I hate to be 'that guy' (because I usually can't stand that guy) but when a character you don't even publish anymore, who you've said that you have no publishing plans for, and isn't even representing a State but another Country, something's not right here.
I've become deeply perplexed by Marvel this year. Since the end of Secret War I've been dropping more and more Marvel titles. To the point that for the last two months I've stopped buying Marvel's output entirely.
For the first time since roughly 2003 I am now no longer a regular Marvel reader.
And I could argue that it's to help cut my monthly costs (next year is likely to hit us Brits hard if Brexit does get through Parliament) but to be honest my deeper reason was far more simple.
I was still buying books, but not really enjoying them.
When you realise that the books you buy each week from a certain publisher are on the lowest priority point for reading, month after month, there comes a time when you've got to make a call.
So I did.
The disconnect I have with Marvel has now run pretty deep. The creators I follow the most aren't really working with them any more. Post-Secret Wars I feel that the Universe as whole just doesn't hang together as well as a Shared Universe. And the characters I've followed for years are no longer being published in 616 continuity titles.
Hell, Marvel don't even want us to call it 616 any more.
So for now, I've voted with my wallet. It makes me sad because I love Marvel's Universe of characters. But right now it just frustrates me more to see it not being used to the best of its potential.
Not at all.
The big Event stories have finally become too derivative of previous big Event stories. It seems like every major character is having their hero identity taken from them and given to somebody else. And that too seems a bit too derivative to me.
Give characters their own unique Identities and hero names. It's important. Don't let them just be remembered as a variant of existing character, because we know how that tends to end up. Don't let them head into comics history remembered as another 'Black Goliath'.
I returned to Marvel comics in the early 2000s to find a relatively well-curated, clear directioned, universe. It hooked me back in. Post-Secret Wars I don't see that.
While in other media it seems that Marvel have their brand identity so strongly together the actual comic books are far more disparate. It's such a mixed bag of disconnected, temporary things. And as a result it's disconnected with me.
I don't know how long it'll last. You guys know me. If they launched a Captain Britain, Death's Head or MI13/Excalibur book next week I'd not think twice about picking it up. But for now me and Marvel just don't see eye to eye.