Category Archives: Editorial

Editorial

Editorial: Change? How Dare They!

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Remember when stories were allowed to finish before people called it the worst thing since sliced death? Yeah, so do I. I miss those days.

Today, the second issue of Nick Spencer’s Steve Rogers: Captain America series was released. The first issue started an arc in which Steve Rogers, America’s sweetheart, was revealed to be a Hydra sleeper agent that had been sleeping ever since he first put on the pointy white ears. Immediately, the whole of the Internet erupted. “HOW DARE THEY DO THIS TO SUCH AN ESTABLISHED CHARACTER???” said most of Twitter, Reddit, Tumblr, and probably even on Diaspora for all four of its current users to read. Things got outright cruel even, with certain overreacting individuals threatening death upon Spencer for daring to put his pen on paper to craft this tale.

People reacted with all this vitriol after issue one. Marvel’s Tom Brevoort, along with Spencer, soaked this all in and gave interviews saying this would be Steve Rogers’ status quo for the foreseeable future:

Issue 2 will lay a lot of our cards on the table in terms of what the new status quo is, but the one thing we can say unequivocally is: This is not a clone, not an impostor, not mind control, not someone else acting through Steve. This really is Steve Rogers, Captain America himself.

And so here we are, June 29th, and issue two hits stands. Spencer did stick to his exact words: Captain America isn’t being mind controlled, nor has he been replaced by a clone named The Scarlet America, and it’s not an actor whose features have been altered to make him look exactly like Steve Rogers. You’re welcome for those references, fans of 90’s Spider-Man comics. Instead, Cap’s entire history, personality, and existence has been altered by Marvel’s favorite McGuffin: The Cosmic Cube.

Which brings me to an article published by Paste Magazine earlier today, in which the author of the piece insinuates that Marvel saw the response to the beginning of this storyline and decided to alter their course to placate the masses. “All of this just screams of a shameless gimmick while also trying to give readers what they want,” the article says. Insert my response in gif form below.

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When issue one was released, it was not billed as a one-shot. It was released as the start of a new storyline. Admittedly, I was a bit taken aback by the Hydra news at first, but then I came to my senses. Why? Because this is comics. And, as tends to be the norm with at least Marvel and DC, things happen to a well established character, and then eventually they are resolved and restored. I never thought Hydra Cap would be the norm, just like I knew that eventually Peter Parker would regain control of his mind in Superior Spider-Man. Just like I knew back in the day that Superman would come back from the dead. Just like I knew that Batman’s back wasn’t going to stay broken, or that Iron Man wasn’t going to be a teenage boy forever. Oy to that last one.

We comic book readers appreciate being challenged to read something new and different, as long as what replaces it is something enjoyable. New 52 over at DC was a mixed bag, but at least it was an attempt at reinventing the wheel. And now they’re righting that ship with Rebirth, which is the New New. Steve Rogers: Captain America is the current New, but once this storyline is complete, no matter how long Nick Spencer lets this sleeper agent story go, us readers will be able to assess whether or not this particular twist was worth it or not. The first issue just isn’t the place to do that, and neither is the second issue. As Michael Golden once said, to everyone’s chagrin, “Patience is a Virtue.” I truly wish that the media, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and Google+ were able to exercise that virtue more often sometimes. But that’s not how the Internet works, unfortunately. I await the newest overblown outrage to the next New, whatever that may be.

Editorial

Editorial: Media Shouldn’t Be A Chore

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Hey, guys. Comic Timing is in between episodes at this point, so I figured I’d post an editorial to keep things going a bit til the next one is out. First off, welcome to 2016. I hope 2015 treated you well, and that 2016 is even better. As the calendar turns over again, and as I get another month older (my next birthday is later this month, like it always is), I’m at a point in my entertainment consumption where I no longer want to watch things for the sake of watching them, or read comics just because they’re comics and I’m a comic book reader. Forget all that.

