The "Relax, the DCU will be just fine thread *ALL SPOILERS AHOY*

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I get it. I really do. We are passionate about these characters and their well-being. It sucks when your favorite characters and concepts are being creatively mismanaged by writers and editors who just don't seem to understand them.

Trust me. I am a Hal Jordan fan. I watched DC fall over themselves screwing that character and everything that was awesome about him for over a DECADE.

I raged. I ranted. I made a complete ass of myself on multiple occasions for no good reason. I quit comics. Twice.

And, you know what I would say to that younger, angrier Bored at 2:00AM, veteran of the HEAT flame wars and unflagging champion of the "Hal Jordan got SCREWED!" Fanclub?

"Hey, man. Relax, Hal Jordan will be just fine. In a few years, Geoff Johns is going to come around, clean it all up and make Green Lantern the biggest franchise DC has. It'll even outsell Batman for a few minutes. And, a few years after that, Grant Morrison is going to take over the character and sprinkle his crazy dust all over the place."

So, I understand there's a lot about the DCU that many fans, including myself, don't like. You may absolutely hate it. It's OK. Just take a break and wait. In a few years, everything will probably be more to your liking and you'll have plenty of great stories to catch up on that you missed while you were away.

Here's what you shouldn't do, and I understand how hard it is, but don't let your passion and love for these characters curdle into hatred and venom. There's enough of that in the world already and just because a creator or editor has done something you don't care for isn't a good enough reason to make your life worse getting frustrated at it all and being unpleasant about it with other fans who feel differently than you do. It's simply not worth it.

Please keep in mind that I am not trying to be self-righteous or condescending here and if that's how this is coming off, that is not my intention whatsoever. Nor is this an invitation for anyone to start "tsk, tsking" any fan that is feeling hard-done by the current state of the DCU. I am just hoping to reach people who were like me so that they don't make the same mistakes I did.

Thanks for your time. Feel free to tell me how wrong I am as much as you want. I won't mind. I've dished out enough snark in my misspent youth that I can certainly handle whatever you want to sling my way. Feel free to vent and I'll try to be a sympathetic ear if I can.

[Naked Bat]

As disappointed as I am in B for Josstice League and the way they trated Zack Snyder and how they seem to be trating Henry Cavill, I still want to believe in the future of DC movies.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

As disappointed as I am in B for Josstice League and the way they trated Zack Snyder and how they seem to be trating Henry Cavill, I still want to believe in the future of DC movies.

I think there's a lot to look forward to. Aquaman, Shazam & Wonder Woman 1984 all look to be great. The Joker could be great fun. Plus, the stuff they got cooking looks amazing. Speilberg doing Blackhawks. A freakin' New Gods movie focusing on Barda & Scott? Daaaaamn.

Whatever Reeves is cooking up with Batman looks like it'll finally deliver the Batman as a detective story we've been waiting for.

As for Superman.....no comment

[Raijin]

I get it. I really do. We are passionate about these characters and their well-being. It sucks when your favorite characters and concepts are being creatively mismanaged by writers and editors who just don't seem to understand them.

Trust me. I am a Hal Jordan fan. I watched DC fall over themselves screwing that character and everything that was awesome about him for over a DECADE.

I raged. I ranted. I made a complete ass of myself on multiple occasions for no good reason. I quit comics. Twice.

And, you know what I would say to that younger, angrier Bored at 2:00AM, veteran of the HEAT flame wars and unflagging champion of the "Hal Jordan got SCREWED!" Fanclub?

"Hey, man. Relax, Hal Jordan will be just fine. In a few years, Geoff Johns is going to come around, clean it all up and make Green Lantern the biggest franchise DC has. It'll even outsell Batman for a few minutes. And, a few years after that, Grant Morrison is going to take over the character and sprinkle his crazy dust all over the place."

So, I understand there's a lot about the DCU that many fans, including myself, don't like. You may absolutely hate it. It's OK. Just take a break and wait. In a few years, everything will probably be more to your liking and you'll have plenty of great stories to catch up on that you missed while you were away.

