The Mission - Apr 4, 2016

[CBR News]

Joseph Illidge looks at the DC Comics Rebirth announcements, and tries to identify when things changed for the publisher.


Full article here.

[logossun]

Joseph Illidge looks at the DC Comics Rebirth announcements, and tries to identify when things changed for the publisher.


Full article here.

Boy, am I glad so much of the article had to do with quality of comics and storylines, rather than history and rampant political correctness... Oh, wait...

[Snikt]

Wow. What incoherent nonsense. DC Comics is "dead" (because word play), it died when it published a story I didn't like, Diversity=Quality.

Also, a story that "ripped through the superhero community, broke rules of corporate superhero fiction, and left the spirit of the DC Comics universe in tatters" sounds pretty awesome. (It was okay if I remember correctly.)

[mmurphy1968]

Boy, am I glad so much of the article had to do with quality of comics and storylines, rather than history and rampant political correctness... Oh, wait...

I think you missed the point of the article, the intent was to look at both the story lines and history that brought DC to where it is today and in the author's subjective view (his words, not mine) both go back to Identity Crisis.

Please point out the "rampant political correctness" and when doing so please do not use the far right-wing nut job definition of political correctness (diversity does not equal political correctness nor does observations of how a company is handing out assignments).

What incoherent nonsense.

Agree with the article or not, there was nothing incoherent about it. Maybe "incoherent" doesn't mean what you think it means?

[madrox83]

I enjoyed this article quite a bit. I feel DC has taken some good steps toward righting the ship and regaining the trust of readers and retailers. I am cautiously optimistic on this one.

[Snikt]

Agree with the article or not, there was nothing incoherent about it. Maybe "incoherent" doesn't mean what you think it means?

coherent: logically connected; consistent

The article jumps from discussing the question "When did DC Comics die?" (without giving a useful explanation why it is supposedly "dead" in the first place) to a list of "diverse" elements in the rebirth titles. If there is a connection given in the article, I don't see it. All we get is "Do these lists represent an improvement for DC Comics? Yes." From the last parts you could piece together the idea that women make better writers ("Women who ushered in eras of brilliant imagination, visionary writers, and great change."), and therefore more women -> better comics, but that's
a) very vague
b) only one element in the list
c) given after the list, so the connection is missing while reading it
d) still not explaining how this fixes the specific issues of post Identity Crisis DC, which - again - where never really clearly given in the first place

As a matter of fact, if "imagination, visionary writers, and great change" are what's needed, was a story that "ripped through the superhero community, broke rules of corporate superhero fiction" a bad thing?

I don't even necessarily disagree with the article because for that it would have to make a clear point in the first place. Thus my criticism: incoherent

[kcekada]

Wow. What incoherent nonsense. DC Comics is "dead" (because word play), it died when it published a story I didn't like...

The article is clear that Identity Crisis was just the start of DC's descent. I thought it was an okay story -- that took a lot of liberties (the JLA couldn't beat Deathstroke?). Since when does an amnesia spell from Zatanna equal lobotimization? And so many of the plotlines were resolved in other books.

But it has been apparent that DC is always trying to trump it's last water cooler moment -- and the darkening of the DCU has been alienating for many of us.

[Tony]

The article is clear that Identity Crisis was just the start of DC's descent. I thought it was an okay story -- that took a lot of liberties (the JLA couldn't beat Deathstroke?). Since when does an amnesia spell from Zatanna equal lobotimization? And so many of the plotlines were resolved in other books.

But it has been apparent that DC is always trying to trump it's last water cooler moment -- and the darkening of the DCU has been alienating for many of us.

agreed.

I think the powers that be ignored or at least misunderstood a lot of the sales data. I don't know how many times I read "no matter what fans say you can't deny it's the big cross overs and nasty spectacle that sells while the rest of the books sales are down.

Yes, fans will watch the car crash, they just might not care to watch the smashed up junker wobble down the street for years after.

[Green Goblin of Sector 2814]

The article is clear that Identity Crisis was just the start of DC's descent. I thought it was an okay story -- that took a lot of liberties (the JLA couldn't beat Deathstroke?). Since when does an amnesia spell from Zatanna equal lobotimization? And so many of the plotlines were resolved in other books

I think you misunderstood that plot point. The point was that Zatanna wasn't just casting a spell to make Light forget. She was trying to fundamentally change his personality. It was a lobotomy because she was trying to tweak his mind.

[JLange]

I could not care LESS what race or gender writes or is featured in the books...I just want some great art and great stories. Any race and any gender can write good or bad stories and produce good or bad art. And Identity Crisis... I loved it.

[skyvolt2000]

I could not care LESS what race or gender writes or is featured in the books...I just want some great art and great stories. Any race and any gender can write good or bad stories and produce good or bad art. And Identity Crisis... I loved it.

I think what he meant was finally DC is trying some different folks in larger numbers than using the same guys who put you in this mess in the first place.

Yes any race or gender can make a bad book but not everybody gets that shot.

I mean how many folks got passed over just to allow Lodbell to write as many books as he did over the past 5 years? When does getting someone else finally come to play?

[Redjack]

i could help them but i don't really want to.

and they won't ever ask.

[KoriandrJean]

The gentleman has quite a point, although I would say that the DC Universe died when Barbara Gordon got paralysed, Ron Raymond got killed, and Ted Kord was brutally murdered - in an apparent rip-off of "Watchmen".

[Timh]

The gentleman has quite a point, although I would say that the DC Universe died when Barbara Gordon got paralysed, Ron Raymond got killed, and Ted Kord was brutally murdered - in an apparent rip-off of "Watchmen".

In defense of Joseph Illidge, the "bleakness" accelerated after Identity Crisis, but you are correct, Batman turned down the dark path back in the 80s when DC let Frank Miller reinvent Catwoman as a former street prostitute and Killing Joke, as you mentioned, was published. And, DC continues on that path with its promises that the "DC Cinematic Universe" will make "gritty" its schtick. However, regardless of 1980s Batman or Identity Crisis, DC strong-arming of its creative staff, its e-firing of Gail Simone, and its decision to let Meredith Finch write Wonder Woman in exchange for Peter Finch penciling shows problems deeper than just its macho story-telling preference. Its corporate model is top down and over-bearing.

[Hypestyle]

I could not care LESS what race or gender writes or is featured in the books...I just want some great art and great stories. Any race and any gender can write good or bad stories and produce good or bad art. And Identity Crisis... I loved it.

people like to say this but when the creatives behind most titles ends up being monoracial (read: 99% white) they have no problem with it, and when a writer of color (read: black male) gets on a title, the fanbase all of a sudden gets hyper-vigilant about allegations of "agenda-pushing" and "PC sensibilities." Ridiculous.