For quite some time, Marvel were considered the very best when it came to creating must-read comic books. Going by sales alone, perhaps they still are (though DC Comics and even Image manage to beat them some months thanks to the likes of Batman, Justice League, and The Walking Dead). On the other hand, there are some serious problems with the publisher which only their regular readers will be able to understand and relate to. Many of these issues appear to have arisen since Axel Alonso took over as Editor-in-Chief. Joe Quesada certainly lost a lot of fans due to his involvement in ending the marriage of Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson, but their different management styles have become apparent in recent years. Of course, you have to wonder just how much of a role Disney (who bought Marvel for a cool $4 billion) have played in some of these problems. The way certain characters are treated - the Fantastic Four and X-Men for example - apparently comes directly from Marvel boss Ike Perlmutter. The reclusive CEO is all about cutting costs, and several recent reports claimed that he demanded the cancellation of the Fantastic Four's comic book series ahead of the release of 20th Century Fox's new movie in a strange big to hurt the chances of the reboot's box office success. It's an odd strategy (surely the movie being a hit would increase comic book sales?), but one which simply highlight's one of the biggest problems with Marvel right now; they're all about making money fast! As a business, you can't fault them for that, but what does it ultimately mean for their longtime readers and the quality of the comic books they're putting on shelves? Based on the problems you'll find listed below, nothing good!
