Tim, I’m sure you went to check out Spider-Man 3 would you care to share your thoughts?
You know me so well Mathan.
Yes, I most certainly did see Spider-Man 3. I found it quite entertaining, but certainly not without flaws. It could’ve been tightened up a few different places and allowed space to breathe in a few others.
I did think the Parker Strut of Jerkiness was overdone but a brief scene of it would’ve been just fine. The dance scene that capped it off I got a kick out of though and the whole “Peter Paker does not dance,†is one of the weakest reasons to dislike a film, well, ever. Also, people focused too much on the silly indications of Peter’s personality change while ignoring the more malevolent ones. Witness the scene between him and the Russian girl with a crush across the hall and the casual way he uses her. Sure, the scene is fun too but it does a far better job of showing what is happening to him than any silly strutting.
Villain wise, I was pretty pleased. Sandman was great and I could have used more of him not in giant monster mode. Venom was good with limited screen time. You could debate there should’ve been more of him, but really, he’s just a cool design to Raimi so why push it? Harry’s character arc was interesting and I loved him as the goofy amnesiac painting still lifes in his free time. As the New Goblin it was more or less same old same old but the fight sequences between him and Peter crackle with an undercurrent of hate that none of the prior films have captured.
I’m on the fence about the Mary Jane related stuff. What’s there I actually thought was good, but there is an awful lot of it. In a movie that seemed to be bursting from overconsumption, her subplot is conspicuously large. Again though, on it’s own it is good.
Overall, it is the weakest of three. However, it is still good and I don’t regret plunking down money for tickets. This is no Batman & Robin (or Batman Forever even). Heck, I’d say it is a great deal better than the noisy action packed, but wholly soulless X Men 3. So, don’t believe the backlash. See the film, judge it on its own merits and I think you’ll find there is much to enjoy and be pleased about.
Links
Visit our DC Boards, featuring parting thoughts on 52.
Tim, is there anything you wish to link?
I was going to link to those great “I’m a Marvel, I’m a DC†youTube videos, but the entire internet already beat me to it. So instead I’ll link this with which you could, given oodles of patience, drop your favorite comic book character into a nonstop dance party. Good times.
What I Read Last Week
Midnighter #7 – Picked it up for Vaughan. Interesting concept, but not too much meat to the story. Someone compared it to Memento and I’d say that the similarity superficial. Memento was actually compelling. This book was mildly entertaining.
I wholly agree. Shallow beyond the device.
Green Lantern #19 – Why is Johns rectonning the Zamarons? It’s a completely unnecessary recton that kind of irks me. That and the fact that there’s way too much symmetry in the world of the GLC. From the Sinestro Corps to Star Sapphire, it’s just too much.
Teen Titans #46 – It’s official; I’m counting down until this book gets dropped. Too many changes at once. I’ll give Beechen a few issues to get his footing, but I’ve really got no problem dropping this book, especially considering how the last books with “titans” in the title way overstayed its welcome.
We’re on the same page with this one too. At least this Titans book was good for awhile though, right?
The Atom #11 – Tim, I totally echo your thoughts on Simone’s twist on zombies. It enjoyed it. I also liked how sick I felt when Ryan got his heart broken, again. It’s hard to imagine that three issues ago, Ryan was just a nerd. But now he’s a guy who’s lost love, which makes him a character close to my heart.
He did come into his own a bit during this arc. I hope that carries over when he returns to crazy, crazy Ivytown.
Exterminators #17 – Ty Templeton art? A pest control convention? A road trip with a Buddhist and a war criminal? I mean really, this issue has everything going for it and it doesn’t disappoint. It even features a gross out moment.
Justice #11 – Wow, who’d had thought that a bimonthly Alex Ross painted book would release as many issues as DC’s entire All-Star line? Not me.
American Virgin #14 – Tim, I kind of agree with you about Adam leaving the country, but not because I didn’t enjoy his other trips. Rather, I’m really digging his familial relationships. But I’ve got faith that this book will keep the momentum.
