The Didio thing...

[Vinsanity]

Honestly, if he did a lot of bad, he wouldn't be still there.

Sure, there have been stuff in DC that I don't agree with but that's part and parcel of any business, not every consumer is going to agree.

I think it's hard to say without knowing the full picture, and the politics that goes on.

[Midnight_v]

The treatment of IP's that he himself dislikes shows that he's not paying attention to the market research. He's tried to cripple IP's that are quite popular and I still struggle to understand why. You dont have to personally like a IP to recognize it's viable, and he's tried to ruin characters he should have been pushing and investing in. And there's a number of other things that have been equally questionable.

*Shrug* Its literally in the demesne of his job to do so.

We as fans can get frustrated all we want but what he "SHOULD" be pushing is up for him to decide.
Its literally what you, or me, or ANY POSTER HERE would to.
Pick a Green Lantern to push. I dare you. You will get opposition and hate from every angle. Same with a flash. Same with a robin. Same with any property that has fans. But you DO have to pick. Might as well pick the one you like best.


Moreover, "Viability" is 2 things.
1. Something we probably don't have data to really KNOW. (NOT because we don't look for it but because we're NOT in shareholder meetings and other various business demands a company would WANT to keep private.)
2. Not the same thing as financially profitable.

As much as I PERSONALLY think a Firestorm, Blue Beetle(Jaime), Stargirl, book is VIABLE, or that a Manhunter book is "viable", or a Midnighter book is "viable"

I think a Justice League International book is viable....
but... I don't KNOW that. There's an opportunity cost to every choice you make as a high ranking leader.

Simple exercise for everbody that dislikes this guy, and every decision he makes.
Joker movie hits ITS HUGE: Batman books flying off the shelves, profits are WAAAY UP.
We at DC got room to experiment: Who do YOU give a book to?
1.Batwoman
2. Cassandra Cain in "Shadow of the Bat"
3. Vixen
4. Anything Neil Gaiman agrees to write for 2 years straight
5. You're favorite character that you think just needs a small push.

You can put them in order or just pick one, but the truth is none of them are inherently wrong or not viable.
Fandom simply will not be appeased.

[Frontier]

I sympathize with you, and I hope I don't come across as one of those Wally fans who speaks down to Barry fans. I really like Barry! I just don't care for the weird amalgam Flash they've built him into where they grafted some of Wally's traits onto him to make him more like what people seem to expect of the Flash (quips or humor, for the most part) and changing his origin from being simply a good person doing what's right with his power to yet another orphan on the Justice League. If anything, it feels like they homogenized the poor guy and took away what made his death pretty much the biggest one in comics.

Of all characters, it's the one who was only there because he was a decent person and he could, who gave it all alongside Supergirl. No dead parents or planet to motivate him. He was a comic reader (LIKE YOU, DEAR READER) who had the chance to make a difference and he did. You can say whatever you like about the reason DC wanted to send him off, but they at least gave the guy the biggest exit imaginable. Wally then held him to the gold standard for, well, pretty much ever and there was clear reverence for Barry Allen. It really bums me out that he lost a lot of that post Flashpoint to try and make him more of an All-Flash.

In a perfect world, Wally would have came back and been the Flash of Keystone to Barry's Central city and Barry could be head Flash. Being a fan of his since childhood, I think Wally more than anyone else would love for Barry to lead the race (even if Wally was faster).

I dislike how DC pushes Barry a bit obnoxiously, but I have a lot of love for the Barry (and Jay, for that matter)! DC, especially Didio, simply cannot juggle characters and as a result shill one at the expense of another. It's 100% execution and it sucks.

I agree with all of this.

Barry and Wally deserve better...

[Ascended]

*Shrug* Its literally in the demesne of his job to do so.

Indeed it is, and as you point out there's a ton of things we don't know and don't have access to, which is why I try to give professionals the benefit of the doubt. However, from what data I *do* have, some of these choices seem highly questionable. A few actually seem to undermine profitable IP's. And no matter how you slice it, that's just bad business.

But if you can look at the data we have and justify the actions taken against Nightwing, I would very much love to believe that DC's upper management doesn't have an axe to grind. Seriously, can you justify any of that as anything other than a personal bias negatively influencing a IP? And one of DC's most stable, consistent IP's, with one of the highest sales floors in the industry, no less? I just wrote it off as simple mistakes at first (that happens), then as a lack of vision or incompetence.....but at this point? I struggle to see the treatment of the IP as anything other than intentional.

We as fans can get frustrated all we want but what he "SHOULD" be pushing is up for him to decide.
Its literally what you, or me, or ANY POSTER HERE would to.
Pick a Green Lantern to push. I dare you. You will get opposition and hate from every angle. Same with a flash. Same with a robin. Same with any property that has fans. But you DO have to pick. Might as well pick the one you like best.

This I disagree with, at least partially.

Pick a Lantern? My first question is why I have to just pick one. The idea that we can only have one "prime" Lantern seems like a fallacy to me. Same with Flashes. Hell, much of those respective mythos are built on the concepts and themes of family and brotherhood and both reached heights of popularity when those themes were leaned into (Johns' run pushing GLC and several other titles, Waid's Flash Family dynamics, etc). A number of franchises are built on large rosters (Transformers, Power Rangers, GI Joe, etc), and while focusing on a single Lantern or Flash isn't "bad" its not the only workable solution.

Rather than push a single character in a franchise like these, I humbly suggest finding ways to use them all.

But if that's not an option for some reason? I'm still not going to pick the character I happen to like most. I'll collect the market research and sales data, take into account the state of the industry at the time of those issues, direct market rankings, etc., and balance out discrepancies in print runs (Hal having been in more comics than Guy gives Hal a statistical advantage in numbers we'll try to eliminate). Then we'll see who's been more popular and focus our efforts there.

If that doesn't yield solid results then I'll ask the talent to put together pitches and we'll run with whatever seems to have the most potential. And yes, that's a subjective thing but it's a hell of a lot better than just saying "Well, I like Guy so he's the new prime Lantern!"

Moreover, "Viability" is 2 things.
1. Something we probably don't have data to really KNOW. (NOT because we don't look for it but because we're NOT in shareholder meetings and other various business demands a company would WANT to keep private.)
2. Not the same thing as financially profitable.

Sure, but I think a lot of us use that term just as a shorthand. At least I do; a combination of narrative potential and profit potential. Nebulous elements to measure, yes, but art is always nebulous. The job of the business side is to focus those creative energies towards what is "likely" the most profitable direction.

As much as I PERSONALLY think a Firestorm, Blue Beetle(Jaime), Stargirl, book is VIABLE, or that a Manhunter book is "viable", or a Midnighter book is "viable"

I think a Justice League International book is viable....
but... I don't KNOW that. There's an opportunity cost to every choice you make as a high ranking leader.

In any creative business there's always a unknown factor. You never know how the audience will react until they see it. But you can at least get a vague basis to judge your expectations by. What's the production cost on one of those books? What kind of sales have those characters seen in the past and what kind of pedigree did the creators have during that time? You can get an idea of what kind of sales you'll see, and while that's far from hard data you can still make an educated guess.

Simple exercise for everbody that dislikes this guy, and every decision he makes.
Joker movie hits ITS HUGE: Batman books flying off the shelves, profits are WAAAY UP.
We at DC got room to experiment: Who do YOU give a book to?
1.Batwoman
2. Cassandra Cain in "Shadow of the Bat"
3. Vixen
4. Anything Neil Gaiman agrees to write for 2 years straight
5. You're favorite character that you think just needs a small push.

Well I dont hate everything the guy has done, nor do I dislike him personally. But if it were me? Movies don't tend to influence floppy sales so rather than worry about a new solo title in the wake of Joker's film success, I'm going to put effort into new trades collecting popular and defining Joker stories, because trades do tend to see a stronger increase in sales (still not huge) than floppies. These trades also have a better chance of being evergreen sellers than a monthly series. But if Im gonna green light one of those books? Who's the creative teams? What kind of pitches have they given? How saturated is the Bat-corner of DC from the business perspective?

You can put them in order or just pick one, but the truth is none of them are inherently wrong or not viable.

Sure, but market research is likely going to tell you which of those options is more likely to be successful. That's not the end-all be-all of decision making (otherwise who would've approved Tom King's Mr. Miracle series?) but it's a solid place to start.

