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Unfortunately, these much anticipated stories were nothing to write home about.
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00:00The long-running nature of comic books means that, after a while, some of the ongoing storylines
00:05might lose some of their luster and even relevance. Repeating tired tropes, bringing
00:09back dead characters and slash or returning the world to their original status quos
00:14can 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
00:34be
00:35overhyped. And that's what we're here to discuss today. As I'm Jules, this is WhatCulture.com,
00:39and 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
02:15were woefully out of character and rather unlikable. Following a tragedy involving a rookie
02:20superhero team, the nation calls for increased accountability in the superhuman community.
02:25This culminates in the Superhero Registration Act, a document whose content tore the Avengers
02:30and most superhero teams apart. Acts such as Tony Stark employing supervillains to hunt down his
02:35former comrades and Reed Richards' construction of an extra-dimensional prison for said heroes were
02:40not only despicable, but also robbed the story of its moral complexity. Ultimately, the story's
02:46impact is undercut by a shakily 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, the comic series
03:03handled these themes in an unconvincing and rather insensitive manner, and its treatment of Wally West
03:08in particular left a lot to be desired. The story introduces The Sanctuary, a secret rehabilitation
03:14center that caters to the needs of superheroes and reformed villains. Following a mass shooting
03:19that claims the lives of characters such as Wally West and Poison Ivy, the League investigates the
03:24heinous act with Booster Gold and Harley Quinn as its main suspects. As the mystery unfolds, two things
03:29become clear. One, the existence of The Sanctuary is unsettling for the superhuman community, and two,
03:35Wally West's involvement in the massacre is more convoluted and disturbing than initially expected.
03:40And you know what, the mental health element of this story amounted to nothing, and seemed to
03:44serve more as a selling point rather than a tasteful exploration of its character's various
03:49psyches. This is seen in Wally's treatment, an act that strives to mine his trauma for shock value
03:54more 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 supervillains such as Red Skull, Kingpin, and a villainous Hulk,
04:18who took over after wiping most of this Earth's superhero community out. An older Logan lives with
04:23his family in Hulk-controlled territory, and due to the pressures of the former Powerhouse's family,
04:28sets out on a cross-country journey with Hawkeye. The artwork here suitably captures the bleak
04:33and gory world the characters inhabit, but the generic story itself paints them in a rather
04:38awful light. It is bleak to a fault, and while this is the point of dystopic stories,
04:43it quickly gets exhausting to immerse yourself into. Characters such as the Hulk and She-Hulk
04:48are extremely off-putting, and Logan's pacifism feels rather undercooked, as its inciting incident
04:54is both inexplicable and rather infuriating. All in all, this story has some intriguing aspects,
04:59but as a whole, it was kind of frustratingly executed.
05:026. The New 52 As A Whole
05:05For every post-crisis era or rebirth era in DC, we get the New 52, easily the most disappointing
05:11initiative DC has undertaken in the modern age of comics. The decision to take away 10 or so years
05:17from the histories of most of DC's characters is fascinating on paper, but the younger heroes,
05:22villains, and supporting characters were not as compelling as their older counterparts,
05:25and felt like second-rate parodies of themselves. Characters such as Superman and Starfire became
05:31unlikable in an attempt to make them more flawed, and most heroes' costume designs made for uncomfortable
05:36sights due to their over-designed, tactical-armor-like nature. The continuity was all over the place as
05:41well. For starters, Batman had multiple Robins and a 10-year-old son with Talia, despite being a hero
05:47for only a few years. Such a discrepancy was reflective of the New 52's failed attempt to take
05:52countless years of history and condense them into a relatively short time frame. Fortunately, DC Rebirth
05:57was able to set most of these things right.
06:005. Fear Itself
06:02This 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 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
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. Its build-up was poorly done as well, meaning that the rest of the story
06:47did not flow as intended, and this served to work against the far-reaching nature of
06:52the story. That said, the event's tie-ins made for entertaining reads, even if they undercut
06:57the 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,
07:06but this was indeed the case with A Death in the Family. Centering the story on an unlikable
07:11Robin, Jason Todd, was ingratiating for readers back in 1988, but having the readers kill him
07:16off was essentially an admission by the staff at DC that they were incapable of redeeming
07:21Todd or making him more palatable for readers. Up until the titular death, the story's tone
07:26is all over the place, and ranges from silly and silver age-esque to disturbing and grim.
