Pitch a Direction: Benjamin Turner/Bronze Tiger

[lemonpeace]

Bronze Tiger is one of DC's most criminally underused and underdeveloped characters. So let's say, in a better world, DC comes to you to remedy that. Where do you think they should or where would you take the character of Benjamin Turner? Narrative paths, powers, new gear, design tweaks, pathos, radical changes, mundane changes, whatever comes to mind. Flex those creative muscles, all ideas are welcome.

[Timothy Hunter]

I wouldn't publish him in a solo title. With all due respect to the character, he isn't enough of a brand name for him to carry his own comic.

Alas, what I would do, if I were DC would be to publish a Leviathan solo comic wherein he is the team leader. A team consisting of the DC Universe's deadliest assassins: Deathstroke, Lobo (because why the hell not), Artemis Crock, Ravager, Hush, Prometheus, Talon, and Cheshire. All of these working as Talia Al Ghul's premier supervillain group. The twist is half of the team are double agents for the Justice League, corresponding to Martian Manhunter, Batman, and Green Arrow specifically.

[MoneySpider]

I wouldn't publish him in a solo title. With all due respect to the character, he isn't enough of a brand name for him to carry his own comic.

Alas, what I would do, if I were DC would be to publish a Leviathan solo comic wherein he is the team leader. A team consisting of the DC Universe's deadliest assassins: Deathstroke, Lobo (because why the hell not), Artemis Crock, Ravager, Hush, Prometheus, Talon, and Cheshire. All of these working as Talia Al Ghul's premier supervillain group. The twist is half of the team are double agents for the Justice League, corresponding to Martian Manhunter, Batman, and Green Arrow specifically.

So what do you think of other characters who were given their own solo ongoing books right out of the gate, like Damage, Sideways, The Silencer, etc. etc. Also, what about Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, etc. that were launched in their own solo books for the very first time without being brand names yet?

I think DC should at least TRY giving Bronze Tiger a solo book, like they have tried it with so many other characters over the years.

[Timothy Hunter]

So what do you think of other characters who were given their own solo ongoing books right out of the gate, like Damage, Sideways, The Silencer, etc. etc. Also, what about Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, etc. that were launched in their own solo books for the very first time without being brand names yet?

I think DC should at least TRY giving Bronze Tiger a solo book, like they have tried it with so many other characters over the years.

Ah, the difference between Bronze Tiger and, for instance, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Superman, Wonder Woman is that those characters were given solo titles in the 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s; a time when the comic industry was in a much more healthier place than it is now.

Also, regarding your point about the New Age of Heroes characters. With all due respect to the fans of that line, the vast majority of those books sold extremely poorly.

[TheJudge95]

Alas, what I would do, if I were DC would be to publish a Leviathan solo comic wherein he is the team leader. A team consisting of the DC Universe's deadliest assassins: Deathstroke, Lobo (because why the hell not), Artemis Crock, Ravager, Hush, Prometheus, Talon, and Cheshire. All of these working as Talia Al Ghul's premier supervillain group. The twist is half of the team are double agents for the Justice League, corresponding to Martian Manhunter, Batman, and Green Arrow specifically.

I agree with this, especially considering there's supposed to be a Leviathan event coming up. Hopefully he's featured in that heavily.

[Aahz]

The easiest way to get him a regular appearance would probaly be to put him in a team book like Suicide Squad (he is a "Founding Member" after all) or maybe outsiders.

Coming up with a solo for him would be really hard, he doesn't have much history to draw from and the bit he had was already pre crisis mostly retconned and erased ans any character centric stuff was anyway published to long ago that you could expect readers to know it. You basically would have to rebuild everything from zero.

On top of it he doesn't really have unique niche, it is not like non powered martial artists/assassins are particularly rare in comics.

[Timothy Hunter]

The easiest way to get him a regular appearance would probaly be to put him in a team book like Suicide Squad (he is a "Founding Member" after all) or maybe outsiders.

Coming up with a solo for him would be really hard, he doesn't have much history to draw from and the bit he had was already pre crisis mostly retconned and erased ans any character centric stuff was anyway published to long ago that you could expect readers to know it. You basically would have to rebuild everything from zero.

On top of it he doesn't really have unique niche, it is not like non powered martial artists/assassins are particularly rare in comics.

I agree. Having him have more of a presence on television and the movies would also be an effective way of getting him more exposure. I think that a Bronze Tiger CW show might work, as well as starring in a very low budget film.

[Kaijudo]

I'd argue that Turner could totally support his own book. His long association with the classic (re: good) Suicide Squad run means a lot of fans at least have him on their radar, if not have some kind of fond memories of him.

