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UPDATED WITH SCORECARD: No Really, DC Still Doesn’t Think You Care About Creative Teams
I’ve said it before! Are they trying to make each book seem soulless and artistically uninspired at this point?
This weekend DC announced ten new titles, exactly one of which (Keith Giffen’s new Doom Patrol) was announced with a creative mind in tow.
In total, they announced an astonishing five new Bat-titles (Batman & Robin, Red Robin, Gotham City Sirens, Batman: Streets of Gotham and Batgirl) as well as four Final Crisis Aftermath titles (Run!, Escape, Ink and Dance). Run! has previously had Matthew Sturges & Freddie E. Williams II mentioned as a creative team, but they weren’t mentioned this weekend, so none of these books – none of them – are attached to an artist or a writer.
So I have to ask: what the hell is the point of announcing them like this? Do they not have creators attached, or are they waiting to announce them later? If it’s later, they don’t have much time – The Final Crisis Aftermath books will be in next Monday’s May solicitations (they’re going to announce them in the intervening week? They can’t do it now? Really?) And the Batman solicitations will have to follow a month after. And if they’re not announcing the creators until later, then who cares about the titles?
We live in a market where, if you have two brain cells in your head, you’re buying comics largely based on the creative minds involved. And especially when you’re dealing with the fallout of a Grant Morrison event comic, whether or not people are going to be interested in a Super Young Team miniseries (Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance) depends largely on who’s going to be working on it since anybody invested in the Super Young Team is probably a Morrison fan, and not many people seem cpable of giving his concepts a satisfying follow-up.
These announcements are ridiculous because – who cares? Oh, there’s gonna be a Red Robin book, big fucking deal. Since they can’t tell us who Red Robin is, or what the book’s about, the only signifier of potential quality anybody possibly has to go by is the creative team, and that wasn’t announced either. So why bother? What discussion does it even really raise? Am I supposed to look forward to the fact that there are going to continue to be ongoing Batman titles featuring members of a Batman family? Is this supposed to surprise me?
I mean, take a look at the other side – people are talking about Marvel’s announcements since, even though we have no idea exactly where Fantastic Four will be going, people can figure out whether or not they’re interested in it pretty easily just by thinking about the new creative team of Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham. Millar and Carlos Pacheco on Ultimate Avengers, Lafuente joining Bendis on the Ultimate Spider-Man relaunch, Way, Liu and Camuncoli on Dark Wolverine – it’s as much about the creative teams as it is the characters involved when it comes to selling these books, and that’s why people actually give a shit about their convention announcements. These are concrete announcements and pieces of information that can influence my buying patterns. But DC? When you announce a bunch of titles without creative teams, all that does is suggest that those creative teams suck so you don’t want to mention them triumphantly. And judging by your record with choosing creative teams for projects like these recently, I’m not entirely unconvinced that isn’t the case.
UPDATE: Here’s the scorecard for the new titles announced this week and where the creative teams were discovered! Keep posting, commenters; I’ll update it as more information comes in.
| Title | Writer | Artist | Source |
| Doom Patrol | Keith Giffen | Matthew Clark | Blog |
| FC Aftermath: Run! | Matthew Sturges | Freddie E. Williams II | Interview |
| FC Aftermath: Escape | Ivan Brandon | Marco Rudy | Superpouvoir |
| FC Aftermath: Ink | Eric Wallace | Fabrizio Fiorentino | Superpouvoir |
| FC Aftermath: Dance | Joe Casey | ChrisCross | CBR boards |
| Batman | Judd Winick | Tony Daniel | Comments (Mike, Pedro); Wondercon |
| Batman & Robin | Grant Morrison | Frank Quitely | Comments (Skeletor) |
| Batgirl | Â | Â | Â |
| Gotham City Sirens | Paul Dini | Â | Wondercon |
| Batman: Streets of Gotham | Paul Dini | Dustin Nguyen | Wondercon |
| Red Robin | Fabian Nicieza? | Â | Nicieza on DC Boards |
| Last Days of Animal Man | Gerry Conway | Chris Batista | Superpouvoir |
| Batman in Barcelona: Dragon’s Knight | Mark Waid | Diego Olmos | Superpouvoir |
Let’s see how it all works out, guys!
That is a very good point. Really unbelievable, when you think about it, for DC to have announced all those books without creative team announcements. But you have to conclude that they didn’t announce the teams because they know the teams will not excite anybody (unlike say the Hickman/Eaglesham team). Sort of like when a movie company puts out a crappy movie, and they know it’s crappy, and therefore they won’t show it to critics ahead of time.
