First off, before I even delve into the sweet, gooey DC goodness, my congrats goes out to fellow 411er Paul Sebert and his recent column at The Pulse. I could make this all about me by pointing out that no other site has offered me a chance to write, but hey, that would just be selfish and self-involved. And Lord knows, I am not that. So, instead, I offer a hearty “Nicely done†to Mr. Sebert and urge you all to check out the column for yourself.
And now you may have the sweet gooey DC-ness.
Sword of God Meet War, War Meet Sword of God
Peter J. Tomasi is a better writer than he is an editor. And I consider him to be one of DC’s best current editors. Every once and awhile I lament the fact that the industry lacks the presence of the late Archie Goodwin. Tomasi is one of the present day presences at DC that carries on the spirit of Goodwin, however.
Embrace your holy mission at Silver Bullet Comic Books
Wow…that has to been one of the more intense plot summaries that I have read in some time. Archangels, Sword of God, unkillable Germans, and mysterious American soldiers were all fit in the span of three paragraphs. Most impressive.
It also raises an interesting point, prematurely proclaiming the “rebirth†of the war comic genre’s popularity. It is difficult for me to discern if that will in fact be the case. As pointed out in this very article, Vertigo has recently been publishing a healthy amount of war-related stories, such as Rifle Brigade, and (not mentioned in the article) a few months ago, Sergeant Rock was given another go round with art by Kubert and writing by Azzarello. So, in this way, it does seem something of a resurgence. However, are we really looking at war comics reasserting their popularity anywhere near the level they once achieved? Of this, I am less sure. And that is something of a disappointment.
Often, diversity is pointed to as a means to “save†the comic book industry. I don’t necessarily but the idea that comics are in such dire straits as to need to be “saved†but we’ll take that perspective for the moment. I do wholly agree with the idea that diversity is good for the industry and that it would indeed benefit from it. I think Vertigo has achieved some success in this area, offering titles that were both popular and well removed from the typical “cape and tights†set that one usually associates comics with. Sandman, Preacher, Y The Last Man, etc. are all titles that have gained popularity and some cultural resonance, both within and beyond the “community.†Alas, war and romance comics have not seen that sort of renaissance in popularity/relevance.
I would propose though that that really is not the point. Regardless of whether or not Light Brigade or Vertical pull their particular genres back into the spotlight, the industry can only benefit from publishing titles that are born of that genre. One cannot expect one title to completely solve the popularity issues of a long dormant genre, nor should we look towards popularity as the ultimate goal. I know comics are a business and I do think we should be aware of that. But, much like the film industry, it is also important to contribute to the richness of the craft from time-to-time, regardless of the popularity gained. Diversity does just that.
WHA?!
Less than two weeks after arriving in stores on February 11, AQUAMAN #15 has sold out at DC Comics. This issue features the first chapter of “American Tidal” by the dynamic new creative team of writer Will Pfeifer (H-E-R-O), artists Patrick Gleason & Christian Alamy (JLA: WELCOME TO THE WORKING WEEK) and cover artists Alan Davis & Mark Farmer (JLA: THE NAIL).
Join with others in sharing your shocked bewilderment at The Pulse>
So I guess that is what hot new creative team does for you. This is the first time I can remember, in my comic book paying attention to lifetime that Aquaman sold out. Yes, granted, print runs aren’t what they used to be, but come now. Life cannot be all sour grapes, can it? Fact is, last issue did not sell out and this one did. If DC can hold on to a large fraction of the upspike in readers for at least 6 months, I would certainly proclaim that a victory for them. An increase in sales is an increase in sales is an increase in sales. Of course, I would love not having to write about these sellout issues once a month, but that is really me being bored. I urge DC to keep selling out (in the issue sense, not in the “no longer fighting the man†sense). I am certain they were awaiting my approval on that.
Swamp Thing and the Mainstream Press: A Love Affair
It’s always been easy to see why comic books get dissed by the people who don’t read them.