Fandom simply will not be appeased.

Ha! Now that is utter truth! We hate everything no matter what. But there's fans being grouchy and disagreeable and then there's actively ignoring good business sense and pursuing a personal bias despite the data.

Also, I love the balanced, business-minded approach to your post. Nice to see amid all the bashing and hate.

[Lee Stone]

I just hope that the next 'Head of DC' will remember that New Teen Titans was given a team-up with Marvel's X-Men in 1982 for a reason.
It was the only DC title that was outselling most of Marvel at the time.

In the last 20 years, we've been led to believe that the only thing DC's ever published that's sold good was Batman.
Despite Wolfman/Perez's Titans, the Levitz Legion and Giffen/DeMatteis JLI being major hits during their time.
It's an injustice that those books are no longer recognized for the good they did for DC.

And it's primarily because the current Head of DC chooses to ignore their success.

[kilderkin]

*Shrug* Its literally in the demesne of his job to do so.

We as fans can get frustrated all we want but what he "SHOULD" be pushing is up for him to decide.
Its literally what you, or me, or ANY POSTER HERE would to.
Pick a Green Lantern to push. I dare you. You will get opposition and hate from every angle. Same with a flash. Same with a robin. Same with any property that has fans. But you DO have to pick. Might as well pick the one you like best.


Moreover, "Viability" is 2 things.
1. Something we probably don't have data to really KNOW. (NOT because we don't look for it but because we're NOT in shareholder meetings and other various business demands a company would WANT to keep private.)
2. Not the same thing as financially profitable.

As much as I PERSONALLY think a Firestorm, Blue Beetle(Jaime), Stargirl, book is VIABLE, or that a Manhunter book is "viable", or a Midnighter book is "viable"

I think a Justice League International book is viable....
but... I don't KNOW that. There's an opportunity cost to every choice you make as a high ranking leader.

Simple exercise for everbody that dislikes this guy, and every decision he makes.
Joker movie hits ITS HUGE: Batman books flying off the shelves, profits are WAAAY UP.
We at DC got room to experiment: Who do YOU give a book to?
1.Batwoman
2. Cassandra Cain in "Shadow of the Bat"
3. Vixen
4. Anything Neil Gaiman agrees to write for 2 years straight
5. You're favorite character that you think just needs a small push.

You can put them in order or just pick one, but the truth is none of them are inherently wrong or not viable.
Fandom simply will not be appeased.

Some very sound points

And he does need to choose which characters to push

But it doesn't mean he had to burn the others to make space for them

[The Darknight Detective]

I just hope that the next 'Head of DC' will remember that New Teen Titans was given a team-up with Marvel's X-Men in 1982 for a reason.
It was the only DC title that was outselling most of Marvel at the time.

In the last 20 years, we've been led to believe that the only thing DC's ever published that's sold good was Batman.
Despite Wolfman/Perez's Titans, the Levitz Legion and Giffen/DeMatteis JLI being major hits during their time.
It's an injustice that those books are no longer recognized for the good they did for DC.

And it's primarily because the current Head of DC chooses to ignore their success.

It should be pointed out, though, that 1) TNTT stood out story-wise back then compared to DC's other titles (before the others started to follow its playbook) and 2) teenagers were the average consumer of the Teen Titans during the '80s (which is not the case today). IOW, what worked then may not work as well today. Having said that, though I don't believe Bats would have anything to worry about competition-wise, I do believe it could be successful.

[DevilBat66]

I just hope that the next 'Head of DC' will remember that New Teen Titans was given a team-up with Marvel's X-Men in 1982 for a reason.
It was the only DC title that was outselling most of Marvel at the time.

In the last 20 years, we've been led to believe that the only thing DC's ever published that's sold good was Batman.
Despite Wolfman/Perez's Titans, the Levitz Legion and Giffen/DeMatteis JLI being major hits during their time.
It's an injustice that those books are no longer recognized for the good they did for DC.

And it's primarily because the current Head of DC chooses to ignore their success.

It is definitely time for some new blood.

No one should Captain the ship this long.

[donnafan]

I just hope that the next 'Head of DC' will remember that New Teen Titans was given a team-up with Marvel's X-Men in 1982 for a reason.
It was the only DC title that was outselling most of Marvel at the time.

