What if I ran DC Comics..?

Last week while at work, I passed the time by mulling over what I’d do if by some chance I was put in charge of DC Comics.  Coincidentally, Dan Didio, co-Publisher of DC Comics parted ways with the company that same day.

It’s a past-time of comic book retailers, collectors, and just regular ol’ readers to stand around their local comic book shop bitching about discussing the state of the comic book industry and what the Big Two publishers (DC and Marvel) have going on in their respective worlds.  Rising costs, not enough “good” books, pulling too many sales stunts, too many books per month, and lack of consistency and direction are the frequent fliers in these conversations.  A teensy thought I had (couldn’t even tell you what it was now) snowballed into a full blown revamp of the DC Comics publishing line inside my head. So, for those of you who didn’t bail out of this post after the first sentence, let’s dive in.

I took DC Comics’ April 2020 Solicitations (a set of promo images and accompanying text sent to retailers to use as a guide for their ordering purposes) and used that as a starting point.  I wanted to focus on the main publishing line, so anything outside of that does really matter for the purposes of this scenario.

At the heart of DC Comics, in my opinion, should always be the concept of legacy.  However, it seems those in charge don’t necessarily agree. Having a decades-long publishing history means, at times, things get confusing.  The average person doesn’t know there have been multiple Flashes or Robins, for example. So, in 2011, DC rebooted their entire line and restarted each series at #1 giving new readers a clean place to jump into storylines and to learn about characters from the ground-up.  DC dubbed this venture The New 52 (due to producing that many new series). My instinct, if I were put in charge, would be to do almost the opposite.  DC Comics is the oldest comic book publisher and, every month, puts out the two longest running books in history.  The company’s 85-year history was at the forefront of my mind during this thought experiment. A few moves have already been made to acknowledge this history when Action Comics and Detective Comics were returned to their original numbering in 2016.  This allowed for the run-up to #1000 of each series.  Recently, DC announced they’d be doing the same to honor the legacy of both Wonder Woman and The Flash by producing a landmark #750th issue of each series, but that it would be temporary.  They later announced both series would stick with the legacy numbering going forward.

What I tweeted DC Comics...

What they announced a week later.

Also, in 2020, a number of characters are celebrating their 80th anniversaries.  The Flash (on top of hitting #750 issues), Robin, Green Lantern, The Joker, Catwoman, and Lex Luthor all hit 80-years-old this year.  DC will be putting out special anniversary issues for several of these characters. And at $10 each with extra covers paying homage to every decade the character has appeared in, no less…  Normally this would fall under the “stunt” category I mentioned earlier, but in this instance, it gets a pass. How often does one get to celebrate their 80th anniversary, anyway? (Once, after 80 years, I suppose…)  That’s as good as a segue as I can come up with, so if you’ve still stuck with me, let’s look at what DC’s publishing line would look like in September 2020 if I were running the show.

Straight out of the gate, I’d cancel several series.  Low sales numbers are the main driving force, but more important is streamlining the publishing line to reduce the actual physical number of books put out each month.  The titles getting the axe would be: Batman & the Outsiders, Batman Beyond, Catwoman, Hawkman, Justice League Dark, Justice League Odyssey, Red Hood: Outlaw, Shazam!, Supergirl (actually already cancelled by DC), and The Terrifics.  These ten books consistently see low sales numbers and several have been plagued with delays in release.

There's a precedent for this...  DC did something similar in the 70s.

Secondly, I’d push for more “one and done” stories.  The goal here is to increase sales and readership? Having every issue be part of a multi-part story discourages someone from picking up a random issue from the shelf on a whim.  I’ll admit, I’m not an avid reader of The Flash, but the upcoming #750th issue is a good place to start.  I know that because I’m not new to comics and can see that it’s designed as a place to “jump onto” the series.  Now, I’m not suggesting every issue needs to be a single story.  If a writer has a multi-part story that’s compelling and new and adds to that character’s mythos, that’s great.  But, for the most part, someone should be able to walk in off the street, pick up an issue of a series, and read it without being completely lost.

There are a number of series I’d leave completely alone.  Strange Adventures, Legion of Superheroes, Suicide Squad, and Young Justice would all go untouched in any way, shape, or form.

For a large number of books, I’d simply have them follow the trend of returning to legacy numbering.  Aquaman, Batgirl, Green Lantern, Harley Quinn, Nightwing, Superman, and Teen Titans would all return to their original numbering.