Figures crossed on that, fingers crossed.
Detective Comics #832 – Yay Terrible Trio! And hooray for Bianchi’s continued Batman covers.
Hooray? Really? I am so sick of his covers, personally. I just don’t get the love for him, I really don’t.
100 Bullets #83 – Man, why do people continue to trust Echo? I was glad to see Joseph get the proper send off he deserved. I also enjoyed seeing how he hooked up with Graves and Curtis’ justifiable anger. But in a year and a half, I’m going to be a really sad, sad guy.
52 Week Fifty-Two – Really strong final issue. I’m not quite sure how I feel about the multiverse, but the book ended on the right note. We got to see Ralph’s wish come true. Booster Gold is interesting again. McKone is back. And Renee even flirted with Kathy. This issue felt like the end of an epic (if occasionally unbalanced) tale. And if JG Jones doesn’t win some award for the covers I’ll be outraged.
I’ll second that outrage. I think, with the exception of maybe three, all those covers were just excellent. I applaud you Mr. Jones, good work.
As far as the issue goes, I thought it was quite good despite resurrecting the hated multiverse. Oh well, I’ll just have fun leveling it again in 20 years while penning “Infinite Crisis of 52 Earthsâ€. And the subtitle will be, of course, “So Much Death Across So Many Worlds.†It will be incredible.
Shade is not bloodthirsty at all. Noooooooooooo sir.
Who do you think will be the first to die in countdown?
Whoa, whoa, whoa there Petey Pessimism! Why does anyone one have die? (Well, I guess it depends on your viewpoint Mathan. From a purely scientific view, it is an inevitable biological process that begins the moment we are born. In a spiritual sense, it is where we receive our rewards for a life well lived. Now, if you want to explore the individual faiths more specifically, let’s start wit—) Why can’t Countdown be a happy-go-lucky affair that’s full of rainbows and dandelions? (Oh…that’s what you meant. Well, this is embarrassing).
Man, maybe the DCU isn’t such a dark place, perhaps it’s the fans and their endless bloodlust.
You might just be on to something there Mathan…
But I guess I’ve got to answer your question,
Donna Troy
Why She Could Die – She’s got nothing to live for. Her family is dead and she’s bordering on “old maid” status in the DCU. She’s a confusing and redundant character. No one really likes her.
Why She Won’t Die – Because it’s been done before, recently. Because no one would care.
Jimmy Olsen
Why He Could Die – He’s got the Joker gunning for him. It would be a big deal, bigger than even Captain America. That’s right, I said it; Jimmy Olsen is a bigger deal than Captain America!
Why He Won’t Die – Because he’s Jimmy Olsen and he’s a bigger deal than Captain America. Because few people can remember the last time someone’s death really affected Superman (hint: she was his cousin and she’s alive again.)
Jason Todd
Why He Could Die – He’s a pretty vulnerable character in that his death wouldn’t really affect fans or comic characters too much. His last death was pretty successful. Apparently only Judd writes likes him.
Why He Won’t Die – Because his death would have little impact, unless it happened in issue #1 after journey of redemption. Oh and because he’s pretty newly resurrected.
Mary Marvel
Why She Could Die – Um, I’ve got nothing here. In theory she could die to make Billy or Freddy more unique. I guess.
Why She Won’t Die – The thrust of her storyline seems to be about temptation, which tends to lend itself to long drawn out affairs. She’s one of the few uber powerful and prominent female characters in the DCU, home of “women in fridges.”
Pied Piper
Why He Could Die – He’s a villain and they’re usually pretty expendable. His main ally has been MIA for over a year. Apparently no one at DC understands the notion of a reformed criminal sans mindwiping. He’s got enough fans to mourn him.
Why He Won’t Die – He’s one of DC’s few openly homosexual characters. He’s got fans (even if that might also get him killed.) DC needs at least one villain in this book to show that perspective.
