Posted in: Recent Updates | Tagged: Alan Moore, dc comics, geoff johns, warren ellis

Talking About DC Comics And Stuff Like That

Published Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:17:55 -0600

Last updated Fri, 26 Mar 2010 18:31:09 -0500

A note from Rich Johnston

So. A Brand New Day at DC Comics. No deals with Mephisto (not that we know of anyway.)

There have been some problems at DC of late, it's undeniable. As a writer living and working in London, England, I only get to see the crumbs that fall from the table, but they seem to be making… if not a whole loaf then at least the outline of a crust. Here are a few examples. See if there's a pattern.

Actions that saw Alan Moore pull his last remaining work and co-operation from the company – and even at the end saw officials ignore their own legal advice over what they could and could not publish, leading to damaged and weakened comic product.

The firing of Scott Dunbier, the creator of the very profitable Absolute format, for getting caught in the middle of the above.

Being unable to offer new terms to Neil Gaiman for a Sandman Zero mini-series in light of Gaiman's subsequent success as a writer.

Seeing recognised Vertigo creators leave the imprint as the contracts became much less creator-friendly, including Warren Ellis and Garth Ennis, to the benefit of the likes of Avatar and Dynamite.

The focus of superhero publishing shifting to follow event after event, each trying to run the Red Queen's Race to keep up with the previous version, hoping each time that sales would keep up and that no one, like Wil E Coyote, would look down.

Ejecting The Boys from DC after rising sales because of the way it treated superheroes, despite the involvement of Dan DiDio and Pete Tomasi in its development, then becoming one of the most successful independent books on the market outselling many DC titles, and with a film on the way from the writers of Clash Of The Titans.

A byzantine corporate structure within DC and within Warner that's akin to tipping up a tin of spaghetti over a map of the New York subway that has caused the fervent speculation over today's announcements.

Projects like All Star Batman And Robin The Boy Wonder, drawn by Jim Lee, openly mocked inside DC, its editor fired and support withdrawn – despite its six figure sales.

The very ownership of digital rights for existing DC Comics questioned internally, at a time when so many publishers were putting their print works online.

Outreaches such as CMX and Minx curtailed and cancelled prematurely despite significant investment.

A production process that borders on glacial, with projects seeing the light long past being green lit.

The very last I hear is expected to change very rapidly. I have been hearing stories about DC editors very recently being told to increase the amount of work they are commissioning and speeding up the production process of work that's on the way, with the stated aim of taking back market share in the direct market, against Marvel, a company that seems to grab more the direct market with fewer titles and with fewer employees. As a result, some people have been talking of an upcoming golden age at DC for new artists with a decent portfolio looking for work – reminiscent of the nineties boom. And we should start seeing evidence of this as soon as this summer.

Certainly DC, by putting the most successful of its creative talent, Geoff Johns and Jim Lee, at the top of the company, is a sign that there must be new assumptions, new expectations and a new approach to creating comics – and all their related ephemera. Even if West Coasters Jim, Geoff and John will have to spend most of their time crossing from coast to coast… for now at least.

It may be a very interesting time at DC Comics today. But it must be an even more interesting time at Marvel.

I'm going to be talking to some of the participants later tonight. I have no idea what I'm going to ask yet… let's find out together.

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