8 Most Ridiculous Comic Book Gimmicks

The term Collectors Item is used liberally when it comes to the first issue in a series. It's a sign for readers that this is the ground floor and a good place to grab a comic as it's the beginning of something new. More realistically, a first issue is almost always just the start of a new arc for a long running character.

For years, Marvel and DC had series running for hundreds of issues. These days, most are lucky to make it further than 20 issues before going back to that coveted #1. This trend of constantly rebooting and rebranding has recently reached a new level of insanity.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl was rebooted in 2015 after only 8 issues. The cover of the new #1 jokingly boasts “Only Our Second #1 This Year.” Pointing out the absurd nature of constant reboots doesn’t actually make it any better.