Every year, we at Multiversity like to make wishlists of what we’d like to see from Marvel and DC. We don’t make wishlists towards other companies because how can we make wishlists towards creator-owned books (“We want you to have Sex Criminals cross over with Locke and Key, dammit!”), but with two publishing houses where fanboy/girl entitlement is generally at an all time high, it’s fun to speculate what we’d want if we were to be put in charge of the biggest publishers of comics around.
So, as always, before we make our new wishlists, we look back on what we wanted a year ago to see how things went for us, to see if Santa gave us coal in our stockings or gifts under our trees. Take a look below to see who lucked out, and come back tomorrow for our new wishlists!
Matthew Meylikhov
Marvel:
1. More obscure ongoings – or at the very least, a mini
This is sort of true, I guess to a very small extent. Marvel still leans on their big name books and big name characters, but the relaunch of the Marvel Knights line, the return of the Marvel Cosmic line, a Longshot mini-series (that I admittedly didn’t read) — there are some efforts to trying out new things, even in little toe-dips into the water. I may not have gotten my “Micronauts”, but, hey, I think things like “Fearless Defenders” and the upcoming return of the “New Warriors” does ostensibly count to filling this wish.
Because really, it looks like Marvel is going to branch out a bit more in 2014, as their NYCC seem to indicate. They’re bringing back titles, trying out new talents on their books and generally diversifying their line a bit more. The diversity all comes based off established characters and ideas (introducing a new POC character as a companion to a more traditional lead, for example), but… I mean, they’re trying. Inch by inch. Step by step. Maybe this will translate to more ongoing or mini titles starring these characters?
So it wasn’t a full wish granted. I’ll take it as a 1/4 wish granted.
2. New characters galore
Yeah, I guess we have them, don’t we? They may not necessarily be sticking around, but the Marvel U is populating with new heroes, especially in the legacy front. The new Ms. Marvel and the new Nova certainly come to mind, for example, and most titles that I read will always feature the creators trying to bring in new characters — Venom had Mania, for example, even if she will most likely never be seen again outside of that book. And there is Thrane, son of Thanos, who will ostensibly be coming back.
I guess the issue is not that Marvel isn’t allowing their creators to have new characters, because they do. The problem is generally that the characters don’t stick, or they only stick in one title until that title is cancelled. So this wish is somewhat granted, and only time will tell if it is actually granted.
My guesS? The writers and artists who created new characters will keep using them, and that will probably be about the end of it.
3. Please stop double-shipping
Nope.
4. Treat artists like they matter as much as the writers
I’m not sure if this is true. I’d honestly lean towards the no column, but then again, the conversation is certainly different.
Look: in the grand scheme of thing, no, Marvel has not gotten better at this. There are a select few artists who Marvel seems to hold on a pedestal, and others remain interchangeable throughout titles. This idea that a book has to be on a schedule and not deviate from it is killing the creative relationships of books (“Hawkeye” being the exception, since they let that book go delayed for months), and as such Marvel still switches out artists left and right.
But — and this is the only concession I will give — Marvel does appear, at least on the surface, to be trying harder to pair up teams on their titles that stick. Sure, there are a lot of last minute changes and switcheroos, now even with the writers (see: “Nova” and “Inhuman”), but we’re seeing more long-term creative teams and emphasis at least in announcements on the role of the artist. The artist may not be the one talking in the exclusive interview announcement or whatever, but things like Hopeless and Walker being credited as the long-term team for the “Arena”/”Undercover” book is a good sign.
Continued belowMarvel could do better. Marvel can probably always do better. But I’d like to believe that they are trying, even if it’s a very slow progression.
5. Do all that
Aw, man, you guys totally messed up on the double-shipping thing. I could’ve gotten you passes on all the other mess ups, but not that one.
DC:
1. Turn Off the Dark
“Forever Evil.”
Nope.
