Category Archives: DC
Comic Reviews: DC Should Have Done a Full Reboot
Another week has come and gone, leaving me with another stack of new DC titles to read and enjoy. So far, my general opinion still hasn’t been changed by what I’m reading. I become more and more convinced each week that DC should have done a hard reboot right from the beginning. They should have set all of their characters back to Square One. None of this crap where some characters have been fully rebooted and some haven’t been touched at all.
I think the fans would accept a full reboot.
Just look at the evidence in sales so far this month. Justice League sold over 200,000 copies and is going back for its fourth reprint. (To you non-comic fans, that’s a big deal). Even books like Hawk and Dove have sold out and are going back for a reprint. People are buying these new DC titles in droves!
"Hey Marvel! Come at us, bro!"
So clearly DC’s strategy of getting people excited for just their revamp/soft reboot has worked. They did a great job over the summer preparing people for the changes. Comic book fans were ready and willing to accept the new continuity. Yes, there have been some grumblers (like me!) who have complained about some of the changes. But we’re still buying the comics. Which leads me to believe that we’d all still be buying the comics if DC had gone for a full reboot. They’re already retelling the origins of Superman and the Justice League in their respective books. But with the second story of each, they’re going to jump ahead five years. It’s a weird storytelling strategy.
They should have done a full Ultimate DC.
Just not this Ultimate DC
Why not retell all the origins of the characters with exciting new twists and focus? Look at the success of Ultimate Spider-Man. Have DC’s best writers plot out the birth of a new DC Universe. Weave characters together from the ground up into the Justice League and into the Teen Titans. Get rid of characters you don’t want anymore. Give new origins to some characters. Do whatever you want, but do it with some consistency.
But this would never work. I don’t know if comic book fans would have the patience to sit through everything again already knowing what’s to come. While I’d be happy with Dick Grayson back as Robin, with DC retelling his origin, I’d constantly be looking ahead for Jason Todd, Tim Drake and Damian Wayne. Plus some comic fans would definitely be bitter about losing all the continuity. I don’t know if they’d be pacified by the idea that all of that was still around and they could reread it whenever they like. Just DC is going forward with some new ideas.
Oh well. What do I know? This is probably why DC hasn’t given me a job yet. Click the jump for my reviews of DC’s Week Three, including Catwoman, Wonder Woman, Batman and Nightwing.
Batman: Year One is On Its Way!
The next DC animated movie, Batman: Year One, comes out next month. DC released this cool teaser scene this week. The scene is absolutely badass in the comics…but I think it loses a bit of its cool in the transition to animation. Like with All-Star Superman, the book was definitely better. However, I like the animation, I’m cool with Batman’s voice and I’m definitely looking forward to this movie.
It’s just a shame DC won’t make anymore Wonder Woman animated films, or feature characters other than Batman and Superman.
Sex Sells at DC Comics
Wow. DC Comics is really taking the whole ‘sex sells’ thing to new heights with their relaunch. Issue after issue so far has featured their heroines and female characters either stripping naked, nearly naked, already naked or having casual sex. Not every issue has done this, but enough to stand up and take notice. I realize there is the unfortunate belief that comic book nerds are all lonely, depraved men living in their parents’ basements, but come on! Why are they doing this?
Because boobies, that’s why!
Bewbs, tits, tatas, melons, mammaries, jugs, etc.
Is this getting out of hand? Are readers titillated or irritated?
I haven’t read all of the new issue #1s, but I’ve read enough to notice this sexy trend. DC seems to be going out of their way to oversexualize their female characters, even the popular, famous characters. And it’s not like the nudity or sex adds anything to the specific scene or character. Most of these scenes could very easily be skipped or drawn with clothes on. And the sex is as gratuitous as possible. At least one superheroine, Starfire, was flirty and sexy before relaunch, but her new incarnation is that of a total slut who hops into bed with Roy Harper just for kicks and giggles. It’s practically the first thing she does once she appears in the issue.
And Starfire’s not alone. Check out the oversexualized moments I’ve found in just three weeks of new releases. There will be spoilers:
Arkham City Continues to Impress
By releasing a Robin action figure! Readers may already know me as a comic book and video game geek, but I also have a fondness for action figures. So at the risk of sounding especially dorky to all the hot babes who are reading this blog, I’m definitely going to be trying to order this action figure.
Also, I continue to be impressed by Robin’s Arkham City costume.
The hood is a nice touch, though I'm a little miffed on the super short cape
New Writer Already on Green Arrow – Possibly My Fault
Update: J.T. Krul posts on his Facebook
The DC comic book solicitations for December have come out, and it looks like writers Keith Giffen and Dan Jurgens have replaced J.T. Krul, who wrote issue #1. Giffen and Jurgens will be taking over as of issue #4, which is solicited for December. Comic news website Newsarama has confirmed that Krul has been totally replaced by the new creative team.
Perhaps Krul wanted to write a lot of swearing and boobies
And it’s not the first writer to be leaving one of the new series. John Rozum, the guy writing Static Shock, left that title too. But he said it was his own decision and had nothing to do with Static or DC. What’s with all these writers leaving so early into this rejiggering? Hey DC! I won’t leave you! Hire me!
Anyway, I blame myself for Krul’s departure after my scathing review of Green Arrow #1. Perhaps either he just couldn’t take it, or DC had a light bulb moment after reading my blog entry. Not that I have any reason to believe that either J.T. Krul or DC Comics reads my blog.
In fact they probably don’t…
J.T. Krul had this to say on his facebook about leaving the book:
Hey everyone! Effective as of issue #4, I will no longer be writing Green Arrow. As many of you know, Oliver Queen is one of my favorite characters in the DC Universe, so this decision was not easy to make. Getting the chance to do the fall of Green Arrow and my run during Brightest Day was a dream come true, and I was excited to bring a new yet familiar take on Green Arrow in the new 52. But, I’ve been writing him for a few years now and an opportunity came up that I really wanted to tackle. I had to make a choice. In a way, my decision to leave is more a testament to how incredibly thrilled I am about Captain Atom. I don’t think I’ve been more excited about a project. Working with Freddie Williams is amazing and I really think it’s among my best work at DC to date. It was a tough call – like picking a favorite child.
I can’t talk about my new project just yet, but it perfectly exemplifies what DC is all about with the New 52 – taking the best characters in comics and presenting them in new and exciting ways. The ability to think outside the box, take chances, and tell different kinds of stories is why it’s a great time to be writing for DC Comics.
For sure, I’ll miss Oliver Queen – and working with the likes of Dan Jurgens, George Perez, David Baron, and Dave Wilkins – but I’m sure the Emerald Archer will be in good hands for more globe-trotting, James Bond, high adventures.
And, at the very least, I got to include my version of the boxing-glove arrow.
