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
03:21Poison Ivy, the League investigates the heinous act with Booster Gold and Harley Quinn as its main
03:27suspects. As the mystery unfolds, two things become clear. One, the existence of the Sanctuary is
03:32unsettling for the superhuman community, and two, Wally West's involvement in the massacre is more
03:37convoluted and disturbing than initially expected. And you know what, the mental health element of this
03:42story amounted 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 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 his
04:23family 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 and
04:33gory world the characters inhabit, but the generic story itself paints them in a rather awful light.
04:39It is bleak to a fault, and while this is the point of dystopic stories, it quickly gets exhausting
04:45to immerse yourself into. Characters such as the Hulk and She-Hulk are extremely off-putting,
04:50and Logan's pacifism feels rather undercooked, as its inciting incident is both inexplicable
04:55and rather infuriating. All in all, this story has some intriguing aspects, but as a whole,
05:00it was kind of frustratingly executed. 6. 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,
05:26and 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
05:52take countless years of history and condense them into a relatively short time frame. Fortunately,
05:57DC Rebirth was able to set most of these things right. 5. Fear Itself
06:02This 2011 crossover event follows the machinations of The Serpent, an Asgardian fear god who schemes to
06:09claim the throne of Asgard, which spelt disaster for Earth. Despite focusing on the diabolical
06:14deity and the trio of Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man, the event was a muddled tale with a
06:19questionable plot structure, lacklustre writing, and inconsequential nature. Following the settlement
06:24of Asgard on Earth after the siege storyline, Red Skull's daughter Sin recovers a relic that
06:29transforms her into The Serpent's Head. This sets off a chain of events that imperils both Earth and
06:34Asgard and pushes the hero of the former to their limits. Despite featuring fan-pleasing moments
06:40such as Captain America wielding Mjolnir, the main story is poorly paced from the onset. Its build-up
06:45was poorly done as well, meaning that the rest of the story did not flow as intended, and this served
06:50to work against the far-reaching nature of the story. That said, the event's tie-ins made for
06:54entertaining reads, even if they undercut the 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 off
07:17was essentially an admission by the staff at DC that they were incapable of redeeming Todd or making
07:22him more palatable for readers. Up until the titular death, the story's tone is all over the place,
07:27and ranges from silly and silver age-esque to disturbing and grim. Let's talk about the Joker
07:33here. His tenure as Iran's ambassador to the UN is a poor attempt at humour and arguably Islamophobic.
07:40All in all, one of Batman's most iconic stories is a messy attempt at adding stakes in the Batman
07:45mythos and elevating Joker's threat level. 3. 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 criticised 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. Suffice to say,
08:15Marvel'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,
08:34in addition to the countless lives around the globe. As much as the storyline helped differentiate
08:38the Ultimate Universe from the main one, the gory deaths were disgusting to see and felt like
08:43they were 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 – The 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. Frank Miller's retelling of Robin's origin
09:06story completely butchered the likes of Batman, Robin, and other DC characters, and is an example of
09:12the writer's jaded sensibilities not always working in a world of heroes. The art by Jim Lee is reliably
09:18well-crafted and is often considered to be the saving grace of this comic. Beyond that, readers are,
09:23well, treated 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, it blatantly
09:33ignores the character's capacity for warmth and empathy. In addition to that, the treatment of a young
09:39Dick Grayson is disturbing to say the least, and strips Batman of whatever shreds of humanity he
09:43had left. His fellow heroes, especially Green Lantern, are seen as ineffectual and only serve
09:48to reinforce Batman's unstoppable persona. That said, Batman and Robin's takedown of Green Lantern
09:54is hilarious, and almost feels like a mockery of the zany silver age of comics.
09:581. Spider-Man – One More Day
10:01Following the game-changing events of Civil War, Spider-Man fans were curious to see where Marvel would
10:06take the beloved icon following the reveal of his secret identity to the world.
10:101. 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 Watson.
10:34While the story may be slightly lauded for emphasizing how Spider-Man's life is defined
10:39by sacrifice 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,
10:53and involving Mephisto in the ordeal removes his agency as a character. Ultimately, Peter Parker's
10:59past and future were disrespected 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 comment section
11:12below. As always I've been Jules, you can go follow me over on Twitter at RetroJButTheOIsAZero,
11:17and the same for Instagram, RetroJButTheOIsAZero. Hope to see you over there. As always I've been
11:22Jules, you have been awesome, never forget that, and I'll speak to you soon. Bye.
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