In the last 20 years, we've been led to believe that the only thing DC's ever published that's sold good was Batman.
Despite Wolfman/Perez's Titans, the Levitz Legion and Giffen/DeMatteis JLI being major hits during their time.
It's an injustice that those books are no longer recognized for the good they did for DC.

And it's primarily because the current Head of DC chooses to ignore their success.

I think that it's for this reason that most people have an issue with Dido. The perception is that he doesn't like legacy characters and there is a effort to sabotage the orginal fab5 and erase NTT out of continuity. If I could reach out to DC editorial, I would say: NTT and Donna Troy in particular were a huge reason I got into comics in the first place. I am a younger sibling whose older siblings were in sports, etc and going to school I felt like I was in their shadow. Seeing Wonder Girl, sister of Diana, one of my fav characters, showed me someone relateable. It may sound stupid to some but, it was enough for me to consume every NTT book I could get my hands on and to feel that connection to want to share their journey and root for their success. It laid the foundation for a lifelong love of comics.

[DrNewGod]

I just hope that the next 'Head of DC' will remember that New Teen Titans was given a team-up with Marvel's X-Men in 1982 for a reason.
It was the only DC title that was outselling most of Marvel at the time.

In the last 20 years, we've been led to believe that the only thing DC's ever published that's sold good was Batman.
Despite Wolfman/Perez's Titans, the Levitz Legion and Giffen/DeMatteis JLI being major hits during their time.
It's an injustice that those books are no longer recognized for the good they did for DC.

And it's primarily because the current Head of DC chooses to ignore their success.

Lee Stone is correct in saying that The New Teen Titans was once DC's most powerful property, and the only thing DC had that could contend with Marvel's X-Men Juggernaut (pardon the pun).

Most of us tend to forget why that was, why it was doomed to a limited lifespan, and why DC will probably never recapture it.

In 1980, TNTT was one of the only titles DC produced that was written with a grasp of what Marvel had know for at least a decade: The Median Age Of Comic Book Readers Had Passed Puberty. (LoSH being the other)

It also happened to come along at a time when the bulk of comics readership was either immediately post-puberty, or close enough to clearly remember it. Identifying with the Coming Of Age story resonated in a very powerful way with the readers of the time.

Nonetheless, once DC as a whole got its head around the idea that they weren't writing for Grammar School Children anymore, a clock began to tick for TNTT. Simply put, mature stories for Aquaman, Batman, The Flash, The Green Arrow, and Wonder Woman were going to trump mature stories written for Nightwing, Kid Flash, Speedy, and Wonder Girl, no matter how much many of us liked the latter, the former just had too much brand power. That's before we even talk about the negligible brand power Changeling, Cyborg, Raven and Starfire had going for them.

TNTT were lightning in a bottle. The right idea, with the right creative team, for the right audience, at the right time. I won't go so far as to say that they can never be dominantly great again, but the odds are very long.

Some folks'll scream "but what about how well the Young Justice toon did (and does)". Fair point. But one of the YJ-toons conceits is that its characters are second bananas, getting away with punching out of their weight class. There's an implicit idea that The Team does major stuff, but The Big Guns are still operating at a level above them.

In the end, TNTT (which was my favorite title from 1980-1984) brilliantly seized its moment. But that moment has passed, and is not likely ever to come again.

[donnafan]

Just because you can't recreate lightning in a bottle does that mean you have to destroy the legacy? Ever since nu52, the Perez/Wolfman run on TNTT has been wiped out of continuity. It feels a bit like a slap in the face to the fans. Why couldn't Cyborg be a member of the Teen Titans and graduate to the League? Why are flashbacks to the Judas Contract shown without the New Titans lineup? Heck, why are Wally and Roy dead, Nightwing shot and Donna a murderer and de-powered? It's not just these are my toys but, I'm going to destroy the toys, like a childish fit.

[Dred]

Lee Stone is correct in saying that The New Teen Titans was once DC's most powerful property, and the only thing DC had that could contend with Marvel's X-Men Juggernaut (pardon the pun).

Most of us tend to forget why that was, why it was doomed to a limited lifespan, and why DC will probably never recapture it.

