In comics right now I see another bland standard. What's truly sad is DC comic's Justice League of America. With Hal Jordan back, and the Flash, and Batman you'd think the current Justice League would have the power it needs to be a major force and one of the biggest titles in DC Comics. Exceptional writing and stories about threats so huge and insane battles that you'd sit on edge reading. It isn't. Instead you have nobodies dominating a team that should have the most popular characters having the greatest most epic fights. Instead you have a Albino Gorilla Man and a guy with a diamond/emerald in his chest. Who cares?
Who are these people? That's not the right Batman.
So whers' the current Justice League? I follow many of the different titles or just read about them online. Batman is waisting his time on building a super hero empire, while Superman is walking around feeling bad, Hal Jordan is dealing with Krona and the ring entities, Green Arrow is a jerk who kills now. Martian Manhunter has to deal with his evil Black Lantern self. Wonder Woman's alone again. Yet, even then when a worldwide threat is happening they should get off their asses and come together.
The Bruce Wayne story arc and the Green Lantern arc are great writing and shouldn't impare those characters to be part of the JLA. Superman and Green Arrow are a whole other case that causes way too many problems. Superman's arc was so bad the writer Micheal J. Starzkin gave up, which is pathetic as a writer. He just gave up on what he was writing and he's a professional? He came up with it and didn't fully plan it out, cripes. The only good thing of Superman's Walk arc is that Lex Luthor gets top billing in Action Comics and Jimmy Olsen has short stories in the back, but fun and well written stories in the back. Except both could have been miniseries, actually Jimmy Olsen is getting one becuase of that. Then you have Green Arrow out for being a killer which is a no for the DC superheroes.
I believe Wizard has said it before, but putting your best writer on your biggest team with the most popular characters works. Also terrifying news to see them go, but they didn't stay with the times. They had no website or facebook that gave up to date information. I hated visiting their site. Also over the years their format changed and became wasteful, with hardly any content just pictures.
Marvel is the reverse of DC investing heavily into the Avengers. The put so much into the Avengers that there are three teams currently and not one of them is the West Coast, I guess they hate LA in Marvel Universe. Not only does this make continuity horrendously annoying it makes it convoluted. Three functioning Avengers teams, are you kidding? The Real Avengers, The New Avengers, and The Secret Avengers. If you want to get technical you have the Ultimates and the Ultimate Avengers. Then there are just the random Avenger titles.
Too many titles, too many heroes. What I do like about Ultimate Universe is they release the Ultimates in miniseries. They have short stories planned. I would want miniseries instead of comics that lead nowhere. If writers don't have something planned or don't have a story arc then let the title sit until you do. I think that's how the format should be from now on.
Too many Batman titles, too many universes. They two major labels also need to condense the universes. Batman has his name on too many titles as do other heroes. It's just to many. I understand having two titles so there can be more stories about you favorite characters, but when you don't have good writers or artists, just let the title sit. Maybe take that miniseries you thought was good and put it into that title.
That's another thing about the miniseries though, is it important or worth it as a miniseries? Batman Orphans isn't. Marvel and DC shouldn't green light things unless fans asked for it. Give people chances in one shots or stories at the end of popular titles. Don't just let anything get made. X-Men titles might be the biggest to blame with well over 5 different miniseries at a time.
The main problem however is tie-ins. If this extra story wasn't worth putting into the book, was it worth it? No, unless fans plead for it, it is a waste of time. So many stupid tie-ins with no value. I just read, (uhhh) Dead Avengers a tie-in of the awful Chaos War mini series. Both of those don't need to exist.
Condense your universe into one Marvel. If you like Ultimate Universe Joe Quesda for being new.
Make the regular Marvel Universe reflect that. Get the writers and artist you like in Ultimate Universe. I understand you started over in Ultimate Universe, but regular Marvel universe restarted Thor, Spider-Man, Captain America. DC condenses your titles. At least both of you realized your pricing stunk.
