DC Movies- if at first you don't succeed...

[Bazza]

I don't have any financial figures to back it up, but I would think that putting out controversial continuity-changing storylines that divide the fanbase would be a good thing. Any time you have the fans arguing over things it means they are reading the material and caring about it, to the extent that they fight over it.

 

As I see it, the real problem is that comic publishing, whether it is digital or paper, is a business first and foremost. The notion of stopping a successful title just because the character should (realistically) retire after ten years of fighting villains--to say nothing of the plot churn that comes with such longevity--is anathema to publishers. Moreover, they realize that coming up with interesting characters and (financially) successful storylines is not so easy, so exchanging one aging character with a fresh new character in the company's roster would be a terrifying prospect.

 

However, that's how I would want to run a comic publishing company if I had the chance. I'm not saying it would work out, but I like the idealism of it. I like the idea that each character is allowed a single virtual "lifetime" to fight crime and save the world, and that the superhero universe is allowed to have an ever-changing tapestry of characters that come and go once their storylines are played out. Sure, there might be the occasional immortal character, but this standard practice of keeping the main characters 25-35 years old forever would go bye-bye.

 

Fans of popular characters would cry, "But we love the Justice Queen! Don't take her away!" to which I would respond, "Don't worry, we have another character coming up that is just as interesting and that you'll love even more!" It would be necessary to back that up with the goods, but that's the challenge. The creative challenge that no publisher is willing to undertake because it's too hard and probably doesn't make enough money (though I think that is solved by merchandizing the characters in other forms).

 

Anyway, that's my idealistic rant for the day.

 

My post from the thread "The Coming Epic Fail of Marvel Comics" from July this year:

 

If I were Marvel EIC I'd have the old fan-loved characters retire, and be mentors to the new characters who take up the mantle. Kinda what DC did/try to do. 

 

So there would still be a Spider-Man, Hulk, Avengers, Fantastic Four, et al, but there would be new characters taking over those mantles thus creating a tradition. In another 25-30 years, have these new characters retire and repeat it. The Marvel universe evolves, continuity stays intact and as new character take up the mantle of the older characters the title organically and for story-telling reasons gets rebooted. Stagger these "reboots" to keep things fresh, i.e. don't have them all occurring in one big "mega event series". These older retired character may form the Marvel Avengers equivalent of the Justice Society -- a team of the old guard as I'm sure fans of these characters would still love to read about them. 

 

 

 

http://www.herogames.com/forums/topic/93760-the-coming-epic-fail-of-marvel-comics/?p=2520703

[slikmar]

I don't have any financial figures to back it up, but I would think that putting out controversial continuity-changing storylines that divide the fanbase would be a good thing. Any time you have the fans arguing over things it means they are reading the material and caring about it, to the extent that they fight over it.

 

As I see it, the real problem is that comic publishing, whether it is digital or paper, is a business first and foremost. The notion of stopping a successful title just because the character should (realistically) retire after ten years of fighting villains--to say nothing of the plot churn that comes with such longevity--is anathema to publishers. Moreover, they realize that coming up with interesting characters and (financially) successful storylines is not so easy, so exchanging one aging character with a fresh new character in the company's roster would be a terrifying prospect.

 

However, that's how I would want to run a comic publishing company if I had the chance. I'm not saying it would work out, but I like the idealism of it. I like the idea that each character is allowed a single virtual "lifetime" to fight crime and save the world, and that the superhero universe is allowed to have an ever-changing tapestry of characters that come and go once their storylines are played out. Sure, there might be the occasional immortal character, but this standard practice of keeping the main characters 25-35 years old forever would go bye-bye.

 

Fans of popular characters would cry, "But we love the Justice Queen! Don't take her away!" to which I would respond, "Don't worry, we have another character coming up that is just as interesting and that you'll love even more!" It would be necessary to back that up with the goods, but that's the challenge. The creative challenge that no publisher is willing to undertake because it's too hard and probably doesn't make enough money (though I think that is solved by merchandizing the characters in other forms).

 

Anyway, that's my idealistic rant for the day.

I actually think DC tried this, with the side-kicks becoming the heros and getting new sidekicks. They, at one point had replaced GL, Batman, Flash, Green Arrow (played as funny when Ollie came back and wondered where everyone was and what they had done with them). WW and Supes were effectively immortal. In fact, the new 52 was their way of pretty much undoing those legacies by rebooting except they allowed to many of the history to remain intact(now being shown through Rebirth), picking and choosing depending on the writer. So now they seem to be undoing the new 52, but not really. Part of their problem, I think, is the half measure. Either reboot or don't, but don't go halfway.

[bigdamnhero]

I don't think that anymore. Seeing how badly many books have splintered--I literally have NO IDEA how many X-Men variations (individuals, teams, universes) there are anymore, for instance--I see the problem there. I find it hard to care about ANY of them. Ditto for the exploding Spidey-verse. And other comic books/characters who all resemble Hydra these days. "Cut off one head, and two more will take its place!".