Thanks to the success of comic book movies and TV shows, we’re at a point in geek culture where there is an absolute wealth of content available at our fingertips. At any particular moment, you can turn on a network and they could be showing a film that belongs to Marvel, DC, or otherwise. Same can be said for what’s available on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Vudu, PSN, and so on. Doesn’t mean they’re all good, but they’re out there. Over the past few months, there have been some of these movies and shows that have completely wowed me. Others haven’t. Anybody who listens to the show, specifically our latest TV catch-up episode, knows that I’m about a half season behind on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I watched the season premiere and it just didn’t do it for me; the show has just barely been scratching my Marvel itch since its inception, other than a terrific arc apiece in Seasons 1 and 2. Supergirl is another one I’ve had trouble getting into. It’s made for the lowest common denominator, like most CBS shows, meaning that the tone is light and peppy to try and appeal to young and old alike. And that’s awesome! I’m really happy to see it on the air, and that girls and boys alike have a new role model to look up to. But after a strong pilot, the next few episodes fell flat for me story-wise. It felt like the show desperately needed depth. And so I haven’t caught up. Yet here I am, having finished Jessica Jones in just a few weeks time, I’ve watched just about the whole season of the One-Punch Man Anime over the past few days, and I’m just about day and date with The Flash and Arrow when those air.

And then there’s comics themselves. Over the past year, a bunch of my physical collection has been sold off to Wildpig Comics, and my monthly ordering has dropped off substantially. I’m about a month or two away from switching entirely digital to serve my needs, as with that there’s a lot less stuff waiting around to be read and taking up space. Monthly DC Comics aren’t hitting it for me, and Marvel Comics I read, but not right away. Yet I cannot wait to read the next volume of Saga, or the Multiversity Deluxe Hardcover I received for Chirstmukkah this holiday season. Others are up to date and loving everything as it comes out, and that’s okay. But it seems my habits and tastes are changing there too.

On the movie front, the trailer for Captain America: Civil War has me wanting to line up to watch it at the very earliest possible moment. But, shock of shocks, Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice isn’t cutting it. Star Wars: The Force Awakens made me feel like a kid again, but I’m worried that Star Trek Beyond might make me feel the complete opposite. And you know what? That’s okay too.

Call it getting older, being crotchety, pivoting, or whatever you want to call it. But I don’t want any of my hobbies to become a chore. I’m planning on treating these shows, movies, and books just like I treat podcasting: the minute I stop having fun is the minute it’s time to do something else. The wealth of options currently available to us all allows me to respond to somebody who says, “Hey! You’re a comic book fan! You must love __________!” with, “Not really, doesn’t do it for me. But ________ is great!” There’s only so many hours in the day, and I want to spend them doing and watching things I enjoy, instead of just barely getting through things that aren’t compelling or interesting to me. And there’s so many options available now that you can even like two zombie shows (iZombie and The Walking Dead), and still have one or more you ignore entirely (Fear The Walking Dead)! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be off in the corner mainlining all the episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars as I continue my latest obsession.

Editorial

Blue Beetle’s Downward Spiral

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IC5variantcover

It’s no secret that I love the Jaime Reyes version of Blue Beetle that first appeared in DC Comics’ Infinite Crisis. I’d never been a fan of Ted Kord and I didn’t really know him as a character. So when he died, I didn’t care.  What came next, to me was one of the coolest character designs I’d seen in recent years. I think it all goes back to my love of the Az-bats armor. The blue hue, the idea that anyone could put on the armor and have the abilities of Batman, shoot Batman shaped shurikans from their wrists, and have a flamethrower? C’mon! At 8 or 9 years old, that was the epitomy of cool. Years later I dreamed about a high school kid who could have that kind of armor and save the world, or simply, his friends and school. Then when Infinite Crisis #5 hit I was thrilled. The character design, the black and blue colors, the idea that this was a kid with an armor that acted like Venom’s symbiote,  it was cool! So when Jaime got his own solo series with One Year Later I picked it up off the rack and was drawn in. It didn’t hurt that Cully Hammner was doing the art duties either.

