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It Looks as If We Are Saying Goodbye to Marvel's Retro Ads…

Published Wed, 18 Apr 2018 05:15:35 -0500

Last updated Wed, 18 Apr 2018 05:26:30 -0500

We have enjoyed covering Marvel Comics' Retro Ads of late, that came in with the launch of Marvel Legacy last year under Axel Alonso. But we know that they take time to create, multiple art sources, design, a lot of lettering choices, even some creative writing, when you could just slap on a cover, a date and a logline if you are lucky.

But they really did seem to create a coherent sense of a publisher voice together and it's a shame that they appear to be fading away. You can look back at some examples here.

As for today's little lot…

New Beginnings, new creative teams, boring adverts.

New artist, new starting point, these are features not benefits.

Okay, a slight amount of play with the form but they have done so much better.

Four covers. We are told they are thrilling. But do we believe it?

I mean… slightly, but they have done so much better in recent months.

Well they have at least not gone for the grid. A little more fun, excitement and community spirit. But the best is probably…

Using the Daily Bugle to headline your comic, keeping the theme running through one comic to the other, and having a modicum of fun at least. And a feeling that maybe, just maybe, there's a Marvel universe going on to which these comic books connect and might draw you in from the very different Marvel comic book you are reading now.

We won't see their like again.

Also, put them in the digital editions you fools, it's all part of the experience. You know it makes sense.

Marvel Legacy was announced by Marvel Comics at C2E2 last year. The goal of the Legacy initiative was to bring a greater focus to Marvel's core superheroes, unlike recent relaunches such as Marvel NOW! which gave prominence to newer and younger heroes. Marvel CCO Joe Quesada stated that company was embracing their roots with the creation of this new comic book line. Then-EIC Axel Alonso noted that the relaunch was about reminding readers of the company's rich history by highlighting the connections between characters and reintroducing some iconic characters.

Following the release of Marvel Legacy #1, many Marvel comic series reverted to their classic cumulative numbering system. For their relaunching series, Marvel created a new and consistent cover design that aimed to recapture their work from the 1980s and 1990s. Marvel has released limited quantities of lenticular covers for their Marvel Legacy titles that pay homage to older covers, though there has been some controversy over how these were allocated and the lenticular quality. They also reintroduced elements such as the Marvel Value Stamp—a collectable clip-and-save program—and the self-published fanzine FOOM. Marvel also included three-page primer stories in select Legacy titles to provide background information on their characters for new readers, written by Robbie Thompson and mostly illustrated by Mark Bagley.

But now their eye is on Fresh Start…

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