The 2010s have replaced the 1990s as the worst period for Marvel Comics?

[shooshoomanjoe]

Another similar thing going on today is the cost of back issues. In the '90s, a 'hot character or artist would drive the cost up. In the 2000s, the movies are driving the cost up.

[gurkle]

Which reminds me, Jason Aaron is doing an Avengers series and it's titled......Avengers Forever.

What?

They are just going to give it the exact same name as the series that many people believe to be one of if not the greatest Avengers stories ever?

Really?

The current management have some weird fetish for reusing the titles of old stories, like the author of "The Trial of Magneto" admitted the title has nothing to do with her story and was chosen by editorial. I assume they must have some data that shows a familiar title helps a new book sell better, but I haven't seen it and I doubt I'd believe it even if I did.

[Agent Z]

So many modern artists want to give the character average joe body types and dress them up in tacticle clothes or extreme sports get-ups. They took the Super out of SuperHero.

These modern artists most not be working at DC or Marvel because just about every superhero comic by the Big 2 has the exact opposite of this look.

[Sutekh]

Which reminds me, Jason Aaron is doing an Avengers series and it's titled......Avengers Forever.

What?

They are just going to give it the exact same name as the series that many people believe to be one of if not the greatest Avengers stories ever?

Really?

Both DC and Marvel seem to like to trade in on the successes of the past. Over at DC, they seem to be hinting at a new Great Darkness Saga, and, much like Aaron's attempt at Avengers Forever, I cannot imagine how they could possibly think they've got a snowball's chance in hell at even coming close to the original.

Marvel likes to try and recapture elements or or appeal to nostalgia about Secret Wars or Annhilation or various other events, while DC does the same with Crisis on Infinite Earths or whatever.

[Shadowcat]

I mean, the company isn't so bankrupt that they're forced to sell movie rights just to survive, so no.

They didn’t go bankrupt because of publishing. They went bankrupt because they bought ToyBiz, Fleer, and Malibu, which weren’t as profitable as they had thought they’d be.

[Anthony W]

They didn’t go bankrupt because of publishing. They went bankrupt because they bought ToyBiz, Fleer, and Malibu, which weren’t as profitable as they had thought they’d be.

1990s Marvel: Financially Bankrupt

2010s Marvel: Creatively Bankrupt

[Username taken]

They didn’t go bankrupt because of publishing. They went bankrupt because they bought ToyBiz, Fleer, and Malibu, which weren’t as profitable as they had thought they’d be.

Exactly this.

There’s a lot of misinformation out there.

Marvel comics (the publishing arm) never went bankrupt and were still very successful even during the speculator collapse. Marvel Entertainment went bankrupt.

Basically, it’s like if Disney went bankrupt today (which is pretty impossible at this point), it was Marvel comics parent company that went bust back then. And it had nothing to do with publishing at all or sales at all.

[Jely4me]

The last time I enjoyed Marvel was the SIEGE storyline, with Osborn in charge and most of your heroes on the lam. I wish that concept would have been given another year, or 18 months of stories, as I felt it wrapped all too quickly, but that’s me. DC? I enjoyed the PAD Aquaman era, Connor and Kyle running around, and Wally until Johns insisted upon bringing back Barry. Though I did also enjoy Johns’s Titans, Linda Danvers, and the JSA/Hawkman was fun. Final Crisis, the New 52, and Dan Didio killed my interest in DC. So that’s what? 10-12 years ago already?? The DC Schizophrenia Train has been rolling since 1994, and it ain’t stopping. Wokeness is doing it this time, I keep saying, once Diana and the Flash reach #800, I’m out.

[skyvolt2000]

They didn’t go bankrupt because of publishing. They went bankrupt because they bought ToyBiz, Fleer, and Malibu, which weren’t as profitable as they had thought they’d be.

Malibu actually was. What Marvel REALLY wanted was the coloring process they used for the books. Ultraverse tossed out 2 tv shows at that time.

Rumor has it Milestone was in Marvel's sights when the bankruptcy happened.


Much like at DC-the comics did not cause all those firing-despite what certain youtubers and gators say. Warner spent too much on buying stuff and it came back to bit them.

What comics make in a year is a tiny portion of a bigger deal.

Because that covers everything NOT just those floppies that folks want to use as weapons to justify excluding POC from existing. Go through Amazon and see how many other books by Marvel they produce that never sniff a comic book store.

World of Reading and Little Golden books. They are among the top sellers for Amazon (Miles, Peter, Panther, Shield, Avengers & Hulk).

[Baron of Faltine]

These modern artists most not be working at DC or Marvel because just about every superhero comic by the Big 2 has the exact opposite of this look.

Yeah Alan is completely wrong on body types.... if those I saw in marvel comics are average Joe....damn the world must be populated by goblins !
Now about tactical armor, eh yes, sorry of. Sometimes you have to admit that some fashion choice are ridiculous for someone who expect to brawl the Hulk on daily basis( job: Hulk jobber...not the same as Punisher jobber...but in both case if you survive the experience you get a gold medal!)
Albeit it could be explained in context of powers(if you have flight power, or as invincible put it "make your own momentum power". Well footwear is irrelevant so you can go crazy with it.)

