Alright you voracious viewers, you! This week we’ve got a special edition Multiversity 101 for you. Last week saw the release of new chapters of both Marvel’s latest “Earth Shattering Event” Fear Itself and DC’s current blockbuster that promises to “change everything forever,” Flashpoint (although this time they might not be lying). As we usually do around the Multiversity “Offices”, we all bickered about the recent developments and compared the two books until our faces turned blue. Eventually, David and I realized there was enough meat on this debate to justify a tag-team 101 this week. So click on down for our talk back on these two events that have now both passed their half way points.
*NOTE: Article contains MAJOR spoilers for Fear Itself #4 and Flashpoint #3
Joshua Mocle: So David, how bout them events?
David Harper: Well, with both of them at the half, I have to say…so what? Of the two, I think much more interesting things are happening in Flashpoint, but realistically it is a battle of attrition at this point. What about you?
JM: As a general rule, I’ll say Flashpoint has me more engaged since I wasn’t expecting anything from it at all whereas Fear Itself has me actively disappointed for a myriad of reasons that we’ll get to later. First thing’s first though, we’ve both been reading comics for quite a while and have seen more than a few “event” books come and go. I remember a time when I was actively excited for these things, mostly since it was one of the few times more than one or two books I liked would all interact with each other. Can you pinpoint any ways that your stance on events may have shifted over the last few years?
DH: Well, actually, I think its funny that you mention it because I was wondering whether or not its my perspective that robs these titles of any power. Growing up, when things like Age of Apocalypse came out, it absolutely felt like “THE X-MEN WILL NEVER BE THE SAME!” And they weren’t for that whole time, and afterwards there were all kinds of cool changes to the universe and new characters to enjoy (NATE GREY!). These days, to me it feels like events aren’t really designed as stories as much as they are status quo delivery devices.
JM: Really good point, I think our elder status actually does impact our view of the books. I mean, how many times can we be told everything will change only to have it shift back before we just stop believing it? I think DC these last few years was on to something with their embracing of past continuity and storylines because ultimately comics will shift back to what people know anyway. Of course they’ve screwed the pooch on that now, but I approved for a while.
DH: I think the thing that really pulls me away from these events sometimes is how selective the companies are with their tie-ins. Like Flashpoint has all of those tie-ins, including that Hal Jordan one, but they still have the Green Lantern books coming out at the same time. If you’re going for a narrative in which the whole of a universe is moved to some alternate reality (like Flashpoint and Age of Apocalypse), it seems to rob the story of some power when only part of the affected world is tied in. It removes the fictional reality from the story. That’s the main thing that bothers me about Flashpoint, and the fact that really, it feels kind of pointless and like it is designed to create this new relaunch reality with no real logical explanation as to why or how it happened.
JM: Frankly, I’ve already given up on the idea that Flashpoint will actually explain the relaunch and have just accepted it as an eventuality. Taking it for what it is, I’d rather DC tie up their books well before relaunching them rather than explaining why the relaunch is happening. Although I may be alone in that.
Continued belowDH: Agreed.
JM: Are there any events that stand out to you in particular? Either due to personal affinity or industry impact?
DH: Events that stand out…obviously I keep mentioning Age of Apocalypse, but there is a decent chance that is nostalgia getting the better of me (but in my mind it is AMAZING!). As for the best of the best, I think the Sinestro Corps War and Annihilation are the two absolute best. Two reasons mostly: they both told stories that fit together in a logical fashion (Sinestro Corps was alternating issues of GL and GLC, Annihilation was prelude minis and one main series) and they both dramatically impacted the composition of their respective parts of the world afterwards. Well, that and they were fantastic stories. Those two are the way events should be told. What about you?
JM: For my money, the last event I was REALLY excited for and universally pleased with the outcome of was Civil War. It was such a legitimately fresh take on the idea of super heroes living in a world rules by governmental policy. I mean, essentially turning Dr. Strange into a radical militant by default for a few years is decently inspired storytelling that I can TOTALLY buy given how things function in the real world. But maybe that’s just because I’m a bleeding heart leftie.
DH: Yeah, I can dig that for sure. And I think another interesting thing it did was really kick off the momentum of stories that have progressed for the past few years at Marvel. I mean, you can root those all back to Avengers Disassembled, but I think Civil War was the moment where it all got moving forward a lot more quickly. So here’s a question for you: what is working in Fear Itself?