2. More emphasis on FUN, less emphasis on CONTINUITY
I’ll be honest: I stopped reading DC Comics this year. There were a couple titles that I held onto admittedly (like “Animal Man,” which was just cancelled, so whatever), but as of 2014 my pull list will be all but defunct of anything coming out of DC Comics. And it’s primarily because I couldn’t take what DC was throwing out there anymore; DC’s priorities are in all the wrong places, and as such their books are becoming completely inaccessible. Sure, guys like Snyder or Azzarello seem to be able to do whatever they want, but everywhere else you look there is editorial interference and mandates that take promising creators like Ales Kot and his awesome three issues of “Suicide Squad” and throw it out for just more of the same.
In fact, that was honestly my breaking point. It’s not that Ales and I are the bestest of friends in the whole wide universe or anything, I didn’t “quit” DC as a sign of solidarity, but seeing how DC treated a creator like him — someone whose star is on the rise and whose star is only ever going to be on the rise — was downright appalling, and the was the prime example of the opposite of what I wanted to see from DC: no emphasis on fun, only emphasis on continuity.
So, ok. I wash my hands of the situation and go back to Image and Marvel and Monkeybrain and Dark Horse and every other publisher that puts out books I like where I don’t see blogs about how awful it is working for the companies every other week.
3. Leave Vertigo alone
This is something that decidedly didn’t happen, as the entire way Vertigo was run was changed. All of the old Vertigo books are gone, except for “Fables” which was announced as ending. “Unwritten” is coming back as a mini that will wrap the series up, “American Vampire” will hit its second cycle next year and there are some new books coming out from them, none of which I read and all of which lack the same widespread cultural impact that previous Vertigo books had upon immediate release.
Oh, and already their big “Sandman” wagon had a wheel fall off.
Vertigo is no longer the place for comics to be, I’ll say that.
4. If you give a character an ongoing, don’t treat him like a joke
What did I write this about? Aquaman and Vibe?
Oh, who cares. Sad face emoji.
5. The future is now, not yesterday
I guess this doesn’t matter for me since I don’t read DC Comics anymore, though the “Sandman Overture” does seem to be an indication that DC is still throwing all of their big-budget ideas to recreating the glory of the past. But at least we didn’t get a Rorschach ongoing.
David Henderson
Marvel:
1. Black Widow ongoing
Well, this one barely made it due to it being announced in 2013, but not debuting until 2014. Still going to count it as a win, though, because it may have taken them about two years in the wake of The Avengers to actually put their comics where their mouths are and actually treat her like the important character they keep saying she is.
Another win I’m taking is the fact that Phil Noto is drawing the series because not only is Noto one of my favourite artists currently working in comics, but it shows that Marvel is actually willing to put a big name, talented artist on the book. Which isn’t something that could be said for some female-lead books they’ve put out this year. 1 for 1 so far.
2. Conquer TV
Continued belowA full season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D (of which I seem to be the only fan, but whatever) and an announcemtn of Netflix exclusive series for Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist? That’ll do, pig. That’ll do.
Now, if there were only a way that they could showcase the Asgardian side-characters from Thor without having to force him back to Asgard, interrupting his relationship with Jane… HINT HINT. 2 for 2.
3. Cosmic Reprints
Okay, let’s see what we have here. ”Annihilation” Omnibus. ”Infinity Gauntlet” Omnibus. And reprints of the original ”Guardians Of The Galaxy” team and classic “Nova”. Good job, Marvel, now let’s see omnibus collections for “Annihilation Conquest” through to “The Thanos Imperative”. 3 for 3.
4. Stop shafting your female characters
Well, “Journey Into Mystery” and “Fearless Defenders” got cancelled which doesn’t exactly help with this one, but I can’t really blame that on Marvel. I can only blame it on you. On the other hand, though, we still have “Captain Marvel” set to relaunch next year (more on that in the next point) and well as a new “Black Widow” ongoing, “Ms. Marvel”, “She-Hulk” and “Elektra”. That’s a damn sight better than Marvel has been doing in a while and a leg up on DC in terms of exposure of female-led titles because… I can name only one female-led title over at DC. I don’t even know if “Birds Of Prey” is still going. 4 for 4?
