Crossovers in the cross hairs

The daily papers, comic book news sites and message boards may be abuzz with the ending of DC's Infinite Crisis and the beginning of Marvel's Civil War, at least one person is relatively, uh, buzz-less.

Oh, all right, he's downright sour. Arnold T. Blumberg of Now Playing magazine, take it away:

Infinite Crisis #7 and Civil War #1 both came out a week ago. After reading them both, I see them as excellent examples of why the superhero genre has lost touch with itself. People often claim that American superhero comics are no longer aimed predominantly at an all-ages crowd but instead at a narrow, shrinking cadre of long-time fans in their 30s and 40s, perhaps even older. Well, I’ve been converted to the cause.

... IC #7 is a navel-gazing affair of the highest order, with a plethora of guest stars, persistent references to several levels of continuity, and page layouts that look like barely controlled chaos. Who’s doing what to whom? Who was that? He did what? Where? ... All I know is that Evil Superboy is pissed and he evidently saw the early ad campaigns for Smallville.

... As for Civil War, this is no exciting superhero yarn that both young and old can enjoy, escaping into a fantasy land of justice and heroism. This is page after page of brightly-garbed heroes standing around talking about legislation, with very thinly veiled references to current events. This is Marvel Comics as Manifesto, and I’m sorry, but watching Iron Man and Captain America – fellow Avengers from the very dawn of the Marvel Age – taking sides against one another in a battle over governmental regulation of superheroic activity has to be one of the most depressing things I’ve ever seen.

There's much more at the link.