No more "batgirling," back to the same old same old.

[brandnewfan]

Well crap.

I've loved almost everything in the "DC You." This is a shame.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/08/...-and-potatoes/

[Outside_85]

Hmm, well that's disappointing since it also means we are going to go back to the less experimental DC that's just going to push out 5-6 Bat books every time they do 10 new ones.

[greenish lantern]

Does this mean that we won't be getting titles like Omega men and Martian Manhunter, or that it's the end of "Batgirling" and "cute" titles like Prez and Bat-Mite?

[cranger]

I don't think this was ever going to change what current comic book readers were prepared to pay for every week. If there is any silver lining, maybe the variety of stories brought in a few new people, if only to find their way to the few remaining "DC You"-style titles.

That said, even though I was impressed by a lot of the DC You stuff, I have actually cut back on most of what I was buying, but I will probably be buying the heck out of Dark Knight III.

[cranger]

Does this mean that we won't be getting titles like Omega men and Martian Manhunter, or that it's the end of "Batgirling" and "cute" titles like Prez and Bat-Mite?

I'd think Omega Men and Martian Manhunter are probably closer to what they feel comfortable with, whereas books which take the character out of their setting, change their costume, change their style, just radically change how that character is typically presented, those will probably be shifting back. So Prez is probably fine, Bat-Mite is probably fine, those are just books where those styles are what those books are about. I'm not even sure if most of the experimental books are what the issue is, rather than the core books that were also changed, where the changes did not bump sales at all and in fact DC fears that those changes will lead to existing readers no longer being interested.

[Nipower888]

Does this mean they are gonna go back to the super gritty everything is dark stuff because that would suck.

[brandnewfan]

Does this mean that we won't be getting titles like Omega men and Martian Manhunter, or that it's the end of "Batgirling" and "cute" titles like Prez and Bat-Mite?

Just guessing, but I'd bet books like Black Canary, which isn't a traditional superhero book (even the newly "batgirled" Batgirl is more superhero-y) might suffer. Not all those kinds of books will necessarily get canceled but they may change directions and styles a bit. Maybe even creative teams. Brendan Fletcher, for example, doesn't strike me as a traditional superhero storyteller. That's not a criticism, I love the guy...I'm just saying.

DC probably won't be keen on trying out new concepts like Prez or Bizarro or Section Eight.

Books like Gotham Academy, Gotham By Midnight.....Midnighter, Omeg Men....they may not last much longer.

Back to doom and gloom I guess

[CrimsonEchidna]

As someone who has not be reading much DC as of late, exactly what does "Batgirling" mean?

[protege]

well, I wasn't too comfortable with the new direction Superman was going in, so no loss there, but i wonder about books like "We are Robin" and "Deathstroke." I wasn't buying too much of the Dc new Anyway.

[Desh]

DC overdid it. They did too much of this stuff at once, and as such, it diminished the impact on each character/book. All of a sudden, Wonder Woman changes her costume, Superman is in a t-shirt, and Batman is a mech, and this all happens at the same time? Maybe they'd see sales bumps if they weren't trying to do the same type of radical changes all across the line at the same time. That just causes same-y content again. Just a different type of same-y than was before.

As for the more experimental books, it's a shame they aren't performing better, but maybe they'll do better in trade than in floppies, like many of the Image books. Before DC decides to totally pull the plug on them, maybe they ought to be a bit patient and see how they perform in that arena.

[greenish lantern]

Just guessing, but I'd bet books like Black Canary, which isn't a traditional superhero book (even the newly "batgirled" Batgirl is more superhero-y) might suffer. Not all those kinds of books will necessarily get canceled but they may change directions and styles a bit. Maybe even creative teams. Brendan Fletcher, for example, doesn't strike me as a traditional superhero storyteller. That's not a criticism, I love the guy...I'm just saying.

DC probably won't be keen on trying out new concepts like Prez or Bizarro or Section Eight.

Books like Gotham Academy, Gotham By Midnight.....Midnighter, Omeg Men....they may not last much longer.

Back to doom and gloom I guess

Omega Men was great, but I have to admit I didn't like any other title that you mentioned.

[GlennSimpson]

As someone who has not be reading much DC as of late, exactly what does "Batgirling" mean?

Well, there is a sort of "standard" look and feel that a lot of books have. Superman, Justice League, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, etc. "Batgirling" means not worrying about sticking with that look and feel and doing something more abstract and creative. The benefit is that it can bring in an audience who doesn't care for the standard look/feel. The risk is that the people who do like the usual look/feel don't have any incentive to try the new one.

I think in terms of DC's recent direction, "Batgirling" also means fewer crossovers and letting each book just tell its own stories. Or at least not having storylines cross over between books.

[RobinFan4880]

Batgirling means taking a popular hero who isn't selling "like they should" and changing the tone, the look and the feel of the book to be more "indy". It also means allowing the book to exist in its own corner, only interacting with the wider DCU as the creators deem proper/necessary.

The problem with this method is that it doesn't always work. Batgirl, Grayson and Harely Quinn (especially the latter) were very successful with this model. The problem is DC over saturated the market, while at the same time not putting enough emphasis on their core properties and ensuring they were as successful as they could be.

Most likely, we are going to start getting events again. DC doesn't want to go back to the days where the Green Lantern and Batman families were constantly in a state of leading to-, existing in-, or dealing with the aftermath of- an event. Most likely we will get a big DC event and a family event once a year. Gimmick month will also come back with abandon, perhaps even being tied to that year's big event. All together, this will probably eat up a third of the issues per year. The rest of the time, the books will be allowed to do as they please.

[CoffeeCup]

I think everyone might be overreacting just a little to this news. I didn't take this news to mean that every 'batgirled' title is going to be canx or have a direction change (Black Canary, HQ, Batgirl), but rather DC is going to stop flooding the market with these type of titles.

Before I go any further, I want to point out that I love a lot of these non-traditional books (Gotham Academy, Batgirl, Black Canary, Bizzaro). Now with that being said; its clear that those titles do not sale and never will. Sadly, quality does not equal quantity. DC struggles with that concept, as do a lot of fans. DC is never going to catch Marvel, unless they stop trying to appease everyone.

[FanboyStranger]

DC probably won't be keen on trying out new concepts like Prez or Bizarro or Section Eight.(

It's a quibble, but Section Eight is not a new concept. It's a defacto spinoff from Hitman, and it's squarely aimed at fans of Ennis and McCrea. I'm sure DC figured that monthly sales on the mini were going to be a loss leader for the inevitable collection, which will probably sell a lot better than most books of its type. That's the better model for this kind of book with a big name creator.