Columns 

Fund It!: The Weekly 616

By | May 18th, 2011
Posted in Columns | % Comments


When comic fans discuss impressive landmarks in the past decade or so of the medium, one of the first things to be mentioned is DC’s 52. Even with four of DC’s best writers, skepticism ran high regarding whether or not a weekly ongoing series could succeed. It passed with flying colors, though, and serves as a great example of what can be done when the industry stretches their boundaries. Marvel has had similar projects, from the thrice-a-month Brand New Day to the weekly miniseries One Month to Live, but we have yet to see a full-fledged weekly ongoing series from the House of Ideas. Follow the cut to find out why I think Marvel should launch such a project, and who should be attached.

Even though the Marvel Universe’s entrance into the Heroic Age a year or so ago was supposed to mark a return to form after a good few years of status quo upheaval, the 616 is still littered with land mines of confusing continuity that can be jarring not just to new readers, but to long time fans that don’t bother keeping up with every single book that Marvel puts out. While it is (or, at least, should be) the duty of the writer of every writer and of editorial to make sure that each book avoids that muck of continuity strangulation, every now and then other steps must be taken. Marvel’s recent Point One initiative is a good and recent example of Marvel taking extra measures to bring in new readers, but those Point One issues just introduces them to a small part of the whole. Why not go for the whole thing?

What made 52 so good was how Waid, Morrison, Rucka and Johns made it a series about the DC Universe as a whole. We readers weren’t just restricted to the grimy alleys of Gotham City, nor were we only shown a city skyline from a flying-man’s-eye-view. Instead, the all-star writing team gave the readers a true DC Universe story, not only bringing us to different locations, but also by showing us how these locations and their inhabitants were linked as residents in the same crazy world. The whole spectrum of DC’s many different kinds of heroes was scanned, resulting in a story that embraced everything that made the DCU what it was (and still is).

If DC can do this, then why can’t Marvel? While I enjoy both settings equally, I have always felt that the Marvel Universe as a whole has always seemed a bit more connected than the DCU. Perhaps that’s because everyone is in New York, but that’s besides the point. Not counting Marvel Cosmic, which is a beast unto itself, the biggest divide seems to be between the X-books and the more “regular” superheroes, and even that line is blurred. Characters from extremely different backgrounds have close ties with one another, and that’s what truly makes a shared universe like the 616 special.

So, no, I’m not just saying “52 was awesome, Marvel should do something like that!” – though I would be lying if I said that this Fund It! didn’t start with that basic idea at heart. I would want this to be an exploration of the strange place that is the 616, examining the relationship between groups such as the X-Men and the Avengers, considering how someone who has no superpowers beyond radar sense can have the same effect on the world as a literal god of thunder, and all in all presenting the kind of odyssey that could only be told in the Marvel Universe. The goal should be to draw on the vast history of the Marvel Comics in a way that is easily accessible, thrilling new readers while informing them enough to jump into other comics upon the series’ conclusion, and delighting already devoted fans by respecting the intertwining backgrounds of these many characters.

Who, then, am I condemning (hypothetically, of course) to work on what would probably be their most demanding deadline ever taken? And, just to make it more fun, I won’t consider any of the Marvel “Architects.” The first of my team of four – because, if I’m ripping off 52, I might as well go all the way – would have to be Fred Van Lente. Van Lente is a favorite writer of mine, and he has experience working in this sort of team environment due to his involvement with Brand New Day. His experience spans nearly the whole Marvel Universe, and he always is able to put a different spin on those characters that have been around for years and years. Similarly, Dan Slott – another Brand New Day veteran – typically brings a fun, 60s Marvel flair to his otherwise modern writing, and could really be a massive help in making the book seem distinctly Marvel. Unfortunately, in order to do something like this, he would have to drop Amazing Spider-Man, and I’d hate to see that – and I think Slott would hate it even more. Still, as always, we’re dealing with hypotheticals, so we can also pretend that he would be able to pull off both at once. And while we’re talking Slott, let’s add Christos Gage. The year or so when the two co-wrote Avengers: The Initiative was easily the book’s best year, and I’d love to see them work together again. Gage is a creator who doesn’t get as much recognition as he deserves, despite the fact that he keeps finding ways to keep the various superhero books that he is assigned fresh and exciting. And, to top it off, I’d like to suggest Jeff Parker. Within just the past couple of years, he’s taken casts of characters such as the Agents of Atlas and the Thunderbolts in new directions, and was even able to salvage the awful idea that was the Red Hulk. I can only imagine what great things he would be able to contribute to a Marvel Universe book. Of course, there’s also the matter of artists, but that would be a very, very long list in order to keep up with the weekly deadline.

Okay. Van Lente, Slott, Gage and Parker. It’s too bad that this comic has only, say, a 1% chance of ever happening, and an even slimmer chance of having that line up, because I’ve gotten myself incredibly excited for something that isn’t going to be published. Ah well, it’s fun to dream, isn’t it? I can only imagine how well these four would be able to put together a massive story that would explore every corner of the Marvel Universe, and I guess I will have to settle for imagining. As for you readers: who would you assign a weekly Marvel book to? Do you have a different idea for how it would work? Leave your thoughts in the comments!


//TAGS | Fund It

Walt Richardson

Walt is a former editor for Multiversity Comics and current podcaster/ne'er-do-well. Follow him on Twitter @goodbyetoashoe... if you dare!

EMAIL | ARTICLES


  • Columns
    Fund It!: The History of the DCnU

    By | Jul 20, 2011 | Columns

    I have a strange relationship with continuity. Primarily, I prefer for stories to be stand-alone enough that if you pick up a series from #1, you’ll have all that you need. However, if a setting has extensive continuity, I do like for it to match up well enough that you can form a reading order […]

    MORE »
    Columns
    Fund It!: The Illuminati

    By | Jul 13, 2011 | Columns

    I may be in the minority, but I love Marvel’s Illuminati. There’s something that I find cool about a group of Marvel’s best running things behind the scenes. That being said, the group has never really reached the heights that I can see them getting to. You know who could bring them there, though? Jonathan […]

    MORE »

    -->