JM: God, so very little I’m afraid. Well, Immonen’s art is bloody fantastic.
DH: Damn straight it is. He has killed every issue.
JM: As far as story is concerned though, I think my main issue is that Fraction seems to be putting in way too much and not really going into any real depth with it. The biggest negative result of this is that I just don’t buy the threat. Yeah, The Serpent built a few nazi bots and killed Bucky and brainwashed and transformed a few heroes and villains but it just happened so quickly and with so little explanation that I just do not buy it as a legitimate threat. At least not yet, and that fact is dragging the story way down. In short: too much flash, not enough substance.Which is also REALLY out of character for Fraction, and might bother me more.
DH: Agreed on that. My other major problem with the story is that it seems like it is suffering from one consistent problem with Fraction: his love of decompressed storytelling. It’s like we’ve had four issues of nothing happening and a lot happening at the same time. I feel nothing from a book that just goes on and on but never actually develops or does anything of true value. It’s like they just said “here is a bad guy, and he is really bad. Sort this out.” and Fraction is just taking us through the motions. Bucky dying (again) should have been a huge deal. Instead it just had a lot of people wondering if he was actually dead and why he died and what the hell is going on? It’s wasteful storytelling.
JM: Speaking of wasteful storytelling, how about Tony making love to that bottle? I saw that and my feelings were definitely split. On the one hand, I feel like there are some great stories to be told circling around Tony’s relapse, but on the other hand I feel the event itself was given zero reverence. It came and went over the course of a page, seemingly out of nowhere. After all the recent years stories (particularly Civil War: The Confession) that indicated how strong Tony’s dedication to staying clean was, it seemed like the move happening NOW for THIS reason just wasn’t worth it.
DH: Especially how Odin has never exactly seemed the type that required some sort of sacrifice to speak to him. It just felt like this moment that was in there because it was SUPPOSED to be powerful, but the execution of it made it just seem like this quick throwaway moment as well as a rather illogical one from a guy who fancies himself as the smartest guy around. None of it really made sense in terms of the context of the story, the characters involved and really, of Fraction himself. I have to say, the weird thing about Fear Itself isn’t that I hate it. I don’t hate it at all. I just feel nothing from it. Reading it feels like reading any comic that I have absolutely no tie to. And that is something I should never feel while reading an event book.
JM: EXACTLY. There’s an old saying that states that the opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s indifference. I am completely indifferent towards this book, and THAT is whats pissing me off. I feel like I SHOULD care about this book, but I just CAN’T. Anyhow, let’s leave poor Fear Itself alone and move onto Flashpoint.
DH: Sounds good.
JM: I think it’s safe to say that this is DC’s biggest event in some time in terms of sheer volume. You’ve put some objections to the amount of tie-ins on the table, would you care to elaborate on that?
DH: I have no objections to the amount, my objection is that if you’re going to throw the DCU into an alternate universe you can’t just be like “oh, by the way, the Green Lantern books don’t count. Nor does Batman, Inc. And you know, whatever books also don’t feel like coming.” You can’t be selective in how it affects things, otherwise it just distances the reader from this new reality they are trying to create.
JM: True enough. Taking the ongoing existence of the “normal” DCU out of the equation, why do you think DC is taking such a huge approach with this one? Over fifteen three part tie-ins to a five issue mini-series? I don’t believe that can be defined as anything less than immensely excessive. I mean, obviously some of these books are lead-ins to/test drives for some of the DCnU books, but the rest?
DH: I have no clue. To be honest, I am not reading any of them. The only books I am reading related to either event are the main stories. If I had to guess, some of them are specifically to set up new titles, and some of them are to make money off the poor saps who buy anything related to an event. What’s your take?
JM: My take is, let’s say wildly divergent from my stances and more importantly buying habits of the last few years: I bought the first issues of all but one of the minis and one of the one-shots as well.
DH: So you are one of the poor saps!
JM: Traditionally no, but for this one yes and I’m still not 100% sure why yet. Though I do have a few theories. Take Citizen Cold for example.
DH: Yeah?
JM: Three issues, written and drawn by a creator I know does good work starring characters I enjoy and know for a fact he can write well. I am pretty much guaranteed a beginning, middle AND end to this story because the timeline is going bye bye. Taking those two factors into account, I am ensured a quality story that will not, in theory, leave me wondering or shortchanged once it ends. How many comics actually do that these days?
