Infinity and Beyond
I saw Avengers Infinity War yesterday. Being versed in the source material, I kind of had an idea of what was going to happen and yet I still find myself shaken by the movie. It's pretty good (kind of firmly between Avengers 1 and 2 in terms of quality) but it is an exceptionally bold endeavor. Like I said, assuming the second half doesn't deviate from the source material, I know it will work out in the end (plus, you know, comic book movie), but man does it end with a gut punch. The final post-credit scene mitigates it somewhat but only somewhat.
Infinity War is based off a major crossover event from the early 90s called Infinity Gauntlet. It not only was the first crossover event I was into, but it was also right when I was really get into comics. Even divorced from that bias, it is a stellar crossover event (which is a feat because many of them are kind of crap). The first crossover event was Secret Wars in the 1980s, which was in fact geared to - you guessed it - move toys. It was proposed now that Kenner and other toy manufacturers could directly fund children's entertainment.
After Secret Wars, there were a few other big events but they were rare. Maybe one every few years. Now, they're annual events. I'm a fan of shared universes because I think that ultimately enrich storytelling, but they are a mixed bag, largely in the form of consumer fatigue and also it can be a trial to make (just for example) street level crime all that important in the face of galaxy-ending threats. Cloak & Dagger faced this in the Infinity Gauntlet. For a pair of superheroes who concern themselves with runaways and exploited kids, having to take a weekend to deal with essentially galactic genocide was a stake in their narrative coffin.
Infinity War is based off a major crossover event from the early 90s called Infinity Gauntlet. It not only was the first crossover event I was into, but it was also right when I was really get into comics. Even divorced from that bias, it is a stellar crossover event (which is a feat because many of them are kind of crap). The first crossover event was Secret Wars in the 1980s, which was in fact geared to - you guessed it - move toys. It was proposed now that Kenner and other toy manufacturers could directly fund children's entertainment.
After Secret Wars, there were a few other big events but they were rare. Maybe one every few years. Now, they're annual events. I'm a fan of shared universes because I think that ultimately enrich storytelling, but they are a mixed bag, largely in the form of consumer fatigue and also it can be a trial to make (just for example) street level crime all that important in the face of galaxy-ending threats. Cloak & Dagger faced this in the Infinity Gauntlet. For a pair of superheroes who concern themselves with runaways and exploited kids, having to take a weekend to deal with essentially galactic genocide was a stake in their narrative coffin.