In 1980, TNTT was one of the only titles DC produced that was written with a grasp of what Marvel had know for at least a decade: The Median Age Of Comic Book Readers Had Passed Puberty. (LoSH being the other)

It also happened to come along at a time when the bulk of comics readership was either immediately post-puberty, or close enough to clearly remember it. Identifying with the Coming Of Age story resonated in a very powerful way with the readers of the time.

Nonetheless, once DC as a whole got its head around the idea that they weren't writing for Grammar School Children anymore, a clock began to tick for TNTT. Simply put, mature stories for Aquaman, Batman, The Flash, The Green Arrow, and Wonder Woman were going to trump mature stories written for Nightwing, Kid Flash, Speedy, and Wonder Girl, no matter how much many of us liked the latter, the former just had too much brand power. That's before we even talk about the negligible brand power Changeling, Cyborg, Raven and Starfire had going for them.

TNTT were lightning in a bottle. The right idea, with the right creative team, for the right audience, at the right time. I won't go so far as to say that they can never be dominantly great again, but the odds are very long.

Some folks'll scream "but what about how well the Young Justice toon did (and does)". Fair point. But one of the YJ-toons conceits is that its characters are second bananas, getting away with punching out of their weight class. There's an implicit idea that The Team does major stuff, but The Big Guns are still operating at a level above them.

In the end, TNTT (which was my favorite title from 1980-1984) brilliantly seized its moment. But that moment has passed, and is not likely ever to come again.

Kid Flash got the stories and arguably the best on that list of yours for that era. Said character is now a ruined shell of what he was then by intention.

[Lee Stone]

It should be pointed out, though, that 1) TNTT stood out story-wise back then compared to DC's other titles (before the others started to follow its playbook) and 2) teenagers were the average consumer of the Teen Titans during the '80s (which is not the case today). IOW, what worked then may not work as well today. Having said that, though I don't believe Bats would have anything to worry about competition-wise, I do believe it could be successful.

Granted, teenagers were also the average consumer of the X-Men and they're still a thing.
But Marvel cultivated the franchise to keep those readers while simultaneously putting out new related titles (like New Mutants, Excalibur and X-Factor) for new readers, and then crossing them over to mix the old and new readers together, strengthening the main title with new blood.
DC just abandoned those readers.

Lee Stone is correct in saying that The New Teen Titans was once DC's most powerful property, and the only thing DC had that could contend with Marvel's X-Men Juggernaut (pardon the pun).

Most of us tend to forget why that was, why it was doomed to a limited lifespan, and why DC will probably never recapture it.

In 1980, TNTT was one of the only titles DC produced that was written with a grasp of what Marvel had know for at least a decade: The Median Age Of Comic Book Readers Had Passed Puberty. (LoSH being the other)

It also happened to come along at a time when the bulk of comics readership was either immediately post-puberty, or close enough to clearly remember it. Identifying with the Coming Of Age story resonated in a very powerful way with the readers of the time.

Nonetheless, once DC as a whole got its head around the idea that they weren't writing for Grammar School Children anymore, a clock began to tick for TNTT. Simply put, mature stories for Aquaman, Batman, The Flash, The Green Arrow, and Wonder Woman were going to trump mature stories written for Nightwing, Kid Flash, Speedy, and Wonder Girl, no matter how much many of us liked the latter, the former just had too much brand power. That's before we even talk about the negligible brand power Changeling, Cyborg, Raven and Starfire had going for them.

TNTT were lightning in a bottle. The right idea, with the right creative team, for the right audience, at the right time. I won't go so far as to say that they can never be dominantly great again, but the odds are very long.

Some folks'll scream "but what about how well the Young Justice toon did (and does)". Fair point. But one of the YJ-toons conceits is that its characters are second bananas, getting away with punching out of their weight class. There's an implicit idea that The Team does major stuff, but The Big Guns are still operating at a level above them.

In the end, TNTT (which was my favorite title from 1980-1984) brilliantly seized its moment. But that moment has passed, and is not likely ever to come again.

