While all of us at Multiversity are fans of a wide spectrum of comics, there are a few of us that tend to self-identify as “DC guys.” We’ve cried for justice; we’ve been through the blackest nights and the brightest days. And now, we’ve been culled together for a new column to focus on some of the bigger goings on in the world of Detective Comics Comics. If you’re wondering who is going to stand up and discuss what is happening at DC – don’t worry:
Brian: Welcome to a special edition of the DC3, looking forward to September’s “Futures End” month, where 41 books will be released, all set 5 years into a potential future, and solicited, at current date, without creative teams attached.
Let’s talk strategy first boys – why do you think DC did this? To me, the only answer is “Free Comic Book Day.” Their new weekly series, “The New 52: Futures End” starts on Saturday, May 3, and that series will directly tie into the September event. Therefore, if people see what is in store for their favorite characters come September, they may pick up the book when it is released.
Does that seem like the reason to you as well? Or is there something else at play here?
Zach: I may be mistaken, but I think DC’s official word on the matter is to allow a longer lead time to prepare the 3D covers. We all know about the allocation debacle that surrounded the 3D Villains Month books. By getting the solicits out two months earlier, retailers can begin placing orders and DC can more effectively meet demand.
Playing devil’s advocate, I can understand DC’s decision. They dropped the ball big time last September, and want to do better this time. Of course, I don’t think this is necessarily a sound solution. Expecting retailers to accurately predict demand for a particular issue without knowing the creative team is just silly. It also confirms that, at least to some degree, DC places higher stock in their characters than their creative talent.
Vince: I think there’s truth to what you both say. I think they need lead time on their 3D covers, but as a consequence, they ended up sending a bit of the wrong message by not having any creative teams. I’d have preferred they put out a list of titles without descriptions. This makes it seem like more of an editorial-driven piece, as has already been said. That said, I actually do have a surprising amount of enthusiasm for the weekly series this is based around and the things that Lemire, Azzarello, Jurgens and Giffen have been saying about it.
Ultimately, it comes down to creative talent though. I mostly buy comics from creators I know that I trust. Not giving us that limits my commitment right up front.
I also think there’s truth to the idea that there is some anticipation from DC in advance of Free Comic Book Day. Remember ‘Trinity War’ and how it was teased in FCBD, but maybe didn’t turn out to be what they’d planned all along? Hell, I know some fans didn’t even know what it was supposed to be. They got this free comic and their reaction was confusion above anything else. I think, whether you’re interested or totally uninterested in the concept, DC is doing a better job of leading up to it than they did with ‘Trinity War’.
The other thing at play?
Frankly, they need a sales kick in the pants. That’s what September is for them, but I think they need September to come a little sooner this year, if you know what I mean. The sooner they point to a potential cash cow, the sooner they drum up interest, the sooner people start buying into DC Comics again. I know if I see something I like coming, I get more excited about a publishers’ products in general. Again, I’m a creator-driven buyer, so teasers like this only work on me at very minimal levels.
Continued belowWhat about you guys? Did it work for you? I know you’re both creator-conscious too, but are they piquing your interests a little more, regardless?
Zach: You know, they really have piqued my interest. Some of these teases are just absolutely bonkers. The concepts teased are extremely exciting. I can get very excited about the prospect of Batwing reviving Leviathan, or a Selina Kyle who moonlights as the Black Mask, without an attached creative team to color my perception. Maybe that’s what DC is going for. Bigger books like “Justice League” and “Batman” are sure to sell well, and will likely feature most of the regular creative team regardless. Some of the lower tier books, however, may benefit from a degree of creative anonymity.
Of course, interest now does not equal a purchase then. I imagine a lot of comic shops are going to have stacks of extra issues laying around when the book they hedged a bet on is written and drawn by *insert subpar creative team.*
Brian: The solicits are a weird thing, because while a lot of the books seem to have an interesting hook, I can’t help but think that this is exactly where I don’t want to see DC going. We often lament how dark and hopeless these books feel, and this month takes things even darker and even less hopeful. While they may be interesting, there’s nothing about this month that has me excited beyond the element of surprise playing a role in these books.
The worst part of this, to me, is thinking about the book that “Futures End” is trying hardest to emulate: “52.” While “52” had a lot of dark themes, there was an air of hope there, underneath resurrection cults and sibling death and public humiliation. There is no reason “Futures End” couldn’t have some hope within in, but I don’t see it in these solicits at all.
Vince: Interesting you said that, Brian, because I actually feel like for something called ‘Future’s End’ this looks surprisingly fun. Dark fun, for sure, but there’s potential for wackiness and spontenaity that the last couple DC events couldn’t have hoped to bring us. And even though Marvel has generally brighter books, they’re events have been just as dark. By comparison, knowing only what we know, ‘Future’s End’ looks like it could be more fun by virtue of putting properties in unexpected places. Think ‘Flashpoint’, only hopefully better.