imageIn 36 issues, Jaime became a great new character for DC Comics. One could argue that they did not have a character like this in years. I loved a number of things about that first series. Being set in El Paso, Texas allowed the series to showcase a different side of the United States. We had left the big city vibe of every other DC comic to more of a small town feel. We got to know Jaime’s family and two best friends, Paco and Brenda. Jaime’s supporting cast spoke a mix of Spanish and English, so readers were learning parts of a new language and culture. The 26th issue of the series was even printed only in Spanish! Groundbreaking for a DC Comics superhero title (even if they did include and English script in the back). DC seemed to be taking new risks with this young vibrant character. After 36 issues Jaime had been to the moon, beaten a magic wielding gangster, fought in the Sinestro Corps War, teamed up with the JLI, and learned that what the scarab that powered him was. The series even launched the career of Raphael Albuquerque who handled the art duties for more than a year and a half. Now he’s kicking ass with Scott Snyder in the Batman Court of Owls back-ups, but also American Vampire.

batman-brave_and_boldShortly after his first series ended, Blue Beetle appeared in Mark Waid’s The Brave and the Bold comic series as well as the premiere episode of Batman: the Brave and the Bold. Suddenly Blue Beetle had young eyeballs on him by kids everywhere. DC decided to continue Jaime’s story in the Booster Gold back-ups that eventually merged with the main story. He was also featured in the Teen Titans book after issue #50 and used well. Around the same time we heard rumors of a Blue Beetle live action test. It debuted at San Diego Comic-Con in 2010. It’s a pure CGI Blue Beetle, but it is very true to the comic book in terms of size. Later than year, another live action incarnation appeared on Smallville’s final season. You can see it below, but Smallville’s low budget did not allow for the pure CGI character and instead built a very bulky bugsuit. It didn’t look great but it did get across the idea of Jaime and the scarab battling one another for control that sometimes happened in the comic. All of this excited me. I felt like this was the new character DC was most proud of in years. Think about it. Jaime debuted in DC’s event mini-series of the time, then immediately gets his own solo title, lasting 3 years, only to then debut in the new Batman animated show as Batman’s first team-up as well as in Smallville! That is a huge deal! DC obviously had a lot invested in the character and his success only to let it fall by the wayside with the New 52.

Blue Beetle 2Don’t get me wrong. I loved that Blue Beetle was a launch title. I bought every issue. It started off with great art by Ig Guara and story by Tony Bedard. Unfortunately Ig would be rotated on and off the title, never getting a consistent art style. Tony Bedard retold the origin but in a much quicker manner. Jaime’s first battle was still with La Dama, but handled much differently. Bedard in the first arc forced Jaime out of El Paso and into the unknown. I think this was a smart move, no one who had read the previous series wanted a re-hash, and Bedard certainly wanted to write his own story. Jaime set off for New York only to encounter Kyle Rayner and his New Guardians, then setting off into space to encounter the Reach, the scarab’s makers. Unfortunately Blue Beetle was canceled with issue 16. I don’t blame DC for canceling Blue Beetle. It was a business decision plain and simple. I get that. John Mayo’s Comic Book Page has Blue Beetle Vol. 1 #1 with an estimated sales of 77,581 and ended with an estimated sales of 10,620 at issue 36. Blue Beetle Vol. 2 #1 started with and estimated sales of 40,003 and sharply dropped off to 13,662 by issue eight. For DC to give it another 8 issues beyond that point, when it was already so close to cancellation is very generous. They clearly want the character to succeed, but I think they are going about it in the wrong way. Blue Beetle #16 found Jaime sending a recorded message to his family and friends saying he is okay, but doesn’t know when he will return home to Earth. In this same issue, the antagonist Sky Witness, a previous mayan scarab holder on Earth was obliterated with no ceremony at all. The current plan is for Jaime to be featured in DC’s Threshold series. Basically, The Hunger Games in space, with new characters we have no attachment to other than Jaime, and he’s not the star of the book. I looked at the Green Lantern: New Guardians Annual that set it up, as well as issue one and I’m not going to continue. I feel like Jaime would be better served returning to earth. If the character is not selling, give him a break until people ask for him or you can think of a great idea for him. Threshold is not it.

