Has Marvel grown stale?

[alcazar_PREV (deleted)]

Hi, I'm new here and was wondering whether my current 'problem' sounds familiar.
I have been reading the X-titles of Marvel since +/- 1985. The past few years I find myself more and more interested in the re-prints (Essentials etc.)of the comics of the 70-80ties instead of the new comics. Were the 90ties stories forgetable hogwash more aimed at showing pretty pictures, this decade the titles seem to aim to be 'serious'. Read: re-hashing old storylines with a higher death-toll and more graphic voilence.
Besides the side-effect of screwing up continuity whith every new writer that is given a run, I find myself caring less and less about what happens to the formerly merry mutants because it is turned upside its head a year later anyways (e.g. anybody remember Nightcrawler joining the clergy?and how often can one blow up Xavier's estate anyways?). In short, I can't make any head or tails of it anymore, it seems as if I'm reading crapped-up chapters of a graphic novel instead of monthly issues.

Any thoughts?

[miked19]

I've been reading comics since about 1995, I know it's no where near as long as most people but I'm young, cut me some slack. Anyways I've always been a big Marvel fan until House of M, M-Day and, even worse, Civil War. I Blame Bendis. I'm not a fan of his work, I'm not a fan of the Ultimate Universe. If they want to keep getting my money, I hope they keep pumping out the reprints. I still buy all the Essentials. Essential Thor was fantastic.

[alcazar_PREV (deleted)]

`Yeah, I especially hated Civil War. Besides being a re-hash of an earlier strory line (the Mutant Registration Act, abt. 1990), it just made no real sense.

The MRA had some credence to it: you get born with mutant powers & you do nneed to learn to control them, so okay, I can 'get' the government registrating mutants (not saying I'd approve but I can understand the reasoning)
With Civil War, we're supposed to believe that intelligent people like Tony Stark and Reed Richards really think such an act for all super-powered people would 'work' (how high-tech guys like Hawkeye, Iron Man etc. would fit in is even more difficult -are they to be registered only if they'd use their toys or just for having special training/brains?).
1)Captured villains: their ID etc. was already registered in SHIELD-files etc. so no purpose

2) Non-captured villains: are not going to register themselves, as they're not law-abiding in the first place so no purpose

3) Heroes: the whole idea of registration defies the idea of having a Secret Identity, which exists to let the good guys have a personal life. Of course one may say 'well it are only government files' but Tony Stark etc. would be realistic enough to know that those files get infiltrated, stolen, hacked, accessed by bigots like Peter Henry Gyrich etc. all the time in the Marvel Universe.
1-3) lead to a net result of exposing heroes and their non-powered social circle to danger , which isn't in their (hostage, vengeance etc.) & the general public interest, especially as - at least acording to older storylines - you have companies like Damage Control Inc cleaning up the mess super-hero battles leave & being paid for by super-heroes insurance.

[nyghtwynd]

`Currently, I love the new Deadpool series. Sure, Skrulls attacking again, but something about Deadpool's wittiness (or insanity) just sticks with em for a laugh

[jish55]

`I have been reading the Runaways lately... and it is really good... I recomend it.

[dreadpiratenate]

`I agree that The Runaways is a great series. I'm still only on Vol 2 though.

I enjoyed Civil War a lot. I found Secret Invasion atrocious though. I read the main run today before work and really left a bad taste in my mouth. I can't say that DC is doing any better though. I felt filthy after reading Blackest Night. I'm hoping Brightest Day leads into something good. We get Maxwell Lord back, so that can't be too bad.

[cobracmndr]

`I agree that some of the X-series (men, factor, etc...) have gotten stale. But I think a lot of there other series have gotten better, the hulk series (she, planet, son of, etc...), cable, ghost rider. So you kind of have to take the good with the bad.
And yeah, I've never gotten into DC....i think of it as the 'diet' of comics

[oiledbman]

`Marvel vs Capcom 3 politely disagrees w/ this topic title.