For as much fun as they are to read, comics can be awfully confusing at times. Throw in multiple series featuring the same characters, confusing and conflicting backstories, and of course, retcons, and it can be pretty daunting to know where to begin — especially with long-running characters and titles. Marvel is particularly notorious for this; just consider the convoluted history of the various “X” teams (e.g., X-Men, X-Factor, New Mutants, Excalibur).
Thankfully, Marvel seems to have realized this, hence “Marvel TL;DR,” an ongoing web series that explains the studio’s most famous (and convoluted) storylines, including the Dark Phoenix Saga, the coming of Galactus (watch above), World War Hulk, and Weapon X. And even if you already know everything there is to know about, say, Jean Grey’s becoming the vessel for a cosmic force of destruction, you’ll still probably find these humorous shorts entertaining.