Blue_Beetle YJWhat’s most disappointing in DC’s discarding of Jaime to the nether-regions of their space titles is that Blue Beetle is being prominently featured on the second season of the Young Justice cartoon entitled Young Justice: Invasion. In the first half of the season Jaime was a part of the new recruits and featured a few times. With the most recent episodes we learned that the Reach are the big bad of the season. We’ve seen Jaime go up against other scarabs like Black Beetle, and most recently met a scarab that attached itself to a martian, making it – Green Beetle? All of this culminated in a revelation from Impulse that in the future he came from, Blue Beetle is the strongest of all the scarabs and fell into the Reach’s control, and helped them conquer the earth. Impulse was sent back to stop Jaime from going bad, so Blue Beetle is now the focal point of the entire season! Despite this he no longer has an ongoing series for viewers to check out. It seems history is repeating itself here as it did when Jaime appeared on Batman: The Brave and the Bold. This is the final stretch of episodes for Young Justice, there will not be a third season. It is a great show, but it seems that since it thrives in pre-New 52 continuity that DC does not want it around. Someone somewhere in DC’s architecture is heralding Blue Beetle, but it seems that they’ve forgotten to time the publishing and animation together, twice.

LINKS:

John Mayo’s Comic Book Page

Infinite Crisis #5 

First Series on Comixology

American Vampire

The Brave and the Bold

Booster Gold

Blue Beetle

VIDEOS:

Batman: the Brave and the Bold

Blue Beetle live action test

Blue Beetle on Smallville

 

Editorial

The Truth Behind Conventions

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I learned a lot of things over this past weekend at PAX East; some good, some bad. Well okay, more like almost entirely good with one bad — that the impression some non-Anime fans have of the Anime community is entirely different than the reality. I overheard at least two different conversations over the course of the weekend about how Anime Boston paled in comparison to PAX East (for those that aren’t aware, due to scheduling constraints both conventions happened the same weekend on opposite sides of the city of Boston). First I heard, “They didn’t even sell out of badges! We did!” Then the same guy tried to work the argument that if you showed up to Anime Boston in a Poison Ivy costume, you’d be ostracized because it wasn’t manga or Anime.

I’ll tackle the numbers issue before I hit my main point: who cares? Anime Boston doesn’t have to sell out to let the world know there is a scene for Anime fans. They’ve have consistent numbers for the past few years, even as folks come and go and hit other cons instead. It doesn’t make the crowd any less devoted or interested. If PAX East suddenly lost a chunk of its attendees the convention would still be a great time, just with less people. Same rules apply to Anime Boston, AnimeNEXT, Otakon and so on and so on and so on.

While I do agree that PAX East is the better of the two cons, which is entirely my own personal preference, I don’t stand for bullshit like this. Especially when it comes from someone who has never been to an Anime convention and is basing their opinion entirely on hearsay.

The truth of it is plain and simple: for the most part, Anime conventions are just nerd conventions for younger people. Sci-fi conventions are for the over-50 crowd; comic conventions are for people in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s. Anime conventions are for teenagers and people in their early 20’s; the exception to this rule would be stuff like Otakon which still has plenty of room for the older fans. So no, if you show up in a Poison Ivy outfit you will NOT be ostracized. Instead, you’ll probably have your picture taken and someone might even make a “Batman and Robin” joke.

I’d also like to add that if you go by the terms laid out by this fellow, I would be ostracized at PAX East for making a reference to Booster Gold, or to Sliders, or to our beloved Dazzler. Because hey, PAX East is almost entirely a video game and tabletop convention! No room for anything else, right? That couldn’t be any farther from the truth, as was evident by the “Adventure Time!” late night screenings and the Ghostbusters roaming the halls.

The entire reason I stopped going to Anime Boston is because I aged out of it; I felt out of place in a crowd of mostly teens. At PAX East I feel more at home because for the most part the age is closer to what I am currently at. But this in no way changes that folks who go to Anime cons are nerds and geeks, just like we are, and that we enjoy tons of varying genres, animation, books and games. So please, do not write off an entire convention and its crowd just because you’re not into it, when in a few years they’ll be at PAX East too.

