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.
Bring the Bat Family Back to Prominence
Let’s be honest: DC Comics is going to publish more Batman books than anything else. There’s no escaping it, it’s simply a fact of life. If that is the expectation, then there isn’t any reason that they shouldn’t delve deeply into Batman’s extended family. A variant cover for “Batman” #106 from Jorge Jimenez seen above promises pretty much every member of the bat family will have a role in 2021, but it remains to be seen whether this will be lip service or not. After all, you could technically say that Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Tim Drake all had roles around the DCU in 2020, but they almost didn’t feel a part of Batman’s cast at all. And while stories have promised to include Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain as co-Batgirls, they deserve to have their own books in the Gotham sphere of influence, rather than to be relegated to background fodder. DC Comics looks to be publishing less books across the board, if early 2021 solicitations are any indication. That means they’re going to have to be a little choosier when it comes to what they publish, but there’s no reason they can’t have a lively and diverse slate of titles, even if they’re mostly relegated to Gotham City. – Vince Ostrowski
Hire. Less. White. Men.
This is a call to do this at all levels, from the creative staff (writers, illustrators, colorists, letterers) to editorial to their TV & movies staff. I wanted to single out a group to hire more of in the title but, hell, it’s more a matter of making a concerted effort to hire people who better reflect the world outside my window than the world inside a gated community. That said, hiring more Black creators and especially editorial staff would be a much needed start.
DC has a shit show of a year. From AT&T laying off just. . .so many people at Warner Media across two rounds of layoffs, which then brought reports of deeply rooted racist hiring and promotional practices, it’s clear something needs fixing at DC, even more so than at Marvel (which is saying something.)
While the ‘Future State’ initiative and beyond looks like a step in the right direction, and the editorial lay-offs hopefully allowed for DC to put their money where their mouth was and exorcise long-time editors that prevented systemic change, I remain skeptical. I mean, remember the reports of female writers being left out of huge DC summits and then having to re-write their books on the fly? (I couldn’t find the original thread so if anyone can, please do.)
Yeah, DC needs to fix a lot. Let’s hope this is the year they start. – Elias Rosner
Get the JSA right
By all accounts, we are seeing a return of the Justice Society of American in 2021, though we’ve been saying that for quite literally 5 years now, since their tease in “DC Universe: Rebirth “#1. To me, the JSA and the Teen Titans are the crux of DC, with both representing the legacy of their characters in different and exciting ways. While there have been bad Teen Titans periods (I’m looking at you, mid 90s Dan Jurgens), there has been a consistency, though not always in name, to the Titans concept. The JSA, on the other hand, has come and gone too many times to count. The last time they really were present, was the tail end of a decade or so long revival, which produced the best JSA stories of all time.
Continued belowI am not advocating for necessarily trying to recreate that series, because it seems unlikely to hit blackjack twice with the same formula, but getting the JSA right is hugely important. What does ‘right’ mean? It means honoring the legacy of the original superheroes from the Golden Age, while also being a place to train and develop new heroes. Because the book has been dormant for so long, there may be an opinion that these characters aren’t needed or essential at DC. That’s bullshit. Prove the haters wrong by getting this team right. – Brian Salvatore
Bring Back Comet The Super-Horse
In the “Justice League” tie-in issues to “Dark Knights: Death Metal,” there came a horse clip-clopping into frame. It was a metal horse, a magic horse. It was Comet, baby! But not the Comet all my silver-age, Supergirl friends remember. No, this was some minor reference, Comet taken apart then built back up. It was not the one and true Comet The Super-Horse. In 2021, what I need more than anything, what America needs more than anything else, what the world needs more than anything is the return of Comet The Super-Horse. Throw him in “Superman,” “Supergirl,” “Action Comics,” “Justice League.” Throw him in “Teen Titans” and “Batman.” Throw him in every title you can. Give him his own title. Give him his own event. Make 2021: The Year of Comet The Super-Horse. We need a little bit of this kind of neighborly action-adventure in our life again after such a dark year. – Jacob Cordas
Bring Back John Constantine: Hellblazer
Please DC! PLEASE! This series was so fucking good and so timely and why did it have to end!? Please let it come back post Future State with the old team. It deserves a second lease on life. – Elias Rosner
Downsizing
DC, Warner Bros, AT&T were arguably public enemy #1 in comics this year. The conglomerate made headlines when it dramatically cut ties with Diamond, a move that many thought would herald the death of the direct market (it hasn’t, yet). The company then had two major waves of layoffs. This, coming in the midst of a global pandemic, wasn’t the best look.
