Layoffs at DC?

[Konja7]

Yes, people weirdly think Arab are just one colour when there are black, brown and white Arabs.

Also, Arab usually refer to person who have Arabic as their first language. Arab isn't a race.

I read that this is because these people do not want accuracy, they want diversity and representation.

So they are going to use the fact that a character is Arab (or has ancestry) to demand representation with skin color and traditions.

Sometimes DC pleases them and gives Damian a darker skin tone. However, other times they want to highlight that Damian is the son of Batman, then his skin color will be similar to his father.

[El_Gato]

JSA can just be promoted with the JL brand. They already have their own Flash, GL, and can insert Wonder Woman in.

They probably want to move away from many legacy characters that clutter the brand to keep it simple, like most post crisis characters being sent to limbo. Stargirl will be safe anyway.

The question is which version of the character do you use? The answer changes depending on the goal. Either way someone is going to be unhappy no matter what.

If diversity is the goal then you’ll likely see Damian as Robin, Cass as Batgirl, Jaime as Blue Beetle, Jason as Firestorm, Ryan as Atom, Khalid as Dr Fate, John as the main GL with Jessica as backup, Kendra as Hawkgirl...etc

If it’s sticking to “tradition” then you’ll see Dick as Robin, Barbara as Batgirl, Ted as Blue Beetle, Ronnie as Firestorm, Ray as Atom, Kent as Dr Fate, Hal as the main GL with John as backup, Shayera as Hawkgirl...etc

If it’s most iconic then you’ll probably get Dick as Robin, Barbara as Batgirl, Jaime as Blue Beetle, Jason as Firestorm, Ray as Atom, Kent as Dr Fate, John as the main GL with Hal as back up, Shayera as Hawkgirl...etc

Honestly though, DC has way too many characters with the same purpose/powers/name and I think AT&T will want to cut back on that, the question is which route will they take from above (option 1, 2, or 3). For me, I like options 1 and 3 the most. 1 being the most preferable since the A-list crew will already all be White, might as well have your B-list be all POC (yeah I know Hawkgirl and GL are A-list, but I’m referring to the others)

[El_Gato]

Yes, people weirdly think Arab are just one colour when there are black, brown and white Arabs.

Also, Arab usually refer to person who have Arabic as their first language. Arab isn't a race.

It’s the same thing with Latinos, and I get why things are like that. A Black or Brown Arab/Latino would be a diverse character whereas as White Arab/Latino would just be another White character. When people mention an Arab or Latino they’ll typically mean a Brown person.

[Konja7]

It’s the same thing with Latinos, and I get why things are like that. A Black or Brown Arab/Latino would be a diverse character whereas as White Arab/Latino would just be another White character. When people mention an Arab or Latino they’ll typically mean a Brown person.

Exactly.

Damian has a curious thing there.

As he seems to be partially Arab (although that is also ambiguous), some writers try to focus on that, so he will have a darker skin in that cases.

However, Damian being "Son of Batman" is one of his most popular aspects (in and outside comics). So, DC also tríes to highlight that aspect by making Damian very physically similar to Bruce (white skin tone included) in many cases.

[vasir12]

Exactly.

Damian has a curious thing there.

As he seems to be partially Arab (although that is also ambiguous), some writers try to focus on that, so he will have a darker skin in that cases.

However, Damian being "Son of Batman" is one of his most popular aspects (in and outside comics). So, DC also tríes to highlight that aspect by making Damian very physically similar to Bruce (white skin tone included) in many cases.

To be fair, most of the time all of the Robins are drawn to look like mini Bruces

[JudicatorPrime]

Thanks for the link.

That was a good article. It put things into perspective.

I'm not worried about any major JLA member. I know Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman and Aquaman will be okay. Flash and Green Lantern will survive in one form or another.

But there are 1000 other characters that may disappear as if they never existed.

I don't think they'll completely disappear. But no matter what the execs say, you won't soon convince me that all of those lesser characters don't have a "For Sale" sign on them. Plus, the comics industry becomes a use or lose it proposition rather easily when it comes to trademarks and such. I hope the execs know what they're doing. (Of course, they don't.)

