Flushpoint: Nostalgia Has Finally Brought the 90s Back

More than 80% (if not closer to 100% by the time you read this) is now know about DC's Relaunched series for September. 52 #1s, apparently all continuing series or mini-series (no one-shots so far as we know), many of them already controversial. The overall feeling I get is that of the late 80s and early 90s, when everyone was trying to be like the Image boys - in both artwork and tone - and the only refuge was DC's UK invasion of writers who created their own strange and dark corner of the DCU, until it was finally sequestered behind the Vertigo banner. And so it is again. Not only is Image co-founder Jim Lee leading a lukewarm redesign of dozens of costumes, but DC's bringing in various artists better known for their Image work like Booth, Capullo and - OH MY DEAR GOD NO, MY EYES, MY EYES!!! - Rob Liefeld.



(Note that when I talk about Image, I don't mean the Image that, to me, feels like the Dark Horse creator-owned comics of my youth - Invincible, Bulletproof Coffin, Infinite Vacation, Nonplayer. I mean the terrible X-Men/Wolverine clones of their very early output. Comics that were big on splash pages, but not on story. The ones with distorted anatomy, and plagued by chronic lateness. Those ones.)



Some of Jim Lee's Image characters are in fact going through the veil that separates Wildstorm comics from the DCU and being integrated into the DC comics line proper. Do we need a Grifter in the DCU? Well, I can't see why we would. And even when DC is using homegrown talent, there's a tendency to give the reigns over to people who are basically artists and not writers, often artists that haven't even proven they understand the basics of telling a story through pictures.



And once again, there will be a refuge from these EXTREME!!! superhero books in the form of that dark corner of the DCU. Strange books like Animal Man, Justice League Dark, Frankenstein, Swamp Thing, Resurrection Man and Demon Knights, have garnered applause where superhero announcements have generated ire and ridicule. Obviously, there's some kind of market for angsty, footless art and violent or buxom superheroes. There must be or else they wouldn't be trying to push yet another Jason Todd series on us ("because WE demanded it!"... apparently). The hope is that DC's new supernatural line will also get support in the marketplace, just as Morrison's Doom Patrol and Gaiman's Sandman once did. And there's reason to think there will be. Urban fantasy is all over the television and the cineplex. These might be comics for those flocking to Fringe, Twilight, Being Human and True Blood.



And as I did then, so will I doubtless do now, leaving superhero titles behind for that dark, more mature corner of the DCU, where WRITERS are still in charge. I remember a time when DC was all about its writers, and it's why it had become my preferred shared universe.



If I'm generally disappointed by the announcements, it's that Flushpoint seems like a step back. Have we not learned lessons from the 90s? Is that decade not derided by fans? Why go back to that? And on the matter of Relaunch vs. Reboot, not that the various announcements leave ANY semblance of a coherent strategy (Green Lantern seems to follow on from the current storyline, but the Justice League is "younger" and the Titans each get a new - and atrocious - origin), it feels like we're getting half-measures again. It's a reboot on properties we don't know what to do with. It's not when the architects of Flushpoint want to keep writing their same old story. Costumes are redesigned, but look the same, or are worse than ever. Characters with continuity-heavy backgrounds that make them non-viable are still getting books (Jason Todd and Arsenal being prime offenders). The first Crisis has shown that partial reboots only lead to confusion as to what the characters stories actually are, but beyond that, it doesn't go far enough, or else goes way too far.



There are two ways to move forward. Either you reboot everything, start fresh and invite readers to get in on the ground floor - of EVERYTHING (and this can work, think of the WB superhero cartoons, for example). Or you can just allow the superhero narrative to evolve by itself without any kind of retcon. I'm not a big fan of what Marvel's been up to in the last couple decades, but on a business level, they still kick DC's ass without ever creating a massive entry level opportunity. It's clear to me that the two shared universes' continuity are not the problem. Cost and format are the problem. But if you're not going to address that (or do so, again, with half-measures that make electronic copies the same price as already too-costly paper publications), then there is no stunt that can save your company in the long term. So if we do not accept a reboot as a real solution, it doesn't make sense to void all that continuity. But I won't go into a big speech about DC embracing its history, because you've read it all before. But this "let's continue some, but revise others"is just the kind of one step forward, two steps back publishing strategy that's been cramping their style. Worse, this time it looks like some creators are getting to do what they like because of their position (or proximity to someone higher up), while others are getting booted off their well-received projects. Ideas and designs are green lit not because of their merits, but because of who conceived of them.



At least, that's how it looks from here, perhaps as a way to justify the most mind-boggling of decisions.

Flushpoint... Don't Call It a Reboot

That's what DC has started clarifying. Not a reboot, the launch of the new DC Universe. Ah. What does that mean?

On the surface, it seems to indicate that the DCU as we know it - let's call it the old DCU - will go on, but it just won't be the Earth we're exploring month-in, month-out in the comics. Now, they've been very clear about one thing from the start of Flashpoint: This is not a parallel world, it's the old DCU (i.e. its Earth-1) with a changed history. The actual "old DCU" isn't one another Earth, it's been completely transformed. Does Flashpoint end with that history restored, but we still jump our POV over to another Earth (the NEW DCU)? Does it end with history restored with inevitable changes (the soft reboot option, in which the old DCU becomes the new DCU)? Or does the Flashpoint universe survive and the old DCU lost forever?

Might certain characters "jump" from Flashpoint/post-Flashpoint to the new DCU? Guys like the Flash and Booster Gold might be able to (perhaps even leading a migration), keeping certain elements of the old DCU in the new DCU. New #1s don't mean all new characters with new origin stories, after all. It might also explain the Legion Lost series that's been announced. The Legion has been rebooted/re-imagined so many times, it's in danger of becoming non-viable. On the other hand, it's fairly well isolated from other books, so its continuity really doesn't need to be touched just because others books' have. What if the events of Flashpoint cause the Legion to be disconnected from their parent timeline, forcing them to search for a proper home in the multiverse. They could be "Lost" for the space of a mini-series.

Or what if the old DCU survives mostly intact? Could certain books be kept going in that continuity? DC launches the new DCU, but it hasn't announced the death of the old DCU. All #1s need not take place in the new DCU, especially if the multiverse is part of the plan (which we don't know, we only imagine the JSA could be shuffled to Earth-2, as supported by the absence of Power Girl and Huntress to date in the promo material). People who wonder how Johns could abandon his Green Lantern continuity (and the multi-colored Corps announcement could corroborate this), or Morrison his Batman Inc. so early in the game and after so much effort (on both their parts) to set those new paradigms up, could find their answer there. If this is what happens, those books could go on directly from their continuity, though with new #1s (or has anyone thought that past the "52 #1s event", the next month could have #whatever books that merely skipped a month). It's the kind of half-measure the Big Two are into.