5. Keep Captain Marvel going forever
I’m going to take this one. Sure, they ended the series #17 in order to relaunch next year to boost sales numbers because some people think they’re too good for a title about a superhero being a superhero and actually helping people and it being fun and not grimdark or about bats, but whatever. Add to that, Carol’s inclusion in “Guardians Of The Galaxy” and “Avengers World” and her continued place in “Avengers”, I’m going to say this will be a good year for Captain Marvel. 5 for 5.
DC:
1. Make Superman feel like Superman again
K… ind of? Okay, so the red underwear isn’t exactly back or anything, but I feel like I really need to commend Greg Pak for actually writing Superman as his own character in both “Batman/Superman” and “Action Comics” instead of just writing him as Batman-with-powers. Which is a plus, I’ve definitely enjoyed his work and while the character isn’t exactly where I wish he would be (front and centre in front of an America flag, posing unironically with a smile) I think of it as a step in the right direction. On the other hand, there is “Superman” and “Justice League” so… I’ll take a half point for this.
2. Make Snyder’s Superman book the main Superman book
I was slightly less impressed with “Superman Unchained” than I thought I was going to be only because at this point I know as much about it as I did when I wrote last year’s list prior to it’s release. Hell, we’re four issues in and I’m pretty sure we still don’t know whether it’s an ongoing or if it will end with nine issues. Between that, it’s major disconnect from the rest of the Superman titles (although that’s a problem with DC’s whole line, but more on that later) and how overly obtuse the plot is, this hasn’t saved Superman in the New 52, sadly. If this is an ongoing, I hope Snyder manages to bring Superman away from the Roland Emmerich-feeling “punch explosions for 20 pages” stories and into smaller, more human stories (like a certain “Adventures Of Superman” does really well). Still at a half point.
3. More “Dark” books
In retrospect, this is something of an ironic wish because all of DC’s books have been “dark” in one form or another this year. Well, kids, once upon a time the New 52 operated in ‘lines’ to group similarly themed books, but they pretty much dropped that with the logo redesign (remember when they colour-coded their old logo to show the line the book was a part of?). In 2013, we lost “Dial H”, “Demon Knights”, “Frankenstein, Agent Of S.H.A.D.E.” and “I, Vampire” and we’re set to lose “Animal Man” next year while all we gained was “Constantine” and “Trinity Of Sin: Pandora”. Not only that, but with the two “Trinity Of Sin” titles and “Justice League Dark” spending most of 2013 tying into stories with the two other “Justice League” titles, only “Animal Man” and “Swamp Thing” really carried the idea of Vertigo-esque storylines in the DCU. So I guess when people say DC is too dark now, they’re not talking about this. Still only half a point.
Continued below4. Less Lobdell
Yeech. Let’s just not. ½ out of 4.
5. Don’t let Vertigo go quietly into the night.
“The Wake”, “Trillium”, an “Astro City” relaunch, “FBP”, “Hinterkind”, “Coffin Hill”, “Dead Boy Detectives”, “The Sandman: Overture”, and more “American Vampire” coming next year as well as a slew of classic Vertigo titles getting omnibus collections? Yeah, I’m taking the point for this one.
Chad Bowers
Marvel:
1. Fewer #1s -or- New #1s every year
Last year, I started my list with a wish that Marvel do fewer #1s, OR they firmly commit to #1s as the way of doing things. Here’s how they responded:
Matt Fraction’s duel runs on Fantastic Four and FF are going to end in January 204, with Fantastic Four getting relaunched shortly thereafter with a new #1 and James Robinson at the helm.
Marvel NOW first stringers Cable and X-Force and Uncanny X-Force are going away, too, and getting replaced with All New X-Force, I believe.
Wolverine’s solo title lasted almost a year. It’s ending and is being relaunched with a new #1.
Red She Hulk ended, and Marvel immediately announced a new She Hulk #1 was headed our way.
But the steadfast Daredevil survived, making it a whole year without… oh, wait, it’s ending too. Except y’know, it’s not. It’ll be back with a new #1 in 2014.
Peter David’s long-run on X-Factor ended, but is set for an immediate relaunch.
Captain Marvel ended. Captain Marvel is getting a new #1.
And Wolverine and the X-Men will be ending, followed by Wolverine and the X-Men #1 just a few months later.
