DC Relaunching Everything? - Part 10

[HighFivingMF]

I owe Vibe one…

A few years ago, I wrote an episode of the animated series, “Justice League Unlimited”. It was the one with Booster Gold, a childhood favorite of mine. In the story, the Justice League takes on the Dark Lord, Mordru, with the fate of the world at stake while at the same time, Booster faces an out of control black hole with the fate of the Universe at stake. Booster manages to save the day, but per usual, no one knows what he did. They are too busy praising the league member who defeated Mordru, the lesser victory that day, even if no one else realizes but Skeets.

As I was writing the script, I knew it shouldn’t be Green Lantern or Wonder Woman who stopped Mordru. No fun in that. I needed someone that would drive Booster crazy. Booster should think, “I saved the Universe and they’re all cheering for that guy?!” I asked the producers who was the least-respected super hero in the DC Universe. They were both unequivocal and unanimous. It should be Vibe, the early 1980s hero who, if he was remembered at all, was the world’s first break-dancing super hero.

So when Geoff Johns approached me with the idea of rebooting Vibe for a modern audience, I saw it both as penance… and an amazing opportunity to do something fresh and exciting. Anyone and everyone will turn out to read a new Superman or Batman title. But to get people to not only buy a Vibe comic but have them think he was cool… that would be a victory on par with Vibe’s in my episode of JLU!

And so we began the process of reimaging Cisco “Paco” Ramone. Cisco is a normal Hispanic teenager in Detroit... he goes to school, has a job, is ignored by his parents and both loves and loathes his ne’er do well brother, Dante. Normal… except that after being caught in the event horizon of a boomtube when Darkseid invaded Earth 5 years ago, Cisco has acquired the ability to generate vibrational forces. When we meet him, he has no plans to be a superhero. But when his powers become known to A.R.G.U.S. and Amanda Waller, Cisco is recruited by AGENT DALE GUNN. Detroit is an inter-dimensional hot zone. Any number of beings and creatures are able to enter our dimension through the motor city. Cisco is the only one who can sense these incursions… and fight them. And so, to save our dimension from dark forces from beyond our Universe, Cisco becomes the super hero known as Vibe.

And did I mention he also joins the Justice League of America?

I promise no break dancing. I do promise this book will be fun and epic while also emotional and heartfelt. I promise Para-demons and Gypsy and a few big surprises.

And I promise to make Vibe cool. Then Vibe and I will be even. Who’s with me?

http://geek-news.mtv.com/2012/11/05/andrew-kreisberg-vibe/

 

[HighFivingMF]

Katana walks a tightrope of contradictions. She is a trained assassin, and yet she is not a killer. She is a master swordsman who has left the team Birds of Prey to walk the path of a true outsider. She feels destined to conquer the secret powers of her Soