tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post2053323063339116987..comments2024-03-27T19:04:14.544-05:00Comments on The Absorbascon: "May God bless and keep Dan DiDio..."Scipiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16217376618860561999noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-61208603750246293512020-02-25T16:37:14.127-05:002020-02-25T16:37:14.127-05:00Part of the problem for me with DC and the DCU ove...Part of the problem for me with DC and the DCU over DiDio's term was his shoving "hot" characters down our throats, whether we wanted them or not. I'd like to see a two- or three-year moratorium on anyone using Harley Quinn or the Joker. Do we really need five Harley books every month? (If there aren't that many, it sure seems like it.)<br /><br />I'll stipulate both that this isn't unique to DC (Marvel's been overexposing Deadpool, Mary Jane, Gwen Stacy, and Spider-Man forever) and that playing a hot hand subsidizes (far better) things like SPJO and Dial H (I'll exempt Marvel from that, because--outside of the annotated Marvels--I can't think of anything from the House of Ideas that wasn't a blatant ripoff of something DC did the previous year or even worth reading), I'm beyond tired of seeing those books on the stands.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14383234713692495686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-47184934524640514802020-02-25T16:29:56.804-05:002020-02-25T16:29:56.804-05:00Honestly, "content farm" sounds perfect ...Honestly, "content farm" sounds perfect for a comic book company. DC has often tried to focus all its attention on the same handful of characters and stories (basically, everything trends toward the early Silver Age with more embellishments, sometimes the mid-Bronze Age) to its detriment, with literally thousands of other characters they could market to a wider audience. As a "comics guy," there are risks Didio was never going to take. But as a proving ground for bigger-budget productions, there's a lot more flexibility.<br /><br />Though in all fairness, I suspect Didio may have been starting to realize that, albeit too little and too late. For all the cliched ploys (<b>DCeased</b>, <b>Metal</b>), quirky ideas like <b>Jimmy Olsen</b> and <b>Dial H for HERO</b> have been poking their heads out, too, for the first time in decades. That's what farming for content looks like.<br /><br />And Ursolin, to be fair, <i>We Got This Covered</i> has apparently been boldly predicting the impending demise of the Arrowverse since Barry Allen showed up, with all the rumors in this case seemingly traced to Ethan van Scrivner claiming that DC would close shop, and he's probably one of the few people in the industry I'd consider a less-reliable source than Rob Liefeld. So...grains of salt, especially when Warner Media desperately needs to compete with the MCU.John Chttps://john.colagioia.net/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-67300970971050113032020-02-25T14:42:17.426-05:002020-02-25T14:42:17.426-05:00What greater symbol of hope can the DCU have than ...What greater symbol of hope can the DCU have than the idea that Rob Liefeld might see something correctly?<br /><br />"Didio at least was a comics guy. There's a chance whoever comes in next is not. There's a chance the new DC will be someone who doesn't care about comics at all except as a some sort of content farm for movies and videogames."<br /><br />I have considered this recently. And I have come to an unexpected conclusion: GOOD.<br /><br />What did "Didio is at least a comics guy" get us? 20 years of trying to remake comics to his own tastes. What does a content farmer in a suit care about? That the properties maintain recognizability with the public in a consistent way across platforms.<br /><br />Bring on the content farmers, I say.Scipiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12112155718721908876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-57638095298286739162020-02-25T12:42:49.684-05:002020-02-25T12:42:49.684-05:00Sorry, the last URL was wrong - this is the grave ...Sorry, the last URL was wrong - this is the grave threat I wanted to mention:<br /><br />https://wegotthiscovered.com/comicbooks/marve-rumored-dc-comics/Ursolin Waxohnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-65919046568858023172020-02-25T12:39:35.019-05:002020-02-25T12:39:35.019-05:00Scipio, your post is very well argued as always, a...Scipio, your post is very well argued as always, and I can't really find faults in your reasoning. However, remember - "when the gods want to punish us, they answer our prayers". <br />Consider - and