Avengers vs X-Men - Mobile Edition

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Avengers vs X-Men
By Dan Horn
December 8, 2011 - 15:11

Marvel Comics

Marvel events are always about the next big slugfest, crossing bullishly into the been-there-done-that territory of heroes against heroes. Some of us salivate over the promise of the next Marvel comic book event series, while others feel only a dutiful obligation to keep up with convoluted crossovers for the sake of staying in the continuity loop. Still, others wonder how they'll avoid the event altogether and how it will interfere with their favorite monthly Marvel titles.

This week Marvel unveiled its next main attraction for 2012: Avengers vs. X-Men. The impetus bringing these two super-teams to blows remains as of yet unclear. That's not the question that bothers me, however. Several new, and surprisingly well-written, X-titles followed the latest Marvel event, X-Men: Schism. How long can we expect to enjoy great content from Wolverine and the X-Men or the rebooted Uncanny X-Men before they're subjected to months of obligatory event tie-ins? Remember when, just this year, several new titles like Ghost Rider and Iron Man 2.0 debuted and were immediately hijacked by Fear Itself supplements? Titles with moderate sales that don't fit nicely into the Marvel event model, like X-23, Punisher Max, and Black Panther, get the axe prematurely, but even books that do sometimes find themselves canceled as well, and not without good reason.

When Ghost Rider #0.1 came out last year, there was a definite fan-base, and an excitement over the new direction. The reaction to this debut was overwhelmingly positive, which purported stronger sales for issue #1 the following month. However the first issues directly following that premiere were already emblazoned with Fear Itself banners and dealt with things that left even the staunchest Ghost Roadie feeling more than ambivalent toward the series. It was a disappointment. The disappointment had nothing to do with a female Ghost Rider, except in the case of closed-minded purists, and everything to do with inconvenient, boring event shilling. It's no surprise that Ghost Rider has received cancellation notice since, though it is lamentable that it never even got the chance to do its own thing.

Similarly Nick Spencer's Iron Man 2.0 is on life support after its first arc was interrupted mid-way to accommodate Fear Itself. Sure, Ghost Rider and Iron Man 2.0 may not cater to a demographic as large as those that series like Captain America and Amazing Spider-Man do, but there was an initial interest in those fringe mainstream titles that was substantial nonetheless. Sales figures for Ghost Rider rose considerably from an estimated 25000 units sold of #0.1 in June 2011 to 41300 units of #1 in July, making it the thirty-seventh highest grossing single issue of that month according to Diamond retailers. In August, once the reality of a Fear Itself overhaul set in, sales for Ghost Rider diminished drastically and immediately, though it retained a position in Diamond's top 100 comics for that month. Likewise, Iron Man 2.0's strong following began dwindling during Fear Itself tie-ins, and perhaps the reputation of writer Nick Spencer alone has kept the series afloat.

Series like Rick Remender's Uncanny X-Force, Mark Waid's Daredevil, and Greg Rucka's Punisher seem to prove my point: smart, entertaining, gorgeously illustrated, mostly self-contained stories that avoid crossover dilution and remain among Diamond's top sellers. With the advent of these newer, stronger titles, I assumed perhaps Marvel was seeing the light. Jason Aaron's recent premieres of Wolverine and the X-Men and Incredible Hulk were outperforming both Fear Itself and Schism in October, only being trumped by strong DC New 52 sales. Once the New 52 novelty fades and the market once again equilibrates between the Big Two publishers, one has to wonder, if every Marvel title was as worth its cover price as Uncanny X-Force or Wolverine and the X-Men, wouldn't the success of those books eclipse the singular appeal (and eventually the sales) of an event book?

Fear Itself has left a bad taste in the mouths of many of those who stuck with it as well. If the tepid events Dark Reign, Siege, and Secret Invasion hadn't made you absolutely loathe Marvel's "next big thing," Fear Itself was sure to. I have to wonder if another lackluster event/crossover might be the straw that breaks the camel's back. DC, for example has ostensibly done away with event series completely after Flashpoint, opting for a much more grabbing marketing ploy with the controversial reboot of their entire comics line. DC sales have since been record-setting. DC's proclaimed focus on quality and the historical allure of the reboot drew more attention than most "crises" and Flashpoint could have ever dreamed of.

Stick a fork in the event trend. Please.