Trickster
Why He Could Die – He’s already got a replacement. Being mindwiped robbed him of his uniqueness. A sacrifice could give his fans the blaze of glory they need to sleep at night.
Why He Won’t Die – He’s got a following with fans and creators alike. He’s one of the few (formerly) reformed criminals in the DCU. DC needs at least one villain in this book to show that perspective.
Kyle Rayner
Why He Could Die – There are probably too many GL related characters on Earth. He’s no Ben Reilly. To put him out of the misery of losing everyone close to him (his mom and every woman he’s been involved with.) To avoid having to clear up the muddled issue of his father.
Why He Won’t Die – For some reason, the character’s got fans. Because DC remembers the last time they killed off a Green Lantern. He’s got no real rogues to do the deed.
I’m really putting my money on Piper dying, which causes Trickster to fully cement himself on the side of angels. My second bet would be a vice versa type affair. But lastly I’d love to see Kyle die.
Tim, which three do you want to die?
Wait, you want me to wish death on people?
Well, if I have to…
Actually, it is a bit tough. Donna in her present incarnation would probably be at the top of the list just because she has come to represent, in my mind, a lot of things that I don’t like about comics these days. But I actually quite liked her when I first “met†her in the pages of Green Lantern way back when Kyle Rayner first started out.
It is tempting to suggest Jimmy Olsen because, despite his history, he’s been little more than a piece of background in Superman comics since I really started to read them. On the other hand, he does have that history and All-Star has demonstrated he can have a lot of personality and be a lot of fun when given the proper chance.
Now that Jason Todd is back, it seems a bit of a waste to kill him again. Plus, Red Hood Jason Todd is a good character (Nightwing Jason Todd? Not so much). I’d be a little annoyed to been turned around on my opinion that he never should’ve been resurrected only to have him killed again.
Mary Marvel is sort of a default choice because I know next to nothing about her. Still, I don’t really want to see her dead either. Can I choose CM3 to take her place?
Either Flash villain would be disappointing because I like both quite a lot. And, as long as they are alive, there’s a chance they might realize that the whole “mindwipe†thing that made them bad again was just as much of a mind control thing as the one that allegedly made them good and they can actually choose to be either. On the other hand, I guess they could realize that and then die making the “right†choice for themselves.
Kyle Rayner will not die. If for no other reason than to annoy you Mathan.
Thus, if I have to, my three are: Donna Troy because she’s not the character we loved, Jimmy Olsen because, well, damn that would be something, right, and Trickster because I guess I can sacrifice one Flash villain and I just always thought Pied Piper had more going on.
Of course, in the brand new 52 Earth DCU, anyone can die and we’ll just pluck a replacement version of them from a comparable Earth.
Aaron gets taken back to a simpler time
As you can probably tell, I’m loving the new The Brave and The Bold title. Its tone is decidedly more…fun. The references to the ’60s Batman show (“turbines to speed”) and the embarrassingly enjoyable Supergirl “crush” just to name two points. I know there’s a lot of griping regarding DC’s “darker” tone, so I was wondering if you think B&B is a conscious effort to lighten things up?
I don’t know if it’s a conscious decision to lighten up as it is to “write what you love.” Mark Waid’s stuff is usually “fun” in tone. He grew up on the fun stories of the Silver Age, so that’s pretty much in his DNA.
But I also think that you can’t help but have the tone of a team up book be fun. How absurd would it be if the book was dead serious in tone, yet featured a different team up every issue and a continuing storyline? That book wouldn’t work.
Yeah, I think that Waid is trying to recreate the fun vibe of his youth, not to counter charges, but just because he can.
Tim, how do you account for the feel of the book?
What you suggest makes sense, but I imagine it is a bit of column A and a bit of Column B. He’s writing what he loves because he loves it but also because he’s not really seeing a lot of it in the rest of the DCU.
All day long, Dhaise dreams about…strong, independent women saving the world
Since you guys can only be expected to know only so much lore, how about telling us what your dream team lineups are for: The Birds of Prey
Great, way to pick the one DC book that I don’t read. Thanks!
