Comic-Con is all done in New York, and I’m spending most of the week going over the data. I’m using Newsarama and Comic Book Resources, for the record. Today, I’m taking a look at the latest reports from DC Comics. Suffice it to say…I’m not happy. Why?
- “Blackest Night”, the next supercrossover with the Green Lanterns and all the technicolor Lanterns, including the blood-barfing Red Lanterns, in the center, is being used to tease every dead person in the past few years (and Dan “kill ’em all” Didio and his crew have brought us many) as being a possible member. Yes, the “Black Lanterns” are all dead people. Zombie Lanterns. That won’t end well. At one of the panels a fan noted that having the Waynes as possible members would be cruel. Geoff Johns, who is behind the “Blackest Night” responded “I’d never be cruel,”. Unless your standing in the way of bringing Hal and Flash back, right?
- Speaking of the Fastest Man/Men alive, They (finally :P) brought Barry Allen back from the only meaningful death in the DCU, and according to the Panel, “the goal is to have fun in the Flash universe in the same way they’re currently having fun with the Green Lantern universe”. We need to work on their definition of fun. However, one of the panels also hinted that we will be getting a huge Flash team-up, including the returned former Impulse, Bart Allen (as seen in Leigion of 3 Worlds). Wally’s future is still up in the air, but at least giving him time with his family is a better excuse than many. Still disappointing to Wally West fans, though.
- Doom Patrol is making a comeback, through the courtesy of writer Keith Giffen and artist Matt Clark. Two quotes get my attention. Positive? “
“I don’t go into the DC offices and ask for Superman or Batman or Justice League books. Or whatever happens to be riding high,” said the DC exclusive writer. “I tend to like the books that either aren’t being published or aren’t doing too well but to my way of thinking have this enormous untapped potential. And Doom Patrol definitely falls into that category. I was actually thrilled when DC called and said I could have Doom Patrol.”
Negative?
Asked if he was simplifying the team to better manage the title at the outset, Giffen quipped, “Actually, I thought all the other characters were kind of lame, sorry. Keep in mind, opinions are like assholes. Everyone’s got one. And I’m no different. It’s just my opinion. I just didn’t care for a lot of the characters that were tacked on to the Doom Patrol. I like those three basic characters.
He did say something about trying to use them in the future if he could find a way. I don’t know a lot about Doom Patrol, so I have no clue who the other characters are. But if your a fan of them, you’re out of luck. Remember, DC wants to push everything back to the Silver Age character wise, and even some of the psuedo-science, but still make everything “edgy”. Which means “grim and gritty”. Which means “suck”.
- That brings us to the top two. Superman’s space mission has been revealed. (One writer in a video interview with Newsarama admitted that this plot has been done before, but this version will be better. Believe it when I see it.) For whatever reason, Superman is going to be forced to renounce Earth and move to New Krypton (sans his wife, Lois Lane–yeah, thanks for that </sarcasm>), and Supergirl is said to also be trying to decide which world is her home now. Speaking of Lois, her father will still be trying to pull some shenanigans. How that ties to the upcoming “War on Krypton” event has yet to be told. (Event ranting coming up, so be warned.)
- Meanwhile, the people of Metropolis won’t have to tie their own shoes, as other heroes will be protecting the city. The new/old Nightwing and Flamebird decide not to head for New Krypton and instead protect the Daily Planet‘s home turf. Joining them are Mon-El (Valor in some continuities, as I recall), Guardian, and Steel. Apparently it will take all five to equal the various aspects of Superman. So at least something makes sense.
- For the Batman however, we will learn the fate of the Cowl and Wayne Enterprises during “Battle for the Cowl”, and the June series have been announced for June. Nightwing is gone, and it looks like the name is being switched to the Kryptonian. We are getting, however:
– Batman
– Batman and Robin
– Red Robin
– Outsiders
– Batgirl
– Batman: The Streets of Gotham
– Gotham City Sirens (with implications being that Catwoman would be part of the book)
– (the aforementioned) Detective Comics
Out of the loop are:
– Nightwing
– Oracle
– Batwoman
Kind of neat is the fact that they made a game show-style presentation. Also, Bane’s not going to be involved because he’s rather busy over in Secret Six. Continuity’s all over the place anyway thanks to Trinity, Justice League of America, and Batman/Superman anyway, but at least they’re trying somewhere.
- We’re promised fallout from Final Crisis. As much as it annoys me that the event took place (or at least with so many other events, and the way it took the thunder from Batman RIP), sweeping it all under the rug would be bad continuity writing, so I can’t fault them. Four series were announced, focusing on what it means to be heroes and villains in the DC Universe. They’re going to be rather darker stories, and one Newsarama video interviewer (I’d go back and recheck but if I see that blasted Microsoft ad with the guy talking about “everyone’s brains being in the game” one more time today I’m pulling out my speakers!) said we’d get stories involving money issues, personal lives, and such. In other words, they’re going Marvel.
- During the Sunday Conversation with a few of the Marvel and DC crew (no love for the others, obviously) came this exchange, as posted by Newsarama
One fan said that he downloads comics because he was a Marvel fan in the 90s and he felt “betrayed” by the stories, and didn’t enjoy the “big event” stories. Yet DiDio noted that the big event stories are the things that sell the best for them, no matter how many fans say that they don’t like them.
Dan Slott said that when he was in school, he was eating peanut butter and ramen noodles to pay for comics, and then he got burned out by the end of the big event stories — so much so that he dropped them for a year.
Reguardless of the falsly inflated numbers these events create, Slott’s seems to be becoming a rule when it comes to fans. Sure, it could just be the “vocal minority” situation, but I’ve seen, read, and heard interviews where they discuss the dropping sales of comics, reguardless of what Didio or Marvel’s Joe Quesada claim. At any rate, the events seem to be here to stay.
Tomorrow I’ll tackle the news from Marvel Comics. And hopefully Newsarama will change their stupid advertisement!
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