There’s a few in there I’ve missed, I’m sure, but what I take away from it all is that Marvel’s almost granted my wish of a new series and #1 every year / season. It’s not quite perfect yet, and it’s murder for a long time collector who doesn’t pour over news and solicitations like I once did, but it’s a model I’m very much intrigued by and surprisingly, enjoying, despite the fact that a new Fearless Defenders #1 is nowhere on the horizon.
2. More Marvel Essentials
I also wanted more Essentials in 2013. The good news is, I got more Marvel Essentials in 2013.
Essential Avengers Volume 9
Essential Captain America Volume 7
Essential Captain Marvel Volume 2
Essential Daredevil Volume 6
Essential Defenders Volume 7
Essential Fantastic Four Volume 9
Essential Incredible Hulk Volume 7
Essential Iron Man Volume 5
Essential Marvel Team-Up Volume 4
Essential Thor Volume 7
Essential Wolverine Volume 7
Essential X-Men Volume 11
The bad news? Not a single one was a title I asked for on my wishlist.
Based on the number of volumes released this year, I definitely feels like Marvel is still committed to their line of affordable B&W reprints. But a quick once-over of the titles themselves, and it’s pretty obvious they’re interested in collecting only titles featuring their most popular characters. Just the money makers. The movie stars. The household names.
So while I’d absolutely love an Essential Sub-Mariner Volume 2, I won’t be holding my breath.
3. No More Avengers
I asked for fewer Avengers books. What I got was two major crossovers centered around the Avengers, four new Avengers ongoing series (Avengers A.I., Mighty Avengers, and the upcoming Avengers World and Avengers Undercover), and the once, all-inclusive Marvel Universe 3.75” toyline changing its name to “The Avengers.”
Also, Marvel sent me a Dodge Avenger for Christmas. Not funny, guys. Not funny.
4. One Hulk
I wanted the Hulk to be special again, and this one basically came true. With the exception of Red Hulk’s role in Thunderbolts, 2013 saw a decrease in gamma spawned brutes tearing up the Marvel you, and Mark Waid and a rotating team of artists successfully reestablished ol’ jade jaws as the strongest *one* there is in Indestructible Hulk.
5. Become digital content pioneers
And finally, I wished for more original digital content from Marvel, and, well… I dropped the ball on this one. Marvel did several digital exclusive projects under their Infinite Comics banner, and I didn’t check out a single one. And honestly, that’s pretty dumb of me, especially considering the talent involved. Jasons Aaron and Latour on Wolverine: Japan’s Most Wanted. Al Ewing and Kieron Gillen on Iron Man: Final Frontier. All guys I adore, and characters whose monthly titles I pick up, and I read not one, single electronic page. Maybe it’s a case of my brain wanting something my heart can’t handle, I don’t know. Whatever the case, Marvel stepped up to the plate and made a kid’s wish come true, even if he didn’t appreciate it. I promise I’ll read Daredevil: Road Warrior, though.
Continued belowDC:
I don’t wanna talk about it.
Brian Salvatore
Marvel:
1. Less Double Shipping
By my totally unscientific look at the solicits, it appears that Marvel is only double shipping about 5 books nowadays, about 1/2 what they were last year. I call that a win. 1 for 1.
2. A Better Executed Plan When Dealing With Artists
This year has been, for the most part, more consistent with artists, at least in terms of people not dropping off their solicited books as regularly. However, when a six issue miniseries needs three artists to handle it, there is still a lot better planning to do on the art side. But hey, it’s Christmastime, I can be an optimist and call this a win. 2 for 2.
3. Do Not Replicate the Marvel Film Universe
“New” Nick Fury leading “Secret Avengers.” “Iron Patriot” ongoing coming soon. Star-Lord getting a makeover. Ruh Roh. 2 for 3.
4. No More X or Avengers Books
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. 2 for 4.
5. An Anthology-Style Book
I will pine for this forevermore. 2 for 5.
DC:
1. Don’t Let It VeritGO Away
The Vertigo line is still going, but not without some older properties (“Sandman,” “100 Bullets,” “Fables”) doing a lot of the heavy lifting. “FBP” is pretty dope, and “The Wake” and “Trillium” are great minis, but the mojo still quite isn’t back yet. This is important – keep working. 0 for 1.
