commonly held opinion that those were great stories (among others) that revitalized both companies, while the current crop of events have been largely panned.

[@diegovasquez9184]

I liked carnage reigns a lot, but that was a much smaller scale than these publisher wide events. Maybe major events should be every other year or even less often

[@TheComicsPals]

I wouldn’t mind major events being less frequent if it meant higher quality, but the big 2 rely on those events financially so it’s not going to happen.

[@neonniteridr294]

The main problem with events and crossovers is that there is way too many cooks in the kitchen

[@kylemoore2330]

I enjoyed beast world but it was a lot of build for what I assume is big titans stories and moving to absolute power I think a big event like civil war or identity crisis should only take place after a 3 to 5 year window

[@TheComicsPals]

The frequency of events is definitely too high.

[@kylemoore2330]

@@TheComicsPals I totally agree dc as an example literally could have sold x number of regular titles vs knight terrors or Lazarus planet.

[@koushikraja331]

last great marvel event was secret wars-empyre was kinda ok/cool. Can't remember the last reat dc event, waiting for absolute power.

[@TheComicsPals]

Definitely agreed on Secret Wars. Holding out hope that Absolute Power can break DC's streak of average/bad events over the last few years.

[@koushikraja331]

Also, I really forgot-say what you want about these events but I do appreciate how unhinged, over the top and ambitious both AXE and the dark knights metal were. But yeah I do agree with Tyler and cale-events barely get even the buildup/count these days, like the insanely awesome buildup to infinite crisis and blackest night.

[@PHEONIX_720]

The only events I really love in the last decade was Metal and Death Metal. I Liked Snyder's journey of Batman and the dc universe, starting back in his new 52 run till death metal and everything in between. Which made these two events fun in my opinion. Plus like what most people might say is the reason for bad events is mostly bloat because I do think there are a lot of good ideas that come from these so called bad events, but a lot of the writing and pacing for most of them is stagnant and or become boring.

[@cliffwoodbury5319]

Tylers right. Tyler's just saying it is always good to have a smaller core that makes main decisions, because that has always been the case in comics. All the great eras were led by very small groups within a company, with some being as small as 2 or even in some cases (jim shooter) one. Can't have too many chiefs, or in the case of building since the words scaffeldding and architects was in a short time. You only have a few lead engineers. You may also have team leads that give suggestions (at summits) but at the end every company needs a direction and it is a small group that makes these. They may go in multiple directions but their is a priority list for what projects will be more siggnificant than others.

[@realdopecomics]

This is an editorial issue.

[@TheComicsPals]

Ultimately yeah, that’s what it has to come down to

[@cliffwoodbury5319]

All The Same Characters. One of The Main Building Blocks of a Story R of Course The Characters, And Different Characters Are Good At Telling Different Kinds of Stories. Using Different Characters In An Event, Leads 2 Different Kinds of Events, Or Different Incidences In Events Because Different Characters Are Being Used. Some of These Events Have Characters In Them That Make No Sense, or Other Characters Would Make More Sense 2 Use. I Understand 2 Sell Comics It Takes Ur Major Characters, But You Could Show Them as Guest or Supporting Characters 2 Sell the Comic And Have Other Rarer Characters Tell More Parts of the Stories.

[@Patrick-wl6pw]

I agree I read comic book I so

[@KINGDOMOFNERDS_]

Replay crew

[@scoobydoo316us]

Because it's about agenda instead of story. Replace characters with cultural replacements. Put female or other check list placement in charge. Then you have a build up and the ending is stupid. It either just drops. A character that is over powered that rebuilds stuff. While inserting what they want to make some groups happy. Or the build up. spend a lot of money on dragged out story. Then Really dumb endings. That leaves you like. huh...... To many ego's of writers reshaping characters from what they were. Even origins. Or lets make this character more powerful than they should be for that story. Or to promote for the MU. Or just to make this or that category above others. They don't care at all about their long time fans. They are interested in appeasing people who don't even read the comics. Hiring people who know nothing about comics. Some don't even like them. How is Safe Space & Snow Flake doing? Come on man..... Then what difference does the story really mean. They don't connect. Or delusional thought process. I know you want to promote some. But Adam B beating the people he has? Especially Cosmic ones. It get's to be stupid. Especially in another book that things are a challenge. Why? Writers? Or just check list promotion. Now bash away and show your tolerance. You wont change my opinion that for years focus on story and character building upon what you have is smart. Create new characters for your check list. And don't just make them overpowered in the name of unity that brings separation.

[@TheComicsPals]

You've got a whole different agenda than what we're talking about here. Not sure this channel is for you.