Based on my general knowledge of the concept I’m pretty sure that the group consists of Babs and 2-3 operatives. So here’s my team:
Basically I’m going to make Babs a mentor. She used to be a young hero herself and now she’s going to have a sort of Big Sister program running though BoP.
Natasha Irons – Sure she’s supposed to be hanging with John and Infinity Inc, but I’m of the mind that every team needs a powerhouse. So she’s going to be the powerhouse on my team. Plus it’d be nice to see the tension between John and Natasha actually go somewhere.
Speedy – Let’s be real; Mia is homeless again. But let’s also accept that she wouldn’t be the first of Ollie’s ladies to hook up with this outfit. I could see her bumping heads with Babs because she thinks that Babs is holding her up to the Dinah standard. It’d be interesting.
Empress – One of my favorites from Young Justice. I really want to see her land somewhere. For goodness sakes why does DC not see the gold that lies in being a teenaged single parent…of your parents?
So yeah, that’s my Birds of Prey. It’d be like just like The Facts of Life only the sexy redhead wouldn’t be Mrs. Garrett, it’d be Babs.
Tim, you actually read Birds of Prey, what’s your team look like.
I’ll dodge the obvious by not including perennial Bird favorites Black Canary and Huntress. Sure, if I was ever really going to tackle the characters, they’d be there. But we’re trying to color outside the lines a little bit here. Oh, and I’m taking 4, not three. Deal with it.
Batgirl– Is there any question that she’s an absolute mess after what she’s been through in the past year or so? No, there isn’t. Now that she’s kicked Deathstroke and his sweet horse, what better place for her to recover than the Birds of Prey? It worked for Huntress and her angry side was not drug induced, so, why not?
Doctor Light– An experienced female superhero who still gets no respect? Check! She’s Bab’s field commander and the latest candidate for reintroduction and earning of respect, a la Black Canary.
Raven-She’s been kicking around with the Titans so long, she deserves a change of scenery. Plus, her isolationist tendencies would be severely tested in this sort of environment where Babs more or less demands camaraderie. Raven is a character type that has never really be in the Birds and the Birds is a team that Raven has never really been a part of and I’m curious to see how that would play out.
Dream Girl– Her future no longer exists. She’s time displaced, homeless, and her boyfriend is insane. And yet, optimistic right to her core. She’d be like Blackhawk Zinda is, but from the future. Plus, if I throw a Legionnaire on my team, maybe people will stop sending me death threats. I can hope anyway.
Aaron has a striking sartorial sense
I used to know this, but what was John Stewart’s reasoning for ditching the GL mask back in the mid-80s? Also, I remember Guy Gardner in Crisis #9 wearing a traditional GL costume, right before the Guardians are annihilated. When/why’d he switch to the ridiculous chain belt/moon boots get-up?
You’ll be happy to know that John Stewart abandoned his identity for good reason.
Y’see, like many DC heroes, John Stewart had a potential love interest in the media. Her name was Tawny Young. When he first became Green Lantern the two had that whole awkward flirting/sexual tension thing. But things went bad; their first date ended with him getting a plate of spaghetti on his head because he wouldn’t give her the scoop on his story. .
That made things worse. She discovered that John Stewart was Green Lantern. Since he didn’t give her the story on his story, she ran the story, which outted him.
That’s cold!
And that’s how the world came to know John Stewart was Green Lantern.
As for Guy Guardner’s threads, well they say the mind is the first thing to deteriorate with age.
I’ve actually got the Absolute Crisis on Infinite Earths and Guy’s sporting his usual, garish, outfit.
Furthermore, on page #30 of the compendium it actually details how George Perez actually drew the traditional G.L. uniform (and even shows the actual pages) and corrections to the issue had to be rushed to the presses.
And there you have it.
Tim, what would it take for you to pick up a Guy Gardner book?
Umm…I really have no idea.