Speaking of half-measures, I have to mention Jim Lee's involvement. Remember back in the 90s when Lee and other Image stalwarts were given the chance to redesign Marvel's iconic but low-selling properties behind their own dimensional partition? The Marvel Universe became a good-sellers club only (X-books, Spider-Man, Punisher, Ghost Rider) while the FF, the Avengers and their members were handed over to well-selling artists. It was one of comicdom's dumbest moves, but I'm sure it generated sales in the short term. So is the new DCU just such a scheme? Characters are redistributed across various Earths, including the new one with all the high collars, while others remain behind. Would there be an old DCU where Batman Inc. and the multi-colored Corps, perhaps even polluter-killer Swamp Thing, but no Superman or Wonder Woman. After all, doesn't it seem strange that there's a new Justice League, but also a Justice League International? These concepts don't seem to co-exist on a rebooted Earth. What if most of the Justice League members were shunted off to the new DCU, and JLI was asked to take their place in the old? Would make sense if not for the appearance of what looks like the same Batman on both teams. Or could that be Dick? (Are those the same gloves? It's not the same cowl.) Only one of the four announced Lantern books stars Hal Jordan, the two that expressly mention Guy, John and Kyle could be in the old DCU, with Hal shunted off with the other classic Justice League line-up.

And another likely architect of the new DCU will be Grant Morrison who re-engineered DC's Multiverse in various ways over the years. In keeping with that and his "everything happened" theory of comics, I wouldn't be surprised if the old DCU continued to exist in some form. I also think there wouldn't be as much furor about a reboot/reset/relaunch if it had happened at the end of Final Crisis. The event's very name created an expectation that wasn't fulfilled, very much an anti-climax. I guess they weren't ready...

Sick of this topic yet? So am I, but we just can't stop talking about it!

DC Flushpoint Wishlist

52 #1s in September? Alright then, here are 52 ideas for DC reboot series. Not really predictions, mind, just simple wish fulfillment. But let's first give DC its wishes:
1. Justice League by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee (lukewarm)
2. Aquaman by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis (excited)
3. Hawkman by james Robinson and Philip Tan (optimistic)
4. Wonder Woman, possibly by Grant Morrison (I'll read anything the man writes)
5. Batgirl starring Barbara Gordon (I like Barbara a lot, but will miss Stephanie and Oracle)
6. Nightwing (ho-hum, that's a step back for the character... unless he's now Tim!)
7. Birds of Prey, not written by Gail Simone (not currently reading this, so whatever)
8. A book starring Superman, written by Grant Morrison (while All-Star was great, Morrison would be the type to go in a completely different direction this time - I'm going to say this is Action Comics; if so, Rags Morales has been rumored to be the artist)
9. Teen Titans by Fabian Niceza (I really want this to have the style and feel of Year One, or the Bob Haney era, but with Nicieza, that's not likely; might bode well for Tim's [Red?] Robin though)
10. Justice Society of America, not by Guggenheim (should be on Earth-2, and at least in part during the Golden Age - I'd love a split book that also looks at the older JSA and their dealing with legacy heroes like Power Girl and Huntress, though not Infinity Inc. - yuck!)
11. Green Lantern by Geoff Johns (business as usual)
12. Detective Comics (of course, hopefully still with Snyder)
13. Adventure Comics starring Deadman (yeah, ok)
14. Superman, possibly with George Perez' involvement (I hope it includes the art, maybe he can sell me on that new costume)
15. OMAC by Dan DiDio and Keith Giffen (love OMAC, we'll see if this team can make him work)
16. A multi-colored Lantern book (New Guardians? Ring Bearers? Ring Around Jim Lee's Collars?)
17. Legion Lost (hopefully not a reboot)
18. 1 of 3 Wildstorm titles incorporated into the DC Universe (Multiverse?), apparently Grifter
19. 2 of 3... let's say, The Authority?
20. 3 of 3... Gen13 or WildCATS? (in any case, I have ZERO interest in these)

Ok, now it's my turn, before more teasers are leaked:
21. Shazam!, taking place on Earth-S in the style of Jeff Smith's Monster Society book
22. Supergirl, more Cosmic Adventures in 9th Grade than what the current series offers
23. Batman is inevitable (and he'll be Bruce Wayne) - he's a flagship character who needs a good creative team this time
24. The Flash - I'd like him to be on a Silver Age Earth, but his Justice League membership precludes that
25. Green Arrow - as the guy from the Brave and the Bold cartoon
26. The original Freedom Fighters fighting Nazis on Earth-X
27. A noir book using the Charlton heroes and bringing them closer to their Watchmen counterparts
28. Batwoman, as long awaited
29. Some kind of team-up book, which will help sell the new DCU one character at a time (B&B?)
30. A war comic, either Sgt. Rock or something high concept but sustainable, like the Losers
31. A Fourth World book
32. Suicide Squad (and I'd love for the old team of Ostrander, McDonnell and Kesel to be on it)
33. Black Lightning, in the same style as his Year One mini-series
34. The Atom reinvented to be Ryan Choi from the word go
35. I don't like fantasy much, but I do want the new DC to have variety that can potentially attract different kinds of reader, so I'll spring for a revamped Amethyst here
36. Firestorm needs to have his story told (and let him be more black than white)
37. Martian Manhunter likewise, and if he's not in the Justice League, how about giving him a solo series?
38. Frankenstein
39. Saga of the Swamp Thing (the latter two to cover a supernatural/horror niche)
40. Western: We need one, but Jonah Hex is kinda played out. Therefore, I'm wishlisting a TEAM of western heroes à la Magnificent Seven
41. Wait, I don't have enough Batman titles, do I? I say Batman & Robin will survive, likely with Tim as Robin (I'll miss Damian hanging with Dick, though)
42. Hey, if we get an OMAC series, is it ridiculous to expect Kamandi to make it in as well?
43. I like Steel as much as the next guy, but replace him with Hardware and give the latter his own Iron Man-busting series
44. Superboy with a completely new, non-Reign origin, but he's still Connor
45. Mystery in Space, initially starring Adam Strange (I'm telling you, I'm taking "variety" seriously!
46. Time Masters - Rip and Booster could continue to be the only people who remember the old timeline, but there's nothing they can do about it! On with the time travel and Elseworlding then...
47. I don't mind Superman/Batman, but it really should be called World's Finest
48. A comedic Justice League International, though perhaps under a different title (how about Global Guardians?)
49. Challengers of the Unknown - it might even take place in the 50s
50. Who's Who in this new universe
51. Complete long shot: Animal Man!
52. The Outsiders
52. Ha! Just kidding! Jimmy Olsen (now THERE'S a good comic for Grant Morrison "starring Superman"!

Speaking from the gut here, I reserve the right to change my mind about any of these. What's YOUR wish list look like?

DC Flushpoint: Not Far Enough

Sick of this topic yet? Well, this isn't an article about how hard or soft the reboot will be (I first read it as a complete reset, but some interpret it as softer, with some books continuing mostly unmolested). No, I want to talk about Jim Lee's assertion that September will "change the way comics are consumed". And in that regard, I don't think DC is taking ENOUGH of a risk.

The strategy as announced is to provide same-day downloads for the titles, thus opening up the online market and getting readers that wouldn't normally walk into a comic book store (or rather, that wouldn't do so on a weekly basis - it's one thing to walk in and buy stuff, it's another to make it part of your routine). I completely respect the need for, and value of, changing with the audience/market. But is DC actually doing that? In my opinion, they're only going half-way.

My idea of the ideal model
The real problem with the industry, in my estimation, is the idea of the MONTHLY. At 3-5$ a pop, usually for 20-30 page installments, it's no wonder many readers are "waiting for the [inevitable] trade. My ideal model would combine the download scheme with the Euro-model best exemplified by graphic albums like Tintin and Asterix (to only mention the most famous). 20-page chapters can be offered as downloads on a regular basis, but no floppy monthlies are ever printed. Instead, collections of chapters are directly published as graphic novels (soft or hardcover based on the project's marketability). It's like reading Dickens chapter by chapter in a literary magazine, then getting Great Expectations as a single volume later. You could do either or both.

