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Multiversity’s 2019 Holiday Wishlist For DC

By | December 5th, 2019
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In a lot of ways, the holidays are about tradition. Everyone’s got ’em. It might be a family latke recipe, or getting together to watch Die Hard, or arranging the Christmas tree ornaments so the cats don’t knock them off the lowest branches. Here at Multiversity, we have an annual tradition of looking at shared comic book universes and politely ask them to do something differently. It’s one part new years resolution, one part gift giving- to us, every one!

Today we are looking at the most venerable of publishers, Detective Comics Comics, or DC Comics if you’re a normal person. Our staff loves DC characters, and we love DC stories, but there was a certain intangible feeling we were looking for, a special something that was missing. Through our suggestions, we try to get to the bottom of it, and we figure out what we’d love to see from DC in the new year.

Stronger Editorial Influence
Yes, you read that right. No, I did not misspell “lighter” for “stronger,” which means the top item on my DC wishlist is actually a stronger guiding hand from editorial. Let me be more specific: this is, by no means, a request to have changes on content (looking at you, Batman little friend), or to trim down on challenging topics, but rather to have a more coherent editorial line throughout DC. Where this is mostly perceived is on how different series seem completely disconnected from the occurrences throughout the line. Try to reconcile Batman´s whereabouts between “Detective Comics” or “Batman”. Of even Superman as he charges in “Justice League,” “Event Leviathan” or other appearances. While this is always a challenge for most popular characters, DC as of late seem to be working on an “island model” where pockets universes clash, instead of coexist. -Gustavo Lodi

More Neighborhoods, Less Islands
I recently finished reading the 1990s “Power of Shazam!” series and, through that and many of the books I read that tied into that, I was reminded of the way that the DC Universe felt in the post-“Zero Hour” timeframe. The overwhelming feeling you got from those series was that these heroes lived in real places, and their supporting casts were almost as important to the books as the titular characters. Jerry Ordway’s aforementioned Shazam title, Louise Simonson’s “Superman,” Geoff Johns’s “Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.,” and James Robinson’s “Starman” all established fully fledged cities that felt consistent, and allowed the guest stars of their comics to appear quite different in the light of their temporary environs.

The difference between this and how many current DC books operate is staggering. DC books are either islands that don’t touch the other comics coming out each month, or are so invested in being part of the ‘overall’ picture that they read generic when it comes to anything outside of the main character. The universe feels far less lived in than it has in the past, and that’s bad. With “Deathstroke” wrapped up as of yesterday, DC doesn’t have a book that really feels like a neighborhood – a place other characters could walk through and have an unique experience in. These books are incredibly important to establishing a tone for a shared universe. Bring ’em back. – Brian Salvatore

Make the 35th Anniversary of “Crisis on Infinite Earths” feel special
The overarching storyline of the current configuration of the DCU has drifted away from it’s Johnsian “DC Rebirth” beginnings into a doom-filled direction spearheaded by Scott Snyder’s vision. Almost every mainline title has crossed over in some way with the ‘Year of the Villain’ status quo set up by Snyder’s “Justice League” title, to mostly successful results. But if 2019 was the villains’ year, then what lies ahead in 2020? With “Doomsday Clock” promising to pull a proverbial curtain on Johns’ view of the universe and both Brian Bendis’s ‘Event Leviathan’ storyline and Snyder’s ‘Justice/Doom War’ both looking as though they’re not going to tie everything up in a neat bow by the time the new year hits, what better time to dovetail everything into DC’s next crisis? According to DC editorial, “Flashpoint”, “Convergence”, and “Dark Nights: Metal” all qualified as crisis-level events in DC history, but we haven’t had a crisis with the word “crisis” in the title since Grant Morrison’s “Final Crisis” in 2008. Will DiDio & company continue to make good on that title by balking at naming another crisis under their watch? I would argue that with the Monitor and Anti-Monitor already very much involved in Snyder’s story and the suggestions of reboot-ability that both he and Bendis’s meta-stories have been providing, there’s no better time than now to develop the next proper crisis. Pair this with the fact that 2020 will be the 35th anniversary of “Crisis on Infinite Earths” and the CW shows will be running their own version of that very crisis into the beginning of the new year, and DC would be leaving both money and newsworthiness on the table by not capitalizing. -Vince Ostrowski

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New (New) Justice
On February 5th, 2020 author Robert Venditti is working with artists Doug Mahnke and Jaime Mendoza for a new chapter in DC’s “Justice League” ongoing series with issue #40. After the epic final chapters into Scott Synder, James Tynion IV, Francis Manapul and Jorge Jimenez’s previous run, I’m curious to see where the publisher is going next. However, while Venditti has a good track record for turning in serviceable titles, I’m unsure if this is the next big “Justice League” push. To be quite honest, I’m not even saying it has to be. I’m just hoping that the publisher will pay attention and find something meaningful to say with the run no matter how short it is.

