Why is it that a number of Marvel titles just seem boring nowadays?

[QUOTE=Username taken;5737427]Yeah...I think I'm getting old. :p[/QUOTE]

you and me both ;)

I only follow writers, it helps me from wasting money on untested writers and media hype

[QUOTE=JudicatorPrime;5737292]You've gotta love potatoes if you're going to be a comics reader.

Why?

Because readers evolve beyond the content that creators provide all of the time. Their need to entertain you comes second to the almighty dollar. They'll keep telling the same type of stories with the same characters because it maximizes profit.

But you don't necessarily care about that. You want them to grow with you, to change things up, to stop feeding you the same, predictable entrée. They, on the other hand, would rather just reimagine, repackage and rebrand, ultimately feeding you more and more helpings of the same thing.

Hash browned, mashed, French fried, or scalloped, it's all just variations on a theme. Enjoy those Marvel spuds, folks. After all, they're only serving them up, because so many of you ironically kept feeding the beast.[/QUOTE]

Sad but true. Our lovely obsession has a shorter lifespan than we'd like. The dream of a continuous, connected continuity is dead. The Bendis model has won the day, and old school fans have much less to invest in now.

To be fair, even in the 60s there were bad Marvel comics. I think the problem nowadays is with floppies. They are expensive and clearly the stories are meant for the trade. But as a tpb reader, I always find something interesting to read. It also helps to vary the comicbooks readings. Some independent from time to time, other days DC, Marvel, European, Manga, latinamerican, etcetera

[QUOTE=mr_crisp;5736992]Could it be burnout?[/QUOTE]

Yup. After 47 years in this hobby, I’m in severe ‘been there, read that’ mode. I may get killed for this but the last time I was truly interested in both DC and Marvel was when Luthor was President, and Marvel had Osborn and the Cabal in charge of SHIELD. I felt that was a concept that had longer legs then it was given in both cases. A grittier Incredibles in the outlawing, or banning, of Superman and heroes in general, in both universes. Would have been fun to see where it could have gone. Sentinels, Bruce Wayne’s assets frozen or taken by the government. Heroes on the run. Who dies, who retires, who becomes a traitor for either side, ah well…

[QUOTE=Jely4me;5744233]Yup. After 47 years in this hobby, I’m in severe ‘been there, read that’ mode. I may get killed for this but the last time I was truly interested in both DC and Marvel was when Luthor was President, and Marvel had Osborn and the Cabal in charge of SHIELD. I felt that was a concept that had longer legs then it was given in both cases. A grittier Incredibles in the outlawing, or banning, of Superman and heroes in general, in both universes. Would have been fun to see where it could have gone. Sentinels, Bruce Wayne’s assets frozen or taken by the government. Heroes on the run. Who dies, who retires, who becomes a traitor for either side, ah well…[/QUOTE]

This era was my shit, I loved it so much.

I wish it went on longer and showed more fallout; but it was so creative to have a villain be in charge and have the public love them for it.

Meh, some are great - some aren’t for you.
I felt like there was a big creator shift in 2018 and now those runs all seem to be ending (the big ones were ASM, Immortal Hulk and Venom, IMO) - so maybe it’s just burnout/missing what you’re reading?

[QUOTE=Castle;5737389]Because Marvel comics lost the map plot a long time ago. The better question is, when last did a marvel comic in the space of the last 10 years earn the right to become an all time classic as many of their bronze age of comics or 90s classics? if no one can name any, than the answer is pretty clear.[/QUOTE]

I would have to reread it but I think "Avengers: No Surrender" could be considered a classic.

To be fair, both Marvel and DC are guilty of this. I mean, how many Year One and Joker stories do we need?

That said, as much as I'm enjoying titles like Daredevil, Black Widow, and Shang-Chi, off the top of my head, the last time I remember really being excited about Marvel was when Fraction and Aja were on Hawkeye and Phil Noto was on Black Widow. Those books just seemed really fresh back then and I just couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. The last time I remember being really excited about DC goes even farther back when Ed Brubaker was on Catwoman and Greg Rucka was on his first run on Detective (although I am enjoying a number of DC books now, although not quite to the same degree).

[QUOTE=Castle;5737389]Because Marvel comics lost the map plot a long time ago. The better question is, when last did a marvel comic in the space of the last 10 years earn the right to become an all time classic as many of their bronze age of comics or 90s classics? [B]if no one can name any, than the answer is pretty clear.[/B]
[/QUOTE]

Because we are in a different era-where now folks take issue with WHO is in the book and WHO is writing it. Unlike in previous times where writers were give a legit and fair shot when they did a book.