This is true.
However...
The answer isn't to discredit the franchise, dig a hole and bury it and hope no one remembers that it was a better seller than Batman for several years.
The answer isn't killing off the characters so that they have no opportunity to be used and tap into the nostalgia that readers, that have aged with DC, may have.
The answer isn't making condescending remarks to the team's creator because they write a story that takes them seriously and treats them with respect.
The answer isn't trolling the fans of the characters, even while they are investing their money and time into your other titles.

[skyvolt2000]

But it doesn't mean he had to burn the others to make space for them

Thank YOU.

Simple exercise for everbody that dislikes this guy, and every decision he makes.
Joker movie hits ITS HUGE: Batman books flying off the shelves, profits are WAAAY UP.
We at DC got room to experiment: Who do YOU give a book to?
1.Batwoman
2. Cassandra Cain in "Shadow of the Bat"
3. Vixen
4. Anything Neil Gaiman agrees to write for 2 years straight
5. You're favorite character that you think just needs a small push

Fandom will be appeased as long as NONE of the choices RUIN others.

Since I have to have ONE-my choice would DC SHOWCASE 2019.

Option 1 100 pages for $10. 5 complete stories of 20 pages each. At least 2 stories in every issue.
Option 2 50 pages for $5. 2 complete 20 pagers with 1 10 pagers or 2 25 pagers.
Option 3 22 pages for $3.99 and treat it like the old Marvel Comics Present-which in all HONESTY I don't care for.
Option 4 256 pages in Archie Digest style for $8-10 Because it's not a pack of reprints with one new story. If I use option 4 5-10 complete stories.

Restrictions-no Batman, Superman, WW, Aquaman, HAL or BARRY centric stories. If they are in it-they are SUPPORT. No Coates Black Panther mess-where we get a stealth book for someone else instead of who the book should be about.
In fact if you have a solo book-you don't get a slot. No adding an event or crossover either.
Also no new character creations-we got ENOUGH folks. If you can't write who is already around don't PITCH.
Also this will be used to showcase new talent as well.
Variety is the message here.
(Using option 4 here on out)

Issue 1-Young Justice kids solo stories. Tim, Conner, Bart, Cassie & Jaime Reyes.
Issue 2-Legion of Super Heroes-entire book
Issue 3-JSA-entire book
Issue 4-Rebuilding of the Titans-entire book part 1
Issue 5-Titans rebuild part 2.
Issue 6-Batwoman, Cass, Vixen, Black Carny, Huntress, Ivy, Amanda Waller (Fat version), Power Girl, Lobo's brat & Mary Marvel
Issue 7-Wallace West, Michael Holt, Supersons, Gotham Academy, Booster Gold, Ted Kord & FIXING Jason Rusch
Issue 8-Wally West-entire issue-just seems right to do.
Issue 9-New Superman, Silencer, Sideways, Simon Baz, Damage, Zantanna, Stephanie Brown, Detective Chimp, Blue Devil & Batwing
Issue 10 Ronnie Raymond, Midnighter, Guy, Kyle, Lafreeze, Mr Miracle, Question, Aqualad, Artemis & New Gods
Issue 11 Lobo, Red Hood, Roy Harper, Red Devil, Tattoo Man, Power Girl (Tanya), Beast Boy, Donna Troy, Steel & Creeper
Issue 12 John Stewart, Duke, Hotspot, Bumblebee, Mera, Sinestro, Jessica Cruz & Katanna
You get the jiff. Some would repeat in year 2.

It might not be perfect but no one can say I am not offering variety. I rather do this than try solos where SOMEONE takes issue with the book being made.

[Ascended]

TNTT were lightning in a bottle. The right idea, with the right creative team, for the right audience, at the right time. I won't go so far as to say that they can never be dominantly great again, but the odds are very long.

I'm going to add something else I think was a major contribution to NTT's success; development.

That's something we rarely see in comics. Characters don't develop so much as they orbit a static status quo. Real change happens over the course of decades upon decades, and is so slow you don't notice it. The NTT however, actually got to evolve and grow and change. They got older, some of them got married, had kids, or got new costumes and codenames, and in an industry where everything resets to factory settings after a year, the NTT must have really stood out at the time.

And that's another reason why the Titans reunions never live up to the glory days of the NTT. They're no longer allowed to grow and change and improve. Now they're stuck orbiting their own static status quo, recycling the same plots and villains, just like everyone else in comics.