2. Matt Kindt on an Ongoing
I should have stipulated that it couldn’t be “Suicide Squad” – but still, this is a win. 1 for 2
3. Wally West…Again
Maybe next year. 1 for 3.
4. A True One and Done Series
The digital first series are sort of like this, but not close enough. 1 for 4.
5. Keep Up the Youth Movement…But Let Them Do Their Thing (And Treat Them Well)
Last year, I mentioned names like Zub, Keatinge, Fialkov, Glass and Nelson on this list, and not one of them is on a solicited DC book for January or February. Sue, some of the other names I mentioned are (Kindt, Fawkes, Jordan, Venditti, Layman), but we also have Marv Wolfman back. That’s not to slag off Wolfman – I’m a big fan of some of his work – but it is to show that DC is reluctant to let too many young writers take over books.
On the art side, there are far more new names popping up each month. However, the new guys are mainly doing fill-ins and finishes, and rarely get the opportunity to flesh out their style or make an impact on a book.
I really don’t know how to go on this one. I fear this is another loss. 1 for 5.
Vince Ostrowski
Marvel:
1. A pricing scheme that makes even a little sense
Marvel didn’t do it exactly how I’d want to see it done, but they did do some things to make their comics a better value. For one, the digital codes were nice. For another, they’ve announced some free comic promotions with the “All-New Marvel Now!” titles. More and more, it looks like Marvel is headed towards the “everything is $3.99” pricing scheme. Most notably, “Daredevil” is heading for that price point. As I said last year, $3.99 is fine, if that’s what they want to declare the new normal. I’ll adjust my pull list accordingly. The defined difference between a 3 dollar book and a 4 dollar book is still muddy, so I can’t give them this one. I’ll add that the prices of their collected editions are pretty much atrocious all the way around, so that doesn’t help.
2. Stop double shipping (with a caveat)
3. Kill the Ultimate Line
Pretty sure they’re in the middle of doing this. I guess they could come back with yet another relaunch, but I doubt it. I’m calling it a win.
4. Never, ever show the “Guardians of the Galaxy” or the “All-New X-Men” eating breakfast and bantering
I was so pleasantly surprised by both of these series this year. The quality has been up and down in the way that comics involved in big crossovers sometimes are, but these have been fun titles to read while avoiding a majority of Bendis’ classic indulgences.
5. A Power Pack miniseries written by Grant Morrison with art by Fiona Staples
Come on – I never really thought this would ever happen.
DC:
1. Fix the “Young Justice” line
No such luck. If anything, they’ve ignored it. I guess they added the “Green Team” and “The Movement”, but “Green Team” is already canceled and “The Movement” has to be headed there too, right? “Teen Titans” is still completely unrecognizable. Such a shame.
2. Let’s cool it on the Wildstorm characters
Does anyone remember when “Grifter” was a ‘New 52’ series? They’re largely putting these babies back in the box, like I hoped they would. “Stormwatch” is ending, and while a couple of heroes and villains may pop up here and there in crossovers and such, there’s just not a lot of interest in these titles. This is a win for my wish list.
3. Treat your creative better
*laughs a laugh longer than the Odinsleep* There were a few instances of discomfort this year. J.H. Williams III and Haden Blackman left “Batwoman” over editorial differences. James Robinson, too, was driven away from DC Comics over a disagreement about where things were headed with his “Earth 2” title. What a shame. This is huge talent that no comic company can afford to lose without coming under fire in the comic blog headlines. Two huge P.R. disasters here.
4. The next “52” or “Brightest Day”:
I was happy to see not one, but two weekly series coming down the pipe from DC Comics for next year. I’m going to give them a win for this one, even though they’ve only been announced at this point. I guess what has me cautiously optimistic about this is the idea of long-form collaborative storytelling from a bunch of creators who I would mostly say are pretty strong. This is still the ‘New 52’ and will probably still show some of the same dire tendencies that most of their other books possess, but I feel like in some ways, this can be a clean slate for them. Or at least an accelerated path to a better universe. “Batman: Eternal” will likely continue the strong vision that the Batman titles have generally had, but the wildcard here is “The New 52: Futures End.”
