Vertigo Rebirth

[Nick Miller]

So, yeah, there are rumors flying around from NYCC. Sometime in 2018.

Ever since Hellblazer was ported into the main DCU, the Vertigo books have struggled to find an audience.

It’s time to go back to the roots of Vertigo. Supernatural fantasy/horror. I know some of,you will blast me for nostalgia (who says it’s a bad thing?) or going backwards, don’t care

My launch

Hellblazer #1
Swamp Thing #1
The Endless #1 (can it be done? Why not!)
Arkham Asylum #1 (medical drama/mystery/horror)
Jonah Hex #1 (supernatural western)
The Spectre #1

And later 4 new books by up and coming fantasy/horror writers and artists that want to make comics.

Gives us a tight 10 books a month, maybe even play with 64 pg one shots, or 128 page OGN.

What do u think? How would u do a Vertigo Rebirth?

[Confuzzled]

It doesn't have to be supernatural fantasy/horror, just really smart high concept ideas like Y: The Last Man and Fables that make you go, "Damn, why didn't I think of that?"

[Lee Stone]

Shadowpact (Zatanna, Dr. Fate, Dr. Mist, Madame Xanadu, Etrigan, Dr. Occult, Enchantress) -by David Sexton (Marvel Tarot, Mystic Arcana) and Ryan Sook (Seven Soldiers: Zatanna)

Amethyst -by Grant Morrison and Rebecca Guay

Hellblazer -by Scott Snyder and Stephen Thompson (Satellite Falling)

Arkham Asylum -by Peter Milligan and Frazer Irving (Seven Soldiers: Klarion)

Jonah Hex -by Gray/Palmiotti and Moritat

House of Mystery -co-written by Christopher Rice (Anne Rice's son) (plots) and J.M. DeMatteis (scripts) with art by various

Jemm, Son of Saturn -by Tom King and Cliff Chiang

[numberthirty]

It’s time to go back to the roots of Vertigo.

While I wouldn't take anyone to task for having warm and fuzzy feelings about the imprint's early days, it's really impossible to go back to it's roots in a world that has changed so much.

Back then, Vertigo really was one of the best shakes for an artist trying to get a certain sort of story into a potentially sympathetic reader's hands.

It's be a while since that was the case. Let alone that those potentially sympathetic readers are now likely aware that there are also IP ownership issues in play.

With all that being the case, it gets harder and harder to ask creators to work for the imprint just to keep it afloat.

[Nick Miller]

Obv. U cant force a creator that wants ownership to publish with vertigo

They can go get thier 8,900 readers somewhere else.

As a publisher, DC/Vertigo has a to hire writers and artists, just like always. And find new talent.

I still think doing a Hellblazer rated M or swanp thing or Arkham Asylum book has attraction to a ton of creators.

[CaptCleghorn]

How would DC properties be divided between Young Animal and Vertigo? Young Animal now seems to be very similar to what early Vertigo was with DC properties having a more mature tone having a place to publish.

[Lee Stone]

How would DC properties be divided between Young Animal and Vertigo? Young Animal now seems to be very similar to what early Vertigo was with DC properties having a more mature tone having a place to publish.

Young Animal, to me, feels like it's a 'DC Meets Indie', with more direct influences from Ditko and Kirby. Kinda like if Fantagraphics was a DC imprint.
While early Vertigo felt like it was 'DC Meets Vampire the Masquerade', with more direct influences from Moore and Morrison. Kinda like if Caliber was a DC imprint.
It's like Coke and Pepsi. They're both sodas but you can taste the difference.

I also think there's room for another mature readers imprint for titles like Grell's Green Arrow and O'Neil's Question. Both of which wouldn't fit in either Young Animal or Vertigo, yet were still mature takes on DC heroes. Think 'DC Meets Tarantino'.

[Timothy Hunter]

Young Animal, to me, feels like it's a 'DC Meets Indie', with more direct influences from Ditko and Kirby. Kinda like if Fantagraphics was a DC imprint.
While early Vertigo felt like it was 'DC Meets Vampire the Masquerade', with more direct influences from Moore and Morrison. Kinda like if Caliber was a DC imprint.
It's like Coke and Pepsi. They're both sodas but you can taste the difference.
'.

I wouldn't consider Young Animal to be "if Fantagraphics is a DC imprint. As much as I enjoy some of the Young Animal titles, every single Fantagraphics comic blows the whole Young Animal line out of the water in terms of weirdness and "pushing the boundaries of the medium" (As some very pretentious people like to say.) If Young Animal is trying to be Fantagraphics with DC characters then Young Animal is tofu Fantagraphics.

Young Animal to me is geared towards people who like offbeat things like Adventure Time (Bad example, but whatever.), but don't usually read comics. Young Animal is probably Dark Horse as a DC imprint or some of the more odd titles at Image as a DC imprint.