Actually, wait, that’s not quite true. I bought a Guy Gardner book twice before, when it crossed over with Green Lantern during “Capital Punishmentâ€. It saw Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner fighting Major Force and one of them making the choice to kill the villain. (Temporarily anyway).
But, I think Guy’s luck might’ve run out there.
However, if someone did a book called “Warriors†all about Guy’s bar and the stream of heroes and semi-reformed villains coming in and out with Guy as part of an ensemble cast…that book I very well might buy.
Shade comes down from Yellow Mountain. On a dark, flat land he rides
Who is Wildfire who appeared in JSA this week other than being a legion member I know nothing.
Poor Drake Burroughs. Here we are centuries before he’s born and no one knows anything about him. What a shame.
But since you asked, Drake was your typical college kid at Metropolis University. That is until he was involved in a research lab accident. The result of the accident was that his body was destroyed and Drake now found himself in the form of anti energy.
Drake needed a containment suit to give himself actual form and it also allowed him to channel his energy into abilities, like flying and energy blasts.
Naturally containment suits will be destroyed, but Drake always manages to get his energy together and find another suit. For a minute in the late 80’s Drake managed to maintain his form without the aid of a containment suit, but that ended when his fellow Legionnaire Quislet returned to his native dimension.
Tim, don’t feel badly about feeling left out with your lack of Pre Zero Hour Legion stuff; their return fill me equally with dread and joy.
Thank you Mathan, for teaching me my feelings were acceptable. What would I do without you? Hey, is it okay if I celebrate my birthday on the 14th, too? Is it alright to be both excited and a little sad that I’m a year older? Please tell me because without your approval, I’m just not sure who I should feel about anything.
Call me crazy, but I think Aaron came up during the Reagan era of our country
Dude…what happened with Firestorm (The Ronnie Raymond version)? In the ‘80s, he was kind of huge. His title was hot, he was on the Superfriends cartoon and he was arguably one of the most prominently featured characters in the first few issues of “Crisisâ€. Then, by 1986-87, his title got all political (liberal?) and by ’88 he was a silent “elemental†or something. Was it poor sales, poor creative direction or something else?
Honestly I have no idea. I’d imagine that the creative direction probably turned some people off. I mean the book was about a kid with super powers and it evolved into a book about the nuclear arms race and politics.
Clearly Firestorm was a high profile book in the mid 80’s. John Ostrander took over and introduced a political angle to the book. I can see why some fans jumped ship. Then when you introduce Mikhail and set the story in Moscow it further takes readers out the element.
And when the book jumped on the “Elemental” craze (which started before the wall between DCU and Vertigo was firmly established) it’s going to turn people off.
But then again in the 80’s the Cold War was in full swing, so in that era the political tone probably made sense.
Sadly there were no DC Message Boards to troll, or else we could see if the fans reacted with as much vitriol as they had for Jason Rusch.
Tim, what role do you think politics should play in a book?
Depends on the book. I don’t think any book should be precluded from using politics because comics, like literature, film, or theatre, can be a lot of things all at once and should not limit itself.
However, like those other mediums, comics should still be aware of itself, its audience, and do its best to entertain while being political. It should not become a screed or a soapbox because you are bound to exile half your audience (at least) that way.
Politics should also not take away from or drastically alter the core of the character or book you are writing. Near as I can tell, that’s what happened to Firestorm. As the book went on, it moved farther and farther away from what made the book popular in the first place and it suffered because of it. On the other hand, a book like Animal Man introduced politics (this time, animal rights, obviously) but did so in a way that did fundamentally alter Buddy and thus felt organic. You might disagree with Buddy’s beliefs, but chances are you still saw the guy as the same person you liked when you first started to read the book.
So, there is nothing inherently wrong with politics in comics, but it has to make sense, be interesting, and be faithful to the characters’ essences.
Marshall demands, “give us us Freeâ€
I read 7 Soldiers and I have been reading Firestorm. What I want to know is what’s the deal with Shiloh Norman and what happened to Scott Free?
