How to elevate a Nobody to the A list...

[Agent Z]

3. Also having a character that appeals to multiple demographics, and can be translated to multiple platforms without being radically changed helps. Punisher is an interesting character, but his nature limits his demographic in a lot of ways. Spiderman on the other hand can be targeted to pretty much anyone.

4. Don't link a character to closely to pop culture, or time specific social issues. These thinks change to constantly to make a consistent platform for your character. Pretty much if you have to keep going back and radically changing your characters origin story that's not a good thing. Superman, Batman, and Spiderman have simple origin stories that really only need minor tweaks to stay relevant. On the other end of the spectrum you have Dazzler and Vibe.

They re-worked Vibe's origin just fine for the Flash t.v. show. It helps that his lack of presence in media wasn't that strong so no one had anything to compare it to.

[Killerbee911]

Did they really gave up?
.

Yup pretty his book much was dead arrival the second time and they no clear plan for him and mid way around you could clear see it and they just gave and let it die. Plus When he transition to Justice League was it was botched by DC. Cyborg was suppose to be the Lebron James of the Justice League.It was a simple move a upcoming hero with superstar potential final gets his chance to shine with Big dogs.That you keep all the past history and him as legit big time hero. Instead we got rookie useless blank slate hero and inability to use his past history and friendship to save his books.

Skyvolt is right DC was never really behind of Cyborg,They thought putting him Justice League was enough and biggest mistake was taking his Titans history and not having plan to reconnect them.

[Aahz]

I think mathew101281 is onto something here when he talks about demographics. The best way to elevate a character is not if they fill some narrative niche that was unfilled earlier, but if they reach a demographic that was previously underserved or didn't connect with the existing characters. Batwoman and Poison Ivy draw a lot of their success from the LGBT community, and a lot of Marvel's success I believe came from their ability to reach the African-american communities.

At least Batwoman has also not been a success imo, in Rebirth they really tried to push her, but her book ended up being the lowest selling of the Batfamily books, and got cancelled because of low sales.

[kjn]

At least Batwoman has also not been a success imo, in Rebirth they really tried to push her, but her book ended up being the lowest selling of the Batfamily books, and got cancelled because of low sales.

Ok, and it also shows how there are really two vectors of popularity. One is the investment of each reader, the other is how many readers. The two are not really related to each other. The average reader of Poison Ivy or Batwoman is, I'd think, a lot more involved in the character than the average reader of Batman and Superman.

Another factor is arguably that the US mainstream comics publishers really have developed into niche publishers, and have a really hard time reaching new markets and readers given how their distribution model works, but that's another question.

[The Darknight Detective]

I'm not sure any character can leap from obscurity to the A list in today's market without some help beyond comics themselves, unless that character is a member of a known family of superheroes. Yeah, you can give a new character an A+ creating team, but would the returns be greater than having the crack creative lineup work on an already established and successful character? I doubt it.

[Aahz]

I'm not sure any character can leap from obscurity to the A list in today's market without some help beyond comics themselves, unless that character is a member of a known family of superheroes.

I wouldn't really consider him A-List if he just gets there with Family support, and at least in case of DC I think most families have reached a size where it becomes hard to really add new characters, and where actually adding successfully a new member to a family might on the long run lead to a the downfall of another one.

[Jim Kelly]

What family did the Guardians of the Galaxy belong to?

To be a nobody, they have to be some DC character that hasn't been featured in generations and has become completely unknown to most fans. I'll take the Star Rovers for this treatment. Homer Gint, Rick Purvis and Karel Sorensen were competetive space travellers created by Gardner Fox and Sid Greene for MYSTERY IN SPACE back in 1961. Greene's style was like a marriage of Murphy Anderson, Kurt Schaffenberger and Ogden Whitney and the running joke in all his art was that Julie Schwartz always made a cameo.

First step in bringing the Star Rovers to awareness is to give them a number of cameos and make them a running joke in all DC animation. This could then be picked up by some of the DC animation based comics. A very special episode of YOUNG JUSTICE would be all about the Star Rovers, with the YJ cast in the background.