Despite a garbage name for a comic book series, there’s a lot of potential here for something really interesting within the pages. Brian Azzarello is on the creative team, for crying out loud. Like I said, I’m going in with extremely cautious optimism, but I’m glad they’re trying it. It’s just what I wanted to see.
5. A “Kamandi: the Last Boy on Earth” book written by Brian Azzarello and drawn by Jae Lee
Come on – I never really thought this would ever happen.
James Johnston
Marvel:
1. Treat Deadpool like an actual character
Even though the Marvel Now! Deadpool started off goofy, in the really fun dead presidents arc, Posehn and Duggan proved themselves worthy of giving the Merc with a Mouth the respect he deserved. “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” showed that they can go to some real places without losing the humor of the character and the retro flashback issues? You can’t see it but I’m doing that thing people do at church where they lift their hands up, smile, and move side-to-side while praising the Lord.
2. A Dr. Strange title.
All I can really think of Dr. Strange doing this year was getting mind-jumped by an Oan in “Infinity.” Though he did say Greenwich Village was waaaaay better than Midtown in “Daredevil” the other week so I think that sort of makes up for it? Gah, he’ll probably get something whenever his movie/Netflix/Hulu Plus deal comes out. Scott regained his common sense a few issues in which sort of disappointed me. I was looking forward to Cyclops as the new Magneto of the Marvel Universe and even though he’s a lot more dynamic now, it’s not exactly what I was hoping for. That said, his interactions with Wolverine (especially under Aaron’s pen) are still really great.
Continued below3. PLEASE keep Magneto!Cyclops
This one’s still technically in check as Cyclops is still leading “The New Mutant Revolution” but I feel like he’s lost a lot of his bite since “AvX: Consequences.” Or more likely, he’s gained back his common sense and is back to being your typical Scott Summers just a bit angrier. That’s not necessarily bad as I still love his interactions with Logan (especially under Aaron’s pen) but this isn’t exactly the New Mutant Revolution I was hoping for. So they got it like 80/20 on this I’d say?
4. Tread carefully with Age of Ultron.
This one was more about being careful with throwing “Age of Ultron” into the recently started “Marvel Now!” and to be honest they did alright. “Age of Ultron” didn’t really get me going but it didn’t affect any of the titles I really cared about negatively. Then “Infinity,” “Inhumanity,” and “Battle of the Atom” showed up and turned about a quarter of the line into tie-ins for a few straight months so ayy lmao.
5. Honestly, just keep doing what you’re doing.
Marvel did a LOT more than stay the course in 2013. They became the best work-for-hire space for creative, storylines that shouldn’t work are becoming some of the most compelling stories in the line, the Netflix deal will probably revolutionize how we handle superhero movies, and Paul Rudd is actually going to be Ant-Man. Goddamn, Marvel. I’m afraid of what 2014 is going to bring, you steamrolling monster.
DC:
1. Etch
Christ, what does Etch even mean? I sincerely have no idea. Um. I think this was about DC having a weird selection of writers from the 90’s? Yeah that one went 50/50. New voices like Charles Soule and James Tynion IV have been doing pretty good work, but Jim Starlini is handling “Stormwatch” in an effort to create an anachronism large enough to destroy reality and Lobdell’s doing… something with the Superman line?
2. Smile, darn ya, smile!
“Well that could’ve gone better.” I write, Damian Wayne’s crushed and impaled body in the corner, a homeless woman wearing The Joker’s cut off face throwing lighterfluid on the former Boy Wonder’s body while four different versions of “Dark Superman” skullfuck the Earth.
3. Do not mess with Darkseid.
Did Darkseid show up this year? Eh, even if he didn’t, “Earth 2” captured the whole “Cosmic Hitler” aspect Kirby infused Darkseid with in spite of his absence.
