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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 tired tropes,
00:09bringing back dead characters and slash or returning the world to their original status
00:14quos can push away readers and risk having their stories cancelled. This is why, every now and
00:19again, a publishing company will announce a comic and tout it as the next big thing,
00:24and use ominous taglines such as, everything will change, to describe the upcoming cataclysmic
00:30events. And as you can imagine, some of these just don't live up to the hype and in fact may be
00:34overhyped. And that's what we're here to discuss today. As I'm Jules, this is WhatCulture.com,
00:40and these are 10 overhyped comic books that were incredibly mediocre.
00:4410. Identity Crisis
00:46In the last two years alone, DC has gone through two different crises and is about to go through
00:52a third one. Despite this over-reliance on crossover stories, their crisis events have
00:57been well-crafted and entertaining for the most part. Unfortunately, this can't really be said
01:01for 2004's Identity Crisis, a widespread murder mystery that was unbelievably tone-deaf and left
01:08a bad taste in most readers' mouths after they finished it. Following the death of elongated
01:12man's wife Sue Dibney, the Justice League sets out to find the killer, before they can strike again.
01:17In the process, the team learns the uncomfortable truths about how far its members would be willing
01:21to go to protect themselves and their loved ones. The story is rife with inconsistencies in the
01:27characterization of various heroes and paints the normally united team in a disturbing and disjointed
01:32light. In addition to this, the story's core component and its resolution were both underwhelming
01:37and definitely sexist, showing that the creative team were unable of crafting a murder mystery that
01:42respected the characters involved. 9. Civil War
01:46Seeing heroes clash is conceptually interesting due to the prospect of knowing who is more powerful
01:51and or skilled. Furthermore, the ideological differences and situations that force these
01:56heroes into conflict are even more compelling. Unfortunately, Marvel's grand event missed the
02:01mark in delivering a satisfying hero-versus-hero showdown despite its potentially profound themes.
02:07Civil War may have given us moments such as Spider-Man revealing his identity to the world
02:11and the iconic Captain America and Iron Man fight, but at the same time the heroes involved were
02:16woefully out of character and rather unlikable. Following a tragedy involving a rookie superhero
02:21team, the nation calls for increased accountability in the superhuman community. This culminates in the
02:26Superhero Registration Act, a document whose content tore the Avengers and most superhero teams apart.
02:32Acts such as Tony Stark employing supervillains to hunt down his former comrades and Reed Richards'
02:37construction of an extra-dimensional prison for said heroes were not only despicable,
02:41but also robbed the story of its moral complexity. Ultimately, the story's impact is undercut by a
02:47shakily defined act and a rather underwhelming resolution.
02:518. Heroes in Crisis
02:53Before its release, Heroes in Crisis seemed promising due to its proposed exploration of
02:58the mental health of various superheroes in addition to the main murder mystery. Sadly,
03:02the comic series handled these themes in an unconvincing and rather insensitive manner,
03:07and its treatment of Wally West in particular left a lot to be desired. The story introduces
03:12The Sanctuary, a secret rehabilitation center that caters to the needs of superheroes and reformed
03:17villains. Following a mass shooting that claims the lives of characters such as Wally West and Poison Ivy,
03:23the League investigates the heinous act with Booster Gold and Harley Quinn as its main suspects.
03:28As the mystery unfolds, two things become clear. One, the existence of the Sanctuary is unsettling for the
03:33superhuman community. And two, Wally West's involvement in the massacre is more convoluted
03:38and disturbing than initially expected. And you know what, the mental health element of this story
03:42amounted to nothing and seemed to serve more as a selling point rather than a tasteful exploration
03:47of its character's various psyches. This is seen in Wally's treatment, an act that strives to mine his
03:53trauma for shock value more than anything else.
03:557. Old Man Logan
03:57Old Man Logan is an intriguing exploration of a dystopian Marvel universe as well as an older,
04:03more world-weary Wolverine. That said, some of its narrative elements were pretty, well,
04:08terribly misguided in hindsight. The majority of the heroes in this timeline are dead, and the rest
04:13are under the mercy of a cabal of Hulk who took over after wiping most of this Earth's superhero
04:18community out. An older Logan lives with his family in Hulk-controlled territory, and due to the
04:23pressures of the former powerhouse's family, sets out on a cross-country journey with Hawkeye.
04:28The artwork here suitably captures the bleak and gory world the characters inhabit, but the generic
04:33story itself paints them in a rather awful light. It is bleak to a fault, and while this is the point
04:39of dystopic stories, it quickly gets exhausting to immerse yourself into. Characters such as the Hulk
04:44and She-Hulk are extremely off-putting, and Logan's pacifism feels rather undercooked, as its inciting
04:51incident is both inexplicable and rather infuriating. All in all, this story has some
04:55intriguing aspects, but as a whole, it was kind of frustratingly executed.
04:596. The New 52 As A Whole
05:02For every post-crisis era or rebirth era in DC, we get The New 52, easily the most disappointing
05:08initiative DC has undertaken in the modern age of comics. The decision to take away 10 or so years
05:14from the histories of most of DC's characters is fascinating on paper, but the younger heroes,
05:18villains, and supporting characters were not as compelling as their older counterparts, and felt
05:23like second-rate parodies of themselves. Characters such as Superman and Starfire became unlikable in
05:28an attempt to make them more flawed, and most heroes' costume designs made for uncomfortable sights due
05:33to their over-designed, tactical-armor-like nature. The continuity was all over the place as well.
