Oh Boy - Oh DC

Alright, one quick post on current matters:

1) A while back, Tom wanted me to comment on Doom Patrol's cancellation. In light of recent news, that may not be such an issue. And I'm sorry Tom, but I've never really gotten into the Patrol, so I probably couldn't do the subject justice.

2) Hey Kids! Comics! (Seriously, NSFW or good taste)- I debated making a poster of this, but I decided that I'd rather not have to explain why I made something this bad to anyone I knew. Read into that what you will.

3) OK, the DC reboot/relaunch/revamp thing. This actually breaks down into several smaller issues to me:

a) Retconning/eliminating the Lois and Clark Marriage - Most of you whom have been here before can guess that I wasn't too thrilled. I've never understood the appeal of the Wonder Woman/Superman ship - it's always seemed demeaning to both characters, and I care even less about Lana Lang (Smallville put a spike in that one for all time, thanks), or Lori Lemaris or the rest. That said, the possible upshot of all this is that unlike that...other retcon, this one isn't backed by an ironclad promise to never undo it - so I can see a possible "reimagining" of the Lois/Clark romance in a couple years, including a possible story arc for her discovering his dual identity in a way that doesn't make her seem a bit clueless. So long as it's not played for "Silver Age Laffs", because who wants that? I'm willing to wait a bit.

b) Digital stuff - I do not own an Ipad or Iphone or have access to any of these newfangled formats, so I'm not qualified to speak on the issue - I hope it works out as a way to promote a larger comics readership, because that's necessary at this point. But I'm a print guy who wants to buy trades, and I'll stay that way for the immediate future. I do fear for many retailers who will get hurt by this, but unfortunately, the retailers couldn't find a way to collectively change the market, so the companies are trying this.

c) Nothing will change if nothing changes - putting up a bunch of new #1s and putting it all digitally won't mean anything if you're still paying $18 over 6-8 months for a single story, especially the way storytelling trends at DC have been for the past few years. New titles are nice, but using new opportunities to tell better stories is what's key here - branding can only take you so far.

So, do I think it'll work? No clue. It really depends on whether or not this is a genuine attempt to broaden their horizons or a new coat of paint along with crossing off some of the bullpen's wishlist. However, I'm extremely skeptical.