Superman, the pride of DC Comics, sports his underwear on the outside. Wonder Woman wears next-to-nothing — but with a tiara. Over at Marvel, there’s the Human Torch, a man who taps into his powers by cheering, “Flame on.â€
So what are the non-faithful to make of a comic book hero who is, well, a 7-foot-tall two-legged shrub?
Such has always been the potential dilemma of the Swamp Thing, a dude who died and came back as a plant.
Take a lovely stroll in the bog with the Springfield News Sun at Springfield News Sun
Arrgh, does every comic book article from the mainstream press on earth have to start out with some reference to onomatopoeia (BAM, BIFF, etc) or how silly superheroes are? I mean, really, do they? Is that written in journalistic by-laws that I have somehow not yet been privy to? Sorry, it just annoys me. Especially in the case of this article, where the tone is overall positive and respects the characters and roots (hehe) of Swamp Thing. Do we need to put down main genre of comic books in order to elevate a character or concept? I know this response is mostly a series of rhetorical questions, but I am frustrated. In the same way I wish comic book fans in talkbacks could trumpet their love of certain characters, titles, writers, artists, or companies without adding in “Of course, (company, writer, artist, title, or character different than the one I was speaking of), sucks/blows huge,†I wish I could read a comic book article in the mainstream press that did not feel the need to mocking comics before getting to the meat of the article. It is as if they want to assure their readers, “Sure, I am writing about comics, but its not like I like them or anything. I’m no nerd.â€
Levitz on Hollywood and New Characters
In the first part of this interview, The Pulse spoke with DC’s Publisher and President Paul Levitz about the growing importance of the bookstore format, and DC’s role in exploring new technologies. In this part, Levitz goes on to discuss the synergy between Hollywood and comics, his own role in it, and some of the projects he’s most excited about for later in the year. He also addresses some of the questions raised by the first part.
Patty Jeres, DC’s Director of Sales and Marketing Communications was also present during this interview, adding to the general laughter in several spots.
Enjoy part two of the interview that Maria Salas of Telemundo/Gems TV called “the most intense comic book interview of the decade†at The Pulse
First off, in reference to Maria Salas, she reviews(ed?) movies for the Spanish language Telemundo and developed the habit of way overstating her praise (“Battlefield Earth will rock America!†“187 is the most powerful film of the decadeâ€). See if you can turn up any of her reviews online, as they are a treat.
On to the interview. I liked this one quite bit more. We delved a little into the differences, philosophy-wise, between Marvel and DC with the whole “licensing vs. publishing†approach. I do have to same, however, that I think Mr. Levitz is a little off here. His focus may be on publishing, which I definitely feel it should be. However, there is no way that Warner Brothers, who owns DC, does not view DC Comics properties as possibilities for licensing. The amount of toys that bear DC characters likeness (particularly good old Batman with his underwater armor, night vision suit, artic freeze cape, etc) certainly more than proves that. DC Comics, itself, may be predominantly concerned with publishing, but they also have the resource of a parent company to concern itself with licensing for them. Marvel does not. That, I think, is the real difference.
I like that The Pulse’s “pet concern†has always been one of mine as well, that being the drop in new heroes that catch on and stay caught on. No company has seemed to have much luck with it as of late. Those that do take hold often slip off fast: Spawn, Darkhawk, Sleepwalker to name some that I remember. Others were created to catch on, but just never seemed to: Gunfire, Argus, Aztek (sniffle, sob, wail), Firebrand were released at almost the same time in an attempt to inject some brand new blood into DC and it just did not play out that way. I think Levitz is right and wrong on this. He argues that the rate of characters catching on is roughly similar to what it always has been. Percentage wise, he may be correct, but the fact is that a lot more characters were thrown out there back in the day. So if only every one out of thirty catch on and you are only offering up 8 new characters a year (to use a random number) whereas 30 years ago you were doing 40 to 50 (once again, just choosing a random number), the rate may be the same, but the amount of new characters that people get interested is vastly different. I also would add that it is a different business then it was years ago. Often times, when a lot of characters seemed to catch on during a certain period, they were being introduced into a vacuum. That is, there was little or no competition for attention. The Golden Age created comics out of the ether so there were literally no other characters to compete for the spotlight. DC’s Silver Age involved a rebirth of a company that had been more or less dormant for several years. Marvel’s character explosion was similarly unfettered by characters within the company and by an industry that had not seen such characters (or characterization) before this. These days, getting a new character to catch on involving convincing a reader to put down that umpteenth Batman or X-Men title and trying something new. With so many beloved characters already out there, that is a truly difficult thing. How does it get done, how do we create the Batmen, Supermen, Green Lanterns, Wolverines, or Spider-Men of tomorrow? This, I do not know. You guys?
