Comics are Awesome III

[andersonh1]

I got to meet Green Lantern writer Robert Vendetti today. He was at the comic shop signing books, so I had the chance to say hello and tell him that I was enjoying the book. The only downside was that I had already spent all my cash on this week's books and didn't have anything for him to sign. But hopefully my positive feedback was encouraging.

Wow, I bet that was fun. Too bad you didn't have anything for him to sign, but still cool that you got to meet him.

He was a nice guy. I didn't get to chat with him long since I had to get back to work, but I enjoyed talking with him.

[Sparky Prime]

Green Lantern Lost Army #3
The Lanterns somewhat reluctantly allow Relic to help them, unsure they can trust him knowing what he will do in their universe. Relic explains they are in the middle of a War of Dwindling Light leading to a great deal of conflict close to the Converters. John decides to lie to Relic, telling him they've come from the future to help him, which doesn't sit well with Guy. John explains they have to sacrifice this universe for their own universe to be born but they come under attack from Light Pirates. The Lanterns attack, and Krona realizes Relic has been holding back, wishing to study the weapons both sides weild in action.

Lot of this issue is pretty much rehashing Relic's origins, explaing the problem of his universe running out of light in the emotional reservoir. Although it is interesting to see Relic at a point before his universe was destroyed. As one of the Lanterns points out, he still feels hope. Can't say I really see the point of John lying to Relic, telling him they've come to help him when he has no intention to do so. I mean, John could have told him anything. But then, Relic wasn't exactly forthcoming with them either. Really looking forward to where they take this now that the setting has been fully established.

[andersonh1]

Batman '66 #26
These "origin stories" that we've been getting in recent issues lack something. I don't have a problem per se with Jeff Parker introducing non-show characters into the Adam West Batman universe, but it does start to take away from that unique little continuity by making it look more like other versions of Batman. Even so, expanding that universe is fine, but I think that introducing a new villain causes the issues to focus more on plot and less on the fun and humor that characterizes Batman 66. Using familiar villains lets Parker work on a zany plot and fun one-liners, while bringing in someone new necessitates character establishment and exposition, which crowds out the fun.

Anyway, I say all that because this issue's new villain is Poison Ivy. In this continuity, she's apparently from "the South", but she's the usual broadly drawn caricature and so her characterization is more annoying than amusing. She apparently kills Louie the Lilac, though it turns out in the end he's still alive, and her plan is to take out Batman and Robin and then go rob banks or something. Just like the past few months, Parker seems to be trying to get by on the novelty of pitting the Adam West Batman against a new villain, but that's not enough to really elevate a not very interesting plot.

Rebels #4
Rebels is set during the Revolutionary War, as I've mentioned before. The book opens with a scene where the Continental Army digs fortifications while it's dark, and then fight a battle with the surprised British Army when they're discovered in the morning. Nearly a thousand British die, with the narration noting that the "winners" had lost less than half that number. I've been reading a lot of Civil War history lately, and those armies used much the same tactics. They stood in a line and fired, and if a man fell (or a whole unit), others would just move in and plug the gaps. The individual lives just didn't seem to matter. The tremendous casualties that resulted from these tactics is just appalling, and it seems an insane way to fight a war. I remember CNN keeping a count of the lives lost during the Iraq War, and making a huge deal out of hitting 3000 or 4000. There are times when American armies in the past lost that number in one day, let alone four years. Historical perspective puts a new light on a lot of things.

The battle is won, and the next step is for Seth and his group to head back to the fort they captured and transport the captured British cannons to Boston. Generals George Washington and Benedict Arnold make an appearance in the story, and Washington doesn't think much of Seth. Ethan Allen doesn't much care for his opinion, and sends Seth to bring the cannons back. However when he and Ezekiel arrive, it becomes clear that transporting the massive cannons back through miles of wilderness with no roads is a huge task that will take months to accomplish. The issue ends with a letter to Seth from Mercy, but despite the fact that he has a few days to go and visit her, he chooses not to in favor of getting the job started. "Mercy will understand", he tells Ezekiel. I'm thinking that she really won't.