How many of those 90s classic could come out now to little or no backlash?

Like New Warriors-the OG version. How many would take issue with Night Thrasher as the lead and being smart enough to put a team together?

How many "hard DARE Marvel give new characters a book" would we see? Deathlok, Darkhawk and Sleepwalker?

We have classics now but fans have to get over who did those books and who they starred and accept them for what they are.

Not throw a fit because a book DARED to show Muslims as humans in Ms Marvel.

Not throw a fit because a book took a limbo or DEAD on Arrival character and she had a 50- issue run and a New York Times Bestseller in Squirrel Girl.

I think it's just down to personal taste and the ever changing nature of comics.
As someone who has been reading comics for about 20 years, every decade seems to be a new approach.
Most folks have nostalgia for the 60's-80's, but even then that's a mixture of different ideas and directions.
I'll argue that the 70's, overall, wasn't that great compared to the 60's, 80's and even today.
There was a lot of trying to keep the flow from the 60's happening while trying to expand on what was there.
But the issues themselves were usually smaller and the ideas were often silly.
Nowadays, i'd say there's a lot more of an open approach. Cantwell's Iron Man makes sense when you realise he comes from TV, as his run so far has been an overarching story (a TV Season) with many smaller arcs in there.
Cates is following the 90's extreme, but with the introspection of the 00's.

A lot of People are quick to talk about how bad the Bendis approach is, but he did a lot to humanise the Characters. Some of the best comics from any of his runs where when folks would just stand around talking. It's why Ultimate Spider-man is my All time favourite comic run.

The 00's and the Marvel Now eras were also great to be around and right now, we seem to be going back to an era before Bendis took over, where there isn't a single comic that's the most important and shorter arcs are key.
Outside of the last few issues, i don't think Ewing wrote Guardians as arcs as such, but as episodic adventures.

So yeah a lot of it is just personal taste. The stuff People like will be remembered and talked about in 20 years and the bad stuff will be forgotten.

Over my time on this forum, I've not been reserved in voicing my distaste for the modern comic book industry. And I'll admit, I'm very particular with what I choose to spend my time reading—I'm not going to try and obscure my bias. Even still, I can't help but be disappointed with the average offering of drivel that's been served up by the comic book industry of late. The industry has become so creatively barren that even BRZRK, one of the most substanceless comics I've had the naivety to read recently, is hailed as an "entertaining" and "fresh" series, even boasting some financial success across the wider comic book industry. The average comic book reader has become so starved for even a modicum of heartfelt storytelling that a painfully average action book is seen as "refreshing"... I'm not sure why the industry is so far gone from what was published in the 80's, 90's, and early 00's. Yet here I am, supporting the odd series. When your expectations are so low, it's not hard to come out surprised.

Anyways, I've been enjoying the recent Moon Knight by Jed MacKay, Ricky Mammone's Second Chances, and Kevin Eastman's The Last Ronin (not going to include my manga list here).

CROSS! OVER! EVENTS! Just keep it in your own book and do the the events seperately. Avengers was good, FF was good, Thor was good and then the events started and Avengers went down hill around issue 20 i would say, thor around issue 11 and FF right around the forever gate issue. It was was like they turned into completely different books and just never recovered. If your going to do an event in issues then let it be the same writer, see annihilation, that to me is an example of a successful event done in a way that benefited the books involved.

Jwatson? May I quote you? Echo you? What's brought so many Marvel titles to boredom?
CROSS! OVER! EVENTS!
CROSS! OVER! EVENTS!
thank you. -=>-----> CROSS! OVER! EVENTS!
I shudders t'thinks on'm.

[QUOTE=matt levin;5736789]For me it's due their seemingly run out of characterization, dropping the 'who they are' for bigger, vaster 'special effects/events' neglecting actual human interactions on the smaller, personal scale. And, yes, for me, too, the six-issue (or longer) single story has become so much the norm that the single-issue emotional grabber of a story seems a forgotten, lost art. Must admit I moved on from almost all Marvel and nearly all DC long, long ago.[/QUOTE]

I would agree on this...they went away from character driven stories to events.

Mostly because some of the creators aren't that good and there's poor quality control from editorial.

Like seriously, Tony is STILL fighting Korvac. Someone poke Cantwell with a stick and tell him to hurry that shit up.

Then there was Coates' Black Panther that went on a Hunter x Hunter hiatus for no reason. If the writer can't put out a story monthly and he's not dying, fire them.