DC clearly seems to be making big adjustments to its publishing line. There seems to be a much bigger focus on digital first/digital exclusive content. Their solicited print line in March 2021 will be the smallest it has been in years. With how volatile the market has proven to be, this is any understandable step. In fact, I’ve been clamoring for a smaller “main DCU” line for years. Twenty titles or less is much more reasonable in the current market. However, my wish is that DC will not throw out their fantastic talent with the bathwater. The fear of a future dominated by creatively bereft, continuity-lite comics seemed a clear possibility earlier in the year. That said, the line-up following ‘Future State’ seems very promising, in some ways even more so than ‘Rebirth.’ If DC can trim down the line and make a push towards digital content while also continuing to foster strong, unique creatives like Gene Luen Yang, Joelle Jones or Ram V *and* ushering in the creators of tomorrow, good on them. – Zachary Wilkerson
Digital First Showcase ’21
All signs point to DC culling their line a bit, to limit the number of books published each month. While this is a bummer in a lot of ways, it is an understandable move and, as Zach just pointed out, could lead to some good stuff if the right creators are involved. But there is a way to embrace both an old DC tradition and a modern strategy, still limit the line, and not give up on introducing new characters or breaking in new talent: bring back “Showcase.”
“Showcase” was a DC staple for years, usually with a year attached to it, and the book would feature one-shots, serialized stories, and event tie-ins in an anthology format. The problem with titles like this is usually sales, but with DC embracing more digital first titles, this could be slightly mitigated. This is a great way to prove proof of concept for a new character, or to revive a long forgotten one. New creators can try out their projects or prove their mettle in a relatively risk-free environment.
Continued belowThis allows DC to have their cake and eat it too – a smaller line, but one that allows for more innovation and diversity, both on and off the page, than we’ve seen as of late. I’d take it a few steps further, mandating a certain level of diversity on the title, but I’d worry that DC would see this as a victory in and of itself, and not be more diverse outside of the title, because of it being the token minority lead book. Regardless, this is the type of move that just makes too much sense, and so DC will never do it. But a boy can dream, can’t he? – Brian Salvatore
Don’t Let Your Imprints Die
The best part about DC since Rebirth began was a new commitment to imprints.
Bendis headed up two (Wonder Comics & Jinxworld) while Young Animal consistently brought the weird and wacky (and socially relevant) to the line. Hill House was a curated creepshow that had a truly stellar line-up of books and a pirate back up??? Sandman Universe was maybe the most hit-or-miss but revisiting each of these magic-infused and storyteller driven titles was well worth the rough patches. Black Label…well, I already talked at length about that mess but it’s been a good centering ground for places where DC books can say fuck.
Each had a character all its own and if you never wanted to touch a book outside of the lines, other than Wonder Comics which bled rather heavily into Bendis’ other titles, you could and be satisfied. I hope that the end of the Didio era doesn’t kill them and that they are allowed to return in the future, full of life and wonder and weirdness and fun and horror and magic.
Even if we just get a Jo Mullein ongoing, I’d be satisfied. Though I will always crave more “Dial H.” Feed me more DC. FEED ME MORE. -Elias Rosner
Tap into the spirit of the 90s
When people mention comics from the 90s, images of die-cut and holographic foil covers, scantily cladded female heroes wielding big guns, and gimmick events likely pop into your head. And yes, those things did happen in the 1990s, but DC also experienced the most sustained period of creativity within their main line during this era, without skimping on either innovation or sales.
Yes, Batman’s back got broken in ‘Knightfall,’ but that story also saw the ascendance of Azrael, saw Dick Grayson don the Bat-suit for the first time, saw Tim Drake establish himself as Robin, and gave Gotham City its most three-dimensional, well rounded era up to that point. Books like “Gotham Central” could not have blossomed later on without the rich soil of the Bat-books in the 90s. Superman died, and we got Kon-El and Steel, who are still major Super characters 25 years later. The JSA returned, but brought with it new versions of Starman, Hourman, Mister Terrific, and Doctor Mid-Nite, establishing the JSA as a multi-generational team that is truly unique in modern comics. Kyle Rayner was the only Green Lantern for a good chunk of the 90s, and he revitalized the title so much that he lost the gig to Hal Jordan a few years later.
