One of the biggest conversation topics this week has been the news of Chuck Dixon leaving DC Comics.
The blogger at Collected Editions has his own take on the subject:
First, when you play major league baseball, and your coach tells you to hit a home run, you hit a home run. Alternatively, if the coach tells you to make a sacrifice play to bring another runner home, you take one for the team. When you’re writing for DC-freaking-Comics, you don’t balk at being asked to take part in crossovers, you make the best of it; this is what makes Geoff Johns, Geoff Johns.
Second, when you write for DC or Marvel, or really any company where the characters appear on Underoos, you’re playing in their sandbox, with their toys. If they say Superman needs to grow a third arm today, man, you ask, “How many fingers?”; they say Spider-Man’s going to wear polka-dots, you ask, “Pink or purple?” And you can be assured, any big changes you make to a character, they’re going to be undone one of these days. Anyone who thinks differently is kidding themselves.
Winged Lion wonders what this means for the future of DC Comics:
Now I have to concede that like any disgrunted former employee, Chuck Dixon might be just spilling sour grapes and therefore his comments MUST be taken with a grain of salt. Also, Dixon has the fame of being too full of himself and a little bit problematic (he is blacklisted at Marvel afterall). However even if that is the case, you can’t deny that there is certain grain of truth behind those grapes. Afterall Dixon is a professional and if he says he didn’t quit, that leaves only one option and the clever reader knows which one. If you couple that with things such as some of Keith Giffen’s comments at his column (when he is still working at DC!!!), the disaster that were Countdown, Amazon’s Attack and their respective tie-ins (like that crappy Countdown: Arena), the latest interview of Grant Morrison (that basically throw under the bus several editors), the most recent complaints and the low sales in the big books (JLA, Superman) due bad stories derivated from editorial mandates, it does makes you wonder what is going one behind the Wizard’s courtain. I think comics are better when you don’t peak at what’s behind.
At this moment, with the environment so hot that even Warren Ellis is scratching his head for what is going on, I think it would be irresponsable to stirr more the pot an put the blame over one person. After all, who you would blame for the debacle: DiDio for not not being able to reign over the ship? Dixon for starting something that got him fired? Morrison for trying to play solo at DC’s sandbox and not caring about what other creators ar doing? Mike Carlin for not caring anymore about the weekly book he was editing and maybe sabotaging his current boss for taking his old job? The whole DC staff for not talking anymore and created a disjointed universe? Or Paul Levitz and WB for not putting order in the house?
While Swank-mo-tron of Big Shiny Robot thinks this is a very bad sign:
DC isn’t doing themselves any favors by keeping mum, either. If there was reason to fire a titan like Dixon, great, have out with it. But if this was hard-headed editors trying to reign in one of their betters by simply firing him, like it appears to be, they’re going to shoot themselves in the foot. Not only are readerships on DC books going to slip further in sales, but they aren’t going to get any better if you put shitty writers on them.
And DC is hurting for business. I mean, check this out. This is actual sales numbers from the month of April. DC has one book on the top ten (it’s number 9 and it’s Justice League of America). 1-8 are Marvel books, 10 is a Marvel book and 11 is Dark Horse Buffy the Vampire Slayer Book. Buffy the Vampire Slayer sells more books than all of DC’s catalogue (including Batman!) except JLA.
No wonder they’re trying to cram mediocre weekly books down the throats of the DC faithful, they’re slipping.
So what do you think?
June 22nd, 2008 at 12:55 am
Why would Chuck Dixon of all people leave because of a crossover? That doesn’t pass the smell test - he wrote Batman comics in the 90’s, fer cryin out loud! The man worked with Knightfall, Knightquest, Knightsend, Contagion, Legacy, Cataclysm, Zero Hour, Underworld Unleashed, DC One Million, the Final Night, and almost assuredly more that I am missing. Batman R.I.P. shouldn’t be able to stop him.
June 22nd, 2008 at 3:01 am
I still think what I thought when the Dixon story broke and everyone started talking about the state of DC.
I buy about 15-20 DC books and about 4 Marvel books, only two of which take place in “616.”
DC is keeping me entertained, and that’s all I care about.
June 22nd, 2008 at 3:16 am
When he wrote Batman comics during the crossovers, he had a much stronger voice in the process, as it related to his cast of characters. There’s a big difference between being the driver of the bus and the passenger. That still might not pass your smell test, but it’s a whole ‘nother smell from the one you’re talking about.
June 22nd, 2008 at 6:18 am
Why is Dixon blacklisted from Marvel?
June 22nd, 2008 at 6:41 am
If it’s true he left for that reason (and it sounds like a pretty big if; after all, what title is immune from crossovers?), I can’t say I have much sympathy. It’s a challenge, so take it as one and make it work so well people will wonder if you were responsible for the crossover.
Hell, even Alan Moore worked Crisis into Swamp Thing, for cryin’ out loud, and he did a great job.
June 22nd, 2008 at 7:14 am
Legally, DC might not be allowed to comment about Chuck Dixon’s ‘dismissal’. There are privacy laws.
June 22nd, 2008 at 10:11 am
According to Joe Quesada in his Cup of Joe MySpace interview Dixon, “like any other freelancer, is welcome to pitch things to us. There are no closed doors here.” That doesn’t sound like a blacklist.
June 22nd, 2008 at 10:14 am
Wait…it’s just that easy to hit home runs? Who knew!
June 22nd, 2008 at 10:40 am
What part of Dixon saying he didn’t quit is confusing people? He’s always made the best of even the dumbest crossovers.
June 22nd, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Sallyp — If only it were, indeed!
I take Kevin’s point that Dixon said he didn’t quit. If only Dixon either would or wouldn’t say what happened; it’s this in-between stuff that causes all the confusion and bad feelings. But I’m with DK; I think it’s easy to get caught up in the “who likes whom” debate, when the bottom line is, with Johns on Superman, Morrison on Batman–heck, Andreyko on Manhunter!–DC Comics are as good as they’ve been in a long time.
June 22nd, 2008 at 11:44 pm
Why is Dixon blacklisted at Marvel? I assume it has something to do with Marvel Knights since that was his last book there wasn’t it? Or was it Doom? Could someone please fill me in on the details of this?
June 23rd, 2008 at 3:07 pm
The reason for the blacklist was that Dixon was very against the making Rawhide Kid gay and was very vocal about it.
June 23rd, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Not only that, he insinuated John Severin, the artist, must not have been told about the book’s premise, and was an unwitting accomplice.
Which came as quite a surprise to John Severin.