There’s a lot of criticism of DC and Didio, most of it unwarranted. This is spot on. I can’t believe DC didn’t give a single big reveal all weekend or that they think these series somehow constitute a big reveal. Like you said, it’s all out at 5pm next week anyway. And we can’t get a single detail from Black Lantern? They’ve leaked two of the BLs anyway. We can’t get a sketch or something?
I’m wondering if anyone in the audience bothered asking about creative teams and got denied by DC or the audience doesn’t care either.
ChrisCross revealed a while ago that he’s working on Dance with Joe Casey in a post on the CBR forums:
http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showpost.php?p=8304153&postcount=24
So there are creators attached to at least one of the minis, and it’s actually a pretty interesting creative team. DC continues to baffle me with its incompetence at marketing.
I was wondering if you guys would be the first to be publicly bothered by this. It certainly sounds editorially-driven, to say the least, with Didio listed as editing a series with no creators attached. Who are we thinking: Bedard? Tieri? Beechen?
Sturges was just talking about seeing the first issue of Run! and hyping Williams’ art on Twitter the other day, so that team’s still a lock. But yeah, you make a great point here. Look at CBR and Newsarama – there is so much talk of Marvel’s announcements, and you literally have to dig to find anything on DC’s. It’s almost like they weren’t there.
I think the interesting thing was DC had invested a good amount of space in the Con Handbook with 2 separate previews of two books that had been somewhat previously announced. I’m also very surprised that ChrisCross’s announcement was nearly a week before the con and no one noticed.
It seems pretty simple to me: Marvel is a creator-driven organization, DC is an editorially-driven organization. As it happens, Marvel has a shitload of strong creators AND puts the time and effort into nurturing new talent so that there’s always a flow of new eager brains being stirred into the mix.
DC, by contrast, has been relying on the same couple of big-name talents (Johns, Morrison, Rucka) for years now, an eternity in comics time. Most of the new talent they’ve attempted to bring on board (McKeever, Sturges, Tieri, Bedard) has been totally squandered and wasted on editorial-driven schlock–at least, I do assume that’s what it is; I sure don’t get much creator passion coming off any of their books.
So yes, DC doesn’t truly care about the creative teams involved, because at an editorial level (or maybe just at a DiDio level), they truly believe that what is driving sales isn’t the creators attached to a book, but the editorial dictates that will books into being and continue to guide books along the path toward utter meaninglessness. A quick glance at the sales charts would show their strategy as disastrous in the extreme, but no one seems to notice or care much based on how things are continuing to rot over there.
I just try to get the good stuff and take my jollies where I can. Rucka/Williams on Detective? Yes please.
More fuel for the fire: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=49078450&blogID=469297140
Apparently it was known long ago that Matthew Clark is going to be the artist for Giffen’s Doom Patrol, they just didn’t announce it at the con for whatever reason. Clark is understandably pretty pissed.
It is very sad as a DC fan to watch the company continue to make marketing blunder after marketing blunder. It seems like they are disenfranchising creators at an incredible rate lately, and I wonder just who will be left in their stable in a couple of years. I think the problems at DC are at such a high level now, that I no longer blame Didio. I think it’s time Paul Levitz actually weighs in on things like creator defections and disenchantment, late books, and books released with altered creative teams and/or contents.
Guys, thanks for all the info, and keep it coming! As you can see, I’ve updated the original post with a scorecard. Creators, if you’re working on an announced DC project that they were too lazy/inconsiderate/whatever to attach your name to, let me know, please!
Tony Daniel is the artist on Batman. DC did not announce it but I asked at his signing which Batman book he would be on. Can’t cite a source so I dunno if it will make the scorecard. But at his blog there are multiple comments by him stating he will be returning to Batman after Battle for the Cowl.
Dug it anyhow, old news if you follow his blog. “The only thing I can say is a 100% certainty is that I’m coming back to Batman right after BFTC. So the very first issue we return to the Batman monthly, that’s me.”LITG.”
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12527439&postID=8066647462973049373
Old news but never announced by anyone at DC in a press release or at the panel.
Well, an artist saying they’re definitely on something isn’t exactly a sure thing when it comes to a DC title these days. It’s best to wait for official word before putting his name down in the column.
Is he saying he’s for sure coming back to Batman as a character or the specific Batman title? From the DC podcast of the panel it just sounded like he’d be working on Batman in some book, not neccessarily the one he was on before… but obviously you can’t take too much from the panel creator-wise.
