C2E2 2017, DC Comics Rebirth and Dark Nights: Metal Aftermath Spoilers follow with Top 10 Dark Matter Secrets Revealed By Dan DiDio, Jim Lee & John Romita Jr.!
C2E2 / Diamond Comic Distributor’s Retailer Summit press roundtable with DC Comics Co-Publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee as well as Dark Matter artists John Romita, Jr., Greg Capullo and Andy Kubert revealed more on Dark Matter.
Here are the Top 10 tidbits from the presser on Dark Matter.
- (10) The Dark Matter titles will present new characters / concepts creative in true collaboration by artist and writers with a stylistic flair with Jim Lee, DC Co-Publisher and a Dark Matter artist, indicating that “All this stuff is set in the DC Universe,” but that they weren’t necessarily super-hero stories, but they co-exist in same world as DC Rebirth.
- (9) Dan DiDio, DC Comics Co-Publisher and a Dark Matter writer followed up by noting that Dark Matter is “a style and tone of comic book storytelling that embraces what we know and love about comics… classic storytelling themes like secret identities and the price of power will merge with fanciful new worldbuilding opportunities that are bigger than anything seen on a movie screen.”
- (8) Diversity was not an editorial mandate, but diverse characters sprung out organically from the Dark Matter creators.
- (7) Dan Didio also noted that “Rebirth was satisfying the old fanbase. Dark Matter is about building new fans.”
- (6) Didio believes that the combination of top artists with solid writers doing new concepts firmly in the DC universe will attract readers as there will be no “no preconceived notions.”
- (5) Dan DiDio indicated that more diverse creative teams will be coming to Dark Matter, but for the first wave of titles, DC was “Counting on folks who have a track record to do this for us.”
- (4) Dan Didio indicated that the “The names [of artists] sell [comics], and it’s important for us to lean on them to be as confident as possible” and that Dark Matter was in the works before Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso got major heat after indicating that only 2 of Marvel’s artists can actually “move the needle“ of comic book sales.
- (3) Dark Matter artist John Romita Jr. went further stating that “People have the impression that writers are the gods of this process; they are not… I actually take offense to that notion. The notion that artists can’t move the needle is insane. I think saying that about a writer too is insane. It’s collaboration.”
- (2) Didio explained further that “What we want to do is instill a style of storytelling and sensibility that works for Dark Matter, but can also work in the DCU as well“.
- (1) Dan Didio also noted that each Dark Matter will have a $2.99 price point, be monthly and will ship with only one covers stating that “This is a starting point for fans and a starting point for the characters, and you want it to have one thing for people to own… We want this one book to be as accessible to as many people as possible.”
Pretty interesting times ahead.