In summary, I had a terrific time at PAX East in 2012 and will be returning in 2013. If you had a great time at Anime Boston, here here! And for more on the topic of PAX East, listen to Episode 132 coming later this week.

Blog, Editorial

Marvel’s Infinite Comics: AvX Infinite #1

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So today,  Marvel launched its Infinite Comics Line with the release of Avengers Vs. X-Men Infinite #1.  This is available on Marvel’s app and via Comixology with the purchase of Avengers Vs. X-Men #1 or separately for $0.99 if you don’t want to buy the “biggest event of the summer.”  You wouldn’t be doing yourself a favor, since AxX Infinite #1 is more of a prelude/prologue than last week’s AvX #0 was; it’s really just Nova’s story as he crashes to Earth.   Marvel has been hyping this as the “future of comics.” It even asks you in the comic, “Are you ready for the future of comics?” And yet Infinite Comics #1 is really nothing new.

What it does do is maximize the 4:3 ratio of the iPad screen when sideways, presenting fuller screen images and flash-in captions, word balloons, and other effects such as camera focus to give the comic a more film-like experience as you tap through the panels. I saw this used before on Alex de Campi’s Valentine when I downloaded that series to my iPad a few months back.  If you want to experience what “Infinite Comics” will be like in the long run, download this series for free. Yes, the whole thing is FREE.  As it so happens, it’s a fantastic read, which always helps. As usual, Marvel is posturing themselves as innovators, when really they’ve only copied something others have done before; Mark Waid’s Luther also utilize similar techniques and, by golly, it’s also free.

What I actually think is cool is Marvel’s AR (Augmented Reality) App, which is available on both iOS and Android devices.  Marvel would like you to believe that this only works on the print copies of their releases, but go ahead and pull up the comic on Comixology on your computer monitor. Then, yank out your iPad and point the App at the screen. It works; I’ve tried it.  Now THAT is extra bang for your buck, Marvel!

Blog, Editorial

Editorial: Why the DC Relaunch Will Not Matter

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Today is August 31, 2011.  Some comic blogs and websites are touting the importance of today in comics history. Why? Today marks the end of the old DCU and the beginning of the DCNu, DC’s relaunching of their universe in order to make it more accessible to today’s readers; this includes day-and-date digital releases on Comixology.  I took this photo today outside my LCS. It’s in a mall, in the food court, i.e. the highest trafficked area in any mall.  See anything wrong? 

Nothing Outside to Advertise

I see lots of things wrong, but let’s discuss the locale.  I live in Orlando, FL — home to Mickey Mouse but also to lots of companies in the engineering industry.  Lockheed Martin, AT&T, Raytheon, Siemens, and other large companies all have centers here in Orlando because it has become the modeling and simulation capital of the country.  Each branch of the military has a small division here just to interact with these contractors.  Let’s account for all of the people that support this industry; add in tourism and Orlando is not a small town, by any means.  Coliseum of Comics is located in the food court of the mall in Downtown Orlando.  Now, even though this particular mall has gone down hill and a whole lot of stores have emptied out, this store is one of 3 located in central Orlando and has a stranglehold on the entire eastern side of the city.  Anyone living outside the city limits in the suburbs has to drive 20 minutes to any of these stores. In a sprawling city like Orlando, that doesn’t bode well for impulse buying.  That’s a different article altogether — lets focus on the real problem here.

There’s no visible advertising for the DCNu at all.  None.

This relaunch was designed to bring in new readers. Stores should be going nuts with it! Bigger stores in NYC are having creators out with midnight launches to bring people in. Others are using massive sales as well as the relaunch to bring people in (IAN EDIT: I went to the 40% off sale at Jim Hanley’s Universe and had a great time).  Here, it’s just any other Wednesday.  I went to the shop on my lunch hour because I was excited for the relaunch, only to find a whole bunch of non-excitement. It really brought my expectations and my reading experience down.