Here's what you shouldn't do, and I understand how hard it is, but don't let your passion and love for these characters curdle into hatred and venom. There's enough of that in the world already and just because a creator or editor has done something you don't care for isn't a good enough reason to make your life worse getting frustrated at it all and being unpleasant about it with other fans who feel differently than you do. It's simply not worth it.

Please keep in mind that I am not trying to be self-righteous or condescending here and if that's how this is coming off, that is not my intention whatsoever. Nor is this an invitation for anyone to start "tsk, tsking" any fan that is feeling hard-done by the current state of the DCU. I am just hoping to reach people who were like me so that they don't make the same mistakes I did.

Thanks for your time. Feel free to tell me how wrong I am as much as you want. I won't mind. I've dished out enough snark in my misspent youth that I can certainly handle whatever you want to sling my way. Feel free to vent and I'll try to be a sympathetic ear if I can.

To me, this is a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE problem in fandom nowadays. Everyone is hateful against their peers and can't/won't accept when anyone's thinking about a book/title/series/event/etc doesn't line up with their own. If you don't like whatever, try to give the people who do their own space or better yet maybe try to pick their brains and have a civil conversation. It sucks when you are not allowed to talk about things you like unless the majority likes it.

[byrd156]

I love that you took the time to make this thread. I really appreciate it because things are rough right now for all of us. It reminds me of the good hopeful ideals I learned from classic DC.

I think everyone here gets that the bad will pass, the problem really comes with the fact that this keeps happening. Just slapping new names for on the problems and the cycle of mismanagement keeps happening. To me it doesn't feel like DC is putting out good stories anymore, they're just going through the motions of creating comics that have artificial synthetic story product in it. Of course there are exceptions but for every Mister Miracle we get a maxi-series like Futures End, a Grayson we get anything written by Lobdell, an Abnett Aquaman we get Forever Evil, etc. DC has had issues for a while before Flashpoint but the good outweighed the bad in my eyes, there is very little good I see anymore. This era will end at some point and new heads at DC will bring a new age that could be better or worse, I just hope that the next group that comes in doesn't make me worry when I get to see my favorites again or how long it will take to watch them die. I just wish I could fast forward through this era of DC and get it over with.

I think DC has been heading down this path for a longtime now, it started with Identity Crisis and I don't know when this is gonna stop. I said it in the Wally West thread in relation to HiC but DC has been stuck in this weird Silver Age nostalgia mixed with a brutal and dark DCU. This tone/attitude shift has done nothing but damage the company and most importantly it's characters.

[Naked Bat]

I think there's a lot to look forward to. Aquaman, Shazam & Wonder Woman 1984 all look to be great. The Joker could be great fun. Plus, the stuff they got cooking looks amazing. Speilberg doing Blackhawks. A freakin' New Gods movie focusing on Barda & Scott? Daaaaamn.

Whatever Reeves is cooking up with Batman looks like it'll finally deliver the Batman as a detective story we've been waiting for.

As for Superman.....no comment

I agree, every one of those movies looks really promising!

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I love that you took the time to make this thread. I really appreciate it because things are rough right now for all of us. It reminds me of the good hopeful ideals I learned from classic DC.

I think everyone here gets that the bad will pass, the problem really comes with the fact that this keeps happening. Just slapping new names for on the problems and the cycle of mismanagement keeps happening. To me it doesn't feel like DC is putting out good stories anymore, they're just going through the motions of creating comics that have artificial synthetic story product in it. Of course there are exceptions but for every Mister Miracle we get a maxi-series like Futures End, a Grayson we get anything written by Lobdell, an Abnett Aquaman we get Forever Evil, etc. DC has had issues for a while before Flashpoint but the good outweighed the bad in my eyes, there is very little good I see anymore. This era will end at some point and new heads at DC will bring a new age that could be better or worse, I just hope that the next group that comes in doesn't make me worry when I get to see my favorites again or how long it will take to watch them die. I just wish I could fast forward through this era of DC and get it over with.

