The problem with DC Comics

[jacovny]

Having returned to comics after over a decade out of the loop, I emailed John about a year ago seeking suggestions for quality independents to try out. His highest praise was for Astro City, a book I had zero history with. I finally, reluctantly, jumped on board for the Quarrel/Crackerjack arc, and was blown away. The book immediately moved to the top of my stack. A more recent issue featured a talking gorilla who is also a rock-n-roll drummer. I was underwhelmed by the solicits, but Kurt Busiek had earned enough of my trust that I ordered it anyway -- and darned if Busiek didn't make me care about a talking gorilla who plays drums. I remember thinking that this is what I want from every DC book.

As a fan of DC comics since the "Super-Friends" glory days of the '80s, they're my go-to publisher. I really want to like DC books. But three years in to my rediscovery of comics, they still seem to be ambling around, regularly failing to "wow" me. With my budget I'm limited to around 20-25 books per month, so I tend to follow writers who've engaged me in the past with more loyalty than the titles themselves. The problem is, when I start naming my favorite authors, I have to go pretty far down the list before I get to any from D.C. When I think of Marvel, I think of Waid. Aaron. Slott. Soule. Fraction. Yost. Hickman. Remender. All tell complex, engaging stories that keep me coming back. In the last year, books like She-Hulk, Daredevil, and Silver Surfer -- characters I've NEVER read regularly before -- have all been must-reads. And D.C.? Well, there's Geoff Johns. Scott Snyder. And then nobody. I've given multiple opportunities for the likes of Pak, Jensen, Vendetti, and the rest to engage me, and frankly they all just seem to be writing very average stories. Why can't D.C. compete for the top comic book authors? (They had Soule, and he actually got me interested in books like Red Lanterns and Swamp Thing. Then he left. Those titles were cancelled, and Superman/Wonder Woman is now barely readable.) I won't say there's not a GLIMMER of hope on the horizon. Cullen Bunn, who's done some solid work, is now taking over a couple of mainstream-ish titles. Jeff Parker is taking over Justice League United, which was ridiculous under LeMeire -- liked Parker on "King's Watch" and Aquaman (though not enough to keep reading Aquaman).

The big question I find myself asking I guess is, why isn't Kurt Busiek running D.C.? Why is he limited to a single Vertigo book which is inexplicably barely read, when he could be revitalizing mainstream characters?

[SpideySavestheDay]

The big question I find myself asking I guess is, why isn't Kurt Busiek running D.C.? Why is he limited to a single Vertigo book which is inexplicably barely read, when he could be revitalizing mainstream characters?

From an interview Busiek gave on a podcast I've listened to recently, he has become sickly due to mercury poisoning. He has a tremendous amount of passion for his characters in Astro City and it seems like that is what drives him to write that book. Busiek doesn't have the energy level to write and/or direct multiple books at DC.

I do agree with you about the writers at DC; Snyder and Johns are their top tiered talent. I would give credit to Venditti and Bunn after that. I wonder how much leeway most DC writers have (besides Johns and Snyder) to work with the DCU's characters.

[drew]

Having returned to comics after over a decade out of the loop,

and darned if Busiek didn't make me care about a talking gorilla who plays drums. I remember thinking that this is what I want from every DC book.

As a fan of DC comics since the "Super-Friends" glory days of the '80s,

In the last year, books like She-Hulk, Daredevil, and Silver Surfer -- characters I've NEVER read regularly before -- have all been must-reads.

And D.C.? Well, there's Geoff Johns. Scott Snyder. And then nobody. Why can't D.C. compete for the top comic book authors?

I could have written this post, agree with all that...the good news for DC is I have really enjoyed Batgirl since its makeover and umm, vertigo has some cool stuff, the bad news is the June 3rd DC #1s were underwhelming at best...

[jacovny]

I could have written this post, agree with all that...the good news for DC is I have really enjoyed Batgirl since its makeover and umm, vertigo has some cool stuff, the bad news is the June 3rd DC #1s were underwhelming at best...

Concur. Nothing impressive in that batch, and that's about what I expecting following up a Convergence mini-series that was in my opinion a colossal mess. The sequence in #8 in which Brainiac is freed, declares his intent to murder all the heroes, and then just panels later asks for their aid, is emblematic of D.C.'s all-too-frequent inability to tell a cohesive story. I understood little more about the villain's central motivation after the 8th issue than I did after the zero issue. I have little reason to expect things to change with the new round of releases, although I am somewhat excited about the Superman "Truth" storyline, as well as the "new" Batman. D.C. is finally taking advantage of the New 52's potential in a way that they haven't to this point. Perhaps I'll give Batgirl a swing.

