For decades, comic book writers have perpetually found themselves
with a formidable task. Granted, writers from all walks of
media, be it TV, movies, or "big name" authors, have the primary goal of
keeping their reoccurring characters and storyworlds fresh and interesting.
Comic writers, however, have an extra disadvantage in that their stories
never end, barring cancellation. The results are a large backlog of continuity
to keep track of, and the need to leave the setting cohesive enough
for the next author to work off of.
To keep such long-running titles fresh and exciting, comics have presented
many dramatic and "unexpected" plot twists over the years. When done right, these
events can draw readers in and secure themselves as iconic moments in comic book
history... More often then not, however, these "swerves" turn out to be
simply confusing commercialized stunts, uncorked when a publisher needs a sales boost.
Age Of Apocalypse (Marvel 1995)
Ah, hang on to your shorts for this one... Professor X's schizophrenic
son Legion recovers from a coma. His mind healed but, still possessing
loads of Daddy Issues, Legion decided that the best way to make amends
with his dad was to go back in time and kill Magneto. Yeah, he can just
do that. The X-Men tried to stop him, but just as Legion's about to
deliver the finishing blow, Xavier himself steps in to make a Noble
Sacrifice to save his friend Erik Lehnsheer...
Oops.
What resulted was the Unthinkable: A Xavier-Free Marvel Universe.
The regular X-Titles got "cancelled" for a few months to make way
several mini-series replacing the mainline titles, where Magneto
now leads the X-Men in a grim and gritty dystopia! It made
everything Days of Future Past for a few months, only with
stranger outfits.
Some characters and concepts from AoA would eventually be cycled back
into the "real" Marvel U once it reset. Cyclops & Phoenix's future kid
Nate "X-Man" Grey and Blink would prove to be popular enough to survive
a time warp and get their own titles. Bishop, in Marvel's continuing efforts
to try & make him interesting, will retain knowledge of the AoA's events.
Best of all, this year is AoA's 10th anniversary, so Marvel's celebrating
it with a host of trade paperbacks & one-shots!
Identity Crisis (DC: 2004)
The EPIC COMIC EVENT of 2004 reads like a mid-grade Clancy novel... probably
because it was penned by a mid-grade Clancy-esque author.
DC's first step towards making last year's cashcow was to get the
writing talents of Brad Meltzer, SERIOUS AUTHOR to write their story arc. Next
load up your Epic Comic Event with...
SUSPENSE! As we bend over the table one of the more down-to-Earth couples
in the DCU by stunning and burning Sue Dinby to death! Someone's gunning
for the heroes' friends and loved ones. Then add...
SHOCK! As we learned that Doctor Light was once a psychotic freak who
raped Sue. This would lead to...
BETRAYAL! Recall how goofy and silly some of the Silver Age-era villians
were back in the day? Well, here's the funny thing: Turns out it was all
a coup from the JLA to keep them goofy and inept in order to protect their
companions. Isn't that something? Their mind-woogying starts to falter,
which can only lead to...
DEATH! A half-dozen or so midcard villians, heroes and
supporting characters bite it over the course of the saga. After which we finally...
SOLVE THIS GROOVY MYSTERY! And it wouldn't be a Modern Suspense/Thriller
if the Killer was the suspect with no logical motive and means... but it 'makes
sense' because she's CRAAAAZY.
And the DC Universe will NEVER BE THE SAME... at least until next spring or
so where they'll need another Epic Comic Event. Identity Crisis is either the
most shocking story arc in comics in 2004, or the biggest marketing farce DC's
ever pulled, depending on which fanperson you ask.
That's all the Swerves we have for now. There's
plenty to be seen... some of them are running even know, trying to get your
attention at the comic shop. Tune in for my next installment, where Captain
Carrot and his Zoo Crew go rogue and go on a human killing spree...
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