I think DC has been heading down this path for a longtime now, it started with Identity Crisis and I don't know when this is gonna stop. I said it in the Wally West thread in relation to HiC but DC has been stuck in this weird Silver Age nostalgia mixed with a brutal and dark DCU. This tone/attitude shift has done nothing but damage the company and most importantly it's characters.

My suggestion would be to cut back on the current DC stuff and check out some indie stuff like Saga, Sex Criminals and others. Give the DCU a rest for a bit. Keep collecting the stuff like Mr. Miracle that gives you joy, but steer clear of trying to keep up with what’s going on with the current continuity. There’s also lots of cool stuff coming with the Black Label and Zoom imprints that you might enjoy.

Hope that helps.

[Prof. Warren]

I get it. I really do. We are passionate about these characters and their well-being. It sucks when your favorite characters and concepts are being creatively mismanaged by writers and editors who just don't seem to understand them.

Trust me. I am a Hal Jordan fan. I watched DC fall over themselves screwing that character and everything that was awesome about him for over a DECADE.

I raged. I ranted. I made a complete ass of myself on multiple occasions for no good reason. I quit comics. Twice.

And, you know what I would say to that younger, angrier Bored at 2:00AM, veteran of the HEAT flame wars and unflagging champion of the "Hal Jordan got SCREWED!" Fanclub?

"Hey, man. Relax, Hal Jordan will be just fine. In a few years, Geoff Johns is going to come around, clean it all up and make Green Lantern the biggest franchise DC has. It'll even outsell Batman for a few minutes. And, a few years after that, Grant Morrison is going to take over the character and sprinkle his crazy dust all over the place."

So, I understand there's a lot about the DCU that many fans, including myself, don't like. You may absolutely hate it. It's OK. Just take a break and wait. In a few years, everything will probably be more to your liking and you'll have plenty of great stories to catch up on that you missed while you were away.

Here's what you shouldn't do, and I understand how hard it is, but don't let your passion and love for these characters curdle into hatred and venom. There's enough of that in the world already and just because a creator or editor has done something you don't care for isn't a good enough reason to make your life worse getting frustrated at it all and being unpleasant about it with other fans who feel differently than you do. It's simply not worth it.

Please keep in mind that I am not trying to be self-righteous or condescending here and if that's how this is coming off, that is not my intention whatsoever. Nor is this an invitation for anyone to start "tsk, tsking" any fan that is feeling hard-done by the current state of the DCU. I am just hoping to reach people who were like me so that they don't make the same mistakes I did.

Thanks for your time. Feel free to tell me how wrong I am as much as you want. I won't mind. I've dished out enough snark in my misspent youth that I can certainly handle whatever you want to sling my way. Feel free to vent and I'll try to be a sympathetic ear if I can.

As a longtime DC fan who eventually just had to walk away due to my dismay with how their universe and characters were being handled, I agree that it's much better to simply move on and stick to what you do enjoy - whether it be simply reliving past eras or moving on to other current comics (or both).

Today's DC is just not for me. And that's ok. I had a lot of good years reading them and my love of the characters endures. In recent years, I've dipped back in from time to time to see if things have changed to my liking only to find that they haven't. As someone who would love to go back to following DC, it's a bummer but yet it's nothing worth getting bitter or angry about. They're doing what they feel is right for them as a company and that's their right just as it's my right as a reader to walk away if I'm not happy. No harm, no foul.

That said, hearing the news about the events of Heroes in Crisis today actually saddens me as it's just one more nail in the DC coffin for me.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

As a longtime DC fan who eventually just had to walk away due to my dismay with how their universe and characters were being handled, I agree that it's much better to simply move on and stick to what you do enjoy - whether it be simply reliving past eras or moving on to other current comics (or both).

Today's DC is just not for me. And that's ok. I had a lot of good years reading them and my love of the characters endures. In recent years, I've dipped back in from time to time to see if things have changed to my liking only to find that they haven't. As someone who would love to go back to following DC, it's a bummer but yet it's nothing worth getting bitter or angry about. They're doing what they feel is right for them as a company and that's their right just as it's my right as a reader to walk away if I'm not happy. No harm, no foul.

