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An argument can be made that Marvel kind of ruined event stories with the way they over-publish them. However, that doesn’t mean that they don’t put out great events. Over the years, Marvel has given readers event comics they’ll forget, and these ten are the best of the bunch.
10) Siege
Marvel in the ’00s was at the height of its power. The publisher had rebuilt very well after the tumults of the ’90s, partly thanks to writer Brian Michael Bendis. 2010 saw the writer turn in the best event he ever wrote at the publisher, teaming with Olivier Coipel for Siege. The story saw Norman Osborn, his Dark Avengers, and H.A.M.M.E.R. attack the earthbound Asgard, with the Avengers returning to action with a resurrected Captain America at the lead. I’ll be honest, what makes this story so good is how short it is. It was only four issues, and this meant that Bendis didn’t have the page real estate to meander towards the ending. It was all killer, no filler, and that made all the difference.
9) Civil War
Civil War has always been a contentious series, but it’s better than it gets credit for if you judge it exclusively on its own merits. Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s eight-issue series smashed the unity of the Marvel Universe, and it led to long-term change, which plays the biggest role in its inclusion on this list. There are a lot of complaints about the book that are all valid, but this event has some of the best action scenes and biggest stakes in comics, as well as eye-wateringly gorgeous art. It also has a lot of the best tie-ins in Marvel history, with The Amazing Spider-Man, New Avengers, and Civil War: Frontline all being worth reading. Basically, if you pinch your nose close and ignore the hate from the many who don’t like it, you’ll appreciate it more. Pick a side and enjoy the ride.
8) Avengers vs. X-Men
Avengers vs. X-Men is wrongfully maligned. The 12-issue series from Brian Michael Bendis, Jonathan Hickman, Ed Brubaker, Jason Aaron, Matt Fraction, John Romita Jr., Olivier Coipel, and Adam Kubert put the two teams against each other in a big dumb fight over the destiny of the Phoenix Force. Much like Civil War, the book has its problems, but it also has the kind of big stakes action and major league events that make Marvel crossovers so much fun. This story is all about glazing the Avengers (it came out in the same summer as The Avengers and Marvel probably hoped movie fans would wander into comic stores, see it, and buy it), and it gives readers a lot of really great moments (the Spider-Man vs. Phoenix Colossus and Magik is worth the price of admission alone) with an amazing ending.
7) Annihilation
Cosmic Marvel came to prominence in the 1970s and it had its moments in the ’80s and especially the ’90s, with Infinity Gauntlet leading to several years of great cosmic stories. However, the cosmic side would fade as sales went down and it wouldn’t be until 2006’s Annihilation that these characters would be brought back to prominence. The story revolved around heroes and villains like Silver Surfer, Nova, Drax the Destroyer, the Super-Skrull, Ronan the Accuser, and more banding together to battle the Annihilation Wave, a force of destruction devouring entire worlds. This was cosmic Marvel at its finest; without it, we wouldn’t have the modern version of the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Marvel Universe would be a very small, boring place.
6) Infinity
Infinity is an event that is having something of an renaissance lately. This event was the midpoint of Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers run, and is pure sci-fi war mixed with tense superhero battles. Hickman, working with artists Jerome Opena, Dustin Weaver, and Jim Cheung, with Leinil Yu on the Avengers tie-in issues and Mike Deodato on the New Avengers ones, constructs a perfect multi-pronged story. The Avengers are called off Earth to battle in an intergalactic war with the Builders, while the Illuminati are forced to deal with Thanos and the Black Order. It’s best experienced with the Avengers and New Avengers tie-ins (any collected edition you buy has them in it, justifying its $50 price tag), but even on its own, it’s a taut superhero thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire six issues.