[Baron of Faltine]

Malibu actually was. What Marvel REALLY wanted was the coloring process they used for the books. Ultraverse tossed out 2 tv shows at that time.

Rumor has it Milestone was in Marvel's sights when the bankruptcy happened.


Much like at DC-the comics did not cause all those firing-despite what certain youtubers and gators say. Warner spent too much on buying stuff and it came back to bit them.

What comics make in a year is a tiny portion of a bigger deal.

Because that covers everything NOT just those floppies that folks want to use as weapons to justify excluding POC from existing. Go through Amazon and see how many other books by Marvel they produce that never sniff a comic book store.

World of Reading and Little Golden books. They are among the top sellers for Amazon (Miles, Peter, Panther, Shield, Avengers & Hulk).

Urgghh... thisnis such pain for me...I liked the ultraverse and I miss it a lot.

[Triniking1234]

OP must have amnesia cuz they only good thing in the 90s were the cartoons and the X-Men books.

In the 2010s, cartoons are kinda dead but we got some good ones like Spectacular Spidey and the movies were taking over instead. Niche titles did better than they did in the 90s. If you weren't X-Men or Spider-Man in the 90s, you probably had bad art, bad plot or both.

[Baron of Faltine]

OP must have amnesia cuz they only good thing in the 90s were the cartoons and the X-Men books.

In the 2010s, cartoons are kinda dead but we got some good ones like Spectacular Spidey and the movies were taking over instead. Niche titles did better than they did in the 90s. If you weren't X-Men or Spider-Man in the 90s, you probably had bad art, bad plot or both.

Well mileage may vary, as everyone had their favourites as kids and all that said, but even when they were bad, they were memorable in how bad they come out. So bad it hurt eye and tarnish your soul. Now is mostly....bland bad. And we do not have much memorable thing either. The 2010 is bad in how forgettable as decade it is perceived comic book wise.But as I said mileage may vary and good stuff can still be found(immortal Hulk, as example and hickmans avengers)
(Fun fact i just remembered/checked Miles Morales first appearance is August 2011...essentially he started the new decade. Funny y)
But for some reason it was a very divisive period and perceived as forgettable at same time paradoxally.

[The Kid]

OP must have amnesia cuz they only good thing in the 90s were the cartoons and the X-Men books.

In the 2010s, cartoons are kinda dead but we got some good ones like Spectacular Spidey and the movies were taking over instead. Niche titles did better than they did in the 90s. If you weren't X-Men or Spider-Man in the 90s, you probably had bad art, bad plot or both.

And honestly even the X-Men books in the 90s were a step down from both the 80s and 2000s but I'd still give them the edge over the 2010s. But the rest of the Marvel Universe including Spider-Man? I'd take the 2010s over 1990s as the latter only had a few runs I legitimately loved like Busiek's Avengers and a few others

[jackolover]

Not only do I disagree, but I think the 10’s (excluding 16/17) was one of the strongest decades from Marvel.
The Marvel Now era alone gave ys Superior, Hickman’s Avengers, Young Avengers, Aaron’s Thor, Death of Wolverine and Remender’s Captain America. Even before that we had hit after hit with Hickman’s Fantastic Four, Uncanny X-Force and sone decent Ultimate Stuff including the introduction of Miles Morales.

Yeah it wasn’t all good, the inhumans push was misguided and the X-Men titles were weak, but overall, we got a pretty strong decade.

If anything, the 90’s is more comparable to the 70’s where they took what worked from the prior decade and tried to build off it.
The 60’s had the excuse that it was bejng crafted by a handfull of People and the 70’s tried to run with those ideas.
90’s took the grit of the 80’s without the needed commentary.

The 10’s was mostly following its own ideas and experimenting with them. There is some overlap between then and Bendis era Marvel.

Yeah, I think the 10’s had some great Events (like Fear Itself, Defenders, Age of Ultron, and Secret Wars), but the 10’s were inevitably and morbidly, heading for Annihilation the whole time. Everybody was set on the course future Tony Stark set out on his wall chart in Heroic Age Avengers #5 - total destruction after Age of Ultron. There was no hope for the MU in the 10’s, and that seemed to disappoint me. All the continuity built up over 5 decades was wiped out in 2015, (though ANAD touted that all old continuity still mattered).

I agree with you that the 90’s were like the 70’s in that regard, following a previous script, thus making it feel less inventive. It was like after the 80’s, it seemed like nobody came up with any fresh ideas in the 90’s. (The Clone Saga and Onslaught were the exceptions).

I thought the 2000’s contained some of the most all-consuming, seismic Events that caused reverberations till the Siege of Asgard stopped it - Avengers Disassembled, HoM, CW, SI, DR. I can’t go passed the 2000’s as the most ground breaking decade ever.