Jump to content
DVDVR Message Board

DC Comics omnibus thread


odessasteps

Recommended Posts

I have the original run trades but I may grab that for a complete pretty bookshelf edition since the original trades skipped some issues.

I also just like big bookshelf editions and if it's a series I like may buy multiple times. Thus my Absolute Editions, Kingdom Come special edition hardcover, and three copies of Arkham Asylum by Morrison. Shit, I just bought the Gothic hardcover since it was the only Morrison Batman book I lacked in HC.

I have a problem.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

From my perspective the other issue is that DC is pushing too hard for the next indy superstar. Relatively few of their titles right now are written by people I'm familiar with. I mostly buy monthlies based on who the writer is, so I'm a lot more likely to spend money on a title written by Johns or James Robinson than I am someone whose work I'm not familiar with. There are a number of DC titles right now I'd be willing to take a chance on, but I either don't want to look up the guy's previous work, or I picked up some creator-owned stuff he did and was turned off.

 

Isn't some of that editorial chasing off other writers and wanting people they can control?

 

It is. Robinson, JHW III, & various others left because editorial kept screwing them over.

 

Such a shame what went down with W Haden Blackman/JH Williams III and editorial interference with Batwoman.

 

Just that this further proves my own belief that there is a major disconnect between stuff that the Internet likes and what real people in the real world like. Like people always complain that a lot of HBO Original Series get great reviews but do horrible in the ratings.

 

The forty-seven year old comic geek who's bought Batman religiously for the last 35+ years doesn't give a crap what the AV Club thinks about Jim Gordon as Mecha-Batman, Bruce Wayne has always been his Batman, goddammit, and he isn't buying Batman if it isn't Bruce in the suit.

 

Well, I'd argue that execution has a lot to do with it, but Snyder's "Bat-Chappie" arc has been pretty damn solid. On the other hand, there have been plenty of substitutions that stuck and went over well with the general readership. Superior Spider-Man comes to mind. Barry Allen and Hal Jordan - Flash and Green Lantern in most casual fans' minds - were dead for years (decades, in Barry's case). Marvel is on the verge of making some major changes to flagship characters, etc.

 

I agree that changes are hit and miss. I tend to think the Bat-chappie and Superman backlash are more of a reflection of how little goodwill DC has with readership after years of soft reboots and arbitrary changes.

 

I read Batman via Batman, a monthly UK magazine reprinting recent Batman stories. I've only read two issues of Bats as Gordon as I jumped ahead of Batman by buying Batman #40 and Convergence on Free Comic Book Day through the comic book shop I'm a subscriber at. I'm back in line with Batman (UK) now. I've liked the little I've read of Gordon Bats. I have an interest in a hero getting replaced by their student/friend if the hero is alive advising them or if the hero is dead and the replacement who knew the original hero wanting to do right by him/her. The best example of this is Dick Grayson's Batman by Grant Morrison. Great fucking read. The other great replacements: Terry McGinnis as Batman, Damian as Batman #666, Bucky Barnes as Captain America, Kate Kane as Batwoman and the Superior Spider-Man.

 

Admittedly, my first hand data is now 15 years old, but when i worked in a store that had its fair share of "discerning" readers, the vast majority bought books based on the characters and intertia than the creative teams. More than a couple people had "all Batman" and such on their pull sheet.

 

I've always wondered how many people really buy books based on creative teams and how many simply buy for characters or titles. I've never done that. Actually, my pull lists usually specify issues to pull, or at least writer. It's standard practice for me to skip fill-in issue or annuals if the creator I'm following isn't involved. Same thing with company-wide events. I usually read the main book and skip tie-ins unless it's a book/creator I'm already reading.

 

I used to assume most serious customers of lcs' followed creators and casual fans and people buying comics at newsstands/bookstores bought for characters, but i suspect I was wrong about that.

 

Bit of both for me, the creator or the character. For the former: Grant Morrison for sure, Scott Snyder and Dan Slott though Slott is recently hit or miss. As for the latter: Batman (UK), The Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Gwen.

 

Somedays it feels like I am one of the few that loved DKSA. But I see it for what it was. Miller getting tired of the fanboys begging for a sequel. So he wrote the biggest Fuck You Fanboys comic I have ever seen.

 

Read DKSA for the first time this year. WTF was the main reaction then coming round to liking it.

 

Gotham Central Omnibus coming !

 

If you ain't read GC, get on that mother.

 

Add another voice to the choir. Thank you to Brian and The Unholy Dragon who recommended Gotham Central to me years ago so I read the available ones at the library, #6-40. Shame I wasn’t able to read the whole run. Luckily Batman: Arkham, a monthly UK magazine which collects stories from Arkham Unhinged and Detective Comics has started printing the run from the beginning in May of this year saying it’s the inspiration for the hit TV show, Gotham. Least I can say I've read the whole thing then. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's some really great comics in that sale. Gotham Central is obvious but Lemire's run on Green Arrow was the best post reboot and maybe the best since the high parts of Winnick's run. The sale also includes Blitz which is probably the high point of Johns' run on The Flash (Rogue War is also good, but without the other parts of the build mostly just works as a Blitz sequel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Blitz is maybe the high water point of John's career.