07:31Now let's talk about the Joker here. His tenure as Iran's ambassador to the UN is a poor attempt
07:37at humor, and arguably Islamophobic. All in all, one of Batman's most iconic stories
07:42is a messy attempt at adding stakes in the Batman mythos and elevating Joker's threat level.
07:473. Ultimatum
07:49The ultimate Marvel imprint that ran from 2000 to 2015 was a mixed bag to say the least. The
07:55modern reimagining of classic Marvel characters and teams was criticized for its edgy take on
08:00superheroes, and its dated attempts at this left a sour taste in most readers' mouths. For every
08:05ultimate Spider-Man tale that was at least palatable, there was an ultimate Captain America
08:09acting nationalistic, incestuous siblings, and an unsettling amount of cannibalism.
08:14Suffice to say, Marvel's attempt to streamline their universe was a bit of a mess.
08:18This is best reflected in Ultimatum, the 2009 story that saw Magneto seeking revenge on Earth
08:24for the deaths of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. His plans go horribly well, and in the chaos,
08:29heroes such as Thor, the Wasp, Cyclops, Professor X, and Doctor Strange all die, in addition
08:35to the countless lives around the globe. As much as the storyline helped differentiate the
08:39Ultimate Universe from the main one, the gory deaths were disgusting to see and felt like they
08:43were included to add shock value to the story more than anything else. The Ultimate Universe
08:47powered on for a few more years after this event, but it never fully recovered after this ghastly
08:52crossover.
08:532. All-Star Batman and Robin
08:55The Boy Wonder
08:56If you were to read this comic and expect a grand, emotionally stirring epic in the vein of
09:01All-Star Superman, you would be in for a rude awakening.
09:05Frank Miller's retelling of Robin's origin story completely butchered the likes of Batman,
09:09Robin, and other DC characters, and is an example of the writer's jaded sensibilities not
09:14always working in a world of heroes. The art by Jim Lee is reliably well-crafted,
09:19and is often considered to be the saving grace of this comic. Beyond that, readers are, well,
09:23treated to a cruel and sadistic Dark Knight who insists to a young, grief-stricken Robin that he
09:28addresses him as the goddamn Batman. Not only is the line unintentionally hilarious,
09:33it blatantly ignores the character's capacity for warmth and empathy. In addition to that,
09:38the treatment of a young Dick Grayson is disturbing to say the least, and strips Batman of whatever
09:42shreds of humanity he had left. His fellow heroes, especially Green Lantern, are seen as
09:47ineffectual and only serve to reinforce Batman's unstoppable persona. That said, Batman and Robin's
09:53takedown of Green Lantern is hilarious, and almost feels like a mockery of the zany silver age of
09:57comics. 1. Spider-Man One More Day
10:01Following the game-changing events of Civil War, Spider-Man fans were curious to see where Marvel
10:06would take the beloved icon following the reveal of his secret identity to the world.
10:10One More Day explores this new change to the status quo in initially interesting fashion,
10:15before then going off the rails with its second half and conclusion. After Aunt May is shot by a
10:20sniper and hospitalized, a desperate Peter turns to the likes of Doctor Strange, the High Evolutionary,
10:25and even Doctor Doom for assistance. When none of them offer the help that Peter needs,
10:29the demonic Mephisto offers to save May's life at the expense of the hero's marriage to Mary Jane
10:34Watson. While the story may be slightly lauded for emphasising how Spider-Man's life is defined by
10:39sacrifice and protecting his loved ones from his heroic identity, the story's deus ex machina
10:44resolution feels like a cheap and cynical attempt at returning the hero back to the status quo.
10:49Removing his marriage to Mary Jane negates any chance at growth for Peter, and involving Mephisto
10:54in the ordeal removes his agency as a character. Ultimately, Peter Parker's past and future were
11:00disrespected in a story afraid to look at both periods as a whole for the hero.
11:04And there we go my friends, those were 10 overhyped comic books that were incredibly mediocre. I hope
11:09that you enjoyed that, and please let me know what you thought about it down in the comments section
11:12below. As always I've been Jules, you can go follow me over on Twitter at RetroJay,
11:16but the O is a zero, and the same for Instagram, RetroJay, but the O is a zero. Hope to
11:21see you
11:21over there. As always I've been Jules, you have been awesome, never forget that, and I'll speak
11:25to you soon. Bye.
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