Well, that's a different problem from lack of continuity per se. I don't read much X-Men, but the different Spidey-verse titles aren't continuity breaks so much as parallel universes or alternate timelines. So if you don't want to read Spider-Man 2099 or Spider-Gwen or whatever, that has little to no impact on what's going on in the main universe continuity, except for the occasional crossover. (I'm not a big crossover fan myself, but that's not exactly a new phenomenon.)

 

If I were Marvel EIC I'd have the old fan-loved characters retire, and be mentors to the new characters who take up the mantle. Kinda what DC did/try to do.

Marvel tried pretty much exactly that; didn't sell. And while DC loves to introduce younger generations of heroes, not so much on actually letting the old guard stay retired. I mean they still had the WWII-era JSA running around in main continuity a few years ago...

[zslane]

Marvel and DC can't afford to try anything too drastic. Whenever they do, it invariably bites them in the balance sheet. For them, innovation and experimentation is only going to occur in off-shoot universes that are ultimately disposable, especially if they fail to catch on with readers.

 

No, any grand experiment in character development and world building--as the primary guiding principle of the company's main universe--has to come, I think, from someplace entirely new.

[TheDarkness]

I agree with you guys. I especially agree with the sentiment to put certain titles on the backburner for a time. In practice, I can only pretend they're doing that during the periods of bad writing.

 

As for continuity, it is nice to find a comic with no ties to the others. Too often, some currently popular story, which also is obviously rehashed and hamhanded, has to involve EVERYONE and their Aunt May.

 

In regards to the original JSA, I must confess, I love them so.

[Twilight]

POWER PACK FOREVER! I have nothing else to add.

[Starlord]

The Justice League and Batman movie are going to have a

Deathstroke

 

[Christopher R Taylor]

I really think a hyper-cute kawaii Power Pack film could do really well both in the US and in places like Japan.

[Twilight]

I really think a hyper-cute kawaii Power Pack film could do really well both in the US and in places like Japan.

I agree.  They could draw it in the style of the all ages Power Pack mini series Marvel printed awhile back.

[Starlord]

Cool

[Bazza]

Electric

[DasBroot]

If it's intended for CW they should have considered Static Shock instead.  Closer to their demographic.  Black Lightning could appear as a series regular (principal of Virgil's school - in the know because they can detect each other's ability to manipulate electricity) like Wells or Joe West on Flash.

 

I'd be worried if it did end up on CW that they'd de-age the character - focus on his time as an olympian (before he started using his powers) instead of his life after sports (when he did).

 

If it's shipped to another network... well, we all saw how Supergirl went.

[bigdamnhero]

If it's shipped to another network... well, we all saw how Supergirl went.

If Supergirl can't [ahem] fly on another network, I doubt Black Lightning would. So CW I expect.

[zslane]

Except, didn't the president of the CW say that they already have all the superhero shows they can handle, and that there aren't any plans for more for the forseeable future?

[slikmar]

Not meant as a joke, but maybe it ends up on BET. I actually really liked the BL comic way back and loved them bringing him back in Outsiders. I don't think it is a coincidence this is being announced though as the Luke Cage series is getting ready to start.

[Starlord]

ummmm, ok. 

[Starlord]

Booster Gold movie

[megaplayboy]

The Justice League and Batman movie are going to have a

Deathstroke

 

The joke, it writes itself.

[Christopher R Taylor]

I really think Booster Gold could be DC's answer to Deadpool: not rated R but a goofy, funny guy that plays a different side of heroism than the grimdark angst fest of betrayal and failure.

[aylwin13]

Booster Gold movie

 

Dammit, I read the comments again. A lot of those people seem to like the WB/DC grim-dark. They don't want Gold in the universe. And they think that the Marvel movies are all campy and funny, due to Starlord's "dance-off" in Guardians.

 

*smh*

[Christopher R Taylor]

I think DC lives in terror of Cloony/Schumachrer's Batman And Robin being their legacy.  So they are striving with everything they have to never have a single moment like the old 60s Batman show.

[Old Man]

Dammit, I read the comments again. A lot of those people seem to like the WB/DC grim-dark. They don't want Gold in the universe. And they think that the Marvel movies are all campy and funny, due to Starlord's "dance-off" in Guardians.

 

*smh*

 

AIUI Booster Gold will not be part of the Snyderverse; he'll have a separate reality unto himself.

[dmjalund]

AIUI Booster Gold will not be part of the Snyderverse; he'll have a separate reality unto himself.

 then he can go back in time and reboot the Snyderverse

[Bazza]

This is hopeful https://t.co/btmOAhpUHd

[Christopher R Taylor]

A better approach would be to just pretend none of that awful crap ever happened in the last two Superman films and just fire off Justice League with a different tone.  Don't even bother explaining; its just Justice League now.  Nobody will miss the other stuff except people who pretty much hate superhero films anyway.  Continuity is supposed to be a fun feature, not a set of chains forcing you into specific actions.  At most it ought to be a callback or a reference to a previous film, not a forced continuous single story.