12 Comments
User's avatar
Tom Grant's avatar

The problems you cite are also barriers to entry for new readers, or re-entry in cases like mine. Where do you begin? How do you get caught up on all these characters, enemies, and plots?

Exhausting your current readership, then having a high wall of continuity for new readers to climb, is not a great long-term strategy.

David Inguagiato's avatar

Absolutely. And I don’t think just slapping a # 1 on a “New Series” really solves it. There has to be more strategy to it.

Crumplepoint's avatar

Spot on mate. So many attempts to go back to a well that ran dry decades ago. Bunch of writers with no ideas and nothing to say.

C.J. Hudson's Warn Everyone!'s avatar

Good read. As a massive X-men fan myself, I found myself agreeing with you a lot!

Shane Elliott's avatar

The amount of X-titles is why I never got into the X-Men as a kid. It always felt too daunting, and I never knew where to start.

Jeremy Thomas's avatar

No notes. I say yes to all of your suggestions with Glee

Daniel Brown's avatar

I agree about there being too many books especially mini-series. One thing I have always enjoyed about the original Claremont run is that there were only a few people working on the titles so things could keep a consistency and focus. When it spreads out to 10 or more writers, the central narrative just disappears.

Biblio Baggins's avatar

You nailed it. Too many books, too many mutants, and no clear mission. I haven’t read the X-Men in years because of this. Plus, Magneto is a bad guy. He has a lot in common with Doom. There is this side of him that believes in the X-Men, but his ego gets in the way.

Finally, there’s no humor. The X-Men books are dark.

Adam Zsolnai's avatar

I agree with you on too many books. Even though I enjoyed the Krakoa era I felt there were too many books to keep track of.