Death: 1: (noun) the action or fact of dying or being killed. 2: (comic book) a marketing ploy in hopes of making money and refreshing a stale character; usually lasts as long as a Hollywood marriage (exclusion: see “Uncle Ben”)

If you’ve been online recently, you’ve probably heard about a couple of high level comic book deaths and cancellations. I speak, of course, of the death of Wolverine, and the cancellation of The Fantastic Four. In the past, these events wouldn’t have me worried, because I would expect a new Fantastic Four title to appear with a new adjective attached (ie. Spectacular or Amazing), and in a few months, Wolverine would reappear and save the day again.

Alas, I feel there is a greater force behind these events, and it spells doom to comics as we know them. Is it Galactus? Apocalypse? Howard the Duck?! No. It’s something even more sinister and less feathery.

Hollywood. These titles aren’t dying or being canceled for some greater story. No, it’s because Marvel does not own the movie rights to either of these properties. During the comic book fire sale that was the 1990s, Marvel sold the movie rights to Fox along with the rights to X-Men and many others.

When Marvel didn’t have the money to make movies, this was a good thing, but now we have a Marvel movie-verse and Disney doting on them like Daddy Warbucks, so Marvel wants the licenses back, and Fox won’t budge. So instead of continuing to publish comics that are essentially free advertising for upcoming Fox movies, Marvel is killing some of their keystone players to avoid helping.

This is something new. These characters’ fates are not determined by a writer’s drive to further a story, but only a corporation’s drive to slight another corporation with no regard for their readers. If this becomes the new norm, it greatly hinders the creativity of the entire comic book industry and spells the beginning of the end for the big comic book publishers.

At this point, I can’t say that it would be a bad thing.

Class dismissed.