Some Arguments For A Complete Reboot Of Marvel Comics

• It might be the only way to lower the stakes

I love the big concepts Hickman is playing with in Avengers and New Avengers and the truly crazy, “I’m going all the way with this” stuff Rick Remender is doing in Uncanny Avengers. While those stories seem to be leading to proper events (AXIS this fall and whatever Hickman is doing next year), they already feel like events that just happen to be told in the monthly books.

That’s all well and good, but it’s going to be hard to imagine the Avengers ever simply squaring off against the Masters of Evil again after tackling multiple time and reality-threatening catastrophes occurring at almost the same time. Similarly, Spider-Man will soon be teaming with every one of his spider-powered compatriots from every alternate dimension when Spider-Verse kicks off. That’s playing for all the marbles if I’ve ever heard it.

Fans often wonder how we can be weaned off our appetite for non-stop events, and a reboot might be the only cure. I’d argue that DC has already proved this, as it restrained itself from doing line-wide crossovers for more than a year after setting the New 52 in motion. Curiosity-driven sales will be enough to keep the entire lineup humming at a nice level for a while, giving everyone a break from “everything is in danger, lasting repercussions will be felt” tales. And while I like events as much as the next reader, I can’t say I wouldn’t welcome a year or 18 months of just rediscovering why I love my favorite characters.