DC's real problem right now

[boynightwing]

My two favorite writers at DC right now are Gail Simone and Paul Dini (when he's available). I have yet to read a bad comic from either of them. Birds of Prey, Zatanna, and Gotham Sirens have been my must reads for the past year or so.

I agree, its all about great writing. DC doesn't seem to have that right now. I'm not really a Morrison fan outside of his JLA work and All Star Superman. I remember reading his X-Men run and not being too happy with most of it.

Perhaps now is a good time to go out and scout some talent.

[ctc]

>Anyone following wis writing at Continuity Comics in the 80's could have told you the man is not much of a writer

Bite your tongue! Skate Man was GENIUS!!!!

I think you gotta be careful with the old guys ‘cos they have personal history.... with the characters, the industry, their own works.... It’s possible that they sign on just for the cheque, and are personally sick to death of the same old superheroes. Maybe they’re bitter over old slights, maybe they’re soured on what they see as the new path things are taking. Maybe they’re gettin’ a little senile. Ultimately they’re just being hired for the name; what do the head editors care about their work? Maybe the editors feel these guys are being forced on them, and plan to “reign them in.” And what’s gonna happen when you take someone who’s been doing their OWN stuff, at their own pace with as much depth and development as they feel necessary and tell them “No, BIGGER boobs, and have someone get punched and a tooth falls out.... and what’s this? An actual CHANGE?!?! Growth and development?!?! Who’dya think you are, Shakespeare? Stick to the fight scenes, and maybe throw that little guy that followed Martian Manhunter around back in the 60's.... but now he’s huge and evil and eats Jimmy Olson’s face while he’s at the methodone clinic....”

So many variables.... that’s why I don’t tend to get excited so much for triumphant returns. (Although the new Grimjack books are real good....)

>You'd be surprised how just a bit of consideration and reverence would go.

That’s a tricky one ‘cos.... what does it mean exactly? It’ll be different for everyone. A real codger might have read “Dark Knight Returns” and thought “What a wuss! Batman, FEH! Back in MY day Batman wasn’t afraid to use a gun.... unless he was kickin’ a guy in the face until his neck snapped!” A fan from the 60's might have read it and despaired at “why is Batman old? And SCARY?!?!?” A slightly younger fan might look at the new stuff and scream “Jim Aparo wouldn’t draw no Bat-armour! I call shenanigans!!”

Don C.

[samurainoir]

Bite your tongue! Skate Man was GENIUS!!!!

C'mon dude, you know I love this kind of stuff as much as you do, but Skate Man doesn't even come close to Rocket Racer's league of funkadelic. Dude is just too dang earnest!





Although Skate Man's claim to fame is that Shredder from the TMNT originated as a parody character named Grate Man.

[ctc]

>Skate Man doesn't even come close to Rocket Racer's league of funkadelic

....actually, I was being sarcastic; although the book IS a fun read.... weirdly dark and violent considering the hero. Tragicly, "SkateMan: The Opera" looks like it was pulled from "Stupid Comics."

Don C.

[TrueDave]

Most of the Dc graphic novels I have read from the last few years suffer from one major thing at least . Useless cameos.

[samurainoir]

For all there stunts over at Marvel right now, there is at least some solid writing driving it rather than some line wide editorial initiative.

Take the Death of Ultimate Spiderman for example... I'm as cynical a fanboy as you can get, and I just rolled my eyes at all these reviewers saying Ultimate Fallout had them tearing up during the funeral scenes. However... Having just read the issue I can really say Bendis brought his a-game to this and really has a handle on the characters. And at some point Mark Bagley has really become a nuanced artist who can convey an incredible array of complex emotional scenes.

The same can be said of any number of Marvel titles exploiting an event or gimmick... Bucky Cap sounds stupid on paper if you said this ten years ago, but the entire Winter Soldier extended arc is one of the all time best Cap story lines.

And folks who are not reading FF, are really missing out as well in the wake of the "death" of Johnny Storm.

[ctc]

>Useless cameos.

I think that's part of it too; DC especially is WAY too self-referential. Rehashes of the same ideas over and over with nothing new being added. Also, it seems like they're trying to make it so you can't just be a Batman fan, you've got to be a DC fan; what with all the tie-ins, specials and crossovers that neccessate buying a bunch of books you don't care about for sake of the full story.

Don C.

[ctc]

>Tragicly, "SkateMan: The Opera" looks like it was pulled from "Stupid Comics."

It's back!:

Stupid Comics

Don C.

[MIB41]

I don't think DC has a lot of confidence in it's characters. Film projects are slow to come out and they seldom get made without alot of conflict on direction.