tremble!:<br /><br />- who else is celebrating Didio's firing? The Rob is. The Rob agrees with you on the direction of DC comics:<br /><br />https://www.bleedingcool.com/2020/02/22/rob-liefeld-celebrates-dan-didios-dc-departure/<br /><br />- Didio at least was a comics guy. There's a chance whoever comes in next is not. There's a chance the new DC will be someone who doesn't care about comics at all except as a some sort of content farm for movies and videogames. <br /><br />- And then there's this: <br /><br />https://www.bleedingcool.com/2020/02/22/rob-liefeld-celebrates-dan-didios-dc-departure/<br /><br />Ursolin Waxohnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-11029051154119700132020-02-25T05:02:10.279-05:002020-02-25T05:02:10.279-05:00I have no real love for DiDio (I always regretted ...I have no real love for DiDio (I always regretted not pushing him into traffic at a Wondercon about ten years ago ...), I couldn't disagree with you more about those horrific Hanna-Barbera books (which tried to lade layers of meaning and metaphor onto characters that could never handle those burdens--that Snagglepuss travesty is the worst example of that) or Bendis on Superman. I found his act at Marvel tiresome, but was surprised at how much I've enjoyed what he's doing with Clark. Is it what Wait or Busiek (or Pasko or Maggin) would have done? No. But I still find it an entertaining book, and that's all I can ask for.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14383234713692495686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-70164686353253610002020-02-24T22:58:52.849-05:002020-02-24T22:58:52.849-05:00Thanks for the reply, Scipio. :-)
If "the en...Thanks for the reply, Scipio. :-)<br /><br />If "the entire internet has...covered" King's Crimes, I can probably locate detailed discussions of them somewhere if I can just maintain interest long enough to AND oops, it's gone. It'll be back, though. ;-) Thanks again.<br /><br />cybridhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08788036470551505985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-4407456027927146342020-02-24T16:06:58.825-05:002020-02-24T16:06:58.825-05:00"What gets me is how Geoff Johns has been in ..."What gets me is how Geoff Johns has been in charge of, what, at least three major events where the theme was, "the universe is too grim and gritty and we need to fix that". (Final Crisis, Rebirth, and Doomsday Clock) All that was required at any point in this was for writers to write better stories, not to blame the bad writing on fictional characters."<br /><br />Indeed.Scipiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12112155718721908876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-10463829952290537002020-02-24T14:49:59.250-05:002020-02-24T14:49:59.250-05:00What gets me is how Geoff Johns has been in charge...What gets me is how Geoff Johns has been in charge of, what, at least three major events where the theme was, "the universe is too grim and gritty and we need to fix that". (Final Crisis, Rebirth, and Doomsday Clock) All that was required at any point in this was for writers to write better stories, not to blame the bad writing on fictional characters.<br /><br />Dan Didio was at the helm when Superman lost most of his powers, was hated and feared by the masses, got a bad haircut, rode around on a motorcycle, and got into fights with cops. That's not Superman, that's Wolverine.<br /><br />There are three things essential to a good Superman story, and in a good week, "Supergirl" on TV hits all three effortlessly:<br /><br />- Superman cares about EVERYONE, be it strangers, criminals, or even his sworn enemies.<br />- Superman tries to inspire people to be the best versions of themselves.<br />- Superman uses his powers creatively.<br /><br />The Didio era doesn't have much of that in it. How do you get Superman wrong and consider yourself worthy of helming DC Comics?<br /><br />(Scipio, if you're looking for a series idea, how about a "Three Things" series, where you offer your thoughts on the three elements that are almost mandatory for a good story about a given character. Here's my three for Hal Jordan: brave and dedicated bordering on the foolhardy, an unorthodox thinker in battle but otherwise kind of dim, doesn't solve things just with the ring.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-39963626589460569872020-02-24T11:10:30.561-05:002020-02-24T11:10:30.561-05:00Cybrid: "Tom King and the Crimes Against Batm...Cybrid: "Tom King and the Crimes Against Batman" is the name of my next punk bank.