DC had a problem with the core title creatively since the beginning of Rebirth with Bryan Hitch and Tony Daniel’s derivative take on the property. Veteran comic book writer Christopher Priest even stumbled through a run with the excellent artist Pete Woods. Priest and Woods seemed like a more than capable creative team for the series but the ideas and execution did not merit an impressive storyline. I would also hate to see DC squander the title creatively for a couple of years in a fashion similar to “Wonder Woman.” The Justice League is DC’s premiere superhero team and deserves a creative vision that is cohesive. While Venditti, Mahnke, and Mendoza could be that team, I hope to see an ambitious debut or one that will serve the “Justice League” well. While the incoming creative team is not required to match the epic heights of the previous storyline, I want to see something akin to the focus and quality of Venditti’s excellent “Hawkman” ongoing series paired with Doug Mahnke art that is as good as the best pages from “Green Lantern.” -Alexander Jones

Resolicit the Rachel Pollack Doom Patrol cowards!
Why was this collection canceled? It’s the only one of that run not in print (sans the lead up to Morrison’s, which, to be honest, is worth a read only as a curio) and with the Golden and Silver age collections of Doom Patrol coming out right now, it may be the only run ever NOT in print. I don’t get it. There is a lot to love about the run, imperfect as it is and the plans to put it out were just kinda…pulled. With the success of the TV show and the Way/Lambert run over at Young Animal, it only makes sense to resolicit this thing and let the world read a Vertigo comic by one of the first high profile trans creators at the company. -Elias Rosner

Get you house in order!
The year of 2019 has been a tumultuous one for DC Comics. There have been numerous debacles; the mixed messaging of Black Label, Tom King’s controversial “Heroes in Crisis” and truncated “Batman” run, the obscenely delayed Geoff Johns projects, miscommunications between editorial and artists on the Bendis books, etc. In 2020, I wish for DC to hammer out a more cohesive vision for the line, one which incorporates their various visions into a cohesive world, something akin to the Hickman X-books, rather than this hodgepodge war between conflicting artistic visions. They’re arguably off to a good start with the blending of the “Year of the Villain,” “Justice/Doom War,” and “Leviathan” storylines. My hope is that once these threads reach their conclusion in whatever big Crisis comes next, the foundation will be established for something new and special, leading to my second wish… -Zach Wilkerson

Do 5G!
I anticipate this may be on a few others’ wishlists as well. Rumors and buzz about publishing initiatives rarely excite me these days, but I’ve maintained a relatively high level of anticipation for the supposed 5G changes and the accompanying updated timeline. 5G has the potential to tick off so many boxes for my DC Comics hopes and dreams; highlighting legacy characters, giving a platform to newly created characters, increasing diversity of the line and giving the illusion of progress. The idea of Naomi or Green Lantern Jo Mullein is just too good of an opportunity to pass up, in my expert opinion. This would also be a fantastic opportunity to highlight some of DC’s newer talent with high profile projects.

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I’ll add a caveat to this as well. DC should also use 5G to user in the Fifth World concept that Grant Morrison seemed to be preparing for in “Final Crisis.” This undeniably bold status quo change would give a plausible reason for the next generation to step up. It will probably never happen, but that’s what wish lists are for! -Zach Wilkerson

Release the 5G event already
Much has been said about the large 2020/2021 DC event that will help reframe the publishing line and bring certain events into focus, and new chapters on key character´s life into shape. And while rumours and speculation have run rampant on the concept of a new (“5G”) generation of heroes, the DC timeline, and how the new Snyder/Capullo saga will help shape it, we have heard little confirmation about it. As we head in 2020, one of the things I expect the most from DC is a guiding light towards this new era. -Gustavo Lodi

Feed Me that Good Good Noir
DC has been focusing pretty hard on culling its line of books, which is good, but that often means riskier, stranger books get left by the wayside. I was going to complain about the lack of variety in their line in refers to that but, you know what, there’s a really good range of comics coming out from them. Snyder is bringing the batshit insanity to the universe, Bendis provided the window into the Noir/street level books we’ve been craving. Tynion is digging into the horror of magic while Orlando is doing deep dives and returning J’onn to his Detective Roots. Deconnick is going mystical and the Sandman U is (mostly) scratching that horror/fairy tale itch. Hell, Jimmy Fucking Olson is back and better than ever thanks to Fraction/Lieber/Fairbairn/Cowles.

