Comic Book Events/Crossovers to read/avoid

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by JD, Feb 10, 2012.

  1. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    As all of the people who post in comic book threads know pretty well by now, I'm just getting into comics and I keep hearing about this event and that event as I look at all of the different series I'm planning on reading. So this got me wondering, which ones are must reads, which ones are OK, and which I should avoid at all costs.
    I remember reading on IGN a while back that DC's Amazon's Attack was horrible, and so far most of what I've heard about Marvel's Civil War and Secret Invasion don't seem to have gotten to bad of reactions.
     
  2. OdoWanKenobi

    OdoWanKenobi Admiral Admiral

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    Blackest Night was really good, but there's a ton of prerequisite reading for that one. It's like the culmination of seven years worth of Green Lantern stories.
     
  3. Admiral_Young

    Admiral_Young Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Blackest Night the event book alone is pretty good, as OdoWan stated there is some reading to be done before it but that's because it is considered the third part in a trilogy. It also suffers from a TON of tie-in issues.

    I'd avoid Marvel's Fear Its Self from last year...really disappointing, and they essentially undid everything that happened in the thing with their added on "Point" issues.
     
  4. Mr Light

    Mr Light Admiral Admiral

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    I thought "Flashpoint" was pretty horrible, as it was just one big what-if story with a reboot at the end.
     
  5. Admiral_Young

    Admiral_Young Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Yeah I wasn't too impressed with "Flashpoint". Brian Azzerello's Batman tie-in though was great, probably the best of the bunch, including the event it's self.
     
  6. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Ohh, don't worry I plan on reading all of the stuff leading up to the events. I'm getting ready to start the lead up to Civil War, based of the list that was posted in one of the other threads, as soon I get money for comics. And I do plan on reading pretty much all, or at least as close to all of the Geoff Johns GL series as I can.
     
  7. Myasishchev

    Myasishchev Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I thought Blackest Night was pretty terrible (it was really, really repetitive), but if you like Johns' GL you might like it. But then, I liked Johns' Green Lantern a lot during and immediately after the Sinestro Corps War, too. That was pretty cool.

    I've avoided buying every event at DC since Infinite Crisis (an OK mess, substantially better than Crisis on Infinite Earths, which is probably the worst comic no one has anything bad to say about that I've ever read, but IC suffers badly from Johns' inability to write humans qua humans, as opposed to plot devices in costumes; the Day of Judgment and Villains United tie-ins are, however, both extremely awesome, and really justify IC's existence all on their own; and I did read Final Crisis, but am very glad I didn't pay for it).

    I'm not sure I've even read more than a dozen Marvel comics at all since Civil War. Although I actually liked Civil War itself quite a bit, I've rather disliked pretty much everything since then, and the one thing I thought could have been cool in the long run, Spider-Man's unmasking, obviously went away... from a distance, Secret Invasion, Siege, and Fear Itself (did I miss one?) have just seemed awful in every way.

    If you go back a ways, Jim Starlin's Infinity Gauntlet/Infinity War/Infinity Crusade is well worth reading, particularly if you like space opera--and anything with Starlin and Adam Warlock beats Johns and Green Lantern with a stick, I'm just sayin'.* Indeed, I'm literally alone in thinking this, I'm sure, but Infinity War is the best comic Marvel ever published. Ron Lim is also possibly the most underrated artist I can think of. A spare descriptive style and clear storyteller, obviously a fast penciller, excellent with crowd scenes, and with a lot of Perezism in his panel compositions without approaching the Unreadable Nonsense Zone.

    I also liked X-Tinction Agenda. Remember that, and I owe you a coke.

    Valiant's Unity crossover was also really, really, really good. Indeed, everyone should go back and read the first two or three years of Valiant--all of it, every series, no kidding. It's good for you.

    *In fact, while it's non-event related, but if you ever get a chance to read the 70s Warlock stuff Starlin did, take it. If nothing else, it's formally innovative stuff, but more importantly it's damn fun and it's some of the headiest mainstream comics ever got--I'd say it's at least as weird as Grant Morrison's median,and far more earnest in its weirdness.
     
    Last edited: Feb 10, 2012
  8. Broccoli

    Broccoli Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Death of Superman trilogy
     
  9. Admiral_Young

    Admiral_Young Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Batman: Knightfall Trilogy. DC is reprinting it just in time for the release of "The Dark Knight Rises". It has also been reprinting "No Man's Land" as well.
     
  10. Myasishchev

    Myasishchev Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    That too! Art chores shared by multiple people led to really strong individual chapters and weak ones, though. I spent an hour looking for my trade of The Death of Superman the other day and never did find it (although I did find Death of Captain Marvel, close enough?).
     
  11. Admiral_Young

    Admiral_Young Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I still want to get the Death and Return of Superman Omnibus eventually.
     
  12. Broccoli

    Broccoli Vice Admiral Admiral

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    That seems like a good idea until you realize they left out chunks of the "World Without a Superman" arc.
     
  13. Admiral_Young

    Admiral_Young Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Yeah I have read that criticism of it, maybe they'll correct that in the updated printing if there is one.
     
  14. Icemizer

    Icemizer Commodore Commodore

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    Well depending on how far back you want to go
    Marvel Secret Wars-worth reading
    Marvel Secret Wars II - Not worth reading
    Marvel Contest of Champions- Good Story/Bad Math
    Camalot 3000- worth reading as the first ever 12 issue Maxi-series
    Squadron Supreme-the original 12 issue series is worth reading

    Ok all those and a few more are from back before they were called Event comics. Books like The Dark Knight Returns and Green Arrow the Long Bow Hunters are not events per se but need to be read.
     
  15. Forbin

    Forbin Admiral Admiral

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    Gotta say, after 40 years of collecting comics, I sick to death of events and crossovers. At this stage of life I'm only buying the few titles I've enjoyed all my life like Spidey and the Avengers - and only the main titles of each (I got REAL sick of buying 7 Spidey titles, 7 X-Men titles, yadda yadda, and trying to keep straight what's happening in each). I've never liked crossovers with books I don't get for obvious reasons. And Marvel's recent trend of big event series with their titles above the individual comic title is coming very close to turning me off comics for good.
     
  16. Mr Light

    Mr Light Admiral Admiral

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    Of the recent crossovers... and this is the main series not the endless tie-ins...

    MARVEL:
    Civil War: A
    World War Hulk: B-
    Secret Invasion: B
    Siege: B
    Fear Itself: B-

    DC:
    Infinite Crisis: A
    Sinestro Corps War: (Green Lantern exclusive) A+
    Final Crisis: C
    Blackest Night: B
    Flashpoint: D
     
  17. Greg Cox

    Greg Cox Admiral Premium Member

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    Or you could read the novelizations . . . :)
     
  18. C.E. Evans

    C.E. Evans Admiral Admiral

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    My big crossover/big event days are done. I'm no longer falling for the trick to buy comics I wouldn't ordinarily buy just to get a complete story. I'm learning it's okay not to be a completist and skip crossovers. Any major status quo shakeups, I can definitely find out online, usually the same day it's revealed.
     
  19. Forbin

    Forbin Admiral Admiral

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    I said out, dammit!
    One of the Spidies I just picked up from my comic shop ended with the blurb "Continued in next month's Daredevil."

    Well, fuck that shit.
     
  20. A beaker full of death

    A beaker full of death Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Meh. There's always some giant crossover event in comics these days. I can't be bothered with them. There was a time when these things were actually special.
    I mean, at the end of the day, what really changes? 5-20 years later, all is status quo ante again.