Comic Book Talk

Yeah, trying to explain any recent Marvel storylines or character arcs is impossible, it's all such a convoluted, illogical mess. There's like five different versions of any given character running around at any time. There's time traveling versions from the past, from the future, alternate universe versions, clones, new characters using the names of old characters but having nothing to really do with them...who knows what else and who gives a crap.

I have been reading comics for most of my life. I've read some bad stuff. I came of age in the 90's when a character's worth was determined by how big their guns were, if their codename was an adjective, and how many pouches Rob Liefeld could draw on them.

I was there when Bill Jemas sort of led Marvel out of the post-apocalypse of bankruptcy, then totally misread his mandate, lost his mind and started letting Mark Millar write comics about a teenage Aunt May whoring around at some Hamptons resort and actually being Peter's biological mother, (Don't worry, it isn't canon and isn't worth thinking about.), while he himself wrote Marville, arguably the worst comic book of all time. Then he was mercifully fired.

I've seen some truly dire shirt.

But, collectively, I have never seen anything as bad as the state Marvel is in right now. The fact that the biggest comic publisher in the world is such a trash fire right now, especially as their properties see unprecedented success in movies, boggles my mind.

And it's not just the quality of the stories (or the lack thereof) either. It's everything, down to the quality of the paper and ink they're using. I was reading an issue (perhaps it was ASM #801). The book was in my hands two minutes max and there's ink on my thumb and a fingerprint on the cover. I always wash my hands before reading to prevent oils and sweat from transferring, but the quality of the printing is just crap as well. I heard that Marvel doesn't do their printing but let the owners of Diamond Distributors print them with their crap presses to get major discounts and credits on crap. Everything about Steve Geppi, the owner, is just crap - from Diamond to the Overstreet Price Guide is just utterly horrible.