February Made Me Shiver...
According to Dan DiDio, big changes are coming to DC starting in February. Find out what I think about 'em (and beware of SPOILERS) behind the link.
THE GOOD
WildStorm's sword & sorcery line: Good. I might not read much of it, but I'm glad DC's focus is expanding -- even if "sword & sorcery" doesn't seem too far, in terms of testosterone-y appeal, from spandex and capes.
Hawkman becomes Hawkgirl: Great, especially because it will be written by Walt Simonson and pencilled by Howard Chaykin. They'll actually get me to buy a regular Hawk-title for the first time in ... ever.
Cancelling Gotham Knights and Batgirl: I won't miss Gotham Knights, and didn't read Batgirl. While I can't really pass judgment on the latter, Gotham Knights was designed to be a de facto "Batman Family" book, giving Mr. Sunshine the opportunity to team up with his Bat-proteges. Therefore, it should have been a vehicle for getting us readers to try out Robin, Nightwing, and Batgirl, instead of focusing on Hush, who is possibly the least interesting Batman villain since the Ten-Eyed Man.
And speaking of the Bat-books, I almost wish DC would either cancel Legends of the Dark Knight or make its Batman miniseries LOTDK arcs. I am glad DiDio is putting the focus back on Batman and Detective, because Detective especially has gotten neglected in recent years. Especially after this year, no DC character has been as ubiquitous as Batman, and it's good that DC is showing some restraint instead of going full-tilt down the road to overexposure.
However, the end of Gotham Central brings us to ...
THE BAD
Cancelling Gotham Central: GC was the closest thing mainstream DC had to an Astro City-like appreciation for what super-people mean to ordinary folk. I had thought it would continue in some form (the name Streets of Gotham comes to mind for some reason) but apparently the decision to fold its tent was Greg Rucka's, and co-writer Ed Brubaker and original artist Michael Lark are now exclusive with Marvel. Still, I bet Busiek's schedule is open....
Cancelling Wonder Woman, Flash, and JLA: Because this likely just means "putting them on hiatus until the new #1s come out," I'm not so thrilled. I can understand new first issues if there will be new people in the suits -- but DC won't replace Diana long-term, and it shouldn't replace Wally West; so why not just put the existing books on hiatus and have the big relaunch with an Annual or other special issue?
Cancelling JLA actually makes some sense if the team's reorganization is part of the "One Year Later" festivities. Also, the geeky geezer within me must point out that Flash, Wonder Woman, and Justice League all got new #1s in the wake of the original Crisis, so it's deja vu all over again learning about their new relaunches. Wonder if DC will assign them all to the same ship week, as it did twenty years ago?
THE WHAA--?
Absolute Sandman: Sure, we all love Sandman, but doesn't this go a bit far? It's one thing to use the Absolute format for limited series. Here we're talking about 75-odd issues, at $75.00-$100.00 per volume. Still, this is DC, which thinks nothing of selling $200.00 Green Lantern power batteries....
Cancelling Superman...?: Good, although it may give DC's circulation managers headaches. Superman (vol. 2) will end with #226, and Adventures of Superman will go back to being plain ol' Superman (vol. 1). At least, that's how I see it. I want to say that having a new Superman #1 was one of John Byrne's perks (if not conditions) for revamping the character twenty years ago, so this really is the end of an era.
(And not to get too ominous, but does the return of pre-Byrne numbering mean a return to pre-Byrne continuity?
No?
Okay, then.)
THE SUGGESTIONS
Relaunch it as Justice League of America: And while you're at it, set up the relaunch with a few well-chosen team-ups in the pages of Mark Waid's new The Brave and the Bold. Just imagine!
Rename it World's Finest Comics: You'll have Superman and Batman on the covers anyway; you don't need that composite logo selling the book. Besides, it would be in much bigger type than that "World's Greatest Comic Magazine" slogan.
Bring back 'Mazing Man: Hey, two out of three ain't bad.
THE GOOD
WildStorm's sword & sorcery line: Good. I might not read much of it, but I'm glad DC's focus is expanding -- even if "sword & sorcery" doesn't seem too far, in terms of testosterone-y appeal, from spandex and capes.
Hawkman becomes Hawkgirl: Great, especially because it will be written by Walt Simonson and pencilled by Howard Chaykin. They'll actually get me to buy a regular Hawk-title for the first time in ... ever.
Cancelling Gotham Knights and Batgirl: I won't miss Gotham Knights, and didn't read Batgirl. While I can't really pass judgment on the latter, Gotham Knights was designed to be a de facto "Batman Family" book, giving Mr. Sunshine the opportunity to team up with his Bat-proteges. Therefore, it should have been a vehicle for getting us readers to try out Robin, Nightwing, and Batgirl, instead of focusing on Hush, who is possibly the least interesting Batman villain since the Ten-Eyed Man.