I ordered all 52 #1 issues through our sponsor DCBS because they had a bundle for 52% off the entire lot; they have a similar deal for the #2 issues.  They obviously want people to try the books.  A few weeks ago I went into Coliseum of Comics and asked if they were having a sale to promote the DC event and they said they weren’t — they did have a checklist though. I took that checklist and used it when I ordered the titles online.  Now, if they were having a sale, I would have thought about getting my order through them so I could pick them up weekly on Wednesdays instead of waiting for UPS to ship them. I want to support my LCS — they are a good store, but they have a hard time being a great one.

You’ve probably heard about a great store in Orlando named A Comic Shop. It’s known online for their weekly column featured every Wednesday on Bleeding Cool. You’ve probably seen their models dressed as superheroes, or heard about their protesting The Superhuman Registration Act, or their “Aliens Among Us” promotion for Secret Invasion. I guarantee they are pushing the relaunch as much as they can. 

There is something cool inside here! Come look!

The fact that Coliseum of Comics, the largest chain store in Orlando, is doing nothing is appalling to me.  I guess they are okay with an aging customer base that is increasingly being driven out by price. The fact that there are no “IT’S HERE,” “SEE WHATS NEW” or “WHAT’S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT?” signs is disappointing.  I know malls at noon are typically empty on Wednesdays but they are not even preparing for the evening rush tonight or over the weekend.  Hundreds, if not thousands, of potential new customers are going walk right by this shop and pass by this new DC Universe, and that’s a shame. 

While I was writing this post, a guy I work with came to talk to me about the DC relaunch.  He’s a lapsed reader of Spawn, Batman, and Grifter that’s looking to get back into comics.  This means that something DC is doing is working. New readers are out there and so are lapsed readers — they are just looking for a way in.  This can be that welcome back, but the industry as a whole, as well as podcasters, bloggers, and fans have to take advantage of it. This is even more true if the stores aren’t.  I told him what dates that Justice League, Batman, Grifter, Superman, and a few other books were coming out and he’s going to go and try them.  Once he gets there, it’s up to the store and the content of the comics to keep him coming back on a regular basis.  The best thing is that he is already one of us — a geek.  He plays video games like Halo, Gears of War, and World of Warcraft. He attended and got married at Blizzcon last year. He attends all of the superhero movies Hollywood is pumping out now. He and people like him are prime targets to become new customers.  But if there is nothing outside the store to tell him he’s at the right spot and to “COME ON IN,” how will he know to go inside and discover the great and wide world of comics fandom?

My main point is this: if big stores like this one aren’t promoting the DCNu, then what are smaller stores doing across the country?  Probably even less.  If that’s the case, all of the pressure is on DC to attract new readers through advertisements online, in print, on television, and in movie theaters.  If DC is in the business of making a profit, and they are, I would push the hell out of the online initiative. Drop the prices to $1.99 or $0.99 on all these new books because with Comixology, DC gets a bigger cut of the sales, rather than whatever is left over after the shops and Diamond get their cut (IAN EDIT: If someone can corroborate this that would be great as I for one would love to know what Comixology’s cut is.). I believe that the only reason the prices are as high as they are online is to save face with the retailers. If retailers like this one aren’t taking advantage of the opportunity DC is giving them, then the relaunch doesn’t matter. Sales will drop back to what they were after a few months, and comic sales will continue their downward spiral like they have been the last few years.  This is why the move to digital for DC is a smart move, because if stores don’t care enough to gain new customers and new readers the stores will eventually go out of business. But hey, at least you’ll be able to get your comics online.

