Worst Comic Book Gimmicks

[skybolt]

I was wondering, over the years, which comic book gimmick really got under your skin and made you want quit reading comic books altogether.

 

Here are some off the top of my head:

 

1.) Overpriced enhanced covers - I must admit that during the 90's I fell for this tactic, and purchased many hologram, die-cut, chromium, foil, etc. covers for $3.95 each. This practice really dwindled my budget to a point where I couldn't buy regularly priced, well written, well drawn comic books. However, I must say that even though these books were overpriced, they are still eye appealing.

 

2.) Enhanced cleavage covers - I've recently started purchasing many good girl art covers (Kamen, Schomburg, etc.) from the golden age. I must say that those books are much more eye appealing than the garbage put out in the 90's (Glory, the chicks from Cyberforce, etc.). However, even though the stories are complete garbage, the books are still nice to look at.

 

3.) Multiple and Variant covers - This practice really got under my skin. If I didn't have all of the variant covers for Spider Man#1 or X-Men#1, then I felt like I was missing out. What a joke!

 

4.) Multi-Universes - I was completely and utterly confused by all the universes I was being fed every month. At least before it was only D.C. versus Marvel. Now I had to deal with the new Image, Valiant, Defiant, Ultraverse, and not to mention the many alternate X-Men and Onslaught universes. As a long time reader, I really felt betrayed when Spider-Man turned out to be a clone (for a short time), and Iron Man turned evil, and became a teenager (so they could compete with Gen-13 crowd over at Image -- give me a break).

 

5.) No. 1 Issues - Why oh why did marvel revert to #1 issues after reaching the 300's and 400's. This short term thinking really hurt the market and the long-term fan base. If you lose your core base by trying to attract new and young readers, then all is lost.

 

6.) Polybagged Books - Finally, the single thing that made me stop buying modern books back in 1997 were these polybagged books. Give me a break, isn't the main reason for purchasing new comic books is so they can be read?! I still have some polybagged books (such as Superman: The Man of Steel # 23) that haven't been opened yet. I guess I'm afraid to see what's inside.

 

Are there other gimmicks that got on your nerves?

[goldust40]

You've kind of anhologized 'em all pretty well.

 

Can't think of any other annoying gimmicks, apart from the potboiler maxiseries featuring every Marvel (it's nearly always Marvel) character with numerous crossover issues in regular titles that do little to enhance anything. These stories are drab and exposition heavy with virtually no characterization and would try even the most dedicated Zombie's patience. The art also nearly always looks rushed due to impossible deadlines - examples would be Infinity War, Infinity Crusade, Maximum Carnage (the worst), Zero Hour, etc.

 

Crisis was good though.

[OldGuy]

Any crossovers.

[sellinMyYouth]

All those multiple 4 or 8 or 122 part series I felt I had to own to complete my collection.

 

In the 90's Punisher had Warzone's and wolverines and POV and Blood lines... and invaading the nam, and his trip to disney land... look in the guide at all the oneshots and multipart series it is disgusting

 

Daredevil had the 4 or 5 part Man with out Fear, ten or eleven different Elecktras.. Root of Evils, Assasin, TPBs, and the special autographed TPB ( I have 3 of those somehow) Dont forget the Typhoid Marys

 

Venom had scores of 4 parters I think they are all worth about 2.50 in the guide today, great to know they matured that 25 cents.

 

That was not as bad as having to buy a half dozen different covers for the same darn cover... (didnt Xmen have a gatefold and covers a-e) or the gold foil cover

[Old_Skool]

 

You`ve summed up the worst of them. I think the over saturation of weak one-shots,special editions,so and so vs. so and so.etc.That sort of thing put a hurt on my budget too.As a hardcore Bats fan I thought I was missing out and just had to have e v e r y thing out there that featured the character.Most of it was utter dreck-both in story and art. I stopped doing the modern thing in `00 but am now slowly getting back into TPBs and really enjoying it!

[Sabertooth]

Good list. Here's my rant which might be a little controversial:

 

The worst gimmick is the complete trashing of the comics code and making the medium very unfriendly to kids.

 

In some ways the 70s was the best of all worlds. Lots of comics on the racks for kids in every drugstore, but still there were comic shops in college towns where there was a corner for 18 and up. Now many stores just throw all the new books onto a common counter. The comics industry is simply pillaging and strip-mining what the pioneers have created. Gay Northstar? Gay Kid Colt? Waspy Vag*na Voyages with Yellowjacket? Wertham was an overreaction, but so is that dreck in books that should by rights appeal to both kids and adults. Every year the average age of comic book readers goes up but the total number of readers is declining. That means less kids are getting into the medium and the hobby.

 

Yeah, yeah, part of the reason is that kids, especially teen boys, have other diversions like gaming and on-line porn. Society as a whole is less kid-friendly and comics reflect that to an extent, but the bottom line is that this industry and this hobby is in many ways cutting its own throat.

[Sabertooth]

5.) No. 1 Issues - Why oh why did marvel revert to #1 issues after reaching the 300's and 400's. This short term thinking really hurt the market and the long-term fan base. If you lose your core base by trying to attract new and young readers, then all is lost.

