JxXxR
02-23-2011, 07:57 PM
Fear Itself and Blackest Night, A Saving Grace
A non-mainstream hero has his mythology expanded upon as an ancient enemy unleashes variants of the hero's signature weapon. No, this is not DC's hugely successful blockbuster Blackest Night, it is Marvel's upcoming event called Fear Itself.
DC (more specfically Geoff Johns) took Green Lantern and created a total of eight new Lantern Corps and wove a Lord of the Rings-esque mythology around the character, who beforehand was largely unknown to the general public. Now with his increased popularity and visibility, the Green Lantern has a movie to out this summer, as well as a few new books being added to his line (Emerald Warriors and Red Lantern Corps).
Marvel is clearly aiming to mimic that forumla for success. Usually big cross-over events involve all of the most popular characters gathering for an epic-scale battle, but after Johns wrote an event starring a B-list character who earned A-list dollars, that formula looks to be getting a change.
As can be understood from the initial press releases teasing the story, the God of Fear has been unleashed and his awakening has uncovered seven magical hammers on Earth, all of which must be weilded by someone who is deemed "worthy." And in the center of all this craziness is Thor. The story has taken obvious cues from Blackest Night. It's clear they replaced Nekron with the God of Fear, the rings with hammers, and Green Lantern with Thor. To even go one further, all of the Black Lanterns made every character confront their most tortured memories of those they lost. Marvel is taking a direct, more obvious route by making each character confront what they personally fear the most.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ocDdea9nddE/TWVDp6jbKII/AAAAAAAAAAU/66kkgUWtIzY/s1600/phobos.jpg
The God of Fear and Nekon. Notice any similarities?
Marvel and DC imitating each other is nothing new, but what is more notable is the character-centric formula. For years fans have complained about "event fatigue" with one big battle coming after another and all claiming to have the same high stakes that will change the universe, but usually in their execution manage to fall flat (Secret Invasion, Final Crisis). Changing the scope of the story to focus and expand upon one single character instead of having a large mass of costumed heroes all clamoring for a moment in the spotlight allows for a more nuanced and heartfelt story. Just think of the wildly popular TV show Lost. Each episode focused on a single character, all the while expanding on the mysteries of the island. If "emotions" and "feelings" feel like strange words to describe a huge comic book even involving super heroes and villains fighting each other, then you are not alone. But it is that unique aspect - causing readers to "feel" instead of become over-stimulated by action sequences - that might be the saving grave of event books.
If Marvel can do what Lost and Blackest Night did, and that is introduce some fresh mythology for Thor and keep the story grounded on his character, then fans might be in for a treat when Fear Itself hits shelves. If anything, a change in the format of events is most definitely welcome.
And I will be damned if everyone who picks up a hammer doesn't wind up in a Thor-inspired costume just like a selection of fan-favorites all got a Lantern outfit.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MoLmpGyUI6Y/TWVMwkQTbCI/AAAAAAAAAA8/TKP0rMmpNxU/s1600/thumbnailCACFM0P9.jpg
Storm would look good in Thor's helmet, right?
One of these things is just like the other.
A non-mainstream hero has his mythology expanded upon as an ancient enemy unleashes variants of the hero's signature weapon. No, this is not DC's hugely successful blockbuster Blackest Night, it is Marvel's upcoming event called Fear Itself.
DC (more specfically Geoff Johns) took Green Lantern and created a total of eight new Lantern Corps and wove a Lord of the Rings-esque mythology around the character, who beforehand was largely unknown to the general public. Now with his increased popularity and visibility, the Green Lantern has a movie to out this summer, as well as a few new books being added to his line (Emerald Warriors and Red Lantern Corps).
Marvel is clearly aiming to mimic that forumla for success. Usually big cross-over events involve all of the most popular characters gathering for an epic-scale battle, but after Johns wrote an event starring a B-list character who earned A-list dollars, that formula looks to be getting a change.
As can be understood from the initial press releases teasing the story, the God of Fear has been unleashed and his awakening has uncovered seven magical hammers on Earth, all of which must be weilded by someone who is deemed "worthy." And in the center of all this craziness is Thor. The story has taken obvious cues from Blackest Night. It's clear they replaced Nekron with the God of Fear, the rings with hammers, and Green Lantern with Thor. To even go one further, all of the Black Lanterns made every character confront their most tortured memories of those they lost. Marvel is taking a direct, more obvious route by making each character confront what they personally fear the most.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ocDdea9nddE/TWVDp6jbKII/AAAAAAAAAAU/66kkgUWtIzY/s1600/phobos.jpg
The God of Fear and Nekon. Notice any similarities?
Marvel and DC imitating each other is nothing new, but what is more notable is the character-centric formula. For years fans have complained about "event fatigue" with one big battle coming after another and all claiming to have the same high stakes that will change the universe, but usually in their execution manage to fall flat (Secret Invasion, Final Crisis). Changing the scope of the story to focus and expand upon one single character instead of having a large mass of costumed heroes all clamoring for a moment in the spotlight allows for a more nuanced and heartfelt story. Just think of the wildly popular TV show Lost. Each episode focused on a single character, all the while expanding on the mysteries of the island. If "emotions" and "feelings" feel like strange words to describe a huge comic book even involving super heroes and villains fighting each other, then you are not alone. But it is that unique aspect - causing readers to "feel" instead of become over-stimulated by action sequences - that might be the saving grave of event books.
If Marvel can do what Lost and Blackest Night did, and that is introduce some fresh mythology for Thor and keep the story grounded on his character, then fans might be in for a treat when Fear Itself hits shelves. If anything, a change in the format of events is most definitely welcome.
And I will be damned if everyone who picks up a hammer doesn't wind up in a Thor-inspired costume just like a selection of fan-favorites all got a Lantern outfit.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MoLmpGyUI6Y/TWVMwkQTbCI/AAAAAAAAAA8/TKP0rMmpNxU/s1600/thumbnailCACFM0P9.jpg
Storm would look good in Thor's helmet, right?
One of these things is just like the other.