Is Marvel Losing Fans Due to Captain America's Hydra Reveal?

I would have to answer, Specifically, no. Generally, yes.The problem isnt really the change in Captain America himself.

Yes, hes a Hydra agent now, but whoop-di-doo. Theres a perfectly rational reason for his change of allegiance that writer Nick Spencer informed us of immediately after the big reveal. In other words, Spencer isnt torturing us with ambiguity and making us bellyache over why Cap is this way now.

We know why. Its no mystery.The problem is, this particular storyline has turned Captain America into a fundamentally different character from the character most of us readers grew up with.

He was a hero, now hes a villain (although it can be argued that he truly believes hes doing the right thing). Thats bound to rankle some Captain America fansbut whats the worst that could happen from that? The worst that could happen is that some Captain America fans will drop the title and maybe a couple other Marvel titles in protest.

But if they like Hulk, theyll still get Hulks book, right? And if they like Spider-Man, theyll still pick up Spideys book, right?Now lets add a wrinkle:Lets take what happened to Captain America and essentially spread it across the entire line of Marvel books.

Take all the familiar characters youve come to know and love Iron Man, Spider-Man, the Hulk, Thor, Ms. Marvel, Wolverine, etc. and either replace them with new characters or change the existing characters into something unrecognizable.

The Hulk? Oh, hes not tortured scientist Bruce Banner anymore, constantly fearful of changing into a raging behemoth. No, hes an exuberant wunderkind named Amadeus Cho who loves being the Hulk.

Spider-Man? Hes still Peter Parker, but Peter Parker is now the CEO of a multi-national corporation, not the constantly down-on-his-luck photog whos always barely making rent.Clearly, these arent your daddys superheroes.

Which is okay, because theres no law carved in stone that says superheroes always have to stay the same.But heres something I noticed: I think comics readers like it where their heroes stay the same.Recent experience I had: I picked up a volume of Joe Kuberts Enemy Ace series about WWI German fighter pilot Hans von Hammer.

Big volume. Im guessing fifty-plus stories. And nearly every story was identical.

I mean identical. Youd start with him flying around feeling jaded. A British fighter would down one of his mens planes.

Hed land, get all introspective, go hunting in the forest and chat with a local wolf who always showed up. (No, the wolf did not talk back. ) And then hed go up and down the British fighter, mourning about how the killer skies were going to do them all in someday.

And this went on, and on, and on, for over fifty stories. And what I found as I continued reading is that I took comfort in that familiarity. Story after story, I knew what I was getting.

And I kept coming back for it, again and again and again.Marvel Comics fans dont know what theyre getting anymore. There are no familiar touchpoints anymore where a longtime Marvel fan can say, Ahhhlet me settle down for a good book of Character.

Practically all the characters have moved away from the tried-and-true archetypes a longtime reader would recognize. Is Wolverine your favorite character? Well, youve got two Wolverine books to choose from one in which Wolverine is a female clone of the original, and one in which Wolverine is an alternate-timeline old and grizzled version of the original but neither is going to put you back in the comfort zone you are probably hoping to find in a Wolverine book.

And the same is true for just about any Marvel character you name.That, in my opinion, is why Marvel is losing readers.The good news, however, is that Marvel seems to have recognized theyve got a problem much like DC recognized their New 52 didnt have the legs they thought it did and theyre working on a new campaign to hook older readers again much like DC brought us the wildly successful Rebirth campaign.

(These companies swipe from one another regularly, I tell you.)Marvels campaign is called Legacy, and they are promising to bring back old characters and old storylines in a new and fresh way not reversing anything theyve done up till now, but tying it all back into their vast history so that old and new readers can find places to meet in the middle for stories that everyone can enjoy. Im cautiously hopeful for this endeavor of theirs.

Well see how it goes!.

· Suggested Reading

Why is Led Zeppelin considered the "greatest band ever"?

A rock band formed by a respected guitar player and drummer that found the best studio musician in John Paul Jones and searched the clubs before finding a blues vocalist in Robert Plant. Jimmy Page and John Bonham were the backbone of Led Zep while John Paul Jones was the consummate musician. When the band added the raw, sexuality of Robert Plant a super band was formed.

Like other bands in that era the music was number one but add in lyrics that ranged from oozing sexuality to Viking themes to romantic dreams and you have Led Zepplin. I bought my first rock album Led Zep 3 after hearing the Immigrant Song on the radio in the 5th grade.I saw them live three times, in 74 with a friend and his older brother, I remember very little but it made me a legend in the 9th grade.

At my first 77 show they were proving their prowess, an extraordinary show when I saw Plant grab the microphone to belt out Nobodys Fault but he had set the microphone stand on a flash pod and the microphone had melted! He veered back in pain, grabbing his mouth when a giant hook (think Gong Show) appeared that pulled him off stage I kid you not! The audience roared in laughter.

After about ten minutes the band came out and did their encore acoustically that included the first song I had bought, the Immigrant Song. They were professionals and delivered a once in a lifetime encore. After that concert I learned Led Zeps protege band, Detective would play at the Starwood in Hollywood and members of Led Zep were expected.

A few friends and I were still in the parking lot when Plant and Jones showed up in a money green limo. They attempted to walk into the regular door where I stood and I redirected them to the VIP door. By then people were starting to notice (my friend Sherrys loud OMGs didnt help) and as their limo backed up I stood there waving to them like they were the damn Grand Marshals at a parade when Plant rolled down the window and said, thank you luv in FRONT of my FRIENDS.

Of course I had to see them again.For my second 77 concert I used my graduation money to buy a front row center ticket to see Led Zep on closing night at the L.A.

Forum. That ticket cost $75.00.

They were amazing, every song was played perfectly and while my teen crush was Jimmy Page it was Plant who stood before me. He is a walking ad for Trojan condoms, close up I could see that was no sock in his pants as critics would have had me believe. In fact longtime LA Times rock reviewer (and Led Zep hater) Robert Hilburn was seated behind me, being 17 I had to shoot him a dirty look over my shoulder for being so mean to the band I loved.

The concert continued and I made sure to cherish every moment given the fact that $75 ticket didnt allow money for a concert T-shirt, my only regret. The men in suits around me kept prodding me, Hes looking at you Hes shining his yellow light on you. Plant was smiling at me for a long time but I began to think maybe he was laughing at me (Omg was my mouth open the entire time!

?) Did he recognize me from the Starwood parking lot? In hindsight I think Plant was laughing because my friends sent me with a small flask of tequila and a fat joint that I lit up and smoked like I was sitting in my bedroom.

And when I got the backstage invitation I didnt make it through the first room before something turned me around and out the door. Call it Catholic guilt, paranoia or intuition but the security guard who ushered me backstage was shocked yet walked me to my slug bug that parking security had me park by the limos, by the same money green limo I saw at the Starwood. It was a magical time when bands played instruments and singers werent boys.

Led Zepplin was a powerhouse of rock music, lovers of folk music and masters at words of whimsy and wisdom. Their performances were legendary and now 50 plus years after their first album was released they remain Rock royalty. The Kennedy Awards honoring them ended with a large choir singing the end of Stairway to Heaven, it was as almost as breathtaking as when I saw them play it live.

Its been a long time since I rocked and rolled, been a long time since I did the stroll. Led Zepplins music has endeared fifty years and it will endear for another fifty years. Thats why they are called the greatest rock band in the world