Marvel caused a lot of, well, confusion this week as it announced its slate of crossover events for next summer. That's because all of them seem strangely familiar: apparently in 2015 readers can look forward to Secret Wars, Civil War, Years Of Future Past, Planet Hulk, and (worst of all) Age Of Ultron Vs Marvel Zombies. All of which are crossover events which they've published over the past few years well, Secret Wars and Days Of Future Past happened in the eighties, but everything else is fairly contemporary - which has lead fans to speculate that perhaps the foundations of the House Of Ideas are getting a little tired. Which they probably are, but readers were tired way earlier. It gets a little fatiguing to constantly have series interrupted by big "events" which ties all of them into one miniseries which always, without fail, claims to make huge, permanent changes to their fictional universes - but, as anyone still bothering to read DC's Future's End, will tell you isn't true. Thing is, event books sell; in fact, it's where publishers make their real money, like how film studios are sustained by blockbusters. Expect more such events or, even only events.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