Imagine a set of variant covers for Harley Quinn depicting what she would have looked like in the 1940s to 80s.  It's the exact kind of parody up Harley's alley.

DC has several comics on a “double-shipping” schedule, meaning two issues are released each month.  Batman, The Flash, Justice League of America, and Wonder Woman would reduce from being two, 32 page issues a month at $3.99 to one, 40 page issue per month at $4.99.  Those additional eight pages could be used for more story per issue or (my preference) for a “back-up feature” for a less prominent character.  What better way to get exposure for a character like Elongated Man than giving him a short story at the end of each issue of The Flash?

Wonder Woman used to regularly feature Huntress in a backup feature

There is one current series that I’d like to see re-titled.  Batman/Superman is a team-up series featuring those two characters.  I realize the name recognition is important, but in a visual medium, if the cover has those two characters on it, does it have to be named that, too?  Instead, I would rebrand the book as World’s Finest Comics, a continuation of the team-up series featuring Batman and Superman that ran from 1941 to 1986.

Imagine this, but with a retro World's Finest Comics logo.

These next two ideas are a little iffy from a business standpoint.  I approached this whole thing with the thought “these ideas have to be financially viable.  So far, I’ve cut revenue by reducing the number of books shipped each month by 14. But that was, in my opinion, trimming the fat.  Now, let’s bulk up by launching (or, technically, relaunching) four series:

The Brave and the Bold originally ran from 1955 to 1983.  While it originally served as an anthology title featuring lesser known characters DC owned, it shifted to a book that featured new characters.  The Suicide Squad, Hawkman, and a team called the Justice League all first appeared in the pages of The Brave and the Bold.  For the majority of its run, however, the book served as an avenue to tell Batman team-up stories, which is exactly how I’d use it in 2020.  Just like with the back-up features I proposed earlier, this would be a great way to get exposure for characters readers might not typically try. 

The "new look" of and Green Arrow first appeared in Brave and the Bold

DC Comics Presents originally ran from 1978 to 1986.  It had the same format as The Brave and the Bold, but rather than Batman teaming up with another hero, DC Comics Presents featured Superman and heroes from across the DC universe.  Again, I’d keep the format and use the Man of Steel as a gateway to introduce lesser known characters. 

The New Teen Titans first appeared in this issue of DC Comics Presents.

Sensation Comics.  While Batman has Detective Comics, and Superman has Action Comics, it's only right that Wonder Woman has a second book every month.  I would, however, like to see there be something special to this book.  To honor Wonder Woman’s history, I would set Sensation Comics #1 in the 1940s and use the book to tell the origins of not only the character, but to the universe as a whole.  Each story arc would detail a decade of history (#1-3 in the forties, #7-9 in the sixties, #13-15 in the eighties, etc.) and pay homage to the DC universe.

A Sensation Comics #1 homage by Phil Jimenez

Showcase.  This one is a little more ambitious.  Originally running from 1956-1970, Showcase was the book that debuted new characters and concepts to gauge reader interest in an ongoing series.  My relaunch of the series would not be a place to test out characters, but to test out talent.  The series would be assigned a veteran writer and artist tasked with working with two rookie writers and two rookie artists.  Each issue would be one, self-contained story, and reader response would help guide the future of the series. This would be a great way to cultivate talent while also producing tangible results in terms of sales and reader feedback.

Showcase #4 (first appearance of the Silver Age Flash) homage by LucianoVecchio.

My final change to DC’s publishing line features the two most important books in the line.  Action Comics and Detective Comics.  These two series would adopt the classic DC 100-Page Super Spectacular format and feature not only Batman and Superman, but characters from cancelled series as well.  Supergirl would find a new home in Action Comics.  Catwoman would feature in Detective Comics.  With 100 pages a month, there’s plenty of real estate to see the stories of the residents of Gotham and Metropolis unfold.  This begs the question, though, how much would these books cost each month. If a 32-page comic is $3.99 and a 40-pager is $4.99, that breaks down to roughly $0.12½ per page.  Am I expecting people to pay $12.50 for each of these issues every month?  Of course not. So what’s the solution? Newsprint.  Comics switched from the type of paper that you’d expect from a newspaper in the late-90s/early-00s to a glossier paper.  The gloss does help with making art stand out and color pop from the page, I will admit, but in the interest of getting more comics on the shelves without being cost-prohibitive, newsprint is the way to go.  I don’t know the actual production cost for using newsprint, but say it cuts cost by half, each 100-Page Super Spectacular could have a $6.99 price tag and be beneficial to reader and publisher.