I am a little relieved that the creative team for Dance seems pretty competent. I was worried for that as I really like those characters. My fears are a little lessened though…. just don’t screw it up Casey!
At the con, I asked him specifically which Bat-title he would be on. He said “Batman” and pointed directly at the copy of Batman he was signing and said “Batman, this one.”. Can’t really get any clearer. Adam has a point about an artists confirmation not really knowing anything, but I figured I’d through it out there since I had asked at the con.
Mike, that sounds pretty definitive. Did he mention if Grant would be writing? I’m only asking because I have very good reason to believe Grant will be returning with Frank Quitely, but it’s entirely possible that what Frank’s doing is an arc after Tony’s (especially right after BFTC I’m sure Tony can only do about 3 or 4 monthly issues before needing a break) or that Tony’s writing Batman himself and Morrison/Quitely are handling one of the other titles. Either way, I’ll put Morrison as speculative and Daniel as firm – Pedro claimed Tony told him the same thing, so that’s as good as ChrisCross’s post for me.
Grant is going to be on Batman and Robin, with Frank Quitely for the first 3 issues, then Tan for 3 issues, then Mahnke for 3 issues, then a final 3 with Quitely. That’s as far as it’s planned out, it’ll go on after that but I don’t think they know with who.
Wow, that’s quite the scoop if true – It’s up on the board, anyway. While I’m at it, I remembered a comment Nicieza made about Judd Winick doing a Jason Todd book, so I put him on Red Robin as tentative.
David, I asked Tony that as well and he said he couldn’t reveal who the writer was. But he said he is absolutely on Batman, the link on my second comment is to his blog where he himself says “The first issue of Batman after Battle for the Cowl, thats me”. Just so its not only second hand info being used for the scorecard. He also said they’d have to pull the book from his cold dead hands before he left. So I assume he’ll be in for the long run.
If Frank is going to be on any Batman title, it will have to take place outside of the main continiuty because he is a slower artist. Skeletor’s comment is pretty exciting, no matter the validity of it. I’m a bit weary though because those are DC’s top artists and we know someone big who isn’t EVS has to be doing Blackest Night. Plus Tan is on the Agent Orange arc with Geoff Johns in GL.
I have pretty good sources on the FQ bit, yeah – Tan? Phillip Tan? Tan Eng Huat? (God, no) Billy Tan?
…actually Joe Casey is not bad for Dance! Saw a cover somewhere, was horrible, but outside of my i) & ii) choices, Adam Warren, Kieron Gillen – yeah, okay. I was really fucking terrified at the possible horror to be unleashed, like no preview movies, when they mentioned these titles without any fucking mention of who does them.
I assume Philip Tan, since Tan Eng Huat’s busy on Ghost Rider (and needs to never leave that book after the brilliance of underwater Ghost Rider on a hellshark) and Billy Tan’s still on New Avengers until #55 when he gets kicked off for being slooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow
My problems with Joe Casey on Dance are more to do with the fact that I just don’t dig Joe Casey’s work, but he is at least an intelligent choice for the material.
Yeah Philip Tan, and Ivan Reis is doing Blackest Night. Also Batman & Robin is in continuity.
To clarify the ‘god, no’ is for horrible Billy Tan, not the others. Isn’t Philly T doing some rainbow lantern bid’ness first? Mind you, the prospect is about a year away, so. Ignore me.
Yeah Tan will be on the Agent Orange arc, giving Reis time to focus on Blackest Night.
So, and I know nobody can really go into detail as to the how/why, but there are multiple people here that can “confirm” through whatever channel they have that M/Q is really happening? Duncan? David?
Seems to be the case, man, I haven’t heard anybody at all even come close to denying it, and we know that Quitely’s next project is a DCU thing with Grant Morrison, so all signs point to yes.
I noticed Detective isn’t listed up there, and maybe it’s cause everyone already knows this and I’m just slow, but Rucka said at a panel that he’d be writing Detective comics. I don’t think an artist was mentioned however.
It’s JH Williams III, it’s the Batwoman title – yeah, I didn’t include it namely because it’s the one book they DID promote with the creators involved.
I cannot really fucking believe that Marvel is going to release a book called “Dark Wolverine” in 2009 – but you’re right, the creative team does intrigue me. The title is stupid but basically meaningless.
If so much of this is known, then why wasn’t it announced at NYCC? What a blunder! There is no real major con at which to deliver this news between now and the June solicits, is there? Aren’t the June solicits, like, next week? Or a month from next week? It’s not like they can keep all this shit secret till San Diego; we’ll find out when we actually BUY THE COMICS, DC…
So Ian Sattler does an interview on all for FC: Aftermath titles and STILL doesn’t discuss creative teams – http://www.newsarama.com/comics/020911-Sattler-Aftermath.html Simply amazing.