Editorial

Rant Timing#11: Final Crisis Headache

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Final Crisis Headache

For those of you keeping track of the most recent DC solicitations, it has been revealed that series artist JG Jones is officially off the title. As opposed to the help from Carlos Pacheco he received for issues 4, 5 and 6, issue 7 will be drawn entirely by Doug Mahnke. This, as usual, got my juices boiling a bit. When Civil War was delayed due to art problems by Steve McNiven, the comic world was torn between loving the idea of waiting for great art and wanting the story right away. Marvel chose art over inconsistency and the issues following the delay sold as well as previous ones. In Infinite Crisis, DC chose a different route when art delays came around; they decided to get artists to help finish the book and keep it on schedule, no matter what. Then, come hardcover time, they REDREW this art to make it consistent with the quality of earlier issues. Now here comes Final Crisis, the…well, final crisis. We do know thanks to this CBR article that no art will be redrawn and that what we see will be what we get, which makes me at least a little happy. A little. Still, I am left with doubts and questions that I will get into right here and now.

What do we know about Final Crisis? We know that Morrison’s scripts had to be changed to have the story better correspond with what happened in Countdown and Death of the New Gods. We know that DC tried to salvage this by giving Jones help in the artwork and that the skip month did what it was designed to do, but in a different way than originally intended. The skip month was originally to keep us antsy, let the story synch in and to let the art get finished for issue 7. Instead, it let Jones redraw issues 4, 5 and 6 with Pacheco’s help and delays have made Final Cris somewhat inconsequential in the current DCU. Flash is off doing his own thing, the JLA are uninvolved in their own book, so is Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, the Green Lanterns and Ambush Bug.

Final Crisis was said to be the be all, end all of the DCU that will change everything. So are we to only see change until it is over in the miniseries itself and subsequent one shots? The reason I am so involved in Secret Invasion over at Marvel is because I read about it in every book I pick up in one way or another. Even if the story itself does not revolve around Skrulls, there are still mentions of what is going on. It is acknowledged. We’ve seen RIP referenced, but no Final Crisis in DC. Is it because the scripts were not finished due to re-writes? I believe so. Morrison was given free reign to make a story. So here he is, making a story, but no one else is privy to it! We know the dropped the ball on Countdown, but now DC suffers all the more for it by trying to “fix things.”

I understand that JG Jones might have more to say than he is saying. Whether it is personal reasons or if he is simply not talking inside baseball with the press, there is more story than just what is on the page.

There is a reason why Marvel is the #1 company right now. It’s not just the movies, video games, TV commercials and cartoons. Hell, it’s not even just the comics. It’s the enthusiasm. Writers and artists alike seem thrilled to be there. What have we gotten form DC of late? Dixon thrown off Bat books because they wanted to do RIP. Manhunter canceled without any advertising to remind people it exists. An entire Titans issue completely scrapped because “it wasn’t good enough.” Take away the Superman books which have been amazing and there is no fun in the DCU right now. None.

Now I know that I might just be talking through emotions at the moment and I’m sorry if I am. But I’m coming to a point in my life when I need to start cutting down on comics to pay the rent, eat, and still have a life outside of the shop every week. I think where I am going to start is DC right now.

Please, DC. Give me a reason to care. Give me a sign that your books will start mattering, that there’s a universe going on and not just random stories that might interconnect when you feel like it. Don’t be like the X-Books or The Avengers of the 90’s where everything was cut off even when characters existed.

Just…don’t.

Substance is all I’m asking for here. Is that really too much to ask?

If you read all of that, I applaud you. I think I’m done now.

Editorial

Rant Timing #10: Secret Invasion vs. Final Crisis – Up Til Now

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Secret Invasion vs. Final Crisis – Up Til Now

VS.

After all the people who said Secret Invasion wasn’t “going anywhere,” I’m chuckling a bit now. Issue 3 was better than Issue 1 and has more answers than Issue 2, but it’s still not a story. It’s a jumble of ideas down on the page barely strewn together sequentially. How man characters are in this book already, and why should we care about Montoya or Turpin or Supergirl at all? Supergirl shows up for three seconds talking to her cat and that makes her the cover girl for the book? Mary Marvel looks nothing like her past self, and even a goth makeover can’t make somebody look THAT different.