DH: Not many. That’s for sure. But I have to say, the amount of known, quality creators working on Flashpoint tie-ins is small.
JM: Oh of course. I found that out the hard way. I’ll be writing letters asking for my money back for Legion of Doom until the day I die, but of that first round of tie-ins I found a lot to like, particularly Frankenstein, The Outsider, Project Superman, Kid Flash Lost, Deathstroke and the aforementioned Citizen Cold. Plus the anomaly that is a well written JT Krul book in Deadman and Flying Graysons. Leaving the extended universe of the book aside though, what are your thoughts on the main story?
Continued belowDH: I think Flashpoint reads like the world’s most highly printed and read Fan Fiction ever. With all of the positives and negatives that comes with, and to a certain degree, it fits the weird direction Geoff Johns has headed in his career.
I mean, if you read on the internet that some guy wrote an alternate universe DC story where Aquaman is an Emperor who took out Europe and Wonder Woman and the Amazons took out the UK, and the only person who could stand up against it was a reality displaced Barry Allen and CYBORG, wouldn’t you be like, “hmm…that could be fun.” But at the same time be thinking “that just sounds pointless and stupid.” There are a ton of great ideas that are fun to read in Flashpoint. But as a coherent narrative that is actually going somewhere, it’s a bit lacking. Just like fan fiction always is.
JM: I see what you’re saying, last issue had one GIANT silly bit in the whole “Barry you done got yourself burned up, you ain’t gettin yo powers back” “NAH BRAH LEMME TRY THE EXACT SAME THING AGAIN, I GOT THIS” situation.
DH: I know! I love how throughout his history they’ve always been like “Barry Allen got his powers from a one in a trillion chance accident.” And then he straps himself into a seat and is like “The second time is definitely going to work…bring on the lightning!”
JM: I mean, he wasn’t wrong. I’m not sure HOW he wasn’t wrong (well, yes I do, because the story clearly needed him powered in order to move forward), but he wasn’t wrong. I think you hit on a good word before though: fun. Will this book matter in a few years? Unlikely. But for all intents and purposes, the ride has been fun so far, despite some silly storytelling gaffs.
DH: Hell yeah. It’s super fun. I actually really enjoy it.
JM: And I think there is value to that.
DH: There is! I get real emotion from it! I like my experience of reading it! It’s basically a tangentially connected What If? And who doesn’t love What If?
JM: No one, that’s who. In any event, I want wrap up with one final idea/challenge. We mentioned this a few times now, but it’s time to hammer the nail on the head: I think that the career trajectories of Johns and Fraction prior to these two events are ultimately impacting my reading of them in very active ways.
In other words, Geoff Johns has been on a steady decline in my mind since about half way through Blackest Night, which effectively made my expectations for Flashpoint plummet to the point that I can actually enjoy it for the story that it is. If Johns went right from Infinite Crisis to Flashpoint, I’d be PISSED. However, Fraction went from a fantastic run on Iron Man, an alright X-Men run, a so-so Thor run and Casa-fuckin-nova to the mess that is Fear Itself. Not so much a steady decline as falling off the damn waterfall. So I guess my question now is: how much are your preconceived notions about the creative teams impacting your reading of these books?
DH: I don’t think they are at all personally. I actually think Fraction is pretty up and down as a creator, and I think Fear Itself highlights all of my typical problems I have with him, particularly the elongated narratives with very little happening because of his writing style. The thing that is really saving the book for me is that Stuart Immonen is exactly who I thought he was – an incredible artist who can do anything from the smallest indie (Moving Pictures with his wife Kathryn) to the biggest event comic.
As for Johns, I was down on him too, but I have to say this fits what I’ve always liked about him – his passion for comics and his inherent understanding of being a fan. Sure, it isn’t a masterpiece, but most of his best stuff isn’t. It’s just fun and highlights the best of the characters that we love. Andy Kubert used to be my favorite artist, isn’t by any means any more, but he’s doing a fine job on Flashpoint. I think all of these creators are fitting in line with what they really are.
Continued belowI think the problem doesn’t lie in them but in fit. Fraction isn’t an event writer. It just isn’t his style.
JM: I’m inclined to agree.
So there you have it kiddies, two events, two opinions, a couple severe burns and one relapsed drunk. Stay tuned to Multiversity as we track the final acts of these two monsters (including all that “The Mighty” silliness) and spare no one our incessant prattle about them. Hey, you read this far, you take it and like it!