That's a bold statement when Sinestro Corps War was the best Green Lantern story since I can't recall...

I wonder if John's best Flash measures up to Waid's best with the character at times

 

James

Link to comment
Share on other sites

SCW would be my other choice, but I think I preferred the stuff not wish by Johns in the war to the issues that were.

There's nothing as good as Return of Barry Allen, but, then, that's the best superhero story ever. But Johns's first Flash run is mostly excellent.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I was at Dragon Con on Saturday, there were a LOT of DC cosplayers, of course your usual Batman cast of characters (Batman, Robin, Catwoman, Joker, Harley etc), but also a lot of characters you wouldn't think of, like Firestorm, Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, the Anti-Monitor.  I swear I think the rate of DC vs Marvel was like 2-1, maybe even 3-1.  While DC seems to have the recognition but it doesn't seem to have translated to book sales.  I wonder why that is? (I seriously don't know)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Long term the New 52 alienated a lot of hardcore fans and didn't attract new ones basically. DC You is starting to fix that but it'll take a while for confidence to build. Marvel diversified their line ages ago so that multiple books have their own feel and don't just satisfy diminishing returns of completism.

Also Bleeding Cool recently crunched some numbers and found Marvel's superhero sales are about level with DC's. Their Star Wars stuff is just selling enough to account for 10-15% of the sales chart alone.

I legitimately don't get how it's been *this* successful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Long term the New 52 alienated a lot of hardcore fans and didn't attract new ones basically. DC You is starting to fix that but it'll take a while for confidence to build. Marvel diversified their line ages ago so that multiple books have their own feel and don't just satisfy diminishing returns of completism.

Also Bleeding Cool recently crunched some numbers and found Marvel's superhero sales are about level with DC's. Their Star Wars stuff is just selling enough to account for 10-15% of the sales chart alone.

I legitimately don't get how it's been *this* successful.

 

I know what The New 52 is but what makes up DC You? Cheers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Long term the New 52 alienated a lot of hardcore fans and didn't attract new ones basically.

I only just started picking up comics a little before New 52 and no ongoing connected to the main universe outside of Xombi. The New 52 saw me picking up a dozen or more titles initially. Said titles either ended up bad with me dropping them or gradually getting cancelled until I was only left with Batman. Its not that they didn't attract new fans. They just couldn't keep them outside of the obvious in Batman.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Long term the New 52 alienated a lot of hardcore fans and didn't attract new ones basically. DC You is starting to fix that but it'll take a while for confidence to build. Marvel diversified their line ages ago so that multiple books have their own feel and don't just satisfy diminishing returns of completism.

Also Bleeding Cool recently crunched some numbers and found Marvel's superhero sales are about level with DC's. Their Star Wars stuff is just selling enough to account for 10-15% of the sales chart alone.

I legitimately don't get how it's been *this* successful.

 

I know what The New 52 is but what makes up DC You? Cheers.

The latest revamp, esp centreing on the "batgirlized" books.

For those w long memories, the last thing i wrote for the Beat was saying Nu52 was ending my 40-ish year relationship with DC Comics. It was the perfect jumping off point for a disenfranchised reader.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

New52 has killed a lot of my interest in DC, but it has given me a chance to dig deeper into their past.

currently, i only buy Grayson and Batman '66, although i also follow the main Batman title.

But i'm about to read the entirety of Detective Chimp. yay for back issues!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I was at Dragon Con on Saturday, there were a LOT of DC cosplayers, of course your usual Batman cast of characters (Batman, Robin, Catwoman, Joker, Harley etc), but also a lot of characters you wouldn't think of, like Firestorm, Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, the Anti-Monitor.  I swear I think the rate of DC vs Marvel was like 2-1, maybe even 3-1.  While DC seems to have the recognition but it doesn't seem to have translated to book sales.  I wonder why that is? (I seriously don't know)

Dammit, one year I'm going to remember before I leave to make an "Anyone else going to Dragon Con?" thread and set up a party or something.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I was at Dragon Con on Saturday, there were a LOT of DC cosplayers, of course your usual Batman cast of characters (Batman, Robin, Catwoman, Joker, Harley etc), but also a lot of characters you wouldn't think of, like Firestorm, Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, the Anti-Monitor.  I swear I think the rate of DC vs Marvel was like 2-1, maybe even 3-1.  While DC seems to have the recognition but it doesn't seem to have translated to book sales.  I wonder why that is? (I seriously don't know)

Dammit, one year I'm going to remember before I leave to make an "Anyone else going to Dragon Con?" thread and set up a party or something.

If that had happened it would've made my time better, I had a terrible time there Saturday

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And speaking of You 52, after giving it three issues I'm dropping Catwoman.

 

Selina Kyle, bisexual mob boss did nothing to impress me.  There's Stephanie Brown, recast here as a hotheaded vigilante instead of the "fun personified' girl from post-Zero Hour continuity, there's another blond who is Selina's consigliere, and then I can't tell if there is a third blonde who is a cop or if that's just the consigliere.  

 

There's an Asian woman who is also Catwoman, but it's not clear if she's working with Selina or in opposition to her, at least, it's not made clear in each issue.

 

Not a fan of the art, either.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...