Comic Bloc puts on the Dan DiDio mask:
“In my personal opinion, DC needs some help. There are a lot of late books, and a lot of books getting the ax soon. How would you set it right? Here’s what I would do to some of the troubled books I see: Relaunch Hawkman with Joe Kelly writing. Teen Titans - get them a finalized line-up. Move Paul Dini to Batman. Free up some of Morrison’s time so his other projects come out monthly. Put Andreyko on Detective Comics. Aquaman relaunched with Mark Waid writing and Mike Weringo (sp?) as the artist. Put Shane Davis on WildCats, free up Jim Lee’s time”
(Of course, according to Brian Michael Bendis on WordBalloon, Andreyko may be heading back to Marvel…)
The idea that DC needs to be fixed isn’t a popular one, however:
“I would cancel Hawkgirl, leave Lee alone and just assume he can’t turn in work on time and I would leave Williams on Aquaman instead of using a hot shot writer like Waid. I would follow up 52 with a weekly leading directly into the final act of this big three part ubercrisis. I’d put Simone on WW and return Superman to his previous glory with none other than Geoff Johns at the helm. That’s my smartass way of saying that I think DC is in great hands. They had some serious speed bumps OYL but things are getting back together and DC is headed in a great direction.”
“I don’t think DC needs any help creatively. Marketing-wise is the only REAL area where Marvel has the advantage.”
“I don’t know. I think the problems have fixes well under way in many cases. Yeah OYL there were a few bumps, but things look to be working themselves out now… And regardless? I’m enjoying dC a whole lot more now than ever before, so no worries here…”
July 10th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Here’s a way to handle late books: Fire anyone involved who isn’t delivering their work on time. I don’t care how popular they are or how many books they sell. If they can’t deliver the work on time, as promised, fire ‘em. Or, if the people running the show at the various comics companies had any brains, they’d wait on scheduling the books until they were actually finished. You know, just like what happens in the real world.
July 10th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
It’s no surprise that ComicBloc is pro-DC as it’s essentially a moderated DC messageboard.
July 10th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
“Here’s a way to handle late books: Fire anyone involved who isn’t delivering their work on time.”
Here’s what Tom Brevoort says on the dangers of that:
http://marvel.com/blogs/Tom_Brevoort/entry/800
I can see what you’re saying, but firing people has its own disadvantages. The people you replace them with aren’t guaranteed to make things better.
July 10th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
Not only that, but firing people would create bad will in the industry and could have a hugely negative effect on future hirings.
But JLApe? Yeah, I’d buy that.
July 10th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
The idea that people think DC is headed in a great direction baffles my mind.
From right before Identity I was buying about 10 titles from DC a month (non Vertigo aside). Now I think I have 3.
OYL and Countdown have actually given me a jumping off point rather than a jumping on one.
July 10th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
Regardless of fan message board affiliations, fanboys can almost never be trusted to give sound ideas on how to relaunch properties at a major comic book company. For instance…Aquaman is a perennial loser as a title. I like the character and all…but putting Mark Waid and ‘Ringo on it is probably not a wise move, financially. They cost too much for a title that can’t be assured of having the efforts pay off.
July 10th, 2007 at 6:33 pm
You don’t want to be fired? Do your damn work. It’s that simple. It doesn’t create ill-will; you either find someone who rises to the occasion or you keep looking. It’s life.
Awww, he hurt my feelings. Sorry, but anything outside of medical emergencies for the creator and his immediate family doesn’t cut it.
July 10th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
Sorry, Dave. I’ve enjoyed DC more and more ever since Identity Crisis.
July 10th, 2007 at 10:03 pm
Since DC has gone into Non-stop Crisis and killing off the characters I actually have some emotional investment in, I’ve ceased to care. I buy All-Star Superman now and whatever odd (and rare) book looks fun and worth my money. Otherwise I’ve been reading a lot of non-superhero comics in the past year and a half.
July 10th, 2007 at 10:31 pm
Fire anyone involved who isn’t delivering their work on time.
Yesss…. fire Grant Morrison.
And JH Williams III.
And Frank Quitely
And Andy Kubert.
And Adam Kubert.
And Frank Miller. And Jim Lee.
And Richard Donner and Geoff Johns.
And Kurt Busiek and Paul Dini and Darwyn Cooke and Tim Sale and…
OH, and Marvel should fire Mark Millar, and Brian Hitch, and Jeff Loeb, and Dan Slott and Joe Quesada, and …
Pretty soon the only writers you’d have left are hacks who substitute stereotypes for characters and fights scenes for plot, and the only artists you have left are guys doing slightly improved stick figures in something resembling a comics page.
But it would come out on time for your weekly fix.
July 10th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
Steven really isn’t far off. If one creator gets higher sales with his lateness than other gets while being on time, then lateness isn’t the worst thing in the world. Marvel and Dc issue paychecks to their employees by getting sales. If an editor ignores sales, then *he* isn’t doing his job.
July 10th, 2007 at 11:14 pm
Steven, either make sure these people get their work done on time (some on your list aren’t late though, such as Busiek waiting for Pacheco or Donner and Johns waiting for Kubert) or hold off on their work or don’t use them. It’s very simple. The only person on that list that may have an excuse is Morrison, because he was stretched ridiculously thin last year.
There is an endless supply of talent that can be given the chance to break out who can do monthly work. Jeff Parker is a great example of this, someone who is very similar to Slott in writing but without the delays. And there are others out there who are just as talented as those you listed yet are not late. Lateness does not automatically place you on this pedestal above all others, as if they are worth the wait.
Let’s look at two examples, Mighty Avengers and Ultimate Spider-Man. Mighty Avengers is now late, 3 issues in. Cho had ample time to get ahead, and Marvel knew he was a slow artist. Yet here we are, again stuck in limbo until the book comes out (while a great talent in Bagley is waiting to take over). Somewhere someone needs to say “You know, maybe we should tell Cho to hurry up or hold off on launching the book, or maybe get a different artist.”
Now, Ultimate Spider-Man. Immonen is apparently, from his recent Newsarama interview, four issues ahead of his work on the title. This gives plenty of time to plan for unseen occurrences in life.
Two artists with the same writer, both announced around the same time. Yet one is delayed. The only difference is in editors, and one being a “big name” star. Someone at Marvel really needs to just scream “Wake Up!”
July 11th, 2007 at 12:16 am
http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/06/27/marvel-month-to-month-sales-may-2007/
05/07 Mighty Avengers #3 - 115,440
05/07 Ult. Spider-Man #109 - 72,478
(115,440 - 72,478) * $3 = $128,886
July 11th, 2007 at 7:06 am
I don’t think anything’s going to happen unless retailers as a whole start punishing late books. But they can’t do that without taking a severe hit themselves.
July 11th, 2007 at 7:31 am
Lateness is irrelevant. If the book sells huge when it is released then all is forgiven. Civil War 4 is a case in point.
July 11th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
No need to be sorry Matt. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.