Detective Comics has used the 100-Page Super Spectacular format before...

...so has Action Comics.

So, the final list would look something like this:

DC COMICS SEPTEMBER 2020

ACTION COMICS #1027

AQUAMAN #337

BATGIRL #206

BATMAN #871

BRAVE AND THE BOLD #1

DC COMICS PRESENTS #1

DETECTIVE COMICS #1027

THE FLASH #757

GREEN LANTERN #562

HARLEY QUINN #145

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #662

LEGION OF SUPERHEROES #11

NIGHTWING #266

SENSATION COMICS #1

SHOWCASE #1

STRANGE ADVENTURES #7

SUICIDE SQUAD #10

SUPERMAN #844

TEEN TITANS #285

WONDER WOMAN #759

WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #355

YOUNG JUSTICE #20

I would make these changes slowly over the course of six months, let current mini-series complete their runs, and use this as the status quo for the foreseeable future.  I realize everyone’s taste is a little different, but based on a lot of the conversations I’ve had while standing around a comic book shop on a Wednesday afternoon or over a few beers, I think a lot of these changes are right in line with what most long-time readers would want to see.

But what about new readers?  Sure, I’ve put things in place to try to keep them reading, but how do you hook them?  How do you even get them into a comic book store in the first place? Use the movies. It seems, mostly, comics are used to promote movies, but why can’t it be both?  Several months ago, I went to see Shazam! and, at the door, they handed me a reprint issue of a series from a few years before.  Now, I had already read it, but I can imagine there were a number of people who read that and loved it.  But it was an older series and, thus, not currently ongoing. In June of this year, Wonder Woman 1984 hits theatres.  What if the newest issue of the Wonder Woman comic series was given out at the door?  

Me at the Shazam! premeire; April 2019

A different approach to the same concept would actually get moviegoers inside a comic shop. Comic book retailers could run a buy one, get one free promotion or offer a discount of some sort if you showed a ticket stub from a movie on opening weekend.  It would not only get people who are jazzed from the movie to capitalize on that momentum and go buy some comics, but it would also give a way for retailers to clear out some back stock from recent months. Savvy retailers could push the discount and sell bundles of, say, the last six months of a series at a discount to readers eager to devour more content around the character they just saw on screen.

Would these changes impact sales and revenue in a positive way?  Who knows. What I do know is that with the leadership changes on their way at DC Comics, some changes are bound to be made.  My hope is that those changes are made with history, legacy, and most importantly, readers, in mind.

Thanks for reading,

Josh

All related characters and images are trademarks of DC Comics, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Welcome Home

3767.8.  That’s the number of miles I traveled in an eight day span.

After a lot of long talks, careful consideration, and lots and lots of math, I made the decision to travel the country with the love of my life.  Neither of us wanted to pass up the opportunity to learn and grow both as individuals and as a couple on this wild, incredible journey. But, contrary to popular opinion, this wasn’t an easy thing to do.  I had to end my life in Tulsa (we both did, but this is my blog). So, I ended my three decade-long Tulsa tenure the only way I knew how: with a farewell tour.

My good friend/mentor/father figure Dennis and I have several Tulsa traditions that we’ve enjoyed together, which were honestly the highlight of the end of my time in Oklahoma.  Coney I-Lander and a couple of Driller’s games the week before I left town helped ease my mind regarding this life-changing move. Dennis has always been one of my biggest supporters, so having someone not only reassure me that I was making the right decision, but also help me make this move was more needed than I realized at the time.

Not a lot of people know that I’m a part-time bartender.  I started working at Johnny Carino’s like… twelve years ago, but when I got a big boy job, I left the restaurant industry behind.  About four years ago, I went back to bartend on weekends (because we all know Oklahoma educators are paid SO well). Those of you who have worked in the industry know that the word “family” gets thrown around a lot by restaurant owners, managers, etc., but at Carino’s on 41st & Sheridan in Tulsa, OK, that is the God’s honest truth.  Those who have worked there can attest, it’s a different kind of place. I worked there through some of the best times of my life and some of the worst. I will always feel a special connection to that place. Also, those of you who have worked there know exactly what’s going on in the picture below.