Believe me, I’m surprising myself by saying this, but ‘Future’s End’ looks like it just might capture that fringe character, zany mashup feel that I got from ’52’. Frankenstein is never not fun with Lemire writing him. Booster Gold is fun. Hell, I’m optimistic! Even if it’s a lesser ’52’, I’ll take it.
Zach: I don’t necessarily agree that “Futures End” is all doom and gloom just yet. I do, however, agree with the “52” vibe, something I’m very excited about. That new masked Superman is totally the spiritual successor to Supernova. Whatever DC’s intention was for releasing the solicits early, I’m even more excited to finally dive into this book.
Brian: So let’s have it boys, what are the 5 solicits that caught your attention?
Vince: My picks for “5 most intriguing solicits” are fairly simple, and mostly stick to my tendency to favor good creators above anything else. That means that I’m making a guess that, at minimum, the writers on these particular titles will be the expected writers.
GRAYSON: FUTURES END #1
Branded a traitor, Dick Grayson has become the most powerful hero in the newly resurgent and dominant Mother Russia – and now, he must battle the Beast from the East in one final struggle for supremacy!
I just plain like Tim Seeley’s work and am happy to see my hometown hero doing work at a major publisher. I’m getting some good vibes off of the “Grayson” solicits, even if those good vibes also come with “Winter Soldier” vibes.
Continued belowBOOSTER GOLD: FUTURES END #1
Trapped out of time on a world that defies reason, Booster Gold struggles to escape the fate that has held him and so many forgotten heroes captive!
I’ve always liked Booster Gold. Even when he was headlining the actively mediocre ‘New 52’ “Justice League International”, the DCU is better as a whole with Booster in it. I expect that Dan Jurgens will be working on this, and who better than the man that made him who he is?
JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED: FUTURES END #1
In the concluding chapter of the epic story that began in this month’s JUSTICE LEAGUE: FUTURES END #1, the armies of Mars rise against the unsuspecting population of Earth – and only the combined might of the Justice League and the Legion of Super-Heroes can stand against them!
Jeff Lemire bumped off a mediocre JLA book and replaced it with something truly different and unexpected in the landscape of the ‘New 52’. Assuming the regular team is on board, this property has a great creative team, a great roster, a cool concept, and a sense of fun. Sign me up for whatever happens ‘5 Years Later’ with these guys.
GREEN ARROW: FUTURES END #1
Green Arrow is dead – and his replacement finally stands revealed!
I expect Lemire and Sorrentino to be attached to this one too. After all, Sorrentino didn’t have to skip out on ‘Villains Month’ either. It’s almost unfair to be so good at what you do, and also so timely with it. I expect whatever these guys put out is going to be good, and the solicitation itself has the possibilities racing through my mind. Who will his successor be? I have a few guesses, but no matter who it is, I’ll bet it’s going to be cool.
BATGIRL: FUTURES END #1
It’s five years later, and Barbara Gordon has become Bête Noire – a.k.a. The Black Beast! Part Batman and part Bane, she leads a squad of female agents through the Gotham Underground!
This title won a spot for the pure intrigue of its solicitation alone – no guesses as to who the writer/artist team will be. Barbara Gordon running an all-female team in Gotham’s underground? An outside chance at getting a Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, Harper Row team-up? Or maybe none of them? Maybe just the Birds of Prey? When your solicit can have me dreaming big like that, you’ve take a step in the right direction.
Zach: Here are the 5 September solicits that grabbed my attention the most:
AQUAMAN AND THE OTHERS: FUTURES END #1
The Dead King leads the Others in a final assault on Atlantis to end Mera’s reign forever!
AQUAMAN: FUTURES END #1
Mera has claimed the throne of Atlantis for herself – and she’s sentenced her unfaithful husband, Aquaman, to death!
I’ll admit that picking two books is a bit of a cheat, but the solicits definitely go hand in hand. Mera as ruler of Atlantis? An unfaithful Aquaman? The Others teaming up with the Dead King? This sounds like a great payoff on everything that’s been going on in the Aquaman books since the New 52 began.
BOOSTER GOLD: FUTURES END #1
Trapped out of time on a world that defies reason, Booster Gold struggles to escape the fate that has held him and so many forgotten heroes captive!
This one is interesting to me on a number of levels. Is it a one-shot? A new ongoing? Where is it set? Which Booster is this, the current one or the future one from “Justice League International Annual?” Are we finally going to to get a follow up to that cryptic issue? I think the signs point to yes.