[Ascended]

Ascended,

Overall, you're probably right. This makes a lot of sense. And DC should (in)famous for it's half-assed attempts.

We'll see how close I am to guessing DC's strategy when they announce that two year plan, or whatever it is they're trying to sell us.

What I'm suggesting is valid as far as basic business theory goes and would work with the industry I'm in, but corporate business is different, print industries are different, and their rules and goals aren't always the same as other industries, so I'm only making half-educated guesses here. And DC doesn't always make smart choices anyway. So we'll see.

Though, to my credit, when DC left Diamond I *did* say they were going to shift their focus to OGN's and digital, and that seems to be what's happening here......

Unless you're going to write the OGN Third Bird about Timmy in the middle, then I wouldn't hold my breath. Likewise, most people wouldn't know who B'wanna Beast is...much less want to write about him. Remember, we research because we love comics; the new TPTB do not love comics. But, yes, it could happen.

I'm not holding my breath either, but not all that long ago people said "Cass Cain getting her own YA OGN? Yeah, that'll never happen!" and yet it did. And that's my point; the direct market forces DC to sell a particular kind of narrative, but digital and OGN's can do so much more because they have access to wider demographics; nothing is off the table. Even B'Wanna Beast (but I wouldn't bet any money on that one happening).

And AT&T don't know about comics....but they have to hire creators who do. It didn't matter that the suits on the top floor had no idea who Cass Cain was; someone familiar with her threw a pitch they liked, and the OGN happened. If I walked into that board room and pitched B'Wanna Beast they'd say "Who?" and I'd explain who he is and why he deserves to get a OGN, and because I'm super smart and creative (let's pretend I'm both) they'd say "Wow, I've never heard of this guy but let's make the book!" and suddenly B'Wanna Beast is the best selling OGN of 2021. Being at the top of the corporate ladder isn't about knowing every little thing your company makes or all the tiny IP's you own, it's about hiring the people who do and can make the most of it.

And just to clarify, I'm not a B'Wanna Beast fan....he's just a fun example to use.

Then we've lost nothing...because we lost continuity decades ago and never really got it back.

I can't say I'm going to miss it either

I'm of two minds on it.

Shared, ongoing continuity is why we have Nightwing, Red Hood, Steel, Superboy (both Conner and Jon), John Stewart, Wally Flash, etc. Without shared, ongoing continuity we wouldn't have the DCU as we know it and most of our favorite characters would never exist.

But the best stories are usually self-contained. I enjoyed Supeman Smashes the Klan way more than I've enjoyed any regular Superman comic since Morrison's Action.

So we need both; the continuity to advance narratives and introduce new concepts/characters, and the self-contained stuff to provide a specific vision that isn't held back by all the history.

[Mr.B]

DC is gonna decide what versions of characters they will use, and it's mostly gonna be this and that. Also have to factor what sells and don't. Plus what can be diversified.

They could decide main canon Superman is now an anti hero, Dr.Fate is a woman, Barb is Batgirl, Blue Beetle is hispanic for example. Who knows, we don't know yet.

[Konja7]

I'm not holding my breath either, but not all that long ago people said "Cass Cain getting her own YA OGN? Yeah, that'll never happen!" and yet it did. And that's my point; the direct market forces DC to sell a particular kind of narrative, but digital and OGN's can do so much more because they have access to wider demographics; nothing is off the table. Even B'Wanna Beast (but I wouldn't bet any money on that one happening).

And AT&T don't know about comics....but they have to hire creators who do. It didn't matter that the suits on the top floor had no idea who Cass Cain was; someone familiar with her threw a pitch they liked, and the OGN happened. If I walked into that board room and pitched B'Wanna Beast they'd say "Who?" and I'd explain who he is and why he deserves to get a OGN, and because I'm super smart and creative (let's pretend I'm both) they'd say "Wow, I've never heard of this guy but let's make the book!" and suddenly B'Wanna Beast is the best selling OGN of 2021. Being at the top of the corporate ladder isn't about knowing every little thing your company makes or all the tiny IP's you own, it's about hiring the people who do and can make the most of it.

