I am thoroughly confused as to why the Hellfire Gala Guide of 2022 was even published. Why put this to paper when Marvel Previews exist? I swear mistakes like this in the comic industry would not exist if Wizard still had it’s publication doors open.
For all the upcoming books, a majority appear to not be X-titles. So I am excited to see the role that Spider-Man plays in the Gala this year since he is a non-mutant, and yes all the sketches featured are cool and all, but these sketches in these pages could easily have been released as bonus content in the deluxe editions of these upcoming Hellfire Gala books.
The content here is the type of stuff second and third printings are made for and an excellent tool to drive up sales, after the original first printing drops, not before. After last year’s Gala, there is really no need to scramble for a way to advertise the upcoming event, based off the clout from the success of the event last year. The content here can easily be monetized in repackaged versions of the event later on, there was no point to throw this stuff out as a freebie. Marvel has shot itself in the foot with this guide, and I do not believe this misstep would have even happened if Jon Hickman was still around.
Even Free Comic Book Day releases at least have a few pages of a comic dedicated to setting off an upcoming major event. None of that is here, just some cliff notes and pictures to hype up variants that are already sold out.
What a complete waste of paper and time. A complete and total failure for a hype magazine and ad campaign that really only needs word of mouth and a few celebrity RSVPs like last year. Where’s Eminem when you need him?
Score : 1/5
From Marvel Comics by Various
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