<br />In short,Tom King has been working out his PTSD problems using Batman and Wally West, making them appear increasingly broken as people. This is not popular among fans. It's consistent with DiDio's 'heroes don't get to be happy" philosophy which is also not popular with fans.Scipiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12112155718721908876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-53479176735760945242020-02-24T10:26:09.540-05:002020-02-24T10:26:09.540-05:00Firstly, let me echo your sentiment: Scooby Doo Te...Firstly, let me echo your sentiment: Scooby Doo Team-Up was BRILLIANT. If Sholly Fisch masterminded a Hanna-Barbera comic-book universe, I would abandon the rest of DC without ever looking back. Jimmy Olsen is a great book, but it doesn't fill the Team-Up void. But it's still better than virtually every other DC title. <br /><br />Secondly, as you often do, you perfectly encapsulated the problem with auteur (I frequently refer to them as "super-star" writers). Doing things TO the characters rather than FOR the characters is something I've struggled to articulate for years. <br /><br />Thirdly, the fact that established characterization allows writers to focus on plot rather than misapplied "characterization" is an old problem with me. Comics, at their core, should focus on plot and storyline. They are a heavily visual medium and I simply can't read Bendis' work any more, because it's page after page of stilted and unfocused conversation. I'm sure that's much easier to write than actually coming up with a story, but I don't care to pay for it. Bryan Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04358102127982954750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-34324321593382467362020-02-24T07:01:16.557-05:002020-02-24T07:01:16.557-05:00"Tom King and his Crimes Against Batman (does..."Tom King and his Crimes Against Batman (does anyone REALLY need ME to expound on this, when the entire internet has it covered?)"<br /><br />Well, I haven't paid attention to "contemporary" goings-on at DC for over twelve years now (I'm here mostly for your discussions of pre-Crisis stuff) and a quick Google search of "Tom King" and "Crimes Against Batman" yields almost nothing, so, while I don't "need" anyone to expound on the topic, I certainly wouldn't MIND if someone felt like doing it. :-)cybridhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08788036470551505985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11737441.post-87883389831592349612020-02-22T15:10:02.533-05:002020-02-22T15:10:02.533-05:00The two earliest memories I have of Didio at DC (a...The two earliest memories I have of Didio at DC (as an editor of some sort) were his assertions that "fun books don't sell" (because if there's anything superhero fans hate, it's <i>fun</i>, I guess) and that his vision for the DC Trinity was Superman and Batman as the extremes and Wonder Woman as philosophically between them (because "iconic moderation" is totally a thing). And I know the former thought continued up until recently, because one of those Hanna-Barbera books was pitched as a mainstream DCU story--I forget which character--but Didio saw it as insufficiently grim for superheroes and offered up a kids' cartoon character, instead.<br /><br />So yeah, he's not exactly an optimal leader. And that doesn't even get into his crappy management skills, inability/disinterest in stopping harassment, "competing" with his writers for stories, and a bunch of other things that should've gotten him fired years ago. Unfortunately, the Twitter roundups of writers talking about how great Didio is makes me think that he already has a high-profile job lined up where a writer might need his goodwill; either that, or he's surrounded himself with self-absorbed writers who only care that he gave them work.<br /><br />I disagree on comics needing to only pretend to change, though. That was how television imagined itself, too, until <b>Twin Peaks</b> and <b>Babylon 5</b> showed that you could have non-resetting plot advancement over time outside of a soap opera. Today, even the Arrowverse has managed to keep plugging along with characters changing for eight years and shows that don't push the ball forward are laughable. Plus, if you want to be a pro-continuity person, continuity without change is why we now get a reboot every few years, trying to revise everybody's origins so that Batman doesn't need to be a senior citizen to manage all the Robins' history. The reason that the JSA works so well (no matter how much Didio resisted and resented them) is that, in introducing the Silver Age characters, they were free to live their fictional lives.John Chttps://john.colagioia.net/noreply@blogger.com