Marvel Legacy is the publisher’s latest relaunch, an attempt to course correct by embracing its most beloved classic elements. Borrowing a move from DC Rebirth, Marvel showed how they’re going to do that with an oversized one-shot, Marvel Legacy #1 by Jason Aaron, Esad Ribic and various artists, that set up several exciting plot lines. However, Marvel has already missed a huge opportunity.
Warning: beware of spoilers for Marvel Legacy #1!
The big events in the one-shot included the debut of a new Avengers team from 1,000,000 B.C., a glimpse of the children of Fantastic Four’s Reed and Sue Richards after a long absence, and the return of Wolverine from the dead, but here's the thing: this all happened two months ago and there are still no comics to buy that immediately follow up on any of it.
Marvel doubtless put a lot of time and energy into the Marvel Legacy one-shot. It’s the keystone for an entire relaunch, after all. It succeeded in telling a vast yet personal story that warms your little nerd heart, but ultimately it exists to compel readers to buy more Marvel comics, and that’s where it stumbles. The main threads of the story concern the Avengers 1,000,000 B.C., the Richards kids, and Wolverine. Most other characters only appears for a page or two. Yet this is what you see when you reach the end of the issue:
There are 12 comics advertised, all crowded onto a two-page spread with a bit of text as to what each series is about. Captain America Steve Rogers only appeared on one page in the one-shot, yet his comic series is the first recommended to readers. The Avengers and the Champions seem to be in quite the pickle, but that wasn’t set up in the story. Neither was Klaw, who is going head-to-head with Black Panther; what about the Wakandan space stuff? There are two X-Men comics advertised, but neither feature the returned Wolverine. The reveal of the Richards kids is the final twist at the end of the one-shot, but nothing points out that Marvel Two-In-One is probably where we’ll see them next.
There’s a major disconnect between the story of Marvel Legacy and these follow-ups. Where's the logic behind promoting these books? Not that I want to turn this into a Marvel vs. DC argument, but at least DC Rebirth’s post-story ads were full-page covers, the first of which told you where you can find Wally West, the fan-favorite character who returned in DC Universe: Rebirth #1.
Not all of DC’s ads had clear links to the events of the one-shot, mind you, but DC at least capitalized on the long-awaited, emotional return of one of its most beloved legacy characters. It makes you wonder why Marvel didn’t have a series lined up for Wolverine, who has been dead for years. Maybe it’s because there are already three other versions of Wolverine running around the Marvel Universe. What’s the big deal about one more?
But that doesn’t explain why they didn’t reveal the comic where the Avengers 1,000,000 B.C. will be seen again, either. That team was the focus of Marvel’s heavy promotional campaign for the one-shot and played a key role in the story, yet there’s not a series where you can read their next adventure. Given that Odin wielding Mjolnir, Ghost Rider riding a fiery undead wooly mammoth, and the rest were so well-received by fans, it’s baffling why Marvel didn’t have a new comic teed up. Not every reader is dialed into Aaron’s Twitter feed where he said he’s working on a new comic featuring those characters.
It’s anyone’s guess when that will materialize, but in the meantime, Marvel is promoting the “No Surrender” Avengers crossover for winter/spring, which begs the question: why set up those supposedly all-important plot lines and then spend the next several months focusing on something that only got a barely noticeable setup in Marvel Legacy #1?
Yes, all things in good time, but why not strike while the iron is hot? Just about every comic reader I’ve talked to about Marvel Legacy #1 has been confused as to what to read next. Marvel Legacy #1 did what it was designed to do, these people are hungry for more Marvel, but they don’t know what to spend their money on.
And before you say it, yes, DC didn’t have an immediate follow-up to the big Watchmen twist in DC Universe: Rebirth #1, but that was a stinger designed to tease something to come in the future. Wally was the core of the story, and they immediately made good on his return. Was the core of Marvel Legacy #1 Valeria Richards’ poignant desire to come home, the proto-Avengers and the danger of the deranged Celestial, or Wolverine’s long-awaited resurrection? It’s hard to say, but either way, you can’t buy any comics featuring them.
There has been a little movement on the Wolverine front in the form of a coupleteasers, but he still doesn't have a series, and what's more concerning, the teasers imply his return will be dragged out over time, meaning it'll be even longer before he actually gets his own comic, and by then the hype of Marvel Legacy #1 will have long gone cold.
I've Got Issues is an ongoing column by Joshua Yehl. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.
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