Ahh, Sales Figures. My Speciality
The Pulse continues the series of sales analyses begun yesterday, this time a look at DC’s numbers through January as compiled by Marc-Oliver Frisch.
As before, the commentary after the figures is Frisch’s own. Many thanks to Milton Griepp and ICv2 for permission to reprint these figures, and to Frisch for his diligent work.
Get down with the economics at The Pulse
Actually kind of a cool read. Nice to see how sales spikes and slumps play out over a few months time. I cannot decide is the numbers are disheartening or not. It seems like there is a lot of dropping going out, but percentage wise of the whole, I am less sure. Thus, I will spare myself further embarrassment and just urge you to check it out your own darn self.
SNEAK PEEKS LIVE AT DCCOMICS.COM
HAWKMAN #28 – MAR040315
Hawkman’s new creative team’s first issue
RICHARD DRAGON #1 – MAR040331
Dixon BAY-BEE!
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA: ANOTHER NAIL #1 – MAR040319
Davis returns to his hit Elseworlds miniseries
THE AUTHORITY: MORE KEV #1 – MAR040349
Gath Ennis on Authority, again. You want more?
SEAGUY #1 – MAR040373
Morrison’s first new Vertigo title
I don’t usually take the time to respond to the previews, but I just had to this once. Richard Dragon? !Que Fantastico! Welcome back Mr. Dixon….welcome back. (The emphasis)
TAKING AIM AT THE GRIMACE
Hey there. I was reading the column mention in the subject of my e-mail, and when reading the comments about the Batman/Superman rocket in the most recent Batman/Superman comic, I thought I’d point out that it’s actually a golden (I think golden, not sure) age homage to a real old world’s finest enemy, the composite Superman, who was a guy that was half superman and half batman, just like the rocket. (He knew both their secrets too)
There’s an archive of old superman comics on the ‘net (don’t have the URL, sorry) that actually contains this story, if you’re interested.
Just thought I’d point out the reason for the rocket’s goofiness ;)
– Sac
Thanks for the heads-up, but I was actually aware of this one in this case. The thing is, Golden (or Silver) Age homage or not, it is still pretty goofy, and not of the “hey, that was fun†sort of variety. Even if the robot had just been a robot, I thought it was a pretty silly solution. Tacking on the Composite Superman/Batman just made it worse for me though.
However, the archive does sound cool to me. I’ll try to hunt it up on the net this weekend and have the URL next column.
Thanks for the info, Mr. (?) Sac.
All right, peoples, that is about it. It is the weekend here in good ol’ CT and the sun is actually out, so I am off to frolic in the above freezing temperatures (WHEE!) and you are off to…well, if I were you, I would be off to writing a selection for the free comic book contest. Your time grows short and there is plenty of room at the top for some more folks. Remember, the contest is to write about your favorite comic book experience and send it on in to me at parallax2@juno.com. The comics I am giving away with be, predominantly, amusing throwbacks, but I promise you’ll get a couple of issues that are not merely worth a chuckle, but also your precious time. Come now, don’t make all the money I shelled out for you folks a waste.
Besides doing that this weekend, you should all have splendid times. Because, tomorrow, we all could be dead.
On that bright note I am out of here!
Un Gajje: The Man, The Myth, The Legend
