Marvel’s going back to the well for one of the mid-80s bigger hits in the form of Secret Wars. Reports have Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic working on a year-long story that will follow the “Time Runs Out.”
Marvel told the whole story to USA Today and it’s a doozy. Reportedly, Hickman has been planning this since taking over the Avengers books to years ago. How many ties-ins will this have?
Marvel announced Thursday night at New York Comic Con that the new company-wideSecret Wars comic — written by Avengers scribe Jonathan Hickman and drawn byEsad Ribic — will not only affect the entire publishing side when it debuts in the spring but boasts a story that crosses over to digital platforms, introduces new consumer products from various licensees and will work in a synergistic fashion across the Marvel brand.
Holy buzzword bingo card, Batman! (Whoops, wrong publisher.)
At any rate, it sure sounds like they’re going to be having all kinds of tie-ins anywhere they can possible fit one in. I think we can expect a Secret Wars + Digital announcement at SXSW this year, since that’s where Marvel likes to make the big digital announcements.
Honestly, the constant back to the well for familiar tropes is so played out it’s beyond ridiculous. Again with strip-mining the past. I swear, in the next 2-3 years you will see a “Contest of Champions” event from Marvel. Mark my words. There are no new ideas; it’s a constant regurgitation of fan-fic and misplaced awareness for things you recognize from before. Marvel is worthless and creatively bankrupt.
since this book is going to last an entire year, what I’m hoping we don’t see is the tie-in books that will be involved with this story tied up with this story for the entire year. I guess time will tell. brevoort said of the story, “none of it is random and none of it is brand new”. he’s got that right.
@George – You are more right than you realized. Contest of Champions is a game that should be launching soon: https://www.facebook.com/marvelcontestofchampions
Of course there are no new ideas. We’re talking about characters that are half a century old and we’re expecting something we’ve never seen before? But, that said, the fact that they are repurposing a name doesn’t really tell us much. Hickman has done some relatively innovative stuff at Marvel — the Future Foundation stuff, for example, or the incursion stuff in New Avengers. Secret Wars may well suck (most crossovers do), but I’m not going to write it off just because it’s got the same name as a story from 25 years ago.
“Synergy” that’s one of those buzzwords from many years ago that basically tells you that whoever said it is a total tool.
Hickman usually has a plan for these things. I loved his run on Fantastic Four, despite being maddeningly obtuse at times. I will give him the benefit of the doubt with this one.
This is fine, but you know what I would love to see? A written-in-blood promise from Marvel that there will be no crossovers, no events, no overblown hype for 12 months. Then leave creators alone to tell their own stories in their own books for a year. Wouldn’t that be great?
It’s Hickman. I’m in.
no overblown hype? So you don’t like comics?
Yeah, comics are kinda built on hype:
“This issue – Spider-Man battles the Vulture in a battle that will be pretty average as Spider-Man/Vulture battles go!”
“What is the secret that Captain America discovers that will change nothing? Everything you know is still true!”
Orignal Synergy. A 12 part Marvel crossover event coming in 2016.
Doctor Zero. I cannot believe I see Doctor Zero in a 2014 press release.
Wow, more b.s. stories whose only purpose is for cross-brand recognition -and nothing to do with making any type of story that has any well-written, significant impact on anything… Buy our over-priced pieces of plastic that look like Marvel characters. Buy our over-priced little pamphlets filled with advertisements that are supposed to be comic books. Buy more merchandise. Marvel is like the USA, they start off with great ideas and hard work, and lead to mass produced crap that is made to break down, out-source labor, and place profit and cost savings as a priority over lasting quality. I am sorry to say this: I can’t wait for Marvel to become has-been products. Think about it -NetFlix Daredevil’s hair was changed from the comic book red, to a “more marketable, and acceptable” brown… Bigotry.
Another Marvel event! And who is the intended market? I think it’s sad Marvel ignore stories and storytelling. Books like Ms Marvel, She-Hulk, Hawkeye – this is where the gems are. Why can’t Marvel make more books like them? Why can’t they promote/make stories that have drama/significance, that are accessible to new readers? Having Captain America fight multiple Captain America – that’s fan service and taking comics back 10 steps. I don’t understand how Marvel Publishing – the Studio understands how to make accessible films with their characters, how come the Comics Division can’t do the same?
Rich – They have three books exactly like those: Ms Marvel, She-Hulk, Hawkeye
Why can’t a company have both solo series and universe-building storyline series??? you have the option to buy either.
I mean, they are proudly launching a title called “Spider-Gwen”. Seriously.
Everything is a derivative of something else. I remember Marvel proudly declaring X-23 as an “original” concept as well. It’s not even worth having an opinion about. Kirby said in 1986 that Marvel was just full of serpents and eventually the serpents turn on each other. I think in 2015 Marvel is just going to collapse due to having absolutely zero engaging ideas or concepts. Just riffing on glorified “What If?” one-shots. And, I want you to think: it takes a TEAM of people to come up with this shit. They actually spend money to GO AWAY ON CREATIVE SUMMITS. Does no one think this is completely ridiculous?? And this is what they come up with.
Chris: “Why can’t a company have both solo series and universe-building storyline series??? you have the option to buy either.”
It’s true, you can.
But I was just making the comment that smaller solo books are the ones that build the audience and let new readers in.
Universe-building stories only appeal to a certain group of readers and are often not accessible, unless you’ve been following the Marvel line as a whole (like the Avengers books).
And Ms Marvel, She-Hulk etc, they need the sales, attention and press more. It’s just a shame Marvel don’t give their giant sales comics hype to these series, is all.
I think Marvel won all Buzzword Bingo games preemptively about 15 years ago when YourMan@Marvel said, “The result gives Marvel titles a distinct identity — a retro-kitsch feel mixed with a cyber-hip vibe, definitely expressing the ‘modern’ nature of comic books.”
By the way, who was “Marvel” talking to when they “announced” all of this, the press, retailers or NYCC attending fans? (I’m honestly curious. Mildly curious, but curious.) And when Mr. Breevort says, “People will still be talking about this 30 years from now,” will they be talking about the story itself or will they be talking about how well it worked synergistically across the Marvel brand and how it introduced new consumer items from various licensees? Because as a fan, and potential end-use consumer, those are the really important things – brand synergy and licensing revenue.
This is the perfect decision for Marvel. They can’t sell solo books – they can’t even sell a Captain America comic – but they can sell events. Look how well Original Sin and the Ultron one sold compared to, say, Hawkeye. I’d not be surprised if everything in their line next year is going to be a series of events books.
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