RED LANTERNS: FUTURES END #1
The ranks of the Red Lanterns have grown to monstrous numbers, and with no Blood Lake to restore their sanity, they’re terrorizing the universe. It’s up to Blue Lantern Guy Gardner to correct the deadly mistake he made!
I think Charles Soule has pulled a respectable turnaround for this series. It’s never a book I’m dying to read, but I tend to enjoy it when I do, which is a far cry from my sentiments a year ago. This future story appeals to me on two levels. First, it feels like a natural progression from the story the book is telling currently, something a lot of these solicits don’t do. Second, the idea of Blue Lantern Guy Gardner fighting an rampaging army of Red Lanterns has such a wonderful Elseworlds-y feel. I think this has the potential to be a really fun done in one.
Continued belowBATMAN: FUTURES END #1
It’s five years later and Bruce Wayne is using dangerous science to help him continue his war on crime. What is it, and what forced Bruce to resort to such extremes?
I know, most obvious pick in the whole world. However, there’s a very specific reason I’m excited for this issue, and that reason is Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy’s futuristic Batman story featured in “Detective Comics” #27. “Bruce Wayne is using dangerous science to continue his war on crime.” This sounds very much like the genesis of what we saw in “Detective Comics.” I may be way off base here, but if I’m not, is it too much to hope that Murphy will come back and do the art for the issue?
JUSTICE LEAGUE: FUTURES END #1
The mystery of the Martian Manhunter is revealed at last as his decades-long plan for world domination comes to fruition! Continues in this month’s JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED: FUTURES END #1!
JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED: FUTURES END #1
In the concluding chapter of the epic story that began in this month’s JUSTICE LEAGUE: FUTURES END #1, the armies of Mars rise against the unsuspecting population of Earth – and only the combined might of the Justice League and the Legion of Super-Heroes can stand against them!
Yes, I’m doing this again, but it’s a two part story! Totally justifiable. I feel like, of all books solicited, this is the most likely to feature the regular creative teams. Geoff Johns and Jeff Lemire had a great chemistry on “Trinity War,” and the prospect of a two-part crossover reunion is extremely intriguing. Even moreso when said crossover consists of a tyrannical Martian Manhunter and the return of the Legion! Johns’ work on the Legion ranks among my favorite super hero works ever, so or give me if I’m extremely hopeful about this one.
Brian: The five I’ve chosen don’t have any real rhyme or reason to them – they are simply the five that made me most interested when I read them.
BOOSTER GOLD: FUTURES END #1
Trapped out of time on a world that defies reason, Booster Gold struggles to escape the fate that has held him and so many forgotten heroes captive!
Besides just being a huge Booster fan, the solicit’s mention of “many forgotten heroes” gives me hope to see some pre-“Flashpoint” heroes pop up. Donna Troy? A boy can dream, can’t he?
SUPERBOY: FUTURES END #1
Kon has a final, fateful confrontation with his clones and finds help from some unlikely allies!
This one is pretty simple – Superboy is referred to as “Kon,” meaning that all this Jon Lane Kent bullshit might finally be over. A boy can dream, can’t he?
DETECTIVE COMICS: FUTURES END #1
Batman takes his war on crime to the next level, but he needs the help of his greatest ally – The Riddler?!
As I mentioned in “Soliciting Multiversity: DC” last week, I have a real fondness for the Paul Dini-scriped “Detective Comics” run when the Riddler was more of an ambiguous character. If this has shades of that, then I’ll be quite happy. A boy can dream, can’t he?
BATWOMAN: FUTURES END #1
Now a creature of the night, Batwoman turns against her former lover, Nocturna, in final, deadly conflict!
The phrasing of this solicit lends the idea that Batwoman may now be a vampire. That is a fascinating idea, and one that fits the visual look of the character extraordinarily well. This seems like the type of story that, if done right, has the fun, Elseworlds-y feel that Zach mentioned, without too much of the unnecessary darkness I fear for this month. A boy can dream, can’t he?
SWAMP THING: FUTURES END #1
The Avatars of the Green, Red and Gray go to war with the avatars of Bacteria and Metal! It’s five years later, and Alec Holland is trying to mediate a ceasefire that could also be his last stab at reconnecting with humanity!
This issue appears to be a great place to do some consequence free world building. By having new avatars appear in a possible future, new ideas can be tested out, but without the weight of adding permanent characters to those ideas. The avatar of metal can be Steel, or Robotman, or Mercury, and if works well? Have it happen in six months. If it doesn’t? No harm, no foul. Perhaps having such a blank canvas to work with will give the DC staff a shot in the arm and the confidence to take more chances in what they attempt in their comics. A boy can dream, can’t he?