And just to clarify, I'm not a B'Wanna Beast fan....he's just a fun example to use.

In fact, OGN of Cassandra Cain happened this way:

DC hire Sarah Kuhn to write Cassandra Cain OGN. She commented in Batgirls Comic-Con that she has total freedom to write Cassandra Cain in the OGN (I suspect DC will allow an in name only character). The only reason why Cassandra in OGN is so similar to main continuity Cassandra is because Sarah Kuhn is a fan of the character.

I wonder, why DC choose Cassandra for an OGN if they clearly don't care about her personality? Maybe because she is a minority. Maybe because her appearance in Birds of Prey movie.

[HsssH]

Sometimes DC pleases them and gives Damian a darker skin tone. However, other times they want to highlight that Damian is the son of Batman, then his skin color will be similar to his father.

I'm fine with both versions, but they really should just stick with one and make it consistent.

[Digifiend]

It’s the same thing with Latinos, and I get why things are like that. A Black or Brown Arab/Latino would be a diverse character whereas as White Arab/Latino would just be another White character. When people mention an Arab or Latino they’ll typically mean a Brown person.

Green Lantern is a good comparison there. Kyle's a white Latino. Jessica is a brown one.

[MoneySpider]

Is there any chance that DC's "less popular" characters will go into the public domain, or will the company try to sell the rights to their "less popular" characters to other comic book companies?

[Mr.B]

They will retain the copyrights and just not publish them.

[The Darknight Detective]

Is there any chance that DC's "less popular" characters will go into the public domain, or will the company try to sell the rights to their "less popular" characters to other comic book companies?

Most likely DC publishes the required minimum amount to keep those characters under their belt so they don't fall into the public domain.

[kjn]

In fact, OGN of Cassandra Cain happened this way:

DC hire Sarah Kuhn to write Cassandra Cain OGN. She commented in Batgirls Comic-Con that she has total freedom to write Cassandra Cain in the OGN (I suspect DC will allow an in name only character). The only reason why Cassandra in OGN is so similar to main continuity Cassandra is because Sarah Kuhn is a fan of the character.

I wonder, why DC choose Cassandra for an OGN if they clearly don't care about her personality? Maybe because she is a minority. Maybe because her appearance in Birds of Prey movie.

No, DC didn't hire Kuhn to write Cass. They hired Kuhn to write for the YA line, but she was given the freedom to select between a great number of characters, including "any Batgirl" when she asked. Source

How did Shadow of the Batgirl come together?

Sarah Kuhn: When DC was starting its Young Adult line, they sent my agent this list of characters they were interested in getting pitches for. For the most part, they were characters who either everyone knows, like Wonder Woman or Supergirl, or they were characters who were in some of their upcoming movies and TV shows, like Mera. Batgirl was on the list and my agent knows that I love Cassandra Cain, so she asked if Batgirl meant just Barbara Gordon or if it could mean any Batgirl. They said something like, “It’s whatever sparks the most imagination.”

I actually put together pitches for two characters. I wrote one for Cassandra and one for Starfire. I actually thought that the Cassandra one was the longshot. I just thought if they were going to do a Batgirl book, they would want it to be Barbara Gordon, since she’s the Batgirl most people know. So, I was very excited and surprised when they came back and said they were interested in hearing more about Cass. I wrote some longer pitches and we refined it and honed it. It was just really exciting because as an Asian-American comic book geek, Cassandra Cain is a really meaningful character to me. Much of the time I was working on these pitches, I was thinking, “I can’t believe I’m even doing this. Even if it goes nowhere, I’m so excited to be writing a pitch for this character. I think she’s so important to so many people.”

I believe this is part of why the YA line has been so creatively successful. The editors give broad room for pitches from interesting writers and creators, and they then select the best pitches and work with the creators in making the stories better.