Honestly I have no idea (Déjà vu!).
That’s not quite right. I know that the deal with Shiloh Norman is.
Shiloh Norman was the understudy for the original Mister Miracle, Thaddeus Brown. When Scott Free took over as Mister Miracle, Shiloh resumed his role as stand in for Mister Miracle.
Later in life Shiloh became head of security for The Slab. Given his experience getting out of things it made sense for him to be installed as security for a metahuman prison. He eventually made it all the way to Warden. Unfortunately most of his highlights at the Slab took place during the dreadful Last Laugh event.
But what happened to Scott Free and how the Shiloh of Last Laugh became the Shiloh in Seven Soldiers is beyond me. If it helps you sleep at night just chalk it up to Superboy’s punches.
Any theories on either Mister Miracle, Tim?
Free was off, until recently, living with his beautiful wife Big Barda. Now that she’s back in the fighting togs though, you know Mister Miracle can’t be far behind.
As for what happened to Shiloh…um…not sure. Certainly he forgot all about the New Gods, as evidenced by his confusion with them in his mini. So, I’ll kick it No-Prize here (that’s a Marvel reference for those of you not in the know) and yes that during the events following Last Laugh, Shiloh suffered a stress related amnesiac episode. While he was unable to recall much beyond his name, he did quickly notice he had an unnatural talent for escape and in a world where someone as boring as David Blain can make money figured he could shovel it in by the truckload. He also recalled the name Mister Miracle in some far back dark part of his brain and used that as his moniker. And voila! There picks up the Seven Soldiers mini.
Aaron and I have a decent amount in common, it appears.
I’m seeing a lot of Darkseid in all these “Countdown” ads. I’ve never really been a fan, so I was wondering if you could recommend any Darkseid storylines that are good reads. I’m open to liking him, but, for some reason, I’ve never, ever liked anything New Gods related.
Wait, you don’t dig Darkseid? How can you not dig the guy? I mean check out his knee high boots. Dig those hot pants. And those eyes, this guy is quite a sight to behold.
But you want some good Darkseid reads I’ll happily give you a few of my faves.
Eclipso #10 – This is a criminally underrated series and this issue is one reason why many feel that way. This issue features Darkeseid and Eclipso playing chess and telling tales from their past. Not necessarily a ton of action, but it’s a good read.
Legends – This follow up to Crisis on Infinite Earths featured Darkseid’s grand plans to deal with the heroes of Earth. It’s nice to see Darkseid not only as a physical threat, but as a master planner.
Anarky #2 – Anarky going toe to toe with Darkseid? Kind of. It’s a concept that sounds out of this world, but it really works within the concept of the characters.
Young Justice #37 – It’s Darkseid trying to corrupt Secret. And it’s Granny Goodness against Young Justice. It’s just an enjoyable read.
Spectre #19 – One of the few good issue of the Hal Jordan Spectre era. Actually it’s one of the best of the series, probably a combination of Breyfogle’s art and the appearance of Darkseid.
The Great Darkness Saga – Very few Legion of Super-Heroes tales have been traded, but this is one of them. And it’s a must read. Basically it’s about Darkseid’s awakening in the 30th Century and how it’s brought about. This tale is one of the most critically acclaimed Legion tales. Seriously, if you only read one of the stories I’m recommending, this is the one.
Tim, do you have any Darkseid tales that you think are worth reading?
Two immediately spring to mind:
Cosmic Odyssey shows Darkseid and Highfather striking a truce to deal with a universe wide threat. Of course, this is Darkseid and all is not as it appears. By the end, we see what was really driving the granite faced one and gain an appreciation for how dangerous and quick witted he really is.
Rock of Ages (JLA 10-15) is overstuffed and a great example of the best and worst tendencies of Grant Morrison. However, each of the two stories (JLA vs. Luthor’s Injustice Gang, an alternate future where Darkseid has conquered Earth) contained within taken on their own are excellent. The Darkseid half features the time lost Aquaman, Flash, and Green Lantern attempted to take down Earth’s new ruler and return to their present time to make sure it never comes to be. Darkseid is massive, arrogant, and brilliant and I don’t think he’s ever been quite as scary.