 

Every "jump on" point is a "jump off" point.

[goldust40]

Interesting points, but that isn't a gimmick, it's merely a sign of the times - comics have become much grimmer and more downbeat since the '80s, and less about suspending disbelief. Having gay or sexually overt characters in mainstream comics is mostly a reflection of the zeitgeist.

 

Although Northstar's coming out (Alpha Flight #106) was a cheesy, half-baked gimmick, to say the least - and a pretty dreadful comic that fudged a sensitive issue.

[Sabertooth]

Interesting points, but that isn't a gimmick, it's merely a sign of the times - comics have become much grimmer and more downbeat since the '80s, and less about suspending disbelief. Having gay or sexually overt characters in mainstream comics is mostly a reflection of the zeitgeist.

 

I doin't see why reflecting the zeitgeist, or some perception of it, is incompatible with gimmickry.

 

Darkening was a gimmick too. Within a decade of Legend of the Dark Knight both Hal Jordan and Tony Stark became mass murderers. WTF were they thinking?

[Kevin Boyd]

Gay Kid Colt?

 

I think you mean the Rawhide Kid.

[Kevin Boyd]

I was wondering, over the years, which comic book gimmick really got under your skin and made you want quit reading comic books altogether.

 

I have never wanted to quit reading comics altogether, so I guess that means none of them got under my skin.

[goldust40]

Darkening was a gimmick too. Within a decade of Legend of the Dark Knight both Hal Jordan and Tony Stark became mass murderers. WTF were they thinking?

 

Yeah, that thing with Hal Jordan was diabolical!

[Kevin Boyd]

In some ways the 70s was the best of all worlds. Lots of comics on the racks for kids in every drugstore, but still there were comic shops in college towns where there was a corner for 18 and up. Now many stores just throw all the new books onto a common counter. The comics industry is simply pillaging and strip-mining what the pioneers have created.

 

Ah, the 70's... what an idyllic time. A comic for every kid who wanted one, it was nirvana.

[FlamingCarrot]

How about killing a character to generate buzz, hype, bump in sales, etc. only to bring them back later?

[Kevin Boyd]

Darkening was a gimmick too. Within a decade of Legend of the Dark Knight both Hal Jordan and Tony Stark became mass murderers. WTF were they thinking?

 

I think you mean Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Legends of the Dark Knight told out of continuity Batman stories.

 

Actually, the trend at the time was to replace the older hero with a newer version, which means that something had to happen to the "old" version. Since comic writers are overwhelmingly original the heroes were either killed or went crazy.

 

Even the Spider-clone was a part of this. The writers wanted to kill off Peter Parker and introduce a new Spider-Man, but the problem with the core of Spider-Man is that Peter Parker IS Spider-Man and thus integral to the book... so they thought why not replace Peter Parker with... a different Peter Parker?

 

Iron Man/Tony Stark was unique in that he got injured, then replaced by another guy, came back only to go crazy and turn evil AND then he got replaced by another version of himself.

 

At least with GL, Flash, Thor, Captain America, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Hawkman, Robin (and so on...) they were replaced by OTHER people.

[goldust40]

Interesting points, but that isn't a gimmick, it's merely a sign of the times - comics have become much grimmer and more downbeat since the '80s, and less about suspending disbelief. Having gay or sexually overt characters in mainstream comics is mostly a reflection of the zeitgeist.

 

I doin't see why reflecting the zeitgeist, or some perception of it, is incompatible with gimmickry.

 

Darkening was a gimmick too. Within a decade of Legend of the Dark Knight both Hal Jordan and Tony Stark became mass murderers. WTF were they thinking?

 

I'd say what began as a cultural and artistic shift (step forward, Frank Miller) did gradually become a cynical marketing ploy - comics have become exploitative beyond their forbears' scope. In the case of GL and Tony Stark, you'd be right - two good characters were ruined to gain sales.

[Mister_Comics]

BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #1. Four different color variations of the same book for no other reason then to make more $$$. Didn't they think the new series would sell?

[goldust40]

How about killing a character to generate buzz, hype, bump in sales, etc. only to bring them back later?

 

Ah, the 70's... what an idyllic time. A comic for every kid who wanted one, it was nirvana.

 

Nirvana it may have been, but don't let rose -tinted nostalgia cause you to forget the events of Spidey 121 - 150. No that they were bad comics (they were great) but Gwen Stacy's death was a big event, and her return a bit of a fiasco.

[Aces]

Clones!

 

I thought you meant story gimmicks...

[Kevin Boyd]

Nirvana it may have been, but don't let rose -tinted nostalgia cause you to forget the events of Spidey 121 - 150. No that they were bad comics (they were great) but Gwen Stacy's death was a big event, and her return a bit of a fiasco.

 

Damn you Gerry Conway! Damn you to hell!

 

No, really, my 70's quote was meant to be somewhat sarcastic. Comics are comics, you have good ones, you have bad ones. Sometimes you have a lot of bad ones...