I also think there's room for another mature readers imprint for titles like Grell's Green Arrow and O'Neil's Question. Both of which wouldn't fit in either Young Animal or Vertigo, yet were still mature takes on DC heroes. Think 'DC Meets Tarantino'.

Any titles that star A/B-list characters in superheroic roles, and are in continuity, should just be regular DC titles. It's okay if some there are a odd bunch of series under the DC bullet that are heady or R rated, as long as they are relevant to the DC universe. If we seclude every weird title DC has into imprints, mainstream DC is going to look like a barren wasteland of blandness.

[Timothy Hunter]

Anyway, here are some of the titles (Creative teams and synopses included) that I would want in a Vertigo comics "Rebirth"

Zatanna
Okay, so this is a slightly weird pitch for a Zatanna series, and it's an idea for a Zatanna series I have mentioned multiple times on this forum. Anyway, instead of this Zatanna series being set in the present time, this Zatanna series will be a '80s period piece set in the Vertigo corner of the DC Universe. Written by Mike Carey (Lucifer) with Art by Jaime Hernandez (Love and Rockets). Covers by Bill Sienkiewicz.

John Constantine
One of the most interesting aspects of the Vertigo Hellblazer series for me was when they had an issue detailing John's past, (issue 84 comes to mind.), so I thought that a series documenting Constaitine's early life sounds like an excellent idea. Written by Pat Mills (Creator of 2000 AD) with art by Duncan Fegredo (Enigma). Covers by Dave Mckean (Of Sandman fame.)


Daniel the Sandman
It's weird to me that the Daniel Hall Sandman (Who, if you didn't know, was introduced in the last couple issues of Neil Gaiman's Sandman.) has never gotten an ongoing, miniseries, or even a one shot. Unlike the 1989 Gaiman series, the Daniel Hall Sandman ongoing will in some places be more super heroic, and will feature some DC characters from time to time, as Daniel Hall will join the Justice League of America. Despite this, this new Sandman series will only have superhero overtones/undertones in a small amount of issues, as a reasonable majority of the time the comic will resemble a typical Vertigo series, and when Daniel Hall does react with DC superheroes, it will be treated as Daniel Hall traveling to different universes. Similar to the original Sandman series. There will be a new artist every story-line. Written by Tom King with Art by Mitch Gerads, JH Williams, Ethan Van Sciver, Gilbert Hernandez, Marc Silvestri, John Totleben, Mike Allred, and Michael Zulli

[Nick Miller]

I like the idea of setting Zatanna in the 80s

We need more comics set in different time periods, Arkham Asylum in the 60s would be rad

Or the Spectre in the 70’s, oh man

[DragonPiece]

It would definitely be smart for DC to make hellblazer and swamp thing part of Vertigo to make people interested in the line. It's not like Constantine has had a lot of luck with sales in the DCU lol.

[numberthirty]

It would definitely be smart for DC to make hellblazer and swamp thing part of Vertigo to make people interested in the line. It's not like Constantine has had a lot of luck with sales in the DCU lol.

Hellblazer was a "Vertigo" title.

[CaptCleghorn]

The six books I'd start with. DC started Vertigo with six (Animal Man, Doom Patrol, Hellblazer, Sandman, Shade, and Swamp Thing) and so will I.

Black Orchid (the closest thing to a typical superhero my Vertigo has. She's far from typical_
Dr Fate (big mystic threats)
Sgt. Rock (WW2 with a 21st century attitude)
Star Hunters (rogues running from a planet taken over by cporporate interests. Sounds vaguely familiar today, doesn't it?)
Thriller (she has seven seconds to save the world, the original Fleming stuff)
Warlord (skartaris and Col. Travis Morgan oh yeah!)

These are all older ideas which could do well with a few decades of experience.

I'd also revive the Vertigo Quarterlies with titles from old DC titles. (Time Warp, Mystery in Space, the Unexpected, etc). Use a different title (and theme) for each 80 pg issue.

[Lee Stone]

Hellblazer was a "Vertigo" title.

And it lasted for 300 issues.
If it went just three more years, it would've had more issues than the original Wonder Woman series.

[Timothy Hunter]

Now that I think about it, I don't see a reason why there should be more than one imprint dedicated towards DC's more R-rated or oddball characters. I can't find a good reason why a Vertigo-y Hellblazer or a Sandman spin-off title shouldn't land at Young Animal, besides simple nostalgia for the early days of the Vertigo imprint, and I don't think nostalgia can sustain anything, imprint or otherwise, for a long amount of time.

Sure, early Vertigo and Young Animal might have tonal differences, but I don't think that warrants to imprints for mature spins on DC characters. The only logical justification for Vertigo having some new comics based around DC characters is to have a slew of miniseries and one shots for characters and properties like the Sandman, and Hellblazer, and Animal Man around the time of Vertigo's 25th anniversary, just because these titles were an important part of early Vertigo, but anything beyond that would just make Young Animal seem sort of redundant. Young Animal was supposed to be Vertigo's replacement for DC's line of mature comics.