Wonder Comics has the bright eyes and young faces that feel perfect for an all-ages crowd, skewing middle grade and higher. Young Animal is just as weird and wacky and experimental as ever and the other books are doing that superhero genre (mostly) justice. And that’s just off the top of my head. DC has a wonderful breadth of genres and tones and so, my only complaint here is, let’s do more! Keep taking risks. Keep giving creators with cool ideas the space to explore them within the confines of a superhero book. But maybe make sure there is someone in hand to let them know when an idea is monumentally stupid. -Elias Rosner

Who’s watching the imprints?
In 2019, DC’s ‘Sandman Universe’ and ‘Hill House’ comics introduced a lot of new #1’s in DC’s publishing line. DC has room to condense and only introduce a few new titles at a time in these lines. Getting so much similar content so close to each other dilutes the interest I have in these imprints. If the main Sandman Universe title ‘The Dreaming’ was the only book in the line (at least at launch,) keeping up with the entire ‘Sandman Universe’ would be a lot easier.

At a certain point, DC is battling with shelf space against itself. The ‘Black Label’ Joker comic books also start to blur together and show a lack of focus for DC. Every comic book should feel special and unique. Titles need a more gradual build to establish themselves with readers before it is time to drop yet another similar series to comic book fans. Does DC really have the room to expand its publishing line with so many new horror series with Joe Hill’s ‘Hill House’ imprint? I wish more comics would follow suit in DC’s ‘Young Animal’ and ‘Wonder Comics’ and take the time to differentiate each title in the line while keeping a cohesive(ish) main theme. -Alexander Jones

Make sure “Doomsday Clock” was worth it
Thanks to a bevy of delays and a changing creative and editorial landscape in DC’s publishing line, it’s almost a certainty that “Doomsday Clock” didn’t 100% turn out the way Johns intended. It’s tough to lay the blame on any one person, as any delay on the creative end is the business of the creators, and any prompting of the DC editorial staff to make adjustments to the narrative as a result are completely understandable from a business perspective. That said, after going through all the trouble to drag the “Watchmen” characters into this, it would be a waste and a shame if nothing were to come of it. As much as I would like to personally ignore that “Watchmen” was ever a part of this, there’s no way DC can entirely ignore it going forward. The premise that DC needed its legacy characters back is a quality concept, and regardless of how they chose to get there, DC should absolutely not drop that particular narrative just because some of their other story plans have changed. Legacy is the heart of DC Comics, and while the publisher has been doing a lot of things well over the last few years, that particular aspect hasn’t been fully calibrated yet. Young Justice is still lost in the multiverse. Wally is still walled off in his own strange miniseries. The legacy of the DCU has returned, but I’d like to see them get to the front and center in 2020. -Vince Ostrowski

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It’s Black Label, Baby
Black Label, not as DC’s “mature” tag, baffles me. What’s it’s curation ideal? What types of books go under it? Is it a repository for Joker or Joker-adjacent books and a creator owned(?) eldritch horror Conan-esque fantasy story? Are the books in-canon, semi-canon, out-of-canon, or is that a pointless question? Who knows! DC certainly didn’t, which I believe is why they said, “Fuck it. Black Label is a maturity rating banner only.” That’s why Detective Comics Black Label Joe Hill presents Hill House Comics is under the same banner as “Batman: Dammed”: the De-Peened edition, the re-release of “Kingdom Come,” and a million fucking Joker books.

This might seem like the rambling of someone who is really into curated lines of comics that share a tone, ethos or approach ala Vertigo or Marvel Knights, and I am, but what I’m really driving at is that Black Label has no idea what it wanted to be or what it is. If it’s a mature imprint, go whole hog. Don’t censure your fucking books for implying that Batman might be hung. If you’re doing DC stories, do DC stories and put the other stuff in an imprint ala Joe Hill’s books. And, my biggest gripe, diversify the types of stories you approve!

How many of this first batch are Joker or Harley stories? That’s no knock on the quality of them but of the first wave of Black Label books, six were of that category (“Harleen,” “Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity,” “Joker: Killer Smile,” “Batman: Damned,” “Batman: Curse of the White Knight,” “Batman: Last Knight on Earth”) while a paltry two were not (Superman: Year One,” “The Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage.”) That’s three quarters y’all! Hell, before the year is out, we’re gonna get ANOTHER Miller Batman book (at least it’s not a Joker related one.) Oh, and finally the DeConnick “Wonder Woman” book, so there’s that at least. -Elias Rosner

Don’t Think “Legion of Super-Heroes” Fills Your Diversity Quota
One of the many good things that Brian Bendis has done since coming to DC is to take the Legion of Super-Heroes and try, explicitly, to make the group more than just space white kids. This should be applauded. That said, DC still has a lot of work to do creating a more diverse set of characters across their entire line, not simply relying on the Legion to be the face of DC’s diversity.