The Carino's Farewell

The process of making a move like this is different than just moving from one house to another or even, I would imagine, moving from one city to another.  Ali and I are going to be traveling so much for the foreseeable future that we both had to downsize our lives quite a bit. I donated a lot of clothes, personal items, and random household junk.  I don’t know how many times I used the words and phrases “get rid of it”, “toss it”, “trash”, or “donation” in the last month or so. Only the most important and personal of things were packed in boxes to be stored and only the things I couldn’t live without came with me.

Zayne, was wrecked from a day of helping Uncle Josh pack

Amazing how your entire life can fit in your trunk, isn't it?

I left Tulsa on the morning of July 18th.  The drive was actually pretty enjoyable. Unlike the previous drive (recounted in my last post), I did NOT drive straight-through.  I stayed the night in Atlanta and got up the next morning to see some of the sights (and took no pictures, somehow) before hitting the road.  A couple of rainstorms rolled in on the drive down the Gulf Coast that hindered my travel for some of the day, so the drive that should have taken about seven hours, took closer to ten.  But I made it. I might actually get killed for including this, but Ali had a little bit of a present waiting for me on our dining room table.

A warm welcome, indeed

Once she got home from work, we headed out for a victory dinner.  We hit the beach the next day and had the best time (as per usual, beach life can’t be beaten).

An actual mermaid

But I wasn’t done with travel.  I had a prearranged trip to visit my best friend, Amanda, in Pennsylvania.  Being the amazing friend she is, she got us tickets to see John Mayer as a birthday gift.  It was my third (or fourth) time to see him and her first. I’m not sure if he’s just evolved as a performer that much or if it had just been too long since I’d seen him live, but I have to say, it was a hell of a concert.  No opener, two sets that were tailored a little different from each other - it was such an experience. If this tour comes anywhere near you, it’s worth the price of admission.

"But if you give me just one night, you're gonna see me in a New Light"

Amanda and I have settled into this bi-annual visit routine since she moved with her husband, Jeremy, to Pennsylvania a few years ago.  Our visits, by nature, are forced to be quality time. Knowing that I only get to see her in person maybe twice a year really helps put emphasis on enjoying that time.  We take care in maintaining our friendship from afar, but those trips really are the best. Especially since I get to bond with her little princess. Now if I could just get them to come visit Florida…  

We're the worst at remembering to take pictures together

I think she was trying to show off her Cheeto fingers

A full day of travel later, I was back home.  I know it hasn’t been long at all, but I already feel at home here.  I love the life we’re building together and am exhilarated for the future.

Rare sight: a Florida sunRISE

Thanks for reading,

-Josh

P.S. I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank all of the people who’ve helped, supported, and just overall made this process so easy.  Namely my mom and Aunt Misty. I literally could not have done this without them. So, thank you both.

“Get me the f*** out of Louisiana.”

Those seven words epitomize the 24-hour drive from Tulsa, OK to Bradenton, Florida I made with my girlfriend a few weeks ago.  But, we’ll get to that later.  First, I want to broach the topic at the forefront of everyone’s mind: why I'm packing my shit and moving to Florida fortune cookies. 

No one actually reads into fortune cookies, do they?  I mean, not really.  Most people don’t even eat them (but if you do, you know that you have to eat the cookie before you read the fortune).  I’d wager that most people crack them open, glance over the platitude written on the slip of paper, and chuck it in the trash.  I typically read it, utter the words “that’s dumb”, then chuck it in the trash.  However, there have been two times in my life, I’ve gotten a fortune cookie that stuck with me.  The first was the day I bought my first guitar.  The fortune read something like “you will make a musical decision today” or some such.  As it happened, I had planned to buy the guitar that day.  I always thought that was neat.  I feel that, sometimes, the universe does give us little hints that we’re going in the right direction. 
 

No, we did NOT look this good during the drive itself

So, back to that drive I mentioned.  Ali and I made this trip to Florida to get her settled in for her new job.  The plan for this “little” road trip was to leave town around 8:00 AM and stay the night in New Orleans.  When we hit the road at 3:00 PM, we had to make some… adjustments to the plan.  These adjustments included driving straight-through (24 hours total) and making the sketchiest stop for gas in Shreveport which prompted me to re-enter the car and utter those words: “get me the fuck out of Louisiana.”  I think it was about 2:00 in the morning when delirium began to set in and we belted "My Heart Will Go On" complete with interpretive dance.  Why take drugs when you can deprive yourself of sleep and have just as mind-bending a time?
 

