It’s time for the last of the Convergence podcasts looking into the past. This time Greg Rucka joins Dan Didio and CBR’s Jeffery Renaud to look at the last old decade of the pre-52, the 2000s. As you should guess, I’m not a huge fan of this period. Stuff that would be regular in the New 52 may or may not have started before this period but this is when all the grimdark stuff really started taking hold, cities (and little girls) were blown to kingdom come (not to be confused with Kingdom Come), and secret identities were slowly shoved aside.
- I like the idea of seeing Batman through other people’s eyes, but that was also what supporting casts were for. Sorry, I’m just preparing for tomorrow night’s rant so this is a sticking point even when it doesn’t need to be.
- Another premature sticking point based on what’s going on now: if you can’t understand Superman and Wonder Woman, don’t write them. With everyone turning into Batman lately, maybe find a writer who gets those characters. I know I couldn’t write a good Batman story even though I enjoy the character. I do think I could write a good Superman story…pre-52 anyway.
- “Story was not dictated by editorial”? That changed, didn’t it? Every event has been dictated by editorial. Ending marriages have dictated by editorial, even marriages that have been in place since the Golden Age. Writers have left because of editorial mandates. Countdown was created by editorial because DiDio wanted to do 52 “right”, which makes praising the series in front of DiDio, a VERY hands-on editor, kind of amusing.
- Around the 16 min mark: You know what we really wanted to see, Dan? THE CHANGES HAPPEN, not just the aftermath of those changes. From what I hear, 52 never really addressed the events between that year, but even if it did, have it happen in your story, if something interesting happened.
- DiDio praising Countdown. I’ll just link to Linkara’s multi-part review and let him say everything.
- Editorial may not have demanded characters act the way they wanted even if it was out of character, but they demanded certain events happen, like a character death or something horrible happen to someone or a particular location being altered (like Star City) or simply approved things that would hurt another writer’s intended stories, that affected what writers wanted to do with a story. Again, look up Dwayne McDuffie’s history trying to work on Justice League Of America. They ruined at least one romantic partnership McDuffie was putting together. Events and character act in symbiosis, and when you have writers who have no respect for what their fellow writers are doing, you ruin what they want to do. This is why McDuffie left.
- Was Wonder Woman in character killing Max Lord? Under the circumstances, maybe. My question is was she depicted at least being remorseful about having to do it to save Superman from his mind control? Actually, the case has been made whether or not Lord was in character when they turned him evil in the first place.
- I will say this for Countdown, Trinity, and 52: doing a weekly 24-page comic can’t be easy so if the story is at all competent it’s to be commended. Countdown also made the mistake of way too many tie-in comics among other missteps.
- Can’t you make something make sense AND be cool? Bob Haney did that, and his work was kind of nuts. But it made sense to that world. Not our world, but the world of the Bronze Age.
- I do love that Rucka keeps stressing that writers have to keep to their rules, or the rules of the established universe. He’s completely right on that, and one of my issues with Brian Bendis’ Avengers run.
- Now that Renauld brings it up, Convergence sounds like it’s in trouble, with a huge multi-period story by a writer new to comics’ writing style plus moving their offices across country. Maybe they should have waited until after the move?
So what about you folks? Have these interviews gotten you more interested in Convergence? And for those of you with the money to check it out, what have you thought of the event thus far. Are they living up to the legacies they’re returning to or altering them to match the new grimdark approach to superhero comics?
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