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Unfortunately, these much anticipated stories were nothing to write home about.
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00:00Now, the long-running nature of comic books means that, after a while, some of the ongoing
00:04storylines might lose some of their luster and even relevance. Repeating targeted man's wife,
00:10Sue Dibney, the Justice League sets out to find the killer before they can strike again.
00:14In the process, the team learns the uncomfortable truths about how far its members would be willing
00:18to go to protect themselves and their loved ones. The story is rife with inconsistencies
00:24in the characterisation of various heroes and paints the normally united team in a disturbing
00:28and disjointed light. In addition to this, the story's core component and its resolution were
00:33both underwhelming and definitely sexist, showing that the creative team were unable of crafting a
00:38mystery that respected the characters involved. 9. Civil War
00:43Seeing heroes clash is conceptually interesting due to the prospect of knowing who is more powerful
00:48and or skilled. Furthermore, the ideological differences and situations that force these
00:53heroes into conflict are even more compelling. Unfortunately, Marvel's grand event missed the
00:58mark in delivering a satisfying hero-versus-hero showdown despite its potentially profound themes.
01:04Civil War may have given us moments such as Spider-Man revealing his identity to the world
01:08and the iconic Captain America and Iron Man fight, but at the same time the heroes involved
01:12were woefully out of character and rather unlikable. Following a tragedy involving a rookie
01:17superhero team, the nation calls for increased accountability in the superhuman community.
01:22This culminates in the Superhero Registration Act, a document whose content tore the Avengers
01:27and most superhero teams apart. Acts such as Tony Stark employing supervillains to hunt down his
01:32former comrades and Reed Richards' construction of an extra-dimensional prison for said heroes
01:37were not only despicable, but also robbed the story of its moral complexity. Ultimately,
01:42the story's impact is undercut by a shakily defined act and a rather underwhelming resolution.
01:488. Heroes in Crisis
01:50Before its release, Heroes in Crisis seemed promising due to its proposed exploration of the mental health
01:56various superheroes in addition to the main murder mystery. Sadly, the comic series handled these
02:01themes in an unconvincing and rather insensitive manner, and its treatment of Wally West in particular
02:06left a lot to be desired. The story introduces The Sanctuary, a secret rehabilitation centre that
02:12caters to the needs of superheroes and reformed villains. Following a mass shooting that claims the
02:17lives of characters such as Wally West and Poison Ivy, the League investigates the heinous act with
02:21Booster Gold and Harley Quinn as its main suspects. As the mystery unfolds, two things become clear.
02:27One, the existence of the Sanctuary is unsettling for the superhuman community, and two, Wally West's
02:32involvement in the massacre is more convoluted and disturbing than initially expected. And you know
02:37what, the mental health element of this story amounted to nothing and seemed to serve more as a
02:42selling point rather than a tasteful exploration of its character's various psyches. This is seen in
02:47Wally's treatment, an act that strives to mine his trauma for shock value more than anything else.
02:527. Old Man Logan
02:54Old Man Logan is an intriguing exploration of a dystopian Marvel universe as well as an older,
03:00more world-weary Wolverine. That said, some of its narrative elements were pretty, well,
03:05terribly misguided in hindsight. The majority of the heroes in this timeline are dead, and the rest are
03:10under the mercy of a cabal of supervillains such as Red Skull, Kingpin, and a villainous Hulk,
03:15who took over after wiping most of this Earth's superhero community out. An older Logan lives with
03:20his family in Hulk-controlled territory, and due to the pressures of the former Powerhouse's family,
03:25sets out on a cross-country journey with Hawkeye. The artwork here suitably captures the bleak and
03:30gory world the characters inhabit, but the generic story itself paints them in a rather awful light.
03:36It is bleak to a fault, and while this is the point of dystopic stories, it quickly gets exhausting
03:42to immerse yourself into. Characters such as the Hulk and She-Hulk are extremely off-putting,
03:47and Logan's pacifism feels rather undercooked, as its inciting incident is both inexplicable
03:52and rather infuriating. All in all, this story has some intriguing aspects, but as a whole,
03:57it was kind of frustratingly executed.
03:596. The New 52 As A Whole
04:02For every post-crisis era or rebirth era in DC, we get the New 52, easily the most disappointing
04:08initiative DC has undertaken in the modern age of comics. The decision to take away 10 or so years
04:14from the histories of most of DC's characters is fascinating on paper, but the younger heroes,
04:19villains, and supporting characters were not as compelling as their older counterparts,
04:23and felt like second-rate parodies of themselves. Characters such as Superman and Starfire became
04:28unlikable in an attempt to make them more flawed, and most heroes' costume designs made for uncomfortable
04:33sights due to their over-designed, tactical-armor-like nature. The continuity was all over
04:38the place as well. For starters, Batman had multiple Robins and a 10-year-old son with Talia,
04:43despite being a hero for only a few years. Such a discrepancy was reflective of the New 52's
04:48failed attempt to take countless years of history and condense them into a relatively short time frame.
04:53Fortunately, DC Rebirth was able to set most of these things right.
04:575. Fear Itself
04:59This 2011 crossover event follows the machinations of The Serpent, an Asgardian fear god who schemes
05:06to claim the throne of Asgard, which spelt disaster for Earth. Despite focusing on the
05:10diabolical deity and the trio of Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man, the event was a muddled
05:15tale with a questionable plot structure, lacklustre writing, and inconsequential nature.
05:20Following the settlement of Asgard on Earth after the siege storyline, Red Skull's daughter Sin
05:25recovers a relic that transforms her into the Serpent's head. This sets off a chain of events
05:30that imperils both Earth and Asgard and pushes the hero of the former to their limits.