The boys, Koda and his little brother Cooper, took the road trip in stride

They say that a massive road trip like this is a good test of a relationship.  I gotta tell you, I didn’t really feel tested at all.  Other than pushing the limits of how long I can drive without stopping (spoiler alert, it’s a while).  Once we made it to Florida, the drive was well worth it.  I’d never been to the state before and, while I’d seen the Atlantic from the northern part of the country, nothing could have prepared me for how beautiful the Gulf Coast is.

We spent several days at the beach, found a cool restaurant or two, and took some obligatory beach photos.  Other than sunburns, a couple of bouts of sun poisoning (which is a thing, apparently), and one near drowning experience, I can honestly say I spent a week in a slice of paradise.

She loves when I take pictures when she isn't ready as you can tell by her expression

We couldn't resist

We took a couple of trips into Sarasota (the nearest actual city anyone has heard of) to see what Florida has to offer.  Time kind of escaped us (as it does when you're having fun) one Sunday night.  Everything in town was beginning to close, including the aquarium we planned to visit.  But we were determined to find something to do in this new, exciting city.  So where does one turn when they have no hope?  Google.  "things to do in Sarasota".  The list was extensive, but I knew what we were doing next.  "Baby, let's do an escape room."  Neither of us had done one before, so we went online and reserved a room and made the 20 minute drive after grabbing some coffee.  (NOTE: Did you know that anytime there's a Chili's, Kohl's, and Best Buy in proximity, there will be a Starbucks also?  It's science.)

Pre-escape room cold brew

At the escape room, we met the two couples we'd be in the room with.  At the risk of sounding judgmental, one of the guys was a dope and his significant other was, um, not the sharpest, either.  The second couple was seemed more our speed, but the young lady kept mentioning how she had done escape rooms before.  "Did you make it out?"  "No."  Great.  I'm not sure if you're familiar with the premise of an escape room, but basically there are a series of puzzles that give you combinations or keys to locks that lead to more clues for the next lock.  This continues until you get the final code to open the door and escape.  The time limit was an hour and there were six or seven locks before the final door.  We managed to open all but two of the locks on our own.  So, I guess we make a pretty good team.
 

Random picture of a veggie burger I spent way too much money on that I'm using only to break up text on the page, you're welcome

While there, I did manage to hit a few comic book shops.  And, honestly, all but one of them suck.  I’ve said it before and I’m saying it now: I’ve been in comic book shops on both coasts and many states in between.  Nothing compares to Mammoth Comics in Tulsa.  But one shop was pretty cool.  It was actually half-comic shop, half-tattoo parlor, which I thought was a perfect pairing.  I browsed around and found quite a selection of Silver and Bronze age key issues.  One of which caught my eye.

 

Detective Comics #566

I’ve wanted a copy of this book for a long time.  It’s nothing special and wasn’t expensive, but I’ve had a poster of this in my living room for years and always said I’d buy it if I ever saw it in person.  And here, in a comic shop in Florida, where I otherwise probably never would have visited had I not met Ali, I found this book I’ve always wanted.  Sometimes, the universe does give us little hints that we’re going in the right direction.

The sunsets and nighttime are pretty cool in this waterfront town.  Not literally of course.  It’s hot.  And one thing that gets mentioned a lot about Florida is the humidity.  I actually didn’t think it was that bad (ask Ali now, though, she’ll tell you a much different story).  What I did enjoy was the out-of-nowhere rainstorms.  Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” was something of a summer anthem in 1961.  Hearing that song while sitting on the porch in the summer rain and playing cards with the most beautiful girl I know almost transported me to a different time entirely.  In reality, moments like those are timeless.

Once I returned to Tulsa, I began the process of packing and preparing my office for the move to a new location.  I’ve been at this school for eight years now (and actually was involved since it’s opening almost 12 years ago), so it’s somewhat apropos that I’m ending my time there at the same time the school moves physical locations.  There’s a bit of symmetry there.  

 

My "home away from home" for the past eight years

This is definitely a season of change for me personally and professionally.  And I welcome it.  While this has been a comic book blog since it began, I’m going to make a little bit of a shift and document more of just… life.  Forest Gump’s mama always said that life is like a box of chocolates, but I tend to think it’s more like a fortune cookie.  Things happen in life that can be interpreted as a sign.  And these signs are sometimes complete bullshit.  Sometimes they’re not.  Sometimes, the universe does give us little hints that we’re going in the right direction.

My fortune cookie two days after meeting Ali

Thanks for reading.

-Josh