05:39For starters, Batman had multiple Robins and a 10-year-old son with Talia despite being a hero
05:44for only a few years. Such a discrepancy was reflective of the New 52's failed attempt to
05:49take countless years of history and condense them into a relatively short time frame.
05:53Fortunately, DC Rebirth was able to set most of these things right.
05:575. Fear Itself
05:59This 2011 crossover event follows the machinations of The Serpent, an Asgardian fear god who schemes
06:09to claim the throne of Asgard, which spelt disaster for Earth. Despite focusing on the
06:13diabolical deity and the trio of Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man, the event was a muddled
06:18tale with 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
06:29a relic that transforms her into the serpent's head. This sets off a chain of events that imperils
06:33both Earth and Asgard and pushes the hero of the former to their limits. Despite featuring
06:38fan-pleasing moments such as Captain America wielding Mjolnir, the main story is poorly paced
06:44from the onset, did not flow as intended, and this served to work against the far-reaching
06:48nature of the story. That said, the event's tie-ins made for entertaining reads, even if
06:53they undercut the impact of the main story in some instances.
06:564. A Death in the Family
06:58It's not every day that readers actively choose the fate of a character via a phone call,
07:03but this was indeed the case with A Death in the Family. Centering the story on an unlikable
07:08Robin, Jason Todd, was ingratiating for readers back in 1988, but having the readers kill him
07:13off was essentially an admission by the staff at DC that they were incapable of redeeming
07:18Todd or making him more palatable for readers. Up until the titular death, the story's tone
07:23is all over the place, and ranges from silly and silver age-esque to disturbing and grim.
07:28Now let's talk about the Joker here. His tenure as Iran's ambassador to the UN is a poor attempt
07:34at humour, and arguably Islamophobic. All in all, one of Batman's most iconic stories
07:39is a messy attempt at adding stakes in the Batman mythos and elevating Joker's threat level.
07:443. Ultimatum
07:46The ultimate Marvel imprint that ran from 2000 to 2015 was a mixed bag to say the least. The
07:52modern reimagining of classic Marvel characters and teams was criticised for its edgy take on
07:57superheroes, and its dated attempts at this left a sour taste in most readers' mouths. For every
08:02ultimate Spider-Man tale that was at least palatable, there was an ultimate Captain America
08:06acting nationalistic, incestuous siblings, and an unsettling amount of cannibalism.
08:11Suffice to say, Marvel's attempt to streamline their universe was a bit of a mess.
08:15This is best reflected in Ultimatum, the 2009 story that saw Magneto seeking revenge on Earth
08:21for the deaths of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. His plans go horribly well, and in the chaos,
08:26heroes such as Thor, the Wasp, Cyclops, Professor X, and Doctor Strange all die,
08:31in addition to the countless lives around the globe. As much as the storyline helped
08:35differentiate the ultimate universe from the main one, the gory deaths were disgusting to see and
08:40felt like they were included to add shock value to the story more than anything else. The ultimate
08:44universe powered on for a few more years after this event, but it never fully recovered after
08:48this ghastly crossover. 2. All-Star Batman and Robin
08:52The Boy Wonder
08:53If you were to read this comic and expect a grand, emotionally stirring epic in the vein of
08:58All-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,
09:16and is often considered to be the saving grace of this comic. Beyond that, readers are, well,
09:20treated to a cruel and sadistic dark knight who insists to a young, grief-stricken Robin that he
09:25addresses him as the goddamn Batman. Not only is the line unintentionally hilarious,
09:30it blatantly ignores the character's capacity for warmth and empathy. In addition to that,
09:35the treatment of a young Dick Grayson is disturbing to say the least, and strips Batman of whatever
09:39shreds of humanity he had left. His fellow heroes, especially Green Lantern, are seen as ineffectual
09:44and only serve to reinforce Batman's unstoppable persona. That said, Batman and Robin's takedown of
09:50Green Lantern is hilarious, and 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.
10:07One More Day explores this new change to the status quo in initially interesting fashion,
10:12before then going off the rails with its second half and conclusion. After Aunt May is shot by a
10:17sniper and hospitalized, a desperate Peter turns to the likes of Doctor Strange, the High Evolutionary,
10:22and even Doctor Doom for assistance. When none of them offer the help that Peter needs,
10:26the demonic Mephisto offers to save May's life at the expense of the hero's marriage to Mary Jane
10:31Watson. While the story may be slightly lauded for emphasising how Spider-Man's life is defined by
10:36sacrifice and protecting his loved ones from his heroic identity, the story's deus ex machina
10:41resolution feels like a cheap and cynical attempt at returning the hero back to the status quo.
10:46Removing his marriage to Mary Jane negates any chance at growth for Peter, and involving Mephisto
10:51in the ordeal removes his agency as a character. Ultimately, Peter Parker's past and future were
10:57disrespected in a story afraid to look at both periods as a whole for the hero.
11:01And there we go my friends, those were 10 overhyped comic books that were incredibly mediocre. I hope
11:06that you enjoyed that, and please let me know what you thought about it down in the comments section
11:09below. As always I've been Jules, you can go follow me over on Twitter at RetroJay,
11:13but the O is a zero. And the same for Instagram, RetroJay, but the O is a zero. Hope to see you
11:18over there. As always I've been Jules, you have been awesome, never forget that, and I'll speak
11:22to you soon. Bye.
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