Seriously, give me Skrulls over Final Crisis. At least the Skrulls I can understand. Maybe by Issue 7 I’ll look back on Final Crisis and say, “OH! So THAT’s what it was? Well, interesting.” I don’t see that happening. When comparing Batman: RIP to Final Crisis, I think Morrison is overextending himself by including so many characters in Final Crisis. I shouldn’t have had to read Requiem to care about Martian Manhunter’s death scene, which was given three sentences in the main book. I shouldn’t have to read about a character returning who should have stayed dead, because everyone and their cousin and their cousin’s CHILDREN all accept Wally West as the speedster of the DCU. How is going back to a previous generation for the second time in five years solving anything? How is this growth? It’s not. It’s rehashing. That is what makes Marvel’s present different from DC’s present. Marvel is looking at the past and breeding a future with a status quo that will stick. DC is looking at the past and…well, waving at it, asking it to come over for tea and reminisce for a while about the old days. Then they get to talking just enough that the past is back, and present is no longer relevant.

Yes I’m a sore Kyle Rayner fan and yes I’m a sore Wally West fan. But thing is, so are most of the people my age. So are a bunch of younger and older fans. Give us SUBSTANCE, DC, not subtext and hidden messages mixed in with rehashing and reshaping. Please. For me.

Editorial

Rant Timing #9: DC Stop Dixon Around

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RANT TIMING #9: DC Stop Dixon Around

When asked about Frank Tieri’s fill-in issues on Batman & The Outsiders, which tie-in with the Batman R.I.P. storyline, Chuck had some very simply words to say on his message boards.

I am no longer employed by DC Comics in any capacity.

Now to speculate, I assume Chuck had some not so friendly words to say about the direction Morrison is taking Batman and got the brunt of it. As an alternative, perhaps DC was not thrilled with the direction his titles were going and canned them? This takes Chuck off of Robin, Batman & The Outsiders, and the Booster Gold fill-in issue he is doing, issue #11, will be one of his last pieces done for the company. And what does this do to Storming Paradise? Does this mean it will receive a new writer midway through the miniseries, or has Chuck completed it?

I like to think nice things about a company, I really do. I like to stay positive about comics, but when something like this occurs, it get me wondering a bit. Like everywhere else in the world, higher ups and editorial will like what they like, and dislike what doesn’t work for them, even if the fans seems to be digging it. Devin Grayson is another person who unceremoniously received the axe from DC, and her reasoning, according to sources back when her upcoming Batwoman title first got canned, was questioning editorial. Is there such a thing as maintaining opinion inside of a company without being ostracized for it? Not to bring up Grant Morrison again, but his comments about Countdown seemed to imply that editorial mandate made that series happen, and now he has to adjust his scripting accordingly to match with what was put out. Will he get the axe too? If he does, certainly will have an either further backlash amongst the fan community than getting rid of Dixon did. Which is why it will probably not occur, or else DC becomes the bad guy. Heck, I’m even reminded of when Mark Waid was unceremoniously removed from Fantastic Four by Bill Jemas over at Marvel. Wieringo left the title in protest and fans refused to pick up another FF issue until they got their team back; eventually Marvel caved, righting their mistake and moving Roberto Aguierre-Sacasa and then newcomer Steve McNiven’s Fantastic Four work back into a separate title, where it was originally going to be in the first place.

Where will Chuck Dixon wind up after this? I’m hoping Joe Quesada pulls a George Steinbrenner and gobbles him up for Marvel by offering him something huge, because a man like him deserves to be writing. Right now, other than DC I see one title on his schedule, which is Frankenstein for Dabel Brothers. I would crave seeing Chuck Dixon’s work on a title like Amazing Spider-Man or Avengers: The Initiative. For now though, we are simply left without a new team on Robin and are unsure as to whether there will be a Batman & The Outsiders after issue twelve. Am I perturbed? You betcha.

Let it turn out that Dixon chose to leave DC under his own volition, please. I want to think nice things about the companies I read comics from. Can you do that for me, DC? Oh, and how about someone awesome writing Robin to wash this bad taste out of my mouth too. That would be nice.

Time to go cry into a bowl of ice cream, mourning Dixon’s exit. I think Rocky Road would be a fitting flavor.