Does DC have to many versions of the same superheroes?

[skyvolt2000]

^^^ agree on the legacy aspect of DC. It’s a pretty special part of their characters/universe.
Also agree on the overuse of the Justice League name (never mind how much fun I have using the concept for team builders). Teams like Shadowpact and The Omega Men taking point on the Dark/Odyssey storylines would have been really great.

But...



...it comes down to marketing.
Why try and build up a couple of minor teams that could really use it and add diversity to your line up when you can just water down an existing product that’s proven to sell.

Remember in the 90s Justice League brand had at least 4 different books going and at least 2 of them lasted beyond 50 issues and the others made it past year 1.

Also you have to consider that Justice League name get you SHELF space. Because you got some stores that won't stock a book based on its name.

See Black Lightning. DESPITE having a tv show there are stores that won't stock his book under his name. Which is why you see Batman & The Outsiders be more about him than Batman.

Its not that Shadowpact couldn't stand out-it's the amount of work to do that would be way more versus Justice League Dark.

A lot of times it snot the fans who are the issue but the stores who want to be picky.

[Riv86672]

Look at how Marvel is doing it. There are only two current "Avengers" books: Avengers and Savage Avengers. Meanwhile, they're also publishing Marauders, Excalibur, New Mutants, Strikeforce, not to mention X-Men and Fantastic Four. It's about encouraging diversity in the line.

Marvel also has international teams like Agents of Wakanda/Agents of Atlas, a magical team in Strikeforce, a space opera going on w. GoTG...at DC those would be/have been/are JL books.

[Riv86672]

Remember in the 90s Justice League brand had at least 4 different books going and at least 2 of them lasted beyond 50 issues and the others made it past year 1.

Also you have to consider that Justice League name get you SHELF space. Because you got some stores that won't stock a book based on its name.

See Black Lightning. DESPITE having a tv show there are stores that won't stock his book under his name. Which is why you see Batman & The Outsiders be more about him than Batman.

Its not that Shadowpact couldn't stand out-it's the amount of work to do that would be way more versus Justice League Dark.

A lot of times it snot the fans who are the issue but the stores who want to be picky.

Boo boy, I remember the 90s JL oversaturation. Awful times.

And I get your point on getting the shelf space.
I think though, the company has the final say.
If they really wanted to try and develop new properties, they’d put in the work.

I mean, legacy is great, but, blatant pandering, not so much; and the difference is pretty obvious.

[Agent Z]

I'm not really into the legacy thing at all. I started with DC in the mid-1970s when legacy was only talked about in the sense that the Teen Titans thought they'd one day replace the JLA.

But the idea of multiple heroes with the same name is something I just don't like. I'd prefer each hero grow into his own identity the way Marv Wolfman did it in New Teen Titans. Robin became Nightwing, not Batman. Wonder Girl became Troia. Speedy became Arsenal. Aqualad became Tempest. Yes, Woflman made Wally the Flash in Crisis, but Barry had been killed off. Similarly, I was ok with Kyle and Connor when Hal and Ollie were killed off, but once all 3 were brought back, the legacies did feel redundant.

If you want to make these legacies necessary, then they have to find their own identities and cities to operate in.

That's the problem I have with comics these days -- the heroes cluttering up the comic means we don't get the civilian identity parts anymore or as much. Now, it's all-hero-all-the-time. Even when they're out of costume, the story is still about their costumed identities.

That's a completely separate issue from whether or not there are too many legacies. Batman hasn't had much of a social life long before the Batfamily expanded.

[Zero Hunter]

I don’t think Marvel is bad when it comes to this. DC on the otherhand though...

Have you read a Marvel book in the last two decades? Multiple Spider Men, Hulks, Captain Americas, Thors, Iron Mans, Wolverines all running around. If anything they are worse than DC on this issue.

[Menacer]

No I see no issue with the legacy or multiple heroes with the same symbol brand.

I love the state of the dc universe and I love going back and reading old stories.

I cant collect fast enough, I cant read fast enough.

See a black or Asian superman is awesome and I love the growing diversity. Would be a triumph for America if one day a black superman graced the big screen.

As long as we still have access to the classics I see no issue with the various versions of the heroes...

As far as justice league dark I haven't read any yet but I've heard great things and look forward to collecting it, more wonder woman focused and more magic focus sounds cool.

Have a world like Injustice with a fascist superman has been amazing to read, as long as I can also read more classic versions of superman.

Why does it matter? If a book doesnt interest you just dont read them. These books are an exploration, an experiment, and some will grab an audience and some won't...

Do we really need 80 years of exactly the same single hero. Do we really need only the exact "classic" version?

If we never let the writers explore we would have

A Batman with guns who murders...

People are so short sighted ..

And frankly I like both versions of batman.

One who kills and uses guns.

And one who lives by a code and never kills.

[Digifiend]

Marvel also has international teams like Agents of Wakanda/Agents of Atlas, a magical team in Strikeforce, a space opera going on w. GoTG...at DC those would be/have been/are JL books.

