DC 5G: the Replacements

[Vordan]

So, have they stated that if 5G would be the New Status Quo (like Post Crisis, One Year Later, Brightest Day) or is this like DC One Million or The Ray’s/ Deathsroke’s flash forwards (showing the potential future in a event mini series/ multi part, self contained story)?

DC hasn’t said anything yet about what 5G entails.

[Frontier]

They probably consider Steve and Etta a more acceptable loss than Lois Lane. They want to keep Steve being a WW2 pilot to bring Diana out but Lois and Clark being reports can be more time neutral (to an extent. There has been an increasing problem with people tied to a dying form of journalism like a newspaper.)

Why is it so hard for DC to give Wonder Woman a stable supporting cast and status quo?

[Tzigone]

Why is it so hard for DC to give Wonder Woman a stable supporting cast and status quo?

Tell me about it. I'm almost scared that from now on each new writer will pick a different time-frame for her operate in for their run, as well. Almost - I'm not quite that pessimistic. I do expect lots of retconned-in briefly-left-the-island-for-adventure stories that add up to an incoherent whole, though.

[vasir12]

Why is it so hard for DC to give Wonder Woman a stable supporting cast and status quo?

*Shrug* I've been annoyed by that one for a while. I have no way of knowing, but I feel like this wouldn't be a problem of she had her own editorial office like Bats and Supes have. Just a hunch. Steve and Etta have been pretty absent for most(?) Of her publishing life and I've never heard anyone say "Steve is my favorite character" like you'd get for Lois of Selina.

I guess it's a case of wasted opportunity. A wasted opportunity that's also hurting her family of heroes cause writers and/or editors just refuse for her to have positive contact with the wonder family so I really have no idea who can replace her. It'll probably be some demigod or an Amazon we don't know about yet.

[Frontier]

*Shrug* I've been annoyed by that one for a while. I have no way of knowing, but I feel like this wouldn't be a problem of she had her own editorial office like Bats and Supes have. Just a hunch. Steve and Etta have been pretty absent for most(?) Of her publishing life and I've never heard anyone say "Steve is my favorite character" like you'd get for Lois of Selina.

I guess it's a case of wasted opportunity. A wasted opportunity that's also hurting her family of heroes cause writers and/or editors just refuse for her to have positive contact with the wonder family so I really have no idea who can replace her. It'll probably be some demigod or an Amazon we don't know about yet.

It feels like that's been slowly turning around a little if only because there seemed to be more of an effort to push Steve and Etta in those core supporting roles in both the comics and other media...but now if she's stuck in WWII and not even Wonder Woman anymore, it just feels like they're throwing at all away again.

[BohemiaDrinker]

Why is it so hard for DC to give Wonder Woman a stable supporting cast and status quo?

Her post-Crisis status had her fighting against moral conservatism from editorial of the time and very different visions from each of her creative teams. Then, there's the fact that her hardcore fandom may not be that large, but is really hardcore. No matter what you do with her, a large portion of the core audience will hate it, so it really is hard to nail it.

If you ask me, every writer should be forced to build from Rucka's last run (because you may like it or hate it, but it was a solid base with plenty of classic elements), but, you know....

[leo619]

Some of the fans here don't seem to understand the purpose behind this. This isn't meant for classic comic book readers. Like ANAD, which help Marvel branch into finally producing semi-successful to successful new characters for Marvel, this is meant to attract new readers with a diverse setting of new characters that aren't given the chance with the current reading demographic. Now if some classic fans actually enjoy the new books that they would release from 5g, more power to you, you break the mold. But DC definitely isn't doing this for classic readers, they know full well that classic readers prefer the status quo. But that same status quo is limiting the ability to reach new audiences and is causing their sales to be even worse than when it was during New 52.

So it's perfectly understandable to be upset about your prefer characters being replaced (though it sounds like the books will continue to be release, it's just more like a JSA based universe while 5g would be the current universe) but let's not pretend like 5g is meant for the classic comic book fan. It's not.

[Frontier]

Her post-Crisis status had her fighting against moral conservatism from editorial of the time and very different visions from each of her creative teams. Then, there's the fact that her hardcore fandom may not be that large, but is really hardcore. No metar what you do with her, a large portion of the core audience will hate it, so it really is hard to nail it.

If you ask me, every writer should be forced to build from Rucka's last run (because you may like it or hate it, but it was a solid base with plenty of classic elements), but, you know....

Yeah, I felt Rucka established the best baseline for her moving forward with his Rebirth run but not only has DC not done much with it but they might even be throwing it out.

[RobinFan4880]

I really loved Azzarello's Wonder Woman run. To me, he really nailed the Amazon mentality of the character. But I recognize that was massively controversial to the hardcore WW base.

[seismic-2]

let's not pretend like 5g is meant for the classic comic book fan. It's not.

Although they want (and desperately need) new readers, DC can ill afford to lose the readers that it's currently got. No doubt they therefore will continue to publish loads of stories about the "classic" characters as Black Label titles, since those are separate from the monthlies' continuity.