[andersonh1]

So much for DC You, apparently...

http://www.comicsbeat.com/dc-comics-mon ... verything/

Almost every one of DC's books has plunging sales. Either the Convergence break was enough to make a number of regular readers decide they didn't really want to come back, or Secret Wars is sucking up all the comic book money, or something.

[Dominic]

I think it is a lack of credibility. DC has had how many changes in direction since New52?

"DCYou" is just insulting.

(Appealing to youth is risky. It almost always pisses off adults. And, if it is done too overtly/clumsily, it annoys kids as well.)

Younger fans are not as consistent or brand loyal. (This applies to everything, not just comics.) It is easy to get their attention. But, keeping it is another issue. (For good or ill, our generation was more or less the opposite. We inherited the idea of brand loyalty from our parents. If we stayed with a product category, we generally stayed with a brand or brands that we knew.)

The comics? How good have the "Batman", "Superman" and "Wonder Woman" comics been?

The company itself has generally been letting people down. (It probably does not help that Marvel has been at the top of their game since '12 or so, not counting movies.)

The primary take-away from "Convergence" was "come back later when we have something good". DC went off message about what that book meant the week the last issue shipped. ("The old stuff is gone, except it is not. We will follow up, right after we move forward.....") Why bother reading "DCYou" when the "Convergence" follow-up that more people are interested in (and that DC promises will be better than their recent average) is coming?

How many people really trust DC? I am waiting for them to do something stupid that ruins "Injustice" and "Earth 2".


Things look bleak for the two DC books I am reading. (In fact, I daresay that the only thing protecting them is that sales are dropping for every book DC makes.)

"Earth 2: Society" dropped by about half between issues 1 and 2. (I have yet to start reading it, but am committed for the first four issues at least.) The series had a strong concept. But, it may have been irreparably damaged by DC's feckless editing leading up to "Convergence".

Interestingly, "Injustice" got a bump when Buccalletto came on. (I wonder if the drop in Y3 was people being annoyed that DC pushed Constantine so hard.)



Of course, Marvel might be screwing itself. They have been botching release dates all summer. ("Secret Wars" was supposed to have been over by now, and is not running in to November.) Regardless of the cause for the delays, they are severe. At this point, Marvel will either have to hold back the "All New, All Different" re-launch or they will have to start it before "Secret Wars" is over.

[andersonh1]

DC continues to just throw anything they can think of against the wall in the hope that it will stick. If there's one constant over the past number of years, going back to before Flashpoint, it's that there has been constant upheaval and constantly changing directions for the characters. People don't trust DC because I think they may finally have figured out that there's no point in getting attached to anything DC is doing. They'll change it soon enough, and you'll have to get used to a new status quo... until that changes too. It's not worth the effort.


Green Lantern #44
Hal takes the wounded Virgo to a nearby planet for medical help after the prince tried to use the power gauntlet last issue and was injured as a result. While he's there, he finds that the settlement is being terrorized by a group of crazed Thanagarians, and after a fight he and Trapper capture and imprison them, freeing the settlement. Not a bad issue, but I had expected an immediate follow-up to Black Hand threatening Earth. We don't get that, making this issue feel like it's treading water rather than really advancing the overall plot. Sure, the people at the settlement come to realize just how needed the Green Lantern Corps are now that they're gone, which could justify this side trip and have effects toward redeeming the reputation of the Corps down the road. Otherwise, this issue was spinning its wheels.