That said, hearing the news about the events of Heroes in Crisis today actually saddens me as it's just one more nail in the DC coffin for me.

Taking a break from stuff you love that's no longer bringing you joy is a very healthy thing to do. You don't have to go cold turkey. I'm sure there will still be stuff DC puts out that you'll love, but there's no reason to stay focused on the weekly soap opera that is the mainstream DC continuity if you aren't getting anything positive out of it. I did it during the New 52 and when I came back during Rebirth, I rediscovered my love for the DCU in ways that I had forgotten. It was the best decision I could have made and it meant I got to go back and read some of the really great stuff I missed like Grayson.

[Korath]

I love the NAoH books, the New 52 and mostly everything Orlando is doing. So far, I'm not too affected by the current mess, because I really don't care about the characters involved (save Arsenal, because I like him with Red Hood).

I just find it bittersweet (mostly bitter) that peoples are moaning about it, how D.C. is stuck in "Silver Age nostalgia" when they all came back to The Nostalgia Event, aka Rebirth, and never supported the books which actually tried something new for DC, namely the NAoH and Batman and the Signal, from the top of my head.

It's sad, but I can't help but smirk at Wally West fans screeching about their OG Kid Flash/Flash and yet apparently not even trying to glance at Honor Guest, Joe Chamberlain, Ethan Avery, Derek James, Duke Thomas, Janet Fals and the like.

[liwanag]

great thread.

just really disappointed with how the dceu is being developed by wb (and half of it is jealousy over the mcu), then HiC comes out which feels like identity crisis again.

so yeah, thanks.

[Restingvoice]

Here's the thing though. Because it's happened before and it's clear people don't like it, they shouldn't be doing it anymore.

[scary harpy]

And, you know what I would say to that younger, angrier Bored at 2:00AM, veteran of the HEAT flame wars and unflagging champion of the "Hal Jordan got SCREWED!" Fanclub?

"Hey, man. Relax, Hal Jordan will be just fine. In a few years, Geoff Johns is going to come around, clean it all up and make Green Lantern the biggest franchise DC has. It'll even outsell Batman for a few minutes. And, a few years after that, Grant Morrison is going to take over the character and sprinkle his crazy dust all over the place."

And Bored at 2:00AM would have probably responded: “Yeah, but I don’t know that yet! And I won’t for a long time!!”…and I know exactly how he feels.

When my Robin was murdered and my Batgirl maimed, I began to feel it would not be undone. As the decades passed, I became certain. By the time my Dove was murdered and my Hawk became Monarch, I was convinced this was the norm at DC. If someone had only told me that this would be righted in just about 3 decades, I would probably been…outraged. Sure, Superman would resurrect…Batman’s back would heal…but it was open season on everybody else. (And I couldn’t then have begun to imagine all the grimdark-misery-nonsense during this interval.)

Too many of my preferred characters were sacrificed by mismanagement to the Grimdark and I lost a lot of hope. So, I now don’t have a lot of hope left…and I see little to inspire hope. I read very few comics for enjoyment e.g. Hawkman. I buy, but may not read, a few comics hoping they will improve because I like the character e.g. Batgirl, Red Hood. I look forward to very few titles e.g. Shazam. Nowadays, I am buying fewer and fewer comics and reading less and less. I cannot afford to continue this practice.

Bored at 3:00AM, thanks for starting this thread. I need to follow the advice of others here and walk away for a while.

[Myskin]

I am not sure I understand the title of this thread. I have been enjoying DC comics greatly for some months (to my surprise) and I think that right now DC has the strongest lineup of writers I have seen in years. Maybe the strongest ever.

The DCEU is terrible, it has been for years and I really don't think that it will change in the short term, but it is hardly news and there's plenty of movies to see out there, so no big deal.

[Killerbee911]

Here's the thing though. Because it's happened before and it's clear SOMEpeople don't like it, they shouldn't be doing it anymore.

While some complaints are valid ,They are group of fans living in past that is never coming back and a group fans who love a single character more than the setting of the universe. Honestly trying to please those guys too much is recipe for failure. DC has to move forward to the future while trying to keep the important parts of the past.