I normally try not to let editorial stupidity get to me (or even follow it too ofter for that matter to avoid ruining my impression of a book before I read it) but this is absolutely ridiculous.
That interview makes me want to never care or read a single thing DC does. What a useless twat.
Pedro, what were you saying earlier about people who say, “I’m done with _____”?
My favorite part is how Sattler consistently mentions that Didio is the editor on Escape without telling us the writer or artist.
No kidding. Does the average fan even know who the editor was on half the books they read? Who cares?
Ugh, it’s like these guys are living in some kind of vacuum where the internet doesn’t exist. If a creator is saying they are working on a book online it will get around and people will find out about it. Why would you not want to be the first to let people know and maybe be able to spring a suprise on people. I understand not wanting to announce books or projects too far out, but once you announce the book why keep creators secret. What POSSIBLE reason would there be to not say who these people are? How could it be anything but benificial to everyone involved?
My theory is that there’s no benefit to telling anyone who’s on these books because the majority of the DC midlist creators are part of a swirling morass of mediocrity and completely interchangeable.
But that’s just me.
Isn’t it possible DC doesn’t know who’s writing all of these titles yet, because they’ve announced them purely to try to cash in on Final Crisis hype without having a clue what these titles will actually be about?
Well, Sattler says something shocking happens with a Time Pool in Escape, which I presume means that someone has written some of it. Unless there’s just an editorial dictate for something shocking to happen with a Time Pool.
The Final Crisis books are being solicited next monday/tuesday. It seems weird to have come up with story ideas and then not selected the creative teams, unless they are doing them right now.
Run! was, IIRC, announced a while ago… by Sturges. Only this past weekend did DC seem to be aware of its existence.
Solicits for the Final Crisis Aftermath minis have been leaked on superpouvoir.com
I’ve posted them over at the Comicbloc:
http://www.comicbloc.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1409828&postcount=27
Via Superpouvoir.com
FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: ESCAPE #1
Written by Ivan Brandon
Art by Marco Rudi
Cover by Scott Hampton
FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: INK #1
Written by Eric Wallace
Art by Fabrizio Fiorentino
Cover by Brian Stelfreeze
Eric Wallace on imdb. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0908630/
You this whole thing wasn’t so stupid it would be as fun as the Final Crisis annotations and the discussions that came with them.
Dude, that site ALSO tells us that Last Days of Animal Man is Gerry Conway & Chris Batista, and that Mark Waid’s got a Batman miniseries coming out in May as well. WHY WOULD THEY NOT ANNOUNCE THIS SHIT AT THE CONVENTION?!?
I’ve added it all to the scoreboard, but I’m utterly baffled.
I don’t really know what else to say.
Wow, has Waid ever done a straight Batman book before? Could be interesting, maybe. Jeeze DC, they could have had a convention full of interesting info for the fans, but instead they save it for… what? I still don’t know. To make thier convention panels less interesting?
“FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: ESCAPE #1
In this all-new 6-issue miniseries, Nemesis awakens to find himself held captive by the Global Peace Agency inside the walls of the mysterious Electric City. ”
Trapped in Scranton. That’s rough.
Actually Dave, the Electric City is Schenectady, NY, birthplace of General Electric and the first television station.
And I should add, not a very nice place to be trapped
I guess Schenectady and Scranton will just have to fight it out.
Dini was announced on Sirens and Streets. Dustin is on Streets. Sirens doesn’t have an artist at this time.
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/090227-dc-nation-wondercon09.html
Updated with that info and Judd Winick’s return to Batman.
Smart move DC, putting a terrible writer and a terrible artist on a book that’s guaranteed to sell anyways because fanboys will buy the main Batman title regardless of everything else.
DC just announced/confirmed that Morrison and Quitely will indeed be the creative force behind Batman and Robin.
Preston, thanks! I got the comment notification email in the middle of a dinner that you very, very much brightened up.
Psh, no problem David, just happened to have been paying attention and wanted to keep this thing going.
That said, you should have seen ME when I read the news, damn near fell out of my chair.
http://comics.ign.com/articles/961/961488p1.html
Judging by this interview with Morrison, it seems that Skeletor is very much on the mark so far. Twelve issues, with four parts? Check. Quitely doing the first and then returning for the last arc? Check.
Also, Morrison basically confirms the identity of Batman and Robin, not that it’s much of a surprise.