There are already a number of characters that could be better utilized in the line, whether LGBTQA+ (Kate Kane, Mikal Tomas, Obsidian, Renee Montoya) or non-white (Jessica Cruz, Luke Fox, August General in Iron, any number of Batman, Inc. members) or disabled (Jericho, Freddie Freeman). Make them more important pieces of the overall universe. Or, better yet, introduce new characters that aren’t simply white dudes. If 5G is for real, the line should be far more representative of our world in 2019, not the white-washed version that often populates comics. – Brian Salvatore

Justice for Shazam!
“Shazam!” #9 is scheduled to publish on Dec. 18 this means readers only saw the publication of seven issues this calendar year so far. 2019 was also the year that the “Shazam!” film debuted. It was disappointing to not see the protagonist receive a higher profile or even a comic book that was shipped to stores on-time. To be fair, Billy Batson was infected by The Batman Who Laughs but that is arguably not the Batson story that fans of the DC film or property are yearning for. Thankfully, writer Geoff Johns has crafted incredibly world-building with the title that will serve the Shazam! mythology overall. Also, the art and writing across the series are at a high caliber. However, the publishing delays on the title show a lack of confidence and planning from DC. If the book was structured like a mini-series that shipped periodically DC’s messaging for the hero would be clear. With a line of comics growing in popularity, why has DC not expanded the supporting cast into any separate titles? This would also be a great time for DC to use the character for a Black Label series with an A-List creator. There are so many exciting ways that Shazam! could have been better utilized at DC Comics in 2019 and I hope that 2020 will be a year to bridge that gap. With Shazam: Shishito Peppers on the horizon, I hope the publishing slate will feature a lot more Shazam! in 2020. – Alexander Jones

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Bring “Far Sector” into the greater DCU
Remember when there were 4-5 Green Lantern titles running at the same time and the corps was a major cornerstone of the DCU meta-narrative? As much as I love Grant Morrison and Liam Sharp’s “The Green Lantern” for all its high concept weirdness and historical eccentricities, N.K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell’s “Far Sector” is truly the shot in the arm that a stagnant corner of the DCU needed. Jo Mullein is a refreshing protagonist, both possessing a pleasing visual style and an enigmatic personality, waiting to be explored further. In just one issue, I’m already more invested in her story than I have probably ever been in the other new green lanterns, Jess and Simon (who in particular has all but been entirely forgotten by DC editorial). With a background as a fantasy/sci-fi novelist, Jemisin brings a unique talent to the DCU (a move that somewhat mirrors what Marvel has done over the last few years in bringing a couple prose writers in to write comics) and already shows a knack for writing for the sequential visual medium. DC would be remiss if they didn’t incorporate Jo into the greater DCU in some way, and maybe even try to keep Jemisin around beyond this miniseries. I haven’t been this energized by a lantern title blazing a new trail since Geoff Johns’ run, where he was creating new characters and lore seemingly every month. -Vince Ostrowski

Hire More Women
DC has a lot of high profile men and very, very, very, very, very few women on their books. I’m not counting cover art in this, because if I did the number of women working creatively at DC would quadruple, a fact that is quite sad. The Beat did this analysis for the first quarter of 2019 and, while the numbers may have shifted a bit since, the disparity is staggering. DC, please make 2020 the year you make a concerted effort to diversify your talent pool. Hire more women. Hire more non-binary individuals. More trans creators, like Lilah Sturges or Magdalene Vissagio, two previous DC creators. Hire more people who don’t fit the mold you’ve cast and you’ll not only have better stories, you’ll have a broader perspective from which to cast a universe. -Elias Rosner

And For the Love of God, Don’t Re-Release All Star Batman and Robin
A caveat to my Black Label research. If Wikipedia isn’t lying, then please DC, please don’t re-release this atrocious book under Black Label. You undercut all credibility to the original mission. It’s not worth it. -Elias Rosner

Don’t Fuck Up the JSA
It appears that next year we will, finally, get a Justice Society of America title, after a long hiatus. While the characters, obviously, have roots in the Golden Age, most people, like me, who have been clamoring for a JSA book are really nostalgic for the 90s/00s version of the book, where the older generation of heroes is able to train and mentor a new brand of heroes. This is the cornerstone of DC’s legacy, the concept that (supposedly) was going to drive ‘Rebirth’ before, you know, Tom King fucked it all up by having the most prominent legacy character kill a bunch of folks.

But if 5G is a thing, I think a really clever way to handle an influx of new heroes would be to allow the JSA to act as mentors in an active way. “Justice League” has been the flagship book of DC for a long time now; let “Justice Society” be the place where old and new come together in the 5G world. If DC really wants to distance itself from Marvel and present a true alternative, their generations are the way to do that. Marvel simply doesn’t have the same clearly defined sets of period-specific characters that DC does. By allowing the generations to remain unique, but work together, would finally be allowing DC to live up to its ‘Rebirth’ promise, just a scant 5 years later. – Brian Salvatore


//TAGS | 2019 Year in Review

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