Marvel is known for its event cycle. This has its ups and downs. Many fans got tired out by the constant events at the publisher, but some of them are very popular. They have big stakes and are important to Marvel history. However, much like the ups and downs of the event cycle itself, these events’ popularity have been a double-edged sword.
Popularity definitely isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Popular stories get a lot more attention paid to them, which can show the flaws that readers otherwise wouldn’t notice unless they re-read them. In other cases, it’s made a great story played out. Finally, sometimes what comes after the book is disappointing, hurting its legacy.
10/10 House Of M Is So Flawed It’s Not Funny
Some Marvel events aren’t for anyone, which is a perfect way to describe House Of M, by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Olivier Coipel. HoM is extremely important to the Marvel history. However, the book angered X-Men fans by destroying the mutant race and robbed Avengers fans of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver for years.
House of M is also terribly boring and long-winded. Its popularity and importance have seen it read multiple times by many, exposing all to the weakness of the writing and art. HoM is a perfectly fine event book, but reading it too much reveals that it’s actually pretty terribly done.
9/10 “The Dark Phoenix Saga” Has Proven To Be Unadaptable
Writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne’s “The Dark Phoenix Saga” is a masterpiece and deserves every bit of praise heaped upon it. It’s a poetic epic and a must-read for anyone who wants to experience Marvel at its best. However, the shadow it’s cast over X-Men history means that everyone wants to adapt it, and everyone has failed at it. This has hurt the legacy of the book.
Many comics are said to be unadaptable, but “The Dark Phoenix Saga” keeps proving that it is truly so. This has done damage to the reputation of this brilliant story, as casual fans who would otherwise love it won’t even try it because of how badly the adaptations have gone.
8/10 “The Night Gwen Stacy Died” Has Bore Poisonous Fruit
“The Night Gwen Stacy Died” took place in The Amazing Spider-Man #121-122, by writer Gerry Conway and artist Gil Kane. It’s technically not an event story, but it’s impossible not to consider it an important event in Spider-Man and Marvel history. Gwen Stacy’s death has reverberated through the decades, and those echoes have done significant damage to Spider-Man history.
“The Night Gwen Stacy Died” is important, but Gwen’s death canonized her. A certain generation of Spidey fans, now in charge of the character at the editorial level, have taken that sainthood and made her into the only girlfriend of Spider-Man that matters. This has hurt the character more than just about anything else in Spider-Man history.
7/10 1985’s Secret Wars Doesn’t Stand Up Well To Repeated Readings
Marvel produced some gems in the ’80s, with many fans loving 1985’s Secret Wars, by writer Jim Shooter and artist Mike Zeck. SW is a legendary comic. It’s not the first Marvel event, but it’s extremely important to the history of the publisher’s event books. There are some amazing moments in the book, ones that make reading it a treat.
Of course, Secret Wars is also a twelve-issue series that’s entire plot is heroes and villains fighting each other to win a prize from the Beyonder. Reading it once is fine, but re-reading it is a chore. Many younger readers used to modern comics can’t even get through it.
6/10 Avengers Vs. X-Men Has A Lot Of Problems
Avengers Vs. X-Men is an action extravaganza, but there are a lot of problems with the book. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Jonathan Hickman, Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, and Jason Aaron, with art by John Romita Jr., Olivier Coipel, and Adam Kubert, the book involves the titular teams battling it out for the Phoenix Force.
Avengers Vs. X-Men seemingly went out of its way to make the X-Men the bad guys, even though the Avengers start the fight and escalate it to its worst extent. Many readers have noticed this over the years, hurting its legacy. On top of that, the five writers don’t integrate seamlessly, which also becomes apparent the more the story is read.
5/10 Secret Invasion Isn’t Great Divorced From Its Hype
Secret Invasion is getting adapted on Disney+, which really makes no sense. Written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Leinil Yu, the book benefited from an amazing build-up in Bendis and Yu’s New Avengers, as well as an excellent ad campaign. These precursors to the event are the best part of it, as the story is slow and boring.
This is pretty common in Bendis written Marvel events, but it’s especially apparent in Secret Wars. Without the hype of the book, it’s barely a story worth reading. It also has a bit of a cliffhanger ending, so anyone seeking it out after watching the adaptation is going to be disappointed.
4/10 House Of X/Powers Of X’s Legacy Will Always Be Unfinished
X-Men comics and controversy go hand in hand, and the mega-popular House of X/Powers of X aren’t immune from it. Written by Jonathan Hickman with art by Pepe Larraz and R.B. Silva, the books kicked off the Krakoa Era of the X-Men. They were game changers like few others and are beloved by many.
The problem is House of X/Powers of X got popular, then the X-Men got even more popular, and Marvel and the writers didn’t want to follow Hickman’s three-act plan the two books kicked off. Hickman voluntarily left the X-Men, depriving fans of HoX/PoX with the ending of the story the books were meant to set up. The story will never be finished, and it’s all because these books are so popular.
3/10 2015’s Secret Wars Isn’t What New Readers Think It Is
2015’s Secret Wars, by writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Esad Ribic, is a legendary tale. It is the culmination of Hickman’s runs on Fantastic Four, Avengers, and New Avengers, and it reveals the fate of the Multiverse after the Incursions. However, the story is also much simpler than most people realize, as it’s more about Doctor Doom and Reed Richards than a massive multiverse-shattering battle.
Secret Wars is a brilliant story and well-loved, but a bunch of MCU fans are going to read it in the run-up to the adaptation and be very disappointed. It’s a hard book to read without knowing the background of Hickman’s runs, making it very difficult for new readers to understand.
2/10 Civil War’s Flaws Are Impossible To Ignore
Civil War, by writer Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven, plays into some very bad comic tropes. It’s hard to deny its importance to Marvel history — it’s been adapted by the MCU — but the story has some glaring flaws. If the book wasn’t as important and popular, these flaws could have been missed, but that hasn’t been the case.
Civil War is on many must-read Marvel lists. Everyone reads it, which means everyone gets to experience the out-of-character moments, the sometimes outright character assassination, and experience the infuriating ending. There’s no escape from its flaws.
1/10 Infinity Gauntlet Isn’t The Event People Think It Is
Infinity Gauntlet changed Marvel events forever. Written by Jim Starlin with art by George Pérez and Ron Lim, the story brought Thanos back to the forefront, introduced the Infinity Gauntlet to the world, and would serve as the inspiration for the MCU’s Infinity Saga, the most successful series of movies ever. It’s a supremely important comic.
Infinity Gauntlet is also a very different comic than people who haven’t read it imagine it to be. There’s very little actual action in its six-issue run. People looking to pick this book up to read the all-out battle between the heroes and Thanos will be sorely disappointed, as the book’s legend is quite different from its reality.