05:35Despite featuring fan-pleasing moments such as Captain America wielding Mjolnir,
05:39the main story is poorly paced from the onset. Its build-up was poorly done as well,
05:44meaning that the rest of the story did not flow as intended, and this served to work against the
05:48far-reaching nature of the story. That said, the event's tie-ins made for entertaining reads,
05:52even if they undercut the impact of the main story in some instances.
05:564. A Death in the Family
05:58It's not every day that readers actively choose the fate of a character via a phone call,
06:03but this was indeed the case with A Death in the Family. Centering the story on an unlikable
06:08Robin, Jason Todd, was ingratiating for readers back in 1988, but having the readers kill him off
06:14was essentially added to the trio of Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man. The event was a muddled tale
06:18with a questionable plot structure, lacklustre writing, and inconsequential nature. Following
06:24the settlement of Asgard on Earth after the Siege storyline, Red Skull's daughter Sin recovers a
06:29relic that transforms her into the Serpent's Head. This sets off a chain of events that imperils both
06:34Earth and Asgard and pushes the hero of the former to their limits. Despite featuring fan-pleasing
06:39moments such as Captain America wielding Mjolnir, the main story is poorly paced from the onset.
06:44Its build-up was poorly done as well, meaning that the rest of the story did not flow as intended,
06:49and this served to work against the far-reaching nature of the story. That said, the event's tie-ins
06:54made for entertaining reads, even if they undercut the impact of the main story in some instances.
06:594. A Death in the Family
07:01It's not every day that readers actively choose the fate of a character via a phone call, but this
07:07was indeed the case with A Death in the Family. Centering the story on an unlikable Robin,
07:11Jason Todd, was ingratiating for readers back in 1988, but having the readers kill him off was
07:17essentially an admission by the staff at DC that they were incapable of redeeming Todd or making
07:22him more palatable for readers. Up until the titular death, the story's tone is all over the
07:27place, and ranges from silly and silver age-esque to disturbing and grim. Let's talk about the Joker
07:33here. His tenure as Iran's ambassador to the UN is a poor attempt at humor and arguably Islamophobic.
07:40All in all, one of Batman's most iconic stories is a messy attempt at adding stakes in the Batman
07:45mythos and elevating Joker's threat level. 3. Ultimatum
07:49The ultimate Marvel imprint that ran from 2000 to 2015 was a mixed bag to say the least. The modern
07:56reimagining of classic Marvel characters and teams was criticized for its edgy take on superheroes,
08:00and its dated attempts at this left a sour taste in most readers' mouths. For every ultimate Spider-Man
08:06tale that was at least palatable, there was an ultimate Captain America acting nationalistic,
08:11incestuous siblings, and an unsettling amount of cannibalism. Suffice to say, Marvel's attempt
08:16to streamline their universe was a bit of a mess. This is best reflected in Ultimatum,
08:21the 2009 story that saw Magneto seeking revenge on Earth for the deaths of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.
08:26His plans go horribly well, and in the chaos, heroes such as Thor, the Wasp, Cyclops, Professor X,
08:32and Doctor Shred the globe. As much as the storyline helped to differentiate the ultimate
08:36universe from the main one, the gory deaths were disgusting to see and felt like they were
08:40included to add shock value to the story more than anything else. The ultimate universe powered
08:45on for a few more years after this event, but it never fully recovered after this ghastly crossover.
08:502. All-Star Batman and Robin
08:52The Boy Wonder If you were to read this comic and expect a grand,
08:56emotionally stirring epic in the vein of All-Star Superman, you would be in for a rude awakening.
09:02Frank Miller's retelling of Robin's origin story completely butchered the likes of Batman,
09:06Robin, and other DC characters, and is an example of the writer's jaded sensibilities not
09:11always working in a world of heroes. The art by Jim Lee is reliably well crafted and is often
09:16considered to be the saving grace of this comic. Beyond that, readers are, well, treated to a cruel and
09:21sadistic Dark Knight who insists to a young, grief-stricken Robin that he addresses him
09:25as the goddamn Batman. Not only is the line unintentionally hilarious, it blatantly ignores
09:31the character's capacity for warmth and empathy. In addition to that, the treatment of a young
09:36Dick Grayson is disturbing to say the least, and strips Batman of whatever shreds of humanity he had
09:41left. His fellow heroes, especially Green Lantern, are seen as ineffectual and only serve to reinforce
09:46Batman's unstoppable persona. That said, Batman and Robin's takedown of Green Lantern is hilarious,
09:52and almost feels like a mockery of the zany silver age of comics.
09:551. Spider-Man One More Day
09:58Following the game-changing events of Civil War, Spider-Man fans were curious to see where Marvel
10:03would take the beloved icon following the reveal of his secret identity to the world. One More Day
10:08explores this new change to the status quo in initially interesting fashion, before then going off
10:13the rails with its second half and conclusion. After Aunt May is shot by a sniper and hospitalised,
10:18a desperate Peter turns to the likes of Doctor Strange, the High Evolutionary, and even Doctor
10:23Doom for assistance. When none of them offer the help that Peter needs, the demonic Mephisto offers
10:27to save May's life at the expense of the hero's marriage to Mary Jane Watson. While the story may be
10:32slightly lauded for emphasising how Spider-Man's life is defined by sacrifice and protecting his loved
10:38ones from his heroic identity, the story's deus ex machina resolution feels like a cheap and cynical
10:43attempt at returning the hero back to the status quo. Removing his marriage to Mary Jane negates any
10:48chance at growth for Peter, and involving Mephisto in the ordeal removes his agency as a character.
10:54Ultimately, Peter Parker's past and future were disrespected in a story afraid to look at both
10:59periods as a whole for the hero.
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