Next, an actual new Star Rovers story in a DC holiday special anthology. Followed by a slim reprint book of all the Fox and Greene stories (there were only nine stories and a total of 93 pages in all, so the entire collection could be 96 pages plus cover)--get someone like Brian Bolland or Alex Ross to do the cover.

On the DC Universe streaming service, the Star Rovers gets their own limited run animation series. This then sparks a 12 issue comic series. And then Warner green lights a Star Rovers movie, with a 100 million dollar budget, a top director and an appealing cast.

[Ascended]

3. Also having a character that appeals to multiple demographics

This one seems tricky. At least if you mean in finding new demographics who aren't already consumers and bringing them into the main titles.

It's true that appealing to different and new demographics is important and I think in most business structures is critical....but I'm not sure if it's entirely possible in the current market. Publishers have been trying to find new audiences and demographics for a long time and usually find middling success, when they find success at all. Digital and trade sales and stocking product in book stores alongside novels instead of just hobby shops has brought new readers.....but it doesn't seem to be enough to keep a IP alive.

That's not to say the industry should stop trying, of course.

I think the only way comics are going to successfully find new audiences and demographics is through their large media adaptations like DC Super Hero Girls. At least until the publishers change their distribution, marketing, and release systems anyway.

[The Darknight Detective]

What family did the Guardians of the Galaxy belong to?

Well, you're talking about A-list for movies, when this thread (I believe) is talking specifically about comics. Now I stated earlier that other mediums could indeed make an A-lister out of an unknown quantity and could even move the character A-list of comic books (Harliey Quinn, i.e.). With that said, would GoTG be able to get any traction in comics circles without the benefit of the movies?

[The Darknight Detective]

I wouldn't really consider him A-List if he just gets there with Family support, and at least in case of DC I think most families have reached a size where it becomes hard to really add new characters, and where actually adding successfully a new member to a family might on the long run lead to a the downfall of another one.

That's true. A superhero family, even Batman's, can only be stretched so far.

[Aahz]

Well, you're talking about A-list for movies, when this thread (I believe) is talking specifically about comics. Now I stated earlier that other mediums could indeed make an A-lister out of an unknown quantity and could even move the character A-list of comic books (Harliey Quinn, i.e.). With that said, would GoTG be able to get any traction in comics circles without the benefit of the movies?

In the comics the GoTG are even as a team imo not really A-list, and as solo characters even less.

[Lightning Rider]

I really, REALLY like this! I'm an Atom fan, but how - as a scientist - he'd react to a quasi-mythical entity like Darkseid never occurred to me. Nicely done Lightning Rider!

Great to hear, and thanks.

[The Darknight Detective]

In the comics the GoTG are even as a team imo not really A-list, and as solo characters even less.

Right, but they would have been dead in the water if not for the films' success.

[Jim Kelly]

I refuse to jump up and down, blindfolded, one hand behind my back while singing "The Maple Leaf Forever" just because that's the arbitrary challenge. The best way today in the current market to elevate a character to the A list in comics is to give them a shot in some other medium. Why do we have to only stick to the comics to satisfy the challenge?

Other media are good at plucking characters from obscurity ahd giving them a shot. Sometimes because they can't get the license to use other characters. But in the end it works out well for them. That's why other DC comics characters besides Batman shouldn't be counted out. And DC shouldn't just keep plucking Batman family characters.

[The Darknight Detective]

I refuse to jump up and down, blindfolded, one hand behind my back while singing "The Maple Leaf Forever" just because that's the arbitrary challenge. The best way today in the current market to elevate a character to the A list in comics is to give them a shot in some other medium. Why do we have to only stick to the comics to satisfy the challenge?

Wait.

I pointed out before your last two posts today that the other mediums are indeed a good way to get to the A-list. All I was saying otherwise is that it's very, very hard to get to the comics' A-list today without help from the movies/television or as part of a popular superhero family. Do you agree or disagree with that, Jim?