Mark Poa can’t seem to remember what he was going to ask
I’ve got a question… Batman’s pretty angry by the League messing with his mind in Identity Crisis, yet I seem to remember that Hal Jordan used to do this regularly in the old Green Lantern stories. Heck, Superman has the kiss of amnesia thing going in Superman II (okay, that’s movie continuity, but still…). Who else in the DCU has resorted to mindwiping in the past or present?
Messing with minds is pretty commonplace in the DCU. As you pointed out in the Silver Age Green Lantern used to use his ring to erase the memories of people who found out he was Hal Jordan, be they coworkers, girlfriends or villains.
Superman was also known to use “super-hypnotism” to mess with minds, usually in order to protect his identity.
Over in The Flash during the Rogue War it was revealed (rectonned) that Barry Allen had Zatanna tinker with Top’s head. It resulted in driving him mad and causing him to mentally reform other Rogues (including Pied Piper and Trickster.)
Zatanna also did some recent mindwiping in Catwoman. Oh and Hal Jordan returned to his mindwiping ways in The Flash #200 when he restored Wally West’s secret identity, by making everyone forget about it.
Tim, where do you stand on mindwiping?
I have a pretty simple guide when it comes to mindwiping. There are three tenets:
Mindwipe a villain to make him forget your identity? Acceptable.
Mindwipe a villain to make him forget he’s a villain? Heart’s in the right place, but unacceptable.
Mindwipe a fellow hero to cover up your mistake because you know he’ll be mad? Indefensible.
It is just that easy.
Aaron wants to know if his parents or a faceless corporation really owns him
When a writer/artist creates a character, in general, how are the compensated for it? For example, Cyborg/Vic Stone was created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez. In 25 years, he’s appeared in DC related TV programming (Super Powers, Teen Titans) and he’s rumored to be on the JLA. Do artist/writers sign over the rights of characters to DC? Are they licensed to DC on a case by case basis? Or does DC own every character that appears in its pages, regardless of who created it? In general. Hee.
As near as I understand it, comic creators do their work as work for hire. They don’t own the characters, DC does. For the most part.
Occasionally DC does published creator owned characters. Fallen Angel used to be published by DC, but the characters in the book weren’t owned by DC, so when the book was canceled by DC, Peter David moved it to IDW. Bloodhound was also creator owned, but ended up in limbo.
Actually, Bloodhound is only partially creator owned at this time. At some point in the future however (next year, maybe) all rights revert back to the creator and you may see it somewhere else at that point.
But basically creators do sign away everything for the right to work. Vertigo is different as there are many creator owned titles (as well as revamped DC concepts.) Generally in the DCU things are owned completely by DC.
Creators do receive royalties for their work and even bonuses if their work surpasses sales figures.
Creator rights are a very prickly issue. Many believe that the reason “Superboy” isn’t referenced anymore is because of the ongoing litigation between the estates of Siegel and Schuster and DC. Carmine Infantino also tried to sue DC. Even Stan Lee has been in litigation with Marvel. And one of the issues with the Milestone Media characters is that DC didn’t own them outright, and that’s why they’re in limbo.
Tim, do you know anything about creator issues?
Probably not as much as I should. It is actually a very interesting thing: where creativity and corporations meet, how you can create something and still not own it, how should a creator be rewarded for a particularly popular creation even if it is a work for hire job and so on. Unfortunately, in additional to the moral questions (which interest me) there’s a lot of legalese (that doesn’t interest me at all). So, I should know more, but it is hard to motivate myself to look into it.
The column is over. You know the drill. Send me your questions or post them on our thread.
But before I go here’s my question to you; What did you think of Spider-Man 3?
“You are the girl that I never had, and I want to get to know you better.”