Thanks for the news about Busiek; I'm very sorry to hear about his health struggle. Certainly his workload needs to stay light, which is too bad because I would read anything with his name on it. Imagine his talent on a Titans or a Legion book...

[RowdyFromScrubs]

...the bad news is the June 3rd DC #1s were underwhelming at best...

I am really excited for 6/17's #1's: Dr Fate, Martian Manhunter, Doomed & Black Canary. They already seem to have more promise than the 6/3 #1's. Bat-Mite and Bizarro where mini-series & I doubt either MidNighter or Omega Men will see an issue number thirteen.

[drew]

...the bad news is the June 3rd DC #1s were underwhelming at best...

I am really excited for 6/17's #1's: Dr Fate, Martian Manhunter, Doomed & Black Canary. They already seem to have more promise than the 6/3 #1's. Bat-Mite and Bizarro where mini-series & I doubt either MidNighter or Omega Men will see an issue number thirteen.

oh I will probably read em all...its the number 2s that might not get me

[drew]

I could have written this post, agree with all that...the good news for DC is I have really enjoyed Batgirl since its makeover and umm, vertigo has some cool stuff, the bad news is the June 3rd DC #1s were underwhelming at best...

Concur. Nothing impressive in that batch, and that's about what I expecting following up a Convergence mini-series that was in my opinion a colossal mess. The sequence in #8 in which Brainiac is freed, declares his intent to murder all the heroes, and then just panels later asks for their aid, is emblematic of D.C.'s all-too-frequent inability to tell a cohesive story. I understood little more about the villain's central motivation after the 8th issue than I did after the zero issue. I have little reason to expect things to change with the new round of releases, although I am somewhat excited about the Superman "Truth" storyline, as well as the "new" Batman.

I am looking forward to Superman with the new writer

[bralinator]

I am looking forward to Superman with the new writer

I'm looking forward to Superman with new creative teams altogether. I'm no fan of JRjr's style. Loved JRsr's work, but do not care for his son's work at all.

[jacovny]

D.C. hyped Romita Jr.'s coming heavily, but I'm with you -- his artwork isn't bad by any means, but it's a bit overly stylized for my tastes. I'm somewhat intrigued by the new Dr. Fate. I'm not particularly excited by the jeans/hoodie, "for a new generation" look, but I'll give it a shot. I've loved these properties for decades and I really WANT to like these books. Not giving up on D.C., just frustrated that they haven't been telling better stories over the past couple of years. These properties deserve to be treated better.

[NiklasJ]

Come on JRjr is a big name on art, with a personal style that doesnt work for everyone. Kind of like Grant Morrison on writing... DC also have Bryan Hitch, David Finch, Doug Mahnke, Janin on Grayson, looks better in the art department than writing I guess...

A big problem for me is that they again do a new new JLA comic with Hitch (as writer?!?) in some other multiversal plane or something if i understand correctly?

Or what about the drastic changes in all the Batman and Superman comics, which is somehow not transferred to the main justice league comic that is going to war with darkseid. (yesyes i know its supposed to be taking place before, it bugs me anyhow)

They should really try to get away from comics that tell stories about how batman met superman for the first time or how the justice league came together as a team for the first time.

as for the new dc-stuff, ill try action comics, superman, justice league, martian manhunter, maybe sinestro and thats about it. Whats up with the art on Dr Fate a dealbreaker for me.

[RowdyFromScrubs]

Whats up with the art on Dr Fate a dealbreaker for me.

Crap, I just looked up the preview. The art does look horrible (at least in my opinion & I'm no expert). I'm going to check it out, but not nearly as excited.

[jacovny]

Come on JRjr is a big name on art, with a personal style that doesnt work for everyone. Kind of like Grant Morrison on writing... DC also have Bryan Hitch, David Finch, Doug Mahnke, Janin on Grayson, looks better in the art department than writing I guess...

I agree that D.C. is on much more solid ground in the visual department than in story writing, I'll give them credit on that front.

A big problem for me is that they again do a new new JLA comic with Hitch (as writer?!?) in some other multiversal plane or something if i understand correctly?

My first reaction to the original solicit was... why? Why another JLA book with the identical cast from the flagship title (other than D.C.'s long-running m.o. of duplicating popular titles instead of telling better stories in others)? I missed the part about it being on another plane of the multiverse. I've no idea what to expect. I don't remember anything in Convergence setting up this story arc, but maybe I overlooked something.

