What has Dan Didio done RIGHT as DC's Head Honcho?

[Robotman]

DC has been far more competitive with Marvel in sales under Didio. If anyone remembers the 90s sales charts DC would regularly get crushed every month. It wasn’t even close. The only book they had that was selling ok was Batman. I know it’s not all just Didio’s influences but in the “Didio era” the company is always neck and neck with Marvel for the top spot.

[RepHope]

DC has been far more competitive with Marvel in sales under Didio. If anyone remembers the 90s sales charts DC would regularly get crushed every month. It wasn’t even close. The only book they had that was selling ok was Batman. I know it’s not all just Didio’s influences but in the “Didio era” the company is always neck and neck with Marvel for the top spot.

And just to add to this, while Rebirth may have changed public perception of DC, saleswise it didn't do much better than New 52. They were ahead of Marvel for like 2 months and then dropped back down to 2nd place. So it's wrong to paint Rebirth or Post-Crisis as this magical time when DC clobbered everyone because Dido got the boot.

[The Darknight Detective]

DC has been far more competitive with Marvel in sales under Didio. If anyone remembers the 90s sales charts DC would regularly get crushed every month. It wasn’t even close. The only book they had that was selling ok was Batman. I know it’s not all just Didio’s influences but in the “Didio era” the company is always neck and neck with Marvel for the top spot.

And just to add to this, while Rebirth may have changed public perception of DC, saleswise it didn't do much better than New 52. They were ahead of Marvel for like 2 months and then dropped back down to 2nd place. So it's wrong to paint Rebirth or Post-Crisis as this magical time when DC clobbered everyone because Dido got the boot.

Yep. This is why Didio is still at the top.

[skyvolt2000]

DC has been far more competitive with Marvel in sales under Didio. If anyone remembers the 90s sales charts DC would regularly get crushed every month. It wasn’t even close. The only book they had that was selling ok was Batman. I know it’s not all just Didio’s influences but in the “Didio era” the company is always neck and neck with Marvel for the top spot.

I would give more credit to the FANS than Dan. DC has shown to have fans who are willing to at least READ or TRY an issue of a book before going off.

while Rebirth may have changed public perception of DC, saleswise it didn't do much better than New 52.

Can't blame Dan for that. He couldn't predict hatred for whose on the cover of books ELSEWHERE would be so great that it hurt not only DC but every other company's sales.

For all the cries of Dc does this and that better-those saying didn't support the books of DC.

Dan has the advantage of anyone who takes issue with him-is generally someone who took time to read the books.

So aside from alienating the Wally West & Tim Drake generations-everything comes out in the wash.

[Dr. Ellingham]

If he got rid of Superman's trunks, that was a good idea.

If he brought them back, that was a bad idea.

Funny, but you also raise an important point:

Being in charge and saying "let's try x" doesn't mean you only do that thing. You might try the opposite if the first thing doesn't work. It's a business - you adapt.

[The Darknight Detective]

Funny, but you also raise an important point:

Being in charge and saying "let's try x" doesn't mean you only do that thing. You might try the opposite if the first thing doesn't work. It's a business - you adapt.

Totally agree, Dr. E, though I believe any lost revenue over the missing trunks had to have been negligible at best.

[Dr. Ellingham]

I just wish he's get over his fear of legacy characters and embrace the history of the DCU instead of trying to pretend it never existed.

That doesn't add up.

During the course of Didio's tenure, lots of prominent legacy characters have been created and promoted: Jaime Reyes, Damian Wayne, Jon Kent, Jason Rusch, Wallace West, Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, etc. They also brought over a new Aqualad from a cartoon.

I'd agree that the 90s legacy characters got less attention, sure. But that's also the biz to a large extent: What was new and exciting 10 years ago is usually...just 10 years older. And no longer new.

[Buried Alien]

That doesn't add up.

During the course of Didio's tenure, lots of prominent legacy characters have been created and promoted: Jaime Reyes, Damian Wayne, Jon Kent, Jason Rusch, Wallace West, Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, etc. They also brought over a new Aqualad from a cartoon.

I'd agree that the 90s legacy characters got less attention, sure. But that's also the biz to a large extent: What was new and exciting 10 years ago is usually...just 10 years older. And no longer new.

I'd observe that the iterations of the heroes that dominated the 1990s at DC are now eating the backlash that the Silver/Bronze Age stalwarts ate during the late 1980s and 1990s.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[BohemiaDrinker]

Didio has done quite a lot right. He made the weekly model viable again, made a concentrated effort in introducing diverse characters before was cool and has managed to gather interest back in DC trough a number of initiatives and navigated trough some pretty rough times, commercially and creatively. The issue of Didio is not the business side; he is actually quite the executive. His problem is his vision for the DCU, which stems solely from his fandom and a desire to recreate the bronze age. That, and his pettiness: as much good as he's done for DC, a lot of the bad could have been avoided were the man capable of admitting he was wrong once in a while.

Judging by the way the New 52 abruptly dropped in back in 2011, it's kind of obvious WB was the catalyst and not him. Now I don't expect some people to believe this because Didio is worse than Hitler in their eyes , but I can't do anything about that.

Kinda. Nu52 still catered to his preferences, and his desire to reboot the line before that is well documented, but on the rumor mill and officially.

[BohemiaDrinker]

That doesn't add up.

During the course of Didio's tenure, lots of prominent legacy characters have been created and promoted: Jaime Reyes, Damian Wayne, Jon Kent, Jason Rusch, Wallace West, Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, etc. They also brought over a new Aqualad from a cartoon.

I'd agree that the 90s legacy characters got less attention, sure. But that's also the biz to a large extent: What was new and exciting 10 years ago is usually...just 10 years older. And no longer new.

It does add up, though. The characters you mentioned are all "minor" characters; you can have legacy, as long as it doesn't "taint" the big franchises (or the Superfriends, if you will). We have a few columns written and signed by the man stating exactly that.

PS: Wallace does not belong on that list, at all.

[RepHope]

I'd observe that the iterations of the heroes that dominated the 1990s at DC are now eating the backlash that the Silver/Bronze Age stalwarts ate during the late 1980s and 1990s.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

I think it's less backlash and more the problem with the core of the characters. Kyle was created as a replacement for Hal. Wally was Barry's replacement. Tim was the replacement for Jason. But what happens when the characters who were killed off come back, as was Hal and Barry's case, or the replacement themselves gets replaced, like Tim? They don't really have anywhere to go, so they lose their sense of direction. Wally WAS the Flash, he can't really be Barry's sidekick anymore, but he can't be THE Flash as long as Barry is getting pushed as THE Flash. Tim has struggled to find his own identity ever since he lost the Robin role. They lack places for themselves within their franchises now.

[RepHope]

Double post

[The Darknight Detective]

Kinda. Nu52 still catered to his preferences, and his desire to reboot the line before that is well documented, but on the rumor mill and officially.

Still, if the sales numbers had been more competitive with Marvel, the reboot doesn't happen.

[BohemiaDrinker]

Still, if the sales numbers had been more competitive with Marvel, the reboot doesn't happen.

Sure, but the content issues with the reboot can pretty much all be traced to Didio's "vision" for the DCU, one that he was slowing enforcing even before it.

[BohemiaDrinker]

Still, if the sales numbers had been more competitive with Marvel, the reboot doesn't happen.

Sure, but the content issues with the reboot can pretty much all be traced to Didio's "vision" for the DCU, one that he was slowing enforcing even before it.