Star Trek/Green Lantern #3
There's a ton of revelations this issue as we find just who was pursuing Ganthet, and how the various representatives of the Lantern Corps came to be in the Star Trek universe. It's pure fanservice, but it works vastly better than the awful TNG/Doctor Who crossover from a few years ago. In this continuity, Nekron returned and successfully did what he couldn't do in Blackest Night, wiping out the universe through sheer numbers of Black Lanterns. Ganthet managed to exercise the final contingency plan and escape into another universe using his power and the combined power of all the rings, dying in the process but drawing the heads of the various Lantern Corps with him. And most of them show up: Larfleeze, Atrocitus, Sinestro, Saint Walker, Carol Ferris. It's fun watching Sinestro smack General Chang around, or seeing Larfleeze decide that he's all about going with the Romulan Praetor to take things. Too bad the main line Green Lantern series isn't as enjoyable as this crossover.

The final revelation of the issue is that Nekron followed Ganthet into the Star Trek universe, and the final page shows the remains of the planet Vulcan, with a voice telling them to "Rise!". Tons of zombie Black Lantern Vulcans, anyone?

[Dominic]

The problem is not the changes, it is that the results have not been good. DC has had some good ideas. But, they consistently botch the execution or give their writers unworkable mandates. For the last few years, I have been inclined to forgive DC's writers and artists (despite their association with some of the worst comics since the 90s) because they are likely labouring under mandates from editors who do not "get" it.

And, the changes are because DC does not seem to have any real plan beyond the end of a given quarter. (Can you imagine being on one of the secondary bat-books, and having to work with the 5-year rule and then having to deal with having idiocy like "World's End" dumped on top of that?) A certain amount of confusion is expected after massive reboot like "Flashpoint". But, DC does not seem to have been able to sort things out in 4 years since "Flashpoint".

[andersonh1]

Think about Superman. After Infinite Crisis, had had to endure a period of being depowered (sounds familiar) and a one year jump forward. Then they gave him a new origin, not that many years after Birthright, took him out of his own books for a year to run the New Krypton storyline, then had him walking around for a year (during which time the original writer left, leaving someone else to finish the story). Then came the New 52 and all the changes that entailed, again with a round-robin of writers and artists. Superman may be one of the worse examples, but do you see what I mean about constant upheaval? If you just wanted a book about Superman living his life and fighting the good fight, you didn't get it.

A lot of the problems in the New 52 started before the reboot. It's just gotten worse.

And, the changes are because DC does not seem to have any real plan beyond the end of a given quarter. (Can you imagine being on one of the secondary bat-books, and having to work with the 5-year rule and then having to deal with having idiocy like "World's End" dumped on top of that?) A certain amount of confusion is expected after massive reboot like "Flashpoint". But, DC does not seem to have been able to sort things out in 4 years since "Flashpoint".

They don't know what will sell, or how to keep bringing in high numbers on successful properties after those first few months of sales. They keep trying to rebrand themselves. And yes, the attempt to start with a universe that's already five years old with only a vague notion of what the history of those characters could be is a major problem that very few writers have been able to solve.

[Dominic]

Most writers and editors could easily solve the various problems DC has. The real issue is that they are not allowed to. Most people are assuming that Robinson (and others) left DC because they were given impossible mandates. It is more than just "make sure to account for 3 former Robins in 5 years of time". It is the fact that the writers make an attempt at that, and then have their efforts under-cut by another mandate.

After every other reboot, DC had some idea of where they were going and what still counted. "Crisis on Infinite Earths" had "Secret Origins". "Zero Hour" was followed by zero issues to establish the back-writes. "Final Crisis" had back-ups in "52" and a few one-shots. But, there was little of that for New 52, and much of it was contradicted immediately after being published.

"Convergence" ended on a confusing note.

At this point, most of DC's product line is pre-Miller "Daredevil". To turn that around, DC needs to take a hands off approach to their series, and allow the creative teams to cultivate new ideas and intellectual property.

[Sparky Prime]

Well can't say this is a surprise given the recent reported troubles, but DC is cancelling several titles by December... Doomed, Gotham By Midnight, Omega Men, Lobo, Justice League United, Batman '66, Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern: Lost Army.