And speaking of the Bat-books, I almost wish DC would either cancel Legends of the Dark Knight or make its Batman miniseries LOTDK arcs. I am glad DiDio is putting the focus back on Batman and Detective, because Detective especially has gotten neglected in recent years. Especially after this year, no DC character has been as ubiquitous as Batman, and it's good that DC is showing some restraint instead of going full-tilt down the road to overexposure.
However, the end of Gotham Central brings us to ...
THE BAD
Cancelling Gotham Central: GC was the closest thing mainstream DC had to an Astro City-like appreciation for what super-people mean to ordinary folk. I had thought it would continue in some form (the name Streets of Gotham comes to mind for some reason) but apparently the decision to fold its tent was Greg Rucka's, and co-writer Ed Brubaker and original artist Michael Lark are now exclusive with Marvel. Still, I bet Busiek's schedule is open....
Cancelling Wonder Woman, Flash, and JLA: Because this likely just means "putting them on hiatus until the new #1s come out," I'm not so thrilled. I can understand new first issues if there will be new people in the suits -- but DC won't replace Diana long-term, and it shouldn't replace Wally West; so why not just put the existing books on hiatus and have the big relaunch with an Annual or other special issue?
Cancelling JLA actually makes some sense if the team's reorganization is part of the "One Year Later" festivities. Also, the geeky geezer within me must point out that Flash, Wonder Woman, and Justice League all got new #1s in the wake of the original Crisis, so it's deja vu all over again learning about their new relaunches. Wonder if DC will assign them all to the same ship week, as it did twenty years ago?
THE WHAA--?
Absolute Sandman: Sure, we all love Sandman, but doesn't this go a bit far? It's one thing to use the Absolute format for limited series. Here we're talking about 75-odd issues, at $75.00-$100.00 per volume. Still, this is DC, which thinks nothing of selling $200.00 Green Lantern power batteries....
Cancelling Superman...?: Good, although it may give DC's circulation managers headaches. Superman (vol. 2) will end with #226, and Adventures of Superman will go back to being plain ol' Superman (vol. 1). At least, that's how I see it. I want to say that having a new Superman #1 was one of John Byrne's perks (if not conditions) for revamping the character twenty years ago, so this really is the end of an era.
(And not to get too ominous, but does the return of pre-Byrne numbering mean a return to pre-Byrne continuity?
No?
Okay, then.)
THE SUGGESTIONS
Relaunch it as Justice League of America: And while you're at it, set up the relaunch with a few well-chosen team-ups in the pages of Mark Waid's new The Brave and the Bold. Just imagine!
Rename it World's Finest Comics: You'll have Superman and Batman on the covers anyway; you don't need that composite logo selling the book. Besides, it would be in much bigger type than that "World's Greatest Comic Magazine" slogan.
Bring back 'Mazing Man: Hey, two out of three ain't bad.
posted by Tom Bondurant @ 4:46 PM
6 Comments:
If you add up the final issue numbers of the original Justice League of America, the followup Justice League America, and the current JLA, you get 499. Bet the new JLA title picks up with the old title and numbering (we'd get issue 500 as the relaunch), as Superman is doing.
That would be fine with me!
With All-Star Wonder Woman coming out, there will be a regular comic which will present tales of Diana as Wonder Woman.
So why not do something different in the Wonder Woman comic that is set in the mainstream DCU? I certainly could see DC doing this, particularly if multiple Earths are brought back. At some point in the future they could eventually start a 'new' Diana Wonder Woman character on a new Earth (with the other 2 of the 'big 3'). If they don't bring back multiple Earths they'll have to 'reboot' the sole Earth again in 10-20 years so they can make Superman and Batman young again anyway.
The Earth-2 Huntress was a popular character who was following in the footsteps of her father. Wally West has been a fairly popular character who is following in his uncle's footsteps. If Wonder Woman is to be replaced, I don't have a problem with the concept, though I might have a problem with the writing!
Anyway, there hasn't ever been 2 regular Wonder Woman comics published at the same time by DC that I'm aware of, but there will be now. Why wouldn't DC decide to make them distinctive?
hey, when they say "Absolute Sandman" do they mean something cool, like sandman from the JSA? or Sandy the Golden Boy or whatever?
or are they talking about that lame-ass arty-farty stuff that i always see Hot Topic mavens reading at starbucks?
the Hot Topic stuff.
As opposed to the really cool, not at all geeky guy in a gas mask and cape.
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