Due to the serialized nature of comic books, publishing companies sometimes feel the need to take risks and feature story lines designed to shock longtime readers. These stories often wind up being simple smoke and mirrors because, at the end of the day, not much usually changes in the world of the superhero genre. But every once in a while, a company will generate enormous controversy with a world-changing new story that fans loathe.
Oftentimes, these stories reveal a shocking twist from a hero’s past, deal with the death of a classic character, or the resurrection of a long-dead one. Sometimes these tales succeed despite the controversy, but they usually just come across as cheap publicity stunts that exist solely to boost sales.
This Wednesday, DC Entertainment is releasing another installment in its controversial, and highly enjoyable, Before Watchmen project, titled Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre #1. This project, which tells prequel stories to the comic classic Watchmen, but without writer Alan Moore or artist Dave Gibbons, has been debated up and down the industry, and everyone with knowledge of the situation seems to have an opinion on whether or not it should even exist. So we decided to reflect upon the stories that have gained the ire of fans everywhere in our list of The 10 Most Controversial Comic Book Stories of All Time.
Written by Jason Serafino (@serafinoj1)
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