What I'd do would be to restore a good portion of his pre-Flashpoint past, including having had him serve on the Suicide Squad in some earlier, unrevealed capacity (maybe pepper his team with former Squad members who haven't been reintroduced in current Rebirth continuity and show that he's the lone survivor of that grouping's final mission), his history with the League of Assassins, etc. We'd pick up with him at a crossroads, not sure whether he's "good" or "bad," but deciding to wipe out the League of Assassins (aka his "creator") from the Earth while trying to figure it out. It'd follow his journey around the world doing (or attempting to do) this, coming into contact/conflict with hero and villain both, while processing all the damage he's done and determining which path to ultimately take.

[Aahz]

Maybe they could team him up with Deadman, had have them both go after the Sensai.

[titanfan]

In the new DCU, is Bronze Tiger still considered responsible for killing Kathy Kane? (Who, I know is still alive and working for Spyral)

If so, then the plotline still kind of writes itself. Heroes (Bat family to boost sales) still after him, Ben trying to get redemption (not knowing Kathy is alive). Vixen as an off and on love interest, etc.

[Timothy Hunter]

In the new DCU, is Bronze Tiger still considered responsible for killing Kathy Kane? (Who, I know is still alive and working for Spyral)

If so, then the plotline still kind of writes itself. Heroes (Bat family to boost sales) still after him, Ben trying to get redemption (not knowing Kathy is alive). Vixen as an off and on love interest, etc.

What? I should know this but my memory is that of a goldfish. When did this happen? Grayson? Morrison's Batman Inc?

[MoneySpider]

I really don't understand how Bronze Tiger can't carry a solo title (because he supposedly has little history and isn't a brand name), but then can possibly support his own TV show. What's the difference? In both mediums, any history he lacks can be made up as time goes on, just like any other character that gets a solo book or solo TV show for the first time. Any brand recognition he doesn't have can be created in both a solo and a TV show. But I just don't understand how he can't have a solo book, but he could possibly have a TV show.

I can understand saying he can't have either. I can understand saying he can have both. But the "no solo book, but TV show" thing is throwing me for a loop.

[jetengine]

I really don't understand how Bronze Tiger can't carry a solo title (because he supposedly has little history and isn't a brand name), but then can possibly support his own TV show. What's the difference? In both mediums, any history he lacks can be made up as time goes on, just like any other character that gets a solo book or solo TV show for the first time. Any brand recognition he doesn't have can be created in both a solo and a TV show. But I just don't understand how he can't have a solo book, but he could possibly have a TV show.

I can understand saying he can't have either. I can understand saying he can have both. But the "no solo book, but TV show" thing is throwing me for a loop.

I suspect because anyone can turn on a channel and be like "Eh ? Neat" wheras you have to go out and buy an individual book and have a rough idea what your getting. Plus if you make him an arrowverse show it'll probably sell.

[Aahz]

I really don't understand how Bronze Tiger can't carry a solo title (because he supposedly has little history and isn't a brand name), but then can possibly support his own TV show. What's the difference? In both mediums, any history he lacks can be made up as time goes on, just like any other character that gets a solo book or solo TV show for the first time. Any brand recognition he doesn't have can be created in both a solo and a TV show. But I just don't understand how he can't have a solo book, but he could possibly have a TV show.

I can understand saying he can't have either. I can understand saying he can have both. But the "no solo book, but TV show" thing is throwing me for a loop.

"Timothy Hunter" was suggesting giving him a presence in a TV show (he was actually in a few episodes of Arrow iirc). Not his own TV show.

The Difference between comics and TV is also, that with TV it is easier to reach a new audience, since almost every body watches TV. With comics it is much harder to reach a audience apart from the people that are already buying comics.

You have for example a few TV/streaming show for character that are not really big sellers when it comes to comics, like Luzifer, Cloak and most of the Marvel Netflix series (apart from Daredevil and Maybe Punisher). And even some for characters that don't even have their own comics like Legends of Tomorrow and Agents of Shield. And Marvel even managed to pull something similar on the big screen with Guardians of the Galaxy.

And really if you look at the past years, new characters or obscure characters, rarely managed to keep a solo running for even 2 years, if they were not somehow part of one of the bigger franchises like Batman, and even that quite often didn't worked (Mother Panic, Batwing, Talon ...).

[HandofPrometheus]

Ben has stepped foot in nearly every corner of the DCU since post-crisis. He's a recognizable character within DCU lore among various villains, organizations and heroes. If he were to obtain a solo he wouldn't be dragged down by having no toys to play with.

Better exposure would help him get a solo faster though. It sucks that there's so many factors characters have to go through just to get content.