This is what the post-‘Future State’ landscape could be like. We still have books starring Clark Kent and Diana Prince, but there’s no reason why we also can’t have Jon Kent and Yara Flor playing major roles. In the 90s, there was a sense that while we had to honor the old heroes, it was equally important to make new ones.
Looking at the releases from 22 years before the ‘Future State’ status quo begins (ignore the WildStorm books retroactively put into this category), we see a really diverse line: lots of team books with unusual casts, solo books for legacy characters, and some experiments of varying success. It has been a very long time since a new character, not directly tied to a member of the Trinity or the Justice League, got their own new title. “Resurrection Man,” “Young Heroes in Love,” “Xero,” “Sovereign Seven,” “Man Called Ax,” “Major Bummer,” “Hitman,” and “Chronos” were all being published in 1998 and, while most of those are forgettable comics churn, “Resurrection Man,” “Major Bummer,” and “Hitman” are enduring titles that people now adore and lament their cancelation.
Continued belowThe point is that, even if the experiments fail, to not try them is creatively lazy and shows an unwillingness to push stories forward. I know I’m cherry picking a time with some of my favorite books of all time were coming out – “JSA,” “Starman,” “The Power of Shazam,” the Ron Marz “Green Lantern” – but from 1994-2003 or so, there was a sense that the DC Universe was a place in motion, with fluidity in the line and the characters it presented. After that, there was a stasis of new creation, with obvious exceptions, that we are still mired in today. Break those bonds. The dream of the 90s can be alive in DC. – Brian Salvatore
Don’t Give Up on the Spirit of Future State
Jim Lee made an explicit point to say that ‘5G’ or a “replacement of heroes” wasn’t on the table for a post-“Death Metal” status quo. But lo and behold, something kind of resembling the 5G rumor mill ended up coming to us in the form of ‘Future State,’ a “possible future” of DC Comics where many of the heroes are replaced by legacy characters, while the main characters are out of commission for various reasons. Some readers gag at the idea that DC would try to replace its older heroes, and others are entirely bored by the same old heroes constantly churning through the same status quo and would love for time to push forward in the DCU. I lean more toward letting the legacy characters come in and take the place of the main heroes, while keeping them around in some form or fashion. I’ve always been one who thinks that there’s no reason why DC can’t have their cake and eat it too. They have a massive roster of characters, old and new, and all of them still have plenty of storytelling potential, if they would only move past just doing some kind of “reset” every 5 years or so. While it’s probably the best business practice for DC Comics to keep “Bruce Wayne” in their books, do we really have to reset the status quo to one where he’s basically just cycling through the same rogues gallery again and again? Will Bane try to break him again in these next 5 years? I don’t necessarily think ‘Future State’ should be the permanent status quo, but I’d love to see something that makes the older heroes feel more like elder statesmen and women who mean to hand their jobs off to the younger heroes. As it stands now, the youth of the DCU is present, but feel more like a nuisance to the heroes than anything else. I would love for the chess pieces to start moving forward a little when it comes to legacy. – Vince Ostrowski
Deliver on The Question mystery, Bendis
Bendis. BENDIS. You promised me The Question. You promised me Renee Montoya and Charles Victor Sage and possibly Hub City. You promised noir and dark shadows and quips and the return of my second favorite DC character (third? Animal Man and The Question switch often.) I want them now. Are you waiting for your “Event Leviathan” follow up? Were you gonna do it in “Action Comics” but decided to fridge Melody Moore instead? (I’m not bitter but, also, we didn’t see a body so I hold out hope she’s been Leviathaned.)
I need to know you’d best deliver in the pages of “Justice League.” Just don’t pull an “Avengers: Disassembled” please. We’ve had enough reality altering lately. -Elias Rosner
Just give us a good Shazam book that comes out monthly
I really, really want to stop asking for this. – Brian Salvatore
