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.)

[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.

[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.

[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.

[colonyofcells]

maybe it was dcyou that killed dc so a rebirth is needed.

[seanpatrickcasey]

"DC Comics, the publisher, has not had women the likes of Jenette Kahn and Karen Berger in leadership positions of true influence and impact for some time. Women who ushered in eras of brilliant imagination, visionary writers, and great change."

Amen.

[lordozone]

the articles of Joseph Illidge are always the worst ( Incoherent, political correctness who seems almost parody etc.) but I can't stop to read them. Strange.

[Tony]

I actually think he's close to right.

It was Dan Didio being put hired a couple years prior to Identity Crisis that led to endless poor, nasty decisions that killed DC, death by a thousand Didio cuts. I'm just hoping Geoff can steer the ship better than Dan ever did (should not be all that difficult).