#take out the whole dcu next and it’s only arrowfam left | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fantastic-nonsense · 2 years

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Hey a friend of mine linked me these two twitter posts (actually looking at them again one of these might actually be you!) and I was actually really surprised to see this information. I really enjoy reading your comic opinions and so I was wondering if you had more detailed thoughts that you wanted to write out, or a rant to go on :D. Especially seeing as your such a big fan of the Batfam. https://twitter.com/wordsandsense/status/1576264169736675333 https://twitter.com/RobynZComics/status/1576331557169954816

lmao yes, the first one is me. This is a funny coincidence, but comic twitter is a fairly small place (all things considered) so it was bound to happen eventually. Anyway yes, welcome to my rant on the state of DC Comics' publishing slate and why their entire management and creative decision-making structure sucks right now.

The long and short of it is that DC's current publication slate is incredibly depressing to look at and think about. There are only 16 main DCU ongoings and all but 4 of them (Action Comics, Son of Kal-El, Flash, and Wonder Woman) star either Bat or Gotham-based characters (the sole exception, Deathstroke Inc., is ending next month and is still technically Bat-adjacent due to Shadow War). While the various limited series are more varied, they're still incredibly Bat-heavy: 9 are explicitly Bat books and an additional 4 are "whole DCU titles" that nonetheless still primarily star Bat characters. Mind you, DC is only publishing 54 total titles total right now across their ongoings, limited series, and Black Label imprint label, meaning that a full half of all DC books being published right now are Gotham-based books.

Meanwhile, what's not being published? In terms of ongoings, there's no Green Lantern, Arrowfam, Aquafam, or Marvelfam books at all. No magic user books. No Suicide Squad or New Gods books. No Titans book. No JUSTICE LEAGUE books. Only two Superfam books, one Wonder book, and one Flash book. And even when you look at the limited series DC is publishing, you're left with a rather paltry offering of character, team, and family diversity. It's an absolute mess.

The fact that we've known Lian Harper was alive since 2019 and Roy since 2020 and they still have not reunited is absurd. The fact that we're only getting a Conner Kent mini because he won the Round Robin poll and there's not a Supergirl ongoing after Woman of Tomorrow was a critical and commercial hit is nonsense. The fact that nearly every teen hero who isn't a) Jon Kent, b) a Bat or b) the YJ Core Four is basically absent from the comics right now is ridiculous. The fact that the only space-centric book we have is Action Comics' Warworld Saga is absolutely bizarre. The Milestone characters only having one current miniseries (Blood Syndicate) and one planned mini (Static) after DC trumpeted their triumphant return earlier last year is obscene. And the fact that the entire magic side of the DCU is being repped solely by a 4-issue Mary Marvel mini and the Batman vs. Robin mini starring a possessed Damian is just insulting.

Yes, I'm a huge Batfam fan. But I love a lot of DC's characters; I read DC over Marvel primarily because I'm drawn to the richness of DC's worldbuilding and the incredible backbench of characters in their universe. There's not a main Justice League ongoing right now because of Dark Crisis, and that's a purposeful creative decision, but the fact that it wasn't replaced by a Titans ongoing (at minimum) and there aren't any JL-affiliated ongoings PERIOD is just insane considering the number of adult and young adult heroes in the DCU.

When the Core League has previously disappeared/died/become unavailable for some reason, other characters and groups stepped up. We have the JLI. There's Justice League Europe. The JSA exists. The Titans exist. Even if the characters in-universe didn't want to form a new Justice League after the 'deaths' of the Core 7, there are other groups willing and ready to step up and take their place. The fact that DC execs have refused to utilize and capitalize on that is, frankly, a dereliction of duty. The Titans were supposed to be front and center during this event; instead, all DC's done is blow up the Tower (again) and relegate all of the characters to appearing only in the Dark Crisis books...none of which seem to be affecting the larger DCU apart from the events happening in the Flash book.

The current state of events also really obscures the fact that the countless Bat books doesn't necessarily mean "all Bat fans are eating like kings" even as it makes it incredibly hard to complain about the little content we are getting for the rest of them (because at least we're getting content, right?). BRUCE WAYNE fans (and to a certain extent Dick Grayson fans) are eating like kings. The rest of us, especially if we're fans of female Bats? It's like leading us to an ocean and telling us to drink. So much water but none of it was made for us to drink 😭

And before I get a "but Batman is what sells, so obviously that's what DC is going to make" from someone, stop. Batman books sell well because DC has invested the time, effort, money, marketing power, and creative capacity into growing that brand for multiple decades. They have hired well-regarded writers to pump out story after story, marketed those stories properly, and created non-comics media that raised the profiles (and thus marketability) of those characters. These are things which they have refused to do for basically every other character except Superman..but they COULD do it, if they were so inclined.

In the current comics distribution model, all of the core DC families and their two big teams (the Justice League and the Titans/Teen Titans) should always have at least one ongoing. I consider that a basic requirement of an even moderately successful comic book company. DC creating a situation where nearly all of their ongoings and a full half of their entire slate is Bat books indicates that they have failed to understand the need to spread their eggs out over multiple baskets. If they don't diversify their publishing and development slate, they're far more likely to tank if something happens to their cash cow. Which it will, inevitably, because of creative boom and bust cycles. DC's creative execs need to be ready when the Bat bust happens and so far...it looks like they're not.

#I have a semi-connected but separate rant about what DC is functionally doing wrong and what they actually need to be doing instead #but that's a different topic for another time #dc comics #dc fanwank #long post #asks #comics #batman #justice league #superman

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