Or what about the drastic changes in all the Batman and Superman comics, which is somehow not transferred to the main justice league comic that is going to war with darkseid. (yesyes i know its supposed to be taking place before, it bugs me anyhow)

I go back and forth on that. Sometimes I'm able to just accept that in real life these characters couldn't be in all these different places at once anyway, and not let it bother me. At other times it really bugs me -- such as Supergirl becoming a Red Lantern in two titles (including her own), but then appearing in Justice League United as a non-Lantern. I do agree that DRASTIC changes like you're referencing SHOULD be reflected in the team-up titles as well -- otherwise, how can I buy into the supposed permanence of the changes when Geoff Johns isn't acknowledging them in Justice League?

Whats up with the art on Dr Fate a dealbreaker for me.

All I've seen is the cover art -- and the Previews solicits tell us that these images may not be the actual covers, so again I don't know what to expect, but I also am disappointed by what I've seen of the artwork so far. Maybe I'm just getting old, but I don't like the way the character is presented visually, nor the stylized execution of those choices. That's too bad, because I've been looking forward to a solo Fate series since I had this guy's Super Powers action figure. I really want to like this comic.

[doctormo]

I was initially turned off about the artwork for Doctor Fate, then I remembered Keith Giffen's work (art wise - http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2011 ... er_008.jpg) on the character. I believe Sonny Liew's cartooning/art style shares some traits with Giffen's work. A number of the most recent Doctor Fate series utilized artists that were not typical house style DC artists, especially the J.M. DeMatteis run (http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.co ... -1-4-1-24/).

I am definitely picking up the first couple of issues. I believe the artwork will help it stand out in comparison to DC's other titles. Levitz is clearly excited about this project; he is doing a lot of press. This is his most recent interview about Doctor Fate -
http://www.comicbookresources.com/artic ... octor-fate.

[NiklasJ]

My first reaction to the original solicit was... why? Why another JLA book with the identical cast from the flagship title (other than D.C.'s long-running m.o. of duplicating popular titles instead of telling better stories in others)? I missed the part about it being on another plane of the multiverse. I've no idea what to expect. I don't remember anything in Convergence setting up this story arc, but maybe I overlooked something.

Im the confused one spreading untrue things, apologies
http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/03/12/ ... w-villains
its in new 52 continuity, though unclear on when and where.

I go back and forth on that. Sometimes I'm able to just accept that in real life these characters couldn't be in all these different places at once anyway, and not let it bother me. At other times it really bugs me -- such as Supergirl becoming a Red Lantern in two titles (including her own), but then appearing in Justice League United as a non-Lantern. I do agree that DRASTIC changes like you're referencing SHOULD be reflected in the team-up titles as well -- otherwise, how can I buy into the supposed permanence of the changes when Geoff Johns isn't acknowledging them in Justice League?

Its just that they make a very big deal of bunnybatman and lessupersuperman in ALL of their respective titles and yet nothing at all in Johns JL, but I guess GJ can pretty much do what he wants since he is the top dog and most of the time do good stuff.

All I've seen is the cover art -- and the Previews solicits tell us that these images may not be the actual covers, so again I don't know what to expect, but I also am disappointed by what I've seen of the artwork so far. Maybe I'm just getting old, but I don't like the way the character is presented visually, nor the stylized execution of those choices. That's too bad, because I've been looking forward to a solo Fate series since I had this guy's Super Powers action figure. I really want to like this comic.

Yeah maybe the art works when you read it might try it

[ComicTrekker]

I've been particularly hard on DC lately, probably deservedly so, as their quality declined during the New 52. I really didn't have much hope for the new DC You initiative, but I have to admit, I've been pleasantly surprised by the new batch of titles...at least the 13 or so titles I'm following.

I agree with John and Drew's take on JLA #1. I was disappointed in the issue and found it somewhat bland, and am also frustrated that it doesn't tie in with current continuity. However, I've found that the other titles are tying in with each other surprisingly well, and to my old(er), jaded heart, at least, the stories seem fresh. I'm following: Batman, Batgirl, Grayson, Batman/Superman, Superman, Action Comics, Justice League, Justice League of America, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern,Black Canary, Superman/Wonder Woman, and Wonder Woman. I enjoyed all of those. Superman/Wonder Woman is less engaging for me than the others, but I appreciate its involvement in the Truth storyline. I'm not sure how I feel yet about the "Before Truth" thing on Superman. I would have preferred seeing that story happen first before the others.

Long story short, I was ready to give up on new DC, but I'm on board these titles so far.