Atlas wouldn't be. It's closest DC counterpart is probably New Super-Man. Strikeforce does have a couple of mages on the team, but it's not a magic team, it's black ops. Wakanda, frankly, is misbranded. It's branded as a Black Panther book, but is actually an Avengers spin-off, and should've been branded as such (the only bad thing about a decent book, in my opinion).

[Buried Alien]

Perhaps, but since most of the variations have fans, there's hardly a way to backtrack without pissing somebody off.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[MadFacedKid]

Have you read a Marvel book in the last two decades? Multiple Spider Men, Hulks, Captain Americas, Thors, Iron Mans, Wolverines all running around. If anything they are worse than DC on this issue.

Like hell outside the Spidermen which is only Miles and Peter and Hulk whose currently Bruce and Jen I don’t see it. Last two decades is a hella long timespan which would hurt DC looking at moreso than Marvel in terms of quantity with overpopulating the market with multiple branding

You know how many Supermen, Batman, Flashes, Green Lanterns, Aquamen, Wonder Women, Robins we’ve had in the last two decades? Definitely more than what you listed for Marvel

[Riv86672]

Atlas wouldn't be. It's closest DC counterpart is probably New Super-Man. Strikeforce does have a couple of mages on the team, but it's not a magic team, it's black ops. Wakanda, frankly, is misbranded. It's branded as a Black Panther book, but is actually an Avengers spin-off, and should've been branded as such (the only bad thing about a decent book, in my opinion).

Eh, i’ll go w. most of that, though I think my comparisons are hella valid!
You comparing Agents of Atlas to New Super-Man goes w. what was mentioned about Black Lightning being branded w. the Batman & The Outsiders label despite Bats’ minimal involvement.
DC creating a new Asian character was pretty cool, but they showed their lack of commitment/imagination by linking him to Supes, AND The JLA. Not saying the book was bad, I liked it, but it always felt like a copy, not a fresh new idea of its own, which it could have been.

[The Darknight Detective]

I'm not really into the legacy thing at all. I started with DC in the mid-1970s when legacy was only talked about in the sense that the Teen Titans thought they'd one day replace the JLA.

Actually, legacies were alive and well back then during the Bronze Age, only they were on Earth-2.

[Green Goblin of Sector 2814]

Marvel also has international teams like Agents of Wakanda/Agents of Atlas, a magical team in Strikeforce, a space opera going on w. GoTG...at DC those would be/have been/are JL books.

They also have Runaways too.

Atlas wouldn't be. It's closest DC counterpart is probably New Super-Man. Strikeforce does have a couple of mages on the team, but it's not a magic team, it's black ops. Wakanda, frankly, is misbranded. It's branded as a Black Panther book, but is actually an Avengers spin-off, and should've been branded as such (the only bad thing about a decent book, in my opinion).

They chose not to do that, though, which is the point. They want to preserve the Avengers brand name, which is a good thing.

Going back to individual heroes with the same name, though, it works for some, it doesn't for others. Green Lantern, by its very nature, encourages multiple people running around as Green Lanterns. It works for the Flash because Barry Allen even was inspired to take on the Flash identity because of Jay Garrick.

[j9ac9k]

Going back to individual heroes with the same name, though, it works for some, it doesn't for others. Green Lantern, by its very nature, encourages multiple people running around as Green Lanterns. It works for the Flash because Barry Allen even was inspired to take on the Flash identity because of Jay Garrick.

With GLs, there was supposed to be only one GL per sector. Then they had a whole team on earth, but at least they mixed it up with aliens and humans and they were here for a specific reason. Then they had two GLs per sector. Now there are SEVEN active human Lanterns not counting Alan Scott, Teen Lantern and that kid from the GL:Legacy OGN. They tried making Guy Red and Kyle White, which helped but there does seem to be a glut of human GLs imo.

[Riv86672]

Going back to individual heroes with the same name, though, it works for some, it doesn't for others. Green Lantern, by its very nature, encourages multiple people running around as Green Lanterns. It works for the Flash because Barry Allen even was inspired to take on the Flash identity because of Jay Garrick.

As a Soldier, i’m definitely okay w. the GL concept.

In the same vein, I can look at the Flash name (and Kid Flash name to a degree) as a position that’s earned after time.
Some have held it longer and better than others.

And Batman’s always had an NCO vibe to him in regards to the Bat Family.
You have your juniors, the various Robins and Batgirls, those that became fellow NCOs like Dick, Barbara, and Cassandra. Even the problem children who managed to advance after getting a couple of Article 15s for various infractions like Red Hood.

[9th.]

I guess I'm just a different type of fan but it doesn't really bother me. Even at Marvel I enjoyed Sam, Jane, and Kate. If the story is good then i'm all for it, I don't really care for much else. If I don't like it I just drop it. It would be nice to see other properties get shine but if no one's investing in them then I can't really put too much blame on DC.