4. Never allow Batman Incorporated out of the New 52 canon.
Wow, I genuinely expected some hand-waving to explain away why Batman was suddenly hanging out with some dude named El Gaucho but nah, DC stuck with it. With the “Damian” miniseries going on now and that “Batman Incorporated” one-shot where DiDio actually wrote a Bat-Cow story it looked like DC would embrace Morrison’s changes, though now they look to be mostly swept under the carpet. That said, I’m now sure that Morrison wrote half of the series to mess with The New 52’s continuity watchers (two different origins for Bat-Wing? Fabulous.)
5. You want young readers? Make some young titles.
Um. Don’t get me wrong we had fun with “Green Team” and “The Movement” but uh… I was kind of saying “Young Justice” here. It was the biggest thing DC had going for 2012 (don’t try and deny.) And DC decided to capitalize on that with a thinly veiled 1% vs. 99% duo of titles that didn’t really go anywhere. “The Movement” is still a really fun book I support, as was the now cancelled “Green Team” but man I was pointing to the gigantic money pit in front of DC and they turned around and fell onto a brick.
Walter Richardson
Marvel:
1. No Double Shipping
Well, I’m down to just “Hawkeye” (though I’ll probably add “Superior Foes” soon), and that has a weird shipping schedule of its own. Someone else can probably let you know about this one (warning: you’re going to hear that a few times in this).
2. Do Not Let Anything Crossover with Hawkeye
Check! Well, that was easy. Now continue to leave it alone.
Continued below3. Do Not Let or Make Hickman Leave Avengers and New Avengers Until He Is Done
Well, this is embarrassing. After the first few issues of Hickman’s “Avengers” and “New Avengers,” I decided I wasn’t interested and dropped the book. So… feel free to do whatever you want, there, Marvel, but I guess he made it through this year with only a little bit of co-writing.
4. Show Fans You Mean Business with Superior Spider-Man
Still a bit too early to call on this one. Otto is still in the webbed tights, yes, but then again The Amazing Spider-Man 2 still has a few more months. Or maybe one month? I don’t know, I’m not expected to know this crap anymore. I do understand the saga has to end at some point, and probably soon, but I hope they have the dignity to not time it perfectly with the movie. Yeah, having a story where Peter reclaims his body from Doctor Octopus after the villain had control of it for a while would be a great place for readers to start.
5. Brian Wood on Star Wars
See above. Though now I’m not so certain if this is what I want…
DC:
Rather than responding to my 2012 DC wishlist in the order originally presented, let me address the final point first.
5. Make Me Care.
That’s a big “no.” If forced to choose sides, I’m more a DC guy than Marvel, but since getting back into comics I have not been near as uninterested in what DC is doing as I am these days. Their editorial and business practices made me drop every single non-Vertigo book I was reading from them early in 2013, and it appears things are going to continue getting worse before they get better. But above all, their comics are just boring. Sure, there are a few gems that are mostly free from meddling from up high — how the hell has Azzarello been allowed to do whatever the hell he wants on “Wonder Woman” without being forced into some crossover? — but overall DC’s output has become stagnant, and devoid of any sense of risk-taking. And, somehow, I can’t help but feel it isn’t the fault of their writers.
Alright, back to the original numbering (what am I, a shitty comic sales gimmick?).
1. Less Musical Chairs
Not only is this still a problem, but it has become even worse of a problem. My original list makes reference to my excitement for Zub’s “Birds of Prey” and Diggle’s “Action Comics” — remember how those turned out?
2. Ignore Your Timeline
Someone else will have to answer this for me, unfortunately, for the reasons outlined in point 5, above.
3. Bring Back Vertigo
Alright, now we are getting into the positive stuff! At first, 2013 seemed like it might be a dour year for Vertigo, but the beloved imprint looks to be getting back on its feet. None of the new ongoings have really captured my attention, but “Trillium” has been fantastic so far, and is one of my most anticipated books every month. Here’s hoping the new management can bring it back to full force by 2014 or 2015.
Oh, and have you heard of this thing called “Sandman: Overture?”
4. Reprint Absolute Planetary and Absolute Promethea Volumes One
Well, not quite, but hey, there are omnibuses of both series supposedly on the way! Close enough! The one area where DC has been impressing me is in their reprints — which, while kind of sad, is also kind of cool. So long as they keep printing neat omnibuses, I guess they can continue to flood the floppy market with dreck.