[RobinFan4880]

Although they want (and desperately need) new readers, DC can ill afford to lose the readers that it's currently got. No doubt they therefore will continue to publish loads of stories about the "classic" characters as Black Label titles, since those are separate from the monthlies' continuity.

If I were a betting man, DC is going to have its cake and eat it too by focusing the main line on 5G but then also releasing 1G, 2G, 3G and 4G books with the classic heroes.

[vasir12]

It feels like that's been slowly turning around a little if only because there seemed to be more of an effort to push Steve and Etta in those core supporting roles in both the comics and other media...but now if she's stuck in WWII and not even Wonder Woman anymore, it just feels like they're throwing at all away again.

Well, they might probably be around in JSA.

Some of the fans here don't seem to understand the purpose behind this. This isn't meant for classic comic book readers. Like ANAD, which help Marvel branch into finally producing semi-successful to successful new characters for Marvel, this is meant to attract new readers with a diverse setting of new characters that aren't given the chance with the current reading demographic. Now if some classic fans actually enjoy the new books that they would release from 5g, more power to you, you break the mold. But DC definitely isn't doing this for classic readers, they know full well that classic readers prefer the status quo. But that same status quo is limiting the ability to reach new audiences and is causing their sales to be even worse than when it was during New 52.

So it's perfectly understandable to be upset about your prefer characters being replaced (though it sounds like the books will continue to be release, it's just more like a JSA based universe while 5g would be the current universe) but let's not pretend like 5g is meant for the classic comic book fan. It's not.

This is mostly my thinking too. Breaking out new characters is hard. ANAD, while hated a lot online, did a lot for diversity in Marvel. I know of more than a few people that took up comics for that Jane Thor. And now she is going to be in a movie and guess who holds the Captain America shield now.

If it a sticks (VERY big if) it'll add new story potential to people that'll be the "main characters" of the universe.

If it doesn't stick, I still think it could elevate these characters to a good degree of relevance. If done right.

[Korath]

If I were a betting man, DC is going to have its cake and eat it too by focusing the main line on 5G but then also releasing 1G, 2G, 3G and 4G books with the classic heroes.

That's also my take.

I'm also pretty sure that they "leaked" the news early to see how people would react. And since the idea of having 5G and other Generations books seems to both scratch the itch of the older fans (and it isn't as if there was nothing to expand in those Generations - imagine new stories told with characters at their Golden Age level of power or abilities for 1G, the more Silver/Bronze Age for 2G and 3G and finally the New 52/Rebirt era for 4G.

it seems as if there will be food for everyone, and if it's the message DC is picking online : "We are older fan, we aren't too happy with it, but good books about older eras coming out with the characters we love, we won't tank the sales of 5G or simply walk away of all things DC", I think there is a good chance that things will work that way.

[leo619]

Although they want (and desperately need) new readers, DC can ill afford to lose the readers that it's currently got. No doubt they therefore will continue to publish loads of stories about the "classic" characters as Black Label titles, since those are separate from the monthlies' continuity.

Eh, it depends. If it becomes successful like Marvel, then it will obtain enough new readers to fill in the gaps left by the classic readers it lost, even more so, the new readers would be more than willing to check out new books that the classic readers would refuse to read to begin with. There's a reason why DC is copying Marvel and that's because they saw the success Marvel was able to achieve by being able to bridge the gap. Now there are certain things that I prefer in ANAD versus what we currently have with Marvel (Mighty Thor over Valkyrie for example.) But that's still is a new book that I'm purchasing that was never given the opportunity before ANAD came out.

DC knows they're currently handcuffed with the way things are now, because they're in the same situation Marvel was in before ANAD came out. DC knows there will be complaints from classic readers and comic book stores talking about not having recognizable faces. But DC is finally realizing these growing pains are much less significant than the current situation they're at now.

[Tzigone]

DC knows they're currently handcuffed with the way things are now, because they're in the same situation Marvel was in before ANAD came out. DC knows there will be complaints from classic readers and comic book stores talking about not having recognizable faces. But DC is finally realizing these growing pains are much less significant than the current situation they're at now.

I have to agree. I don't think I'll much like the changes - I get attached to specific characters, and don't like them gone. Also, I'm not at all a fan of rotating people out of the hero-identities - for every adult, I like one person to develop their own superhero identity and keep it (I'm actually not big on in-universe legacies at all). But it is likely to draw new fans. And I wouldn't be surprised it they deliberately seek to have a broader, shallower fanbase. Ones who won't care if they change up the histories, replace characters, or contradict previously established continuity (even if from only 5 years ago). I think it might well end up being a very good business move for them. Maybe even go old school and seek to rotate out readers every 5 years (or maybe 10 - targeting teens and young adults). But even it works for them, it doesn't mean I have to like it, or that I'm not allowed to express my displeasure over it.

But I do acknowledge that what is good for me as a reader what is good for DC as a company are very different things.