Here’s Marvel publisher Dan Buckley in an interview with Kiel Phegley of Comic Book Resources on the subject of Marvel’s… overall status in 2012, I guess:

First, I want to clarify that we do not do “crossover” events. This is [an] important distinction. I was here in the ’90s when “crossover” events were the norm, which is when you make a reader buy four or more different titles in a specific order to get the whole story. “Galactic Storm” is the example that jumps out from my memory banks. Marvel’s biggest 2012 publishing initiative is the 12-part “Avengers Vs. X-Men” event

We do line-wide editorial events. These events usually involve a core book like “Civil War,” “Secret Invasion,” “Siege,” etc. that could be read on their own for the complete story. Other books in the line will then use that event to develop “tie-in” stories which could be “in line,” a new miniseries or one-shot. Sorry to go off on a tangent but this is a very important distinction because we are not requiring the fans to buy into three or four other ongoing series to get the main story.

At the end of each issue of Fear Itself, Marvel’s tentpole event for 2011, readers were urged to pick up other comics, like Journey Into Mystery or Invincible Iron Man, to find out the rest of the story. There were characters who just suddenly popped up for what seemed like no good reason if you didn’t read other comics, and those comics had big fights, plot twists, and more. Maybe those are tie-ins by Buckley’s definition, but my understanding (from interminable conversations with friends who read the series) is that Fear Itself 1-7 was not a complete story, unless you’re using the most generous definition of complete in the entire world.

Marvel recently announced an event for 2012 called The Omega Effect. I quote: “”The Omega Effect” begins in April in “Avenging Spider-Man” #6, continuing to “Daredevil” #11 and “Punisher” #10.”

A couple weeks ago, Mark Waid, Emma Rios, Kano, and Javier Rodriguez did a banging two-part story. Part one was in Amazing Spider-Man 677. Part two was in Daredevil 8, which apparently isn’t available on ComiXology because Marvel is intent on being as awkward as possible about digital comics. (see also: Secret Avengers 22 and Thunderbolts being exclusive to Marvel’s ComiXology-powered app but not being on ComiXology itself, the inability to buy Marvel digital comics via retailer affiliates, absurd pricing schemes, etc)

The X-Men status quo right now has its roots in Second Coming, an event from 2010. From Wikipedia:

Chapter 1: X-Men: Second Coming #1

Chapter 2: Uncanny X-Men #523

Chapter 3: New Mutants #12

Chapter 4: X-Men: Legacy #235

Chapter 5: X-Force #26

Chapter 6: Uncanny X-Men #524

Chapter 7: New Mutants #13

Chapter 8: X-Men: Legacy #236

Chapter 9: X-Force #27

Chapter 10: Uncanny X-Men #525

Chapter 11: New Mutants #14

Chapter 12: X-Men: Legacy #237

Chapter 13: X-Force #28

Chapter 14: X-Men: Second Coming #2

Before that was Utopia in 2009. More wikcraft:

Chapter 1: Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia #1 (one-shot)

Chapter 2: Uncanny X-Men #513

Chapter 3: Dark Avengers #7

Chapter 4: Uncanny X-Men #514

Chapter 5: Dark Avengers #8

Chapter 6: Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus #1 (one-shot)

Epilogue: Dark X-Men: The Confession #1 (one-shot)

Aftermath: Dark Reign: The List – Uncanny X-Men #1 (one-shot)

World War Hulks in 2010:

Hulk vol. 2 #22-24

Incredible Hulk #609-611

World War Hulks #1

World War Hulks Hulked Out Heroes #1-2

World War Hulks Spider-Man vs Thor #1-2

World War Hulks Wolverine vs Captain America #1-2

Fall of the Hulks Red Hulk #4

Fall of the Hulks Savage She-Hulks #2-3

Age of X, 2011:

Age of X: Alpha

X-Men: Legacy #245–247

New Mutants #22–24

Age of X: Universe #1–2

Buckley, rephrased: “We don’t do crossovers, except for the five we did in the past two years, the one we just finished, and the one we just announced the other day. But other than that, no crossovers! We hate those things!”

I feel like if you’re going to lie in an interview for the sake of… I’m not even entirely sure of his point. It’s some kind of rah-rah “We do right by our fans, we don’t jerk them around by making them buy a bunch of comics they don’t want” thing, I guess. But anyway, if you’re going to lie for whatever reason it is that Buckley is lying here, then at least tell a lie that isn’t easy to disprove with half a moment’s thought and a single Google search.

And make no mistake, this is a blatant lie, an untruth, a falsehood, the sort of thing your mother would and should swat your lips for. It isn’t spin, which is what DC does when they “clarify” sales figures one month to passive-aggressively show how the numbers don’t really matter and then crow about the numbers the next month on the exact same site.

I’m not sure which is more insulting, actually, the spin or the lie. Both assume that you, the reader, are an idiot with no memory and no sense. Then again… Buckley’s lie did get me to read the rest of the interview to see what else he lied about, so mission accomplished there, man.

It’s not hard to not lie. Marvel has a fistful of great books by talented folks. DC… most of it isn’t to my taste, but sure, let’s say the same for them, too. That’s what you should be crowing about, rather than fake numbers or fake stands that you have taken for the sake of the fans. “We got that new Ann Nocenti! New Ed Brubaker! Holler at us!”

I mean, is this how dumb they think we are? Seriously? C’mon, son. Who’re you trying to fool and why?

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