My arguments
If we ARE talking about today's audience and its habits, this is a better model. Here's why:
-Economics: Most consumers are adults with some kind of cash flow. When I was a kid, a comic cost me 83¢ Canadian with the tax. Literally pocket change, and the left overs from my lunch money would go to a comic. A comic a day back then meant I could try new titles and often did. At 3$ and above per issue, kids are unlikely to buy many comics or try new things. Adults are richer, but often can't justify that kind of money on a luxury (for themselves or their child) unless than luxury has some durability, which brings me to...
-Preferred formats: For a kid, stacks of floppies and long boxes are just another part of the decor. But if adults are the ones buying, the better format is the graphic novel or trade collection. These can stand upright on a shelf without looking cluttered and dirty, and have greater durability. For storage, moving and eventually passing those books on to your children, durability is key. The higher page count also makes the books a better investment, even if the price point more or less comes up to the same. What you have is greater value per dollar, which speaks to the adult consumer.
-Online price points: These have to be much lower than a printed comic would have been. This is how you get the kids interested. Most kids today are connected to the Internet in a big way, and if they can download chapters at, say 83¢ Canadian an issue, that can get them hooked and asking their parents for hard printed collections, or books they don't have in electronic format.
-Waiting for the trade: a lot of consumers are already doing this. Waiting creates anticipation you don't commonly find in the monthly grind. Think of the line-ups for the latest Harry Potter book. Now imagine the well-marketed latest Batman story, or serialized installment of the Green Lantern Corps saga. It's easier to market a book every 4-6 months than it is an issue every month. Creators are likewise often "writing for the trade", crafting stories in packageable arcs with definite beginnings and endings. To create anticipation for certain projects, they might not first be stripped on the Internet. There are various models to adopt here. Similarly, a comics company might publish stories exclusive to the Internet, perhaps as a way to test the waters for a new character or series.
-Countering lateness: Stories would be published when ready. I've waited 4 months for a new I, Zombie book, I can wait another, no problem. The fact new Asterix books come out only every few years hasn't hurt their sales (on the contrary, releases have become media events in the French-speaking world). Creators would all basically be working on mini-series to be published as graphic novels. If you don't publish until ready, it reduces the risk of dreaded fill-in artists or never-published final chapters.
-Other things wrong with monthlies: 1) For whatever reason, covers have become tedious indeed. Too many books simply feature a hero/group shot unrelated to the interior story. With fewer releases come fewer covers, so these may be more creative and less repetitive. And if it's a hero/group shot, well, that's not such a bad selling point for a trade/graphic novel. 2) Numbering. It's gotten to the point where numbering is a ridiculous artifact of the "way we do things". Titles are relaunched at new #1s, or have gap issues with crazy numbers (0, -1, .1, Infinity, etc.), or renumbered to get to a big 100 issue. Not only is it confusing to collectors, but the current consumer base is actively deriding such schemes. And apparently, it's not really working on the rubes who have been burned before. Self-contained graphic novels don't have this problem. And collected trades have simpler numbering. The back of a book should tell you what other books are in the series and in what they order they can/should be read (as both my Euro-examples do). And since they stay in print, there's no problem with "Oh I missed too much already". (Aside: Someone I went to see Thor with became very interested in the character and asked me if there were a lot of issues, implying he wanted to read more... I had no easy answers for him.)
-Selling them: It's the kind of scheme that doesn't necessarily put the hurt on comic book stores, while also opening the door very wide to sales in book stores. You would still have regular releases because there are many books/series, so stores could keep a weekly or monthly cash flow going. However, the model reflects adult shopping habits better. Today's comics consumer doesn't want to be tied down to a weekly routine, comics "accounts" that might burden his cash flow, etc. If stories are told in graphic novels exclusively (with FCBD samplers perhaps used as incentives), he or she can walk into a store at any time. No missing a key issue, and with the option of ordering what's not in stock, even years after initial release. When I was a kid, a grandparent used to buy me a graphic album every week after church. It was a BOOK, she would never have given me one of those dirty monthlies. And I still have them all moer than 30 years later and happily lend them out without a care about "de-minting" them.
-Passing them on: Yes, you can read a comic with a child. But imagine yourself with a large-format hardcover, that same child next to you. Which seems more natural? Which is most like "reading a book" and passing on the love of reading AND comics? Perception is important, and like that grandparent who considered those Tintins books above all, I know many adults who hold on to these graphic albums though they've thrown away their childhood "rags". There certainly is less of a stigma attached to hardbound graphic albums.

In short, the current consumer is older, though starting to have kids the right age. That makes him wealthier, but also more fiscally responsible. Comics need to be sold as a VALUE to the home and the family. The download strategy is important (and greener), but it may prove damaging to businesses instead of supporting them. Buying comics on a budget, or intermittently, or even for hardcore fans, is often disheartening. You're either missing out, or confused, or short of cash, or unsatisfied. It just doesn't make sense anymore no matter how much we hold on to the nostalgia of the monthly. But it's the monthly's very format that frustrates both the consumer and the industry. It's got to go.

Reboot #... I Stopped Counting

So Schrödinger's Cat is out of the bag: DC Comics is rebooting its entire line in September as a result of the Flashpoint event.The details are murky at best, but here's what we (think we) know:
-The story lines in all current titles will wrap up by the end of the summer.
-All titles will be rebooted to #1, including Action and Detective.
-Some origins will be completely re-written, while others will only be tweaked.
-The new books will catch up with at least some of DC's iconic heroes much earlier in their careers.
-The only new book that's been announced is Justice League #1 by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee. It stars (younger versions of ) Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Green Lantern (Hal Jordan). For some reason, they all have the same collar, which is strange for characters who are really solo stars. Johns says he wants to focus on the interpersonal relationships.
-Jim Lee spearheaded the redesign of at least 50 costumes (which might explain it).
-Other rumors: Wonder Woman by Grant Morrison with Phil Jimenez, OMAC by Scott Kolins, and a Legion Lost book that's unrelated to the previous series by that name, and the possibility that Superman and Wonder Woman will hook up.
-The new DCU will be "more diverse".
-The relaunch will feature 52 #1 issues.
-Unrelated to the reboot, DC will also launch same-day downloads of the comics.

And now, my undigested thoughts...

Gut feeling
You know it's not my first and it likely won't be my last. I was a comics reader when the first Crisis happened, after all. How will this one differ? Back in 1986, I think we were on the cusp of a new way of writing comics at DC. New Teen Titans was doing well using the Marvel model, for example, but more established comics were perhaps wallowing in a more traditional style, the Superman books especially. The Crisis allowed books that were doing well and were "modern" (in general, this means they were a little more "psychological" or grounded in real world relationships) to go on, while books stuck in a Silver/Bronze rut were rebooted to great success (Superman and Wonder Woman in particular). Other books handled it in other ways, sometimes catching up late (Hawkman), sometimes giving way to replacements (Flash, Justice League). Rebooting some of the pillars of the DCU rebranded the era, no disputing that as we still say pre-Crisis/post-Crisis, and made the universe more coherent with titles that had already "moved on".

The question today is: Are we once again on such a "cusp"? I'm not really feeling it. Further, if the reboot is line-wide and no stories are to continue, then we have no books that can used as an example of what the new DCU is meant to be. With Geoff Johns as creative director, given his predilection for the pre-Crisis universe (see his Superman, Legion, Flash, etc. tweaks), a return to those days (at least in set-up) is perhaps likely. Snell may be closer than he thinks when he posits that the Crisis might simply be undone. However, that doesn't speak to tone so much. I can't, at this point, see how comics story telling could be re-invented, especially not when the creative force behind the reboot is the same that's been restructuring the universe since Infinite Crisis. It feels more like a commercial decision at this point. Comics aren't selling so well, let's go after a new market (the downloads) and new readers with well-publicized entry points.

52 #1s
52 has become an important number at DC, seeing as it's the number of Earths in the new multiverse, something that's been true but largely ignored for the past couple years. 52 worlds, 52 books. Surely, it doesn't mean that each new #1 will take place on a different Earth! It's highly unlikely that the four (known) heroes of the Justice League won't also star in their own books which will be chronologically simultaneous with the team book. However, finally using the multiverse is a good idea. And I don't just mean that they could finally put the Marvel Family on the right track and on Earth-S (which a reboot could do anyway). I mean that it could allow DC to downplay the shared universe aspect of their comics line. Think about it. If fewer books share the same continuity, they become more accessible to new readers, which seems part and parcel of this whole strategy. Titles would cross over less often, big events would be confined to smaller families of books (DC had success with the Sinestro War, for example). The door would still be open to big events because it would still be a shared multiverse. Such a move might also reduce the continuity baggage of the DCU, for example by sending all the Golden Age/precursor heroes to Earth-2. While the post-Crisis DCU was all about Legacy (which Wally West was emblematic of, and Batman Inc. is the ultimate result of), the post-Flashpoint universe could explore a different (and less continuity-loaded) theme. If the heroic age started in the 2000s, it voids the question of why there were apparently no heroes from the 50s to the 90s, a gap that's widened considerably since 1986. There should now be a Silver Age Earth where those sensibilities and heroes can be explored. Reducing the heroic population of Earth-1 wouldn't be a bad thing (either by voiding or shunting them off to another Earth). It's a crowded place, and writers just don't care if they massacre half a dozen of them every few months.

Another point: I don't think the fact that there are 52 #1s in September will mean they will launch 52 new titles. Likely, there will be quite a few specials in there that give characters their new origins. This is not unlike something I recommended just prior to Final Crisis, though I didn't advocate a complete reboot - just that origins/DC History be redefined following the event (which turned out to be unnecessary).

What doesn't make sense here
I don't know when they hatched this plan, but DC seems to be in a constant state of rebooting. and there are things I don't get. For example, why did Johns just bother with retelling Superman's origin for the umpteenth time if it would all be null and void a year later? Why reboot (or retroboot) the Legion? Why bring back Ray Palmer as the Atom? How does this tie into the finales of both Gen Lost and Brightest Day? JLI: Coming soon! Well, IS IT? Is there an Earth where the current continuity happened and where JLI and Swamp Thing will take place? Why do you need to resurrect Aquaman, et al. if they can be alive in the new continuity anyway (except to make them marketable, I suppose)? Is this why Batwoman's monthly has been held up? Or that new and now useless Who's Who? On the flipside, why did Doom Patrol end so suddenly, in the middle of a story arc, if they could just have given Giffen a couple more months to end it?

On the other hand, some of the risks DC's taken with a few books make complete sense if they were going to end it all in August anyway. Batman Inc., Wonder Woman's alternate reality, Superman's long walk of shame. The first of these worked and the others not so much, but no biggie. It'll all be null and void come the fall.

Sorry to see you go
Though DC's communications office implies that its current output is "not being told for current audiences" (which is as ridiculous as it is dangerous - in my business, we call that malpractice), current readers of course have their favorite books. Dick Grayson as Batman (in particular Synder's take in Detective). Secret Six. Batman Inc. Tim as Red Robin and Steph as Batgirl. Lemire's Superboy. Superman's marriage. Booster Gold protecting history (I guess he fails). It's unlikely any of these will make it through the transition, either because they're too continuity-dependent or because they aren't the iconic version of their respective characters. And can the Legion even survive another reboot? The new DC universe will likely be simpler and more accessible, but it won't be as rich, at least, not for a while.

I'm not particularly excited about the Justice League announcement, nor the fact that Jim Lee redesigned so many costumes. He did the new Wonder Woman we all hated, right? I mean really, let the creative teams assigned to whichever book handle their own redesigns. If all it's going to be is throat-chokers anyway... who cares? Not particularly a fan of Jim Lee's designs, so I just don't see the point.

Still stuff to hope for
Of course there is. I remember the original Crisis as something exciting. Well, not the event so much, which was all red skies and crossovers, but the resulting new Earth. The re-invention of Superman in particular enthralled me. And there ARE books and franchises that don't work at the moment. The aforementioned Superman and Wonder Woman are going nowhere fast, just as was Wally West as the Flash. Teen Titans doesn't really work despite bringing some actual sidekicks into the team. Hawkman is as damaged a character as ever. The JLA is a mess. And the Marvel Family can't even support so much as a working Special.

However, I'm more interested in what will be ADDED rather than removed or fixed (because those fixes could have been done without a complete reboot, and might still suck). The potential for using other Earths is interesting to me, and I like the idea of a Golden Age Earth, and a Silver Age Earth where the legacies (Wally, Kyle, Dick) actually did bear fruit later. Earth-S. Earth-X. Charlton-Earth. I'm all up for those, but I want to see them IN USE, not as background. It would be interesting and exciting, I think, if some continuing titles took place on Earths other than Earth-1, where not only different characters, but different TONES were explored. Maybe that's what the DC Retro experiment is about?

I wonder what "more diverse"means though. The Justice League, as pictured, is just a quartet of white people (the complete image, revealed later, has Flash, Batman and Cyborg, so one black man). Are we to believe heroes of color/ethnicity/sexual orientation will have continuing series? Or will the output itself be more diverse? We currently have a western in Jonah Hex, but might we see some military comics (like Sgt. Rock), fantasy (like Amethyst?), sci-fi (Adam Strange?) and horror (Swamp Thing)? Perhaps genre-busting in superhero comics themselves instead. The Suicide Squad or Checkmate could have an espionage feel, while a Charlton-Earth based Question series could be a noir police thriller. The OMAC book seems part of that. Who know? But if they ARE going after a whole new market, they might attempt to get people who 1) have access to electronic media and 2) are interested in different genres. I'm sure there are many. It would be natural to try to appeal to fans of Harry Potter, Pirates, Jason Bourne, etc. who would never think of walking into a comic book store. If there is such diversity in the offing, I would applaud it, but its success would come down to proper marketing.

Wow, that's a long emergency post. At this point, anything's possible, but we'll probably come back to this subject as things get better defined.

DC's Never-Ending Story

In the wake of Brightest Day and Justice League: Generation Lost, and as Flashpoint begins, there's been some Internet grumbling about the function of DC's never-ending stream of crossover events. Graig at Second Printing has questioned whether each series was worth us buying 24 issues if their only point was relaunching a few titles (JLI, Swamp Thing, Aquaman... although the latter could have been relaunched straight out of Blackest Night). I don't know if I agree with the premise of his argument, but I don't know that I exactly disagree either.

While I've been chomping at the bit for Aquaman's return, he hasn't been a consistent seller for DC Comics. Restarting him in a high profile crossover event may attract readers of that event to his new #1 issue, perhaps ensuring a healthier and longer run. Could not the same be true of the Flash or the Legion or Booster Gold, all spun out of similar events in the past four years? The comics we (and by we, I mean the blogging pundits) love often seem to flounder at the cash register - Blue Beetle, Manhunter, Tiny Titans, to name only a few from DC's stable - but what if a crossover event took the time to set them up properly and to a wider audience. Though I completely agree that both Brightest Day and Gen Lost often spun their wheels in the mud, and in BD's case ended on dull exposition, one thing they did well was allow us to know various characters in their new status quo and give us a glimpse of what their solo books might feel like. I expect more people to get into Aquaman thanks to BD than if they'd just launched his series cold.

Yes, it's been one damn thing after another since at least 52. And yes, all these series rarely offer closure, preferring instead to spin off its dangling plot threads into Aftermath mini-series or the next line wide event. They do offer a story however, and whether you like it (52) or hate it (Countdown), it's not like the point of them is launching the next event or random new books, any more than any other title's point is to get to its final issue. Continuing series are normally open-ended, and we don't grumble at that fact. And it's how I've come to think of DC's continuous stream of events. To me, despite the title changes, it's all one (usually weekly) comic that chronicles the big events of the DCU and the characters it most affects (as opposed to always the same character or team). It's DC Universe: The Series. (More accurately, it's a family of titles, like the Batman books or Superman books, because there are always side-minis and specials.) The book used to be called 52, then it was called Countdown and Final Crisis and Blackest Night, and soon it'll be called Flashpoint. If all these stories starred the Justice League of America and were published in the pages of their mag, we wouldn't bat an eyelid. Yes, of course there's a financial issue, but somehow, these series tend to sell way better than that isolated book you love.

If we're going to have a DCU series (and a corresponding Marvel U series as well, you know the one currently titled Fear Itself), I do want it to have good creators, interesting characters and to have an impact on the DCU (just as I expect a Superman book to have an impact on Superman's life). I want less shock and gore, and more characterization and humor. I want fewer gratuitous spin-off specials and minis that cash in, but don't add anything of value. I want a certain sense of closure to various arcs and don't want to feel like editorial mandates are in the way of common sense. And I want it to put less strain on readers' wallets so they CAN then get into those new launches rather than spend everything on "must-read" event books.

Sometimes they even get it right. And when they don't, I'm free to drop the book, just as I can any other book. Don't worry, I'm sure they'll recap the important bits in the books you do follow.

Supersize my Mini-series

Being a collection of comic book mini-series from the last year and a half that I would have liked to see become monthlies. And the series I would have sacrificed to get them there. Obviously, all creative teams must remain the same.

MUSTS
Teen Titans Year One by Wolfram, Kerschl and LaPointe
Oh how I would have loved for this crazy, kooky take on the Titans to be in continuity. Final Crisis, truly, you did not do your job. A reset Titans series (or more likely one taking place in the past) would have been a blast. Yes, the art team can't quite keep up with a monthly schedule. Maybe share space with another like-minded artist?
Cut: Teen Titans or Titans, they both suck anyway.

Age of the Sentry by Parker, Tobin and friends
Speaking of Silver Age nostalgia, I can't believe the Sentry is so DULL as a contemporary character, but that his fake (and faux) Silver Age adventures are so GREAT! Even DC hasn't really been able to milk its Silver Age this well, and yet, the Sentry is a stand-in for that era's Superman. As a monthly, it doesn't have to be double-sized either.
Cut: Dark Avengers, it's not like it's built to last beyond the insipid Dark Reign anyway.

Batman: Gotham After Midnight by Niles and Jones
Ok, I'm sorta cheating here, because it wouldn't be a new Batman series (though if it must), it's just my way of putting this creative team on one of the main batbooks. But seeing as the real Batman is nowhere to be seen, GAM could be the new "when there WAS a Batman" that would outsell all the Batman-less Batman books. I just can't believe Kelly Jones isn't on a proper title, is all.
Cut: If it's a whole new series, then I suppose Batman Confidential really has to go.

Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade by Walker and Jones
Make them Adventures in the 9th Grade, restart at number 1 IF YOU MUST, but publish this charmer of a comic. It's got at least as much juice as Billy Batson and Tiny Titans. Come onnnnnnnnnnnnn! Only one comic featured Streaky the Super-Cat pulling the strings from afar, and it's this one.
Cut: I won't kill a book from the all ages line to save another. No, I'm gonna go right out and sink Superman/Batman.

Black Lightning Year One by Van Meter and Hamner
Black Lightning as a family man and high school principal trying to rid the streets of crime and corruption appeals to me. Better yet was how Suicide Slum was portrayed as a slightly mystical area where Superman couldn't easily go, and a community under siege à la The Wire.
Cut: The Outsiders. You know you want it too.

True Believers by Bates, Gulacy and Beredo
Cary Bates blew us away last year with his crazy comic about heroes who would rat you out on You-Tube. It had that real world feel reminiscent of Damage Control and Astro City and many of the characters have remained largely unexplored. So how about it? More True Believers?
Cut: Cable. It's 2009, people.

NOT MUSTS, BUT WOULD BE NICE
El Diablo by Nitz, Hester and Parks: Love Phil Hester, and a really cool take on the Ghost Rider concept.

Huntress Year One by Madison, Richards and Thibert: I really liked this mafia-heavy story about Huntress. Certainly more readable than books like the recent Batgirl.

Patsy Walker - Hellcat by Immonen, Lafuente and Rauch: Despite the strange Inuit mythology stuff, this exuded charm much in the same way Supergirl's Cosmic Adventures did, only for the slightly older reader. Great art and some funny Teen Beat material.

Vixen: Return of the Lion by Wilson and Cafu: Really pretty art, and made Vixen her own woman, separate from the JLA. Can't have too many GOOD female super-hero books (though I gather bloggers are in the minority thinking this).

Haunted Tank by Marrafinno and Flint: It's one of my favorite war comics concepts, and it would have been hoped that as a regular monthly, it could have gotten out of the very narrow scope it had (racism).

Ambush Bug Year None by Giffen, Fleming and Milgrom: Aren't we still missing an issue?! Ambush Bug as monthly? Yes, I think comics need to be laughed at every single month. Each issue of Year None tried to pack in a whole year of crossover madness and left some targets unhit.

Did I miss your favorite? Would you like a monthly Secret Invasion or Final Crisis book? You're crazy. But since no one can read everything, I'm sure I missed some good comics! Let me know, and I'll make sure it happens in my dream world.

Joe Quesada Out, Siskoid In

Let the Marvel rampage begin! Hey, fair is fair, and as far as I'm concerned, Joey Q's rating is lower than than DiDio's no matter how much better he's doing financially. He makes some of the same bonehead decisions, and compounds it with criminal PR disasters. So what would I try to do with Marvel Comics were I given those particular reigns?Well, what's good for the goose is also good for the gander, so there are some strategies I detailed yesterday that could apply just as well to Marvel. Series shutting down when its creative team leaves, no more line-wide crossover "events", distinctions for what deserves hardcover treatment, and tighter editing are all still good ideas across the road from DC.

In addition...

-Marvel has always maintained that Continuity was King. No reboots, no fresh starts, everything that happened, happened. This is clearly fallacy. Siskoid doesn't like hypocrisy, so we're no longer making a point of this. Does that mean I'd advocate a line-wide reboot? That's a tough call. On the one hand, no matter how badly it was handled, the Spider-reboot has done good for the character. On the other, it seems like Marvel can't possibly do a reboot because that's the competition's thing. But when Marvel HAS rebooted characters and situations, they continuity contortions to justify it have been, shall we say, difficult (One Last Day, Secret Invasion). Still, if Mephisto has the power to reboot a single character, some final rebooting event is entirely possible using the Marvel cosmogony. In the end, the Marvel Universe would be dreamed back into alignment to bring its icons back into focus with as much or as little baggage as they need. Much like they did with Spider-Man.

-Among the things I would do away with is Civil War's repercussions. It makes the Marvel Universe too fascist, bringing elements from the X-Men franchise to every other title.

-Lower prices. I'm not against making money, I'm against unfair price points. There's no reason why two Marvel Comics with the same number of pages and paper stock should have 1$ difference. A 22-page comic for 4 bucks is simply too much. I would also reduce the number of alternate covers across the board (what is this, the 90s?), and reduce prices on comics DVDs so that they are more in line with what was previously offered by GIT Corp. I see no reason to fleece an already fragile customer base.

-Creators that might fall from favor include Bendis who is for the moment spread out so thin he keeps repeating himself. There's no call to have him on so many books. Other than that, all those cover artists who can't draw feet, you know the type. Mark Millar's cynicism is counter productive to my way of thinking and I refuse to continue wasting good artists on his brand of shock theater. JMS and Jeff Loeb aren't high on my list either.

-An odd detail to focus on, but I hate the fonts used by letterers in too many Marvel titles, specially those that use lower case letters. It's becoming the new Comic Sans Serif for me.

-Practice some sensitivity. Marvel has done a poor job of depicting minorities and women in recent years. I don't care how many fanboys would like Mary Jane Love Slave or Eviscerated Bride statues on their mantle, Marvel needs to act more responsibly to gender and racial issues. Quesada's reaction to MJGate, the Hentai cover, and other charges of representational misogeny was to say the dead parrot was only resting. Combine that with photos of him in strip bars on the Internet and claims that readers couldn't identify with a married man, and you have one of the most disagreeable public personae in Comic Book Land. Marvel also needs to do a better job with racial issues: Storm and Black Panther get married cuz they're both Africans, the death of Black Goliath at Aryan hands, and have you read Kick-Ass? Maybe there's malice, and maybe (probably) there isn't, but editors need to realize the appearance of a thing is as offensive as the thing itself.

-Marvel needs its own Vertigo imprint. Ages ago, they briefly trotted out Frontier, along with, what, 3 other new imprints, all at the same time. All were doomed to failure. I would like to see a little harsher separation between Mature Readers books than the rather soft line between "Parental Advisory" titles like the Marvel Knights line. Marvel could definitely stand to revamp their horror books (all of which are available as Essentials) into modern horror, and I believe a better identified imprint would help sell books like Omega the Unknown and Criminals to the right audience. Call it Frontier, call it Epic, but call it.

-Marvel's website definitely needs an upgrade, especially when it comes to its actual comic book releases. As it is, the week's comics are way at the bottom, and the catalog lists are filled with variants of all sorts, not very well organized, and never list creators. The website listings are actually less useful than a 3-month-old copy of Previews.

Now for some notes on individual titles...

-Cancel and never again resurrect: Kick-Ass, Anita Blake (sorry, Chris Sims), Marvel Comics Presents, and... You know, I'm looking at June's listing, and there are way too many titles that are less than a year old and that I know nothing about. Hard to cut them loose, but I do see it as a problem. Because while I can't be expected to read every book on the stands (unless you actually give me the job), I do read an awful lot of comic book blogs. And if it's not on ANYBODY's radar, well, that can't be a good sign, can it? Certainly, I'd pair down the X-titles, Wolverine titles and Avengers titles, but how exactly would demand more study than I'm willing to give it right now.

-Amazing Spider-Man: It's crazy, but One More Day is working out fine. A good direction to keep, though I'm only really attached to Dan Slott as a writer. Could the "braintrust" be a good way to go for other multi-title characters/teams (of either company)?

-Iron Man: Invincible is the title to beat. Not only does it play down the character assassination that has been going on in virtually every other title, it's a nice place for the movie's fans to go. I would call for all successful Marvel movie franchises to do the same. Not quite kowtow to movie continuity, but still respect the same iconic tropes for smoother movie-fan-to-comics-fan migration.

-Hulk: An example of how this is not currently done. There should be an Incredible Hulk comic starring Bruce Banner on the stands parallel to the movie's release. Red Hulk, Son of Hulk, Incredible Herc... Some of these are good/promising, but it's not the same.

-Captain America: I trust Brubaker on this, but I fully intend Steve Rogers to return at some point.

-Avengers and X-Men: Both franchises need to be a lot trimmer. Every time they sprawl team books like this, you can't get a classic line-up going.

-Alpha Flight: I'd write the damn thing myself to make sure it's properly Canadian.

-Marvel Adventures: No problems there.

-Ultimate Marvel: I would consider shutting it down. It made sense as a way to attract new readers afraid of the established continuity, but today has enough baggage to deter new readers just as much as the "real" MU. Furthermore, while I enjoyed the experiment for the first couple years, it may have become a sort of competition for the regular stable of titles. If you're going to offer an alternative Spider-Man that's more fun that the real deal, readers are likely to desert one for the other.

-Also worthy of a series: Damage Control, Doctor Strange, Nextwave.

-I'd mention limbo characters, but Marvel has been really good at trotting out even the most obscure of characters lately (Rocket Raccoon, the members of the Twelve, 3D Man, etc.) but I would have to say Rom Spaceknight, right? ;-)
And you?

Dan DiDio Out, Siskoid In

This week on Great Ceasar's Post, Maxo responded to yet another round of rumors that Dan DiDio would be canned from his position as DC Comics Editor-in-Chief by asking where we'd personally take DC (not that I think he's doing a particularly bad job). Playing editor is just my thing! I did it once before in a post that tried to come up with a Final Crisis strategy. It's almost a year later and you know, those ideas still seem good to me. But let's go further this time:

I would still call for a Final Reboot and ask writers to tie up storylines before the end of FC, still publish Reboot Month, still have characters' rebooted backstories detailed there without requiring any character to be reset at Year 1, and still launch every new series about an established character with a Reboot Special. Details HERE.

In addition...

-Publish a new version of Who's Who that takes the new history into account, with special minis to come for pre-Crisis, post-Crisis, post-Zero Hour, post-Infinite Crisis continuity (like Marvel Universe has done with decades).

-Keep events to families of books à la Sinestro War. Enough with the major crossovers. Make the Final Crisis truly Final for the foreseeable future.

-Better editing, definitely. Continuity between titles is very poor at the moment.

-We all have our own biases as far as artists, writers and characters go, so obviously, there are some people I wouldn't be giving work to - Benes, Meltzer, Starlin, Daniel, etc. - and others I'd try to attract from the competition: Fraction, Brubaker, Romita Jr.

-Flagship titles deserve the very best creators. No crap, and no stunts (i.e. non-comics writers).

-More Omnibus-format books, possibly with soft covers. Higher end than Showcases, lower end than hardcovers. (NOT EVERYTHING REQUIRES COLLECTED HARDCOVER TREATMENT!)

-The split between DC and Vertigo needs to be repaired. Not only do I see no problem with Vertigo stars appearing in DC books, I think it would oil the wheels for crossovers in the other direction. Vertigo needs an injection of new blood in addition to creator-owned projects.

-Get into that digital comics racket all the kids are talking about these days.

-Tie creators more closely to their books. When a creative team puts a definitive stamp on a title, why keep it going after it has left? Take for example the decline in both quality and interest in All-New Atom after Gail Simone left. Is Blue Beetle on its way there as well? The Darwyinless Spirit? Why take the risk? Ending the series (indeed, considering it a "limited" maxi-series) opens the schedule up to new projects and keeps the property open for either a properly planned relaunch or the creative team's return in mini-series or specials to continue the story. So I know people are sad to see Catwoman canceled, but if Pfeiffer was going to leave anyway, I would have to approve. (Obviously, this isn't a scheme for DC's big properties.)

-DC's recognizable properties (i.e. that have been successful in other media or are part of the cultural zeitgeist) should be kept in print as much as possible and given strong attention: And yes, that means Supergirl too.

Now for some notes on individual titles...

-Cancel and never again resurrect: Batman and the Outsiders, Titans (only needs one monthly), Infinity Inc., all those Confidential books, Superman/Batman.

-JLA: Off-track. Needs to be bigger and bolder, closer to both Morrison's run and the Justice League Unlimited cartoon. Leave the soap opera in X-Men where it belongs and make this an event book. Maybe then there won't be a need for extreme tonnage in event mini-series all year round.

-Teen Titans: This family of titles has gotten so far off track that we're better off reseting it entirely post-FC. If it could have a Year One vibe, that would be great.

-Flash: Hard to say before FC wraps up, but I wouldn't mind bringing Barry Allen back and retiring Wally, or rebooting him to Kid-Flash status for my rebooted Titans book. CSI with superheroics. Let's do it already.

-Legion of Super-Heroes: We'll see how the Legion Crisis shakes up the book, but I wouldn't mind the 80s Legion back in full force as per Geoff Johns' vision.

-Checkmate: Replaced by Suicide Squad. Now.

-Batgirl: Sorry, we don't need Cassandra. A book staring Barbara Gordon before The Killing Joke would be great, however. As the current Batman Confidential story arc shows.

-Shazam!: Jeff Smith needs to come back for more. (Though I'll gladly give Mike Kunkel's new series a chance. Captain Marvel really needs to show some face on the racks.)

-Aquaman: The real one, as policeman of the seas, please. Enough with the blond Namor trope.

-Hawkman: With continuity as confused as the Legion's, the Hawks need to be rebooted as the sexy married couple Kubert used to draw in the Silver Age.

-Also worthy of an ongoing series: New Frontier, something relating to the 7 Soldiers, Swamp Thing. I might also get behind Doom Patrol, Blackhawk and the Question (especially if it's a rebooted Vic Sage).

-Limbo characters I would like to see given a shot (either in DC or Vertigo mini/maxi): Green Team, Global Guardians, Prez, Slam Bradley, some would say Wild Dog is primed for a comeback.
What would you do?

Tagged!

Madeley tagged me a few days ago with a meme going around which asks "What creators who are usually associated with a certain company (or, indeed, medium) would you like to see writing someone else’s title?"

I'm half tempted to send a bad DC writer over to Marvel like SallyP did with Winick, but I think I can consolidate my shared universe better by importing rather than exporting. The two guys most impressing me at Marvel right now are Fraction and Brubaker, so these guys need to get on some DC books pronto. Most in need? Hm...

If we're going for artwork though, I'd love to see John Romita Jr. doing DC characters. His work on Thorion (for Amalgam) leaves no doubt that he would be great on a new New Gods book (should we expect a Fifth World series after Final Crisis?), but I'd but him on almost anything and expect great things.

Blue Beetle's now in need of a new creative team (I say this before #26 comes out obviously), and it seems like a great match: Fraction - Brubaker - Romita Jr. on Blue Beetle. Here's to the next 25 issues.

If only...

Showcase Presents: Not What You Expected

A lot of my fellow bloggers responded unfavorably to the news this week regarding the release schedule of rest of 2007's Showcase Presents. Captain Carrot, Suicide Squad, Secret Society of Super-Villains and The Great Disaster are summarily canceled with no date given as to when they might show up again. Let the rage begin.

I for one, am not bothered. For one thing, I questioned from the first the decision to reprint material from the 80s while there was still plenty of stuff from the 50s, 60s and 70s that wasn't easy to find in quarter bins. Recent material is modern enough that it might even be better to reprint them in color. The Squad certainly deserves this treatment, and I'm sure the Zoo Crew would be easier to put in younger readers' hands if it were in color. Maybe it's time for a new format at DC: the softcover trade with color newsprint (like the Fourth World Omnibususeses, but without the high hardcover price tag).

Sadly, Suicide Squad was going to be the first Showcase Presents I wasn't going to buy because I already had all the issues. Too recent! The real shame is that they're still reprinting Batman and the Outsiders... THAT will be the first Showcase I don't buy. Probably. Secret Society I'll miss most, but never having read it, I don't know what I'm missing. As for The Great Disaster, it was intriguing sure, but the only comic I own in there is Hercules Unbound #1 and that SUCKED.

But more importantly, LOOK WHAT'S REPLACING THEM! Ok, Supergirl's silver age stories aren't exactly something I've been waiting for all my life, but she deserves as much love as Batgirl does. Brave and the Bold volume 2? That's Haneyriffic! World's Finest Comics features some of the earliest Showcased material, going back to 1954, and has such stories as:
I mean, really. And best of all: Sgt. Rock!!! The Unknown Soldier and the Haunted Tank are all well and good, but the Rock... No gimmicks, just Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert on beautiful, beautiful World War II stories. Kubert's work looks great in black and white too.

A fair trade, and a semester I'm looking forward to.

If I were in charge of DC Comics: Final Crisis

So I've made myself editor-in-chief of DC Comics. What do I do with all that power? I've been thinking about it for weeks, but the Keeper of the Fortress of Fortitude has just beaten me to my overarching idea in a post about how Final Crisis should resolve itself, which has shamed me into finally posting my Big Plan(TM) for the DCU.

The plan is simple, yet complex, with plenty of controversy for older readers, but an open door for newer ones. It would also make Final Crisis relevant, which the last couple Crises haven't really been, and still respects the gist of the promotional poster. That said, I think it's already too late to implement the plan, because some series are already getting in the way, such as the various new Year Ones and of course, Countdown.

Siskoid the Editor would pretty much give his writers from now 'til Final Crisis ends to tie up current storylines. If some new story element has recently come into play (like the Flash's kids or Black Canary's wedding), they better make something of that fast. Everything has to pay off not only for good off the individual stories, but if that happens during the Crisis, it makes the event all the more relevant.

And at the end of Final Crisis... The ultimate Reboot with a capital R. Those that think DC would implode and die if they rebooted their universe entirely should look back at the original Crisis on Infinite Earths when they did just that and only made their comics better. New jumping on points all over the place, a renewed sense of wonder, the whole lot. And we've learned from our mistakes. The first Crisis wasn't perfect by any means (nor will this one be, we're not so arrogant, not at SISKOID's DC), and I think we can avoid the same pitfalls that have made our editorial teams skittish about instituting true change since then.

The plan would proceed with every series basically ending during Final Crisis. Then, Reboot Month (that's only our internal name for it) in which no regular DCU series title comes out. In their place, there would be a special of some kind (call it the -1 issue, or give it Roman numerals, or put a overarching title in front of everything, like Final Reboot: Batman) for each series that is meant to continue (or start) in the wake of Final Crisis. That book would retell the origin and history of the relevant character(s) as they are in the new DCU, and catch us up to this point. This is not a Reboot to Year 1. Superman and Batman need to be veterans, Manhunter needs to be following a Manhunter legacy, Blue Beetle needs to be a rookie, etc. And in the foreseeable future, every time you launch a series with an established DC character, you first publish a Final Reboot Special (or whatever we're calling it).

But what are those changes? Good question, and obviously, it's up to the writers to deal with the details. However, a strong editorial vision is important to the viability of a shared universe. DC has been making great strides in getting their properties "out there" via other media. The movies are getting better since Marvel made their big push, but ultimately, it's TV that's really selling our characters, especially the WB cartoons (which did a GREAT job in essence streamlining character concepts). DC also has some of the most recognizable superheroes ever, heroes "ordinary" people know something about. That's a selling point that some writers and editors, like say, those responsible for Electric Superman, have missed along the way.

DC trades in icons. What is iconic about the characters and places should not be changed. Indeed, the Final Reboot should bring back those iconic things if they have gone missing. Morrison's done a good job on All-Star Superman doing just that. His Superman feels modern, but is full of Silver Agey craziness. Newcomers will recognize the Clark-Superman-Lois love triangle from other media or older visions of the character. The rivalry between him and Luthor, the overblown abilities, the adventures of Jimmy Olsen.

And the same can be done with other iconic characters. Just ask "what is it people know about that character?" because then, they won't be disappointed when they pick up a comic with that property in it. An Aquaman comic where the character is a sword-swinging barbarian who doesn't control fish isn't an Aquaman comic to a new reader. I pity readers who tried to start reading comics around Superman's death and found Batman, Wonder Woman, et al. unrecognizable (because they were Azrael, Artemis, etc.). Change is good for our less well-known stars. The world should change around our icons, but they should remain partly immutable so that their appeal remains unchanged.

Batman has remained iconic through most of his modern publishing history. When the Batman tv show was all the rage, the comics were silly as well - BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE KNEW - and new readers who bought an issue based on their interest in the tv series weren't disappointed. Since the 70s, Batman has been one of the most consistent DC characters ever, something reinforced by the animated series and more recently, Batman Begins. Superman or Wonder Woman or Flash are not weaker concepts than Batman. In fact, every time we change them, we must resign ourselves to eventually changing them back. Characters with a lot of baggage would suffer the most rebooting, of course, while newer creations (like Blue Beetle), could continue virtually unchanged.

"What people know" for lesser characters would be adjusted to mean "what comics readers know", since the world at large might be entirely ignorant of that character. And that means there would be a Multiverse. It's one of the best-known things about the DC Universe and it would be a shame to do away with the 52 Earths now. It also allows us to publish stories that are a bit outside this new DC Universe. It means it doesn't have to be too crowded, and Earths-S, -X, -2, -3, -4, etc. can have lives of their own, not unlike those they had before.

I have other editorial ideas, of course, like specific titles to publish, what to do about the characters held hostage by Vertigo, and what writers to hire or not hire, but that'll have to wait for another post as I've clearly been talking too long already.

But what would you do?

Showcase Presents... the DC Universe

With some 30 Showcase Presents and Marvel Essential collections on my shelves, I've now given up hope of reading any of them all the way through in one go (unless I'm actually doing a running feature on one). My reading strategy is to instead read one story a night, switching books every night. It's like living in a limbo time between 1958 and 1972 where comics were fun and black and white!

But what if DC's total monthly output today corresponded to the titles released under Showcase Presents? You'd be buying 23 comics a month (with more on the way):

Aquaman: A series dedicated to one of my favorite heroes, bar none (get it? bar? sandbar? ok, never mind). It's got to have Topo and plenty of finny friends. And it's gotta be the REAL Aquaman.

Atom: Search for Ray Palmer? In the Showcase universe, he never went anywhere. As per the Silver Age version, its strength would be the possibilities of size-changing and the pure evil that is Jean Loring.

Batman: What would the DCU be without the Dark Knight?

Brave and the Bold: Just like it is now, please!

Challengers of the Unknown: An adventure series that need not dip into superheroics, but that still has to be over the top. The crazier the better.

Elongated Man: A detective series starring... well, it could star the Dibny ghosts, that's fine. But make sure Ralph's ectoplasm is stretchy.

Flash: Whether Barry or Wally is wearing the mask, mad scientific concepts and an excentric rogue's gallery should be the focus.

Green Arrow: GA without trick arrows isn't GA. Bringing him back to these roots would mean playing him as Batman with a bow, and that's fine. Oliver Queen would make a nice bubbly counterpoint for Bruce Wayne.

Green Lantern: An exciting SF superhero series starring Hal Jordan and his photogenic butt. It strikes me that many of these comics had fun with different twists on the Superman/Lois relationship. Hal needs to get every girl except the one he wants (Carol).

Haunted Tank: An exciting WWII series starring everyone's favorite piece of moving artillery. Plenty of technical detail and verisimilitude tempering high action and the supernatural.

Hawkman: Reboot the Hawks once and for all as alien police and DC's sexiest couple. And you have to throw as much money at Joe Kubert as possible so he'll draw it.

House of Mystery: An horror anthology series by today's top writers and artists (maybe the Vertigo folk doing their best work for all ages audiences) with some macabre but funny gag strips as well.

Jonah Hex: We get to keep everyone's favorite western series.

Justice League of America: Make it star all the big guns, and make the stories high concept. If that sounds like Morrison's JLA, well, that's what it sounds like.

Legion of Super-Heroes: But which version? I don't really care, but a member of the Superman family should probably co-star.

Metamorpho: A funky superhero comedy reestablishing Rex as an important player in the DC Universe.

Phantom Stranger: Come on, tell me you wouldn't like the Stranger starring in his own series. And with Doctor Thirteen back-ups just like in Showcase Presents.

Shazam!: The modern equivalent is Jeff Smith's recent mini-series. It would be great.

Superman: Soap opera would give way to high concept craziness in the Silver Age mode, so it would basically be All-Star Superman. It's actually a direction I wouldn't mind the actual Superman books taking.

Superman Family: More of the same, except starring Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane. The All-Star Jimmy, not Countdown Jimmy.

Teen Titans: For it to work, you really need to showcase sidekicks and younger versions of the big guns. Robin and Wonder Girl make sense. To match the original roster, how about the new Aquagirl and a resurrected Impulse? It's got to have a crazy teen-beat feel to it, not unlike the WB cartoon. And they only help teenagers.

Unknown Soldier: Another war series? Yes, this one more in the spy mode. You could even set it in the present day, or throughout the 20th century, and it would still work.

War That Time Forgot: Nazis + dinosaurs = Instant commercial success. At least in my mind. In today's market, there'd probably be recurring characters, but as long as you could reproduce Khaniger's crazy action, it wouldn't even matter.

Now, looking at this, there's a definite lack of women and minorities. Yeah, it's a problem. Though in the coming months, DC would launch Wonder Woman and Batgirl, in addition to Adam Strange, Metal Men, Martian Manhunter, Captain Carrot, Batman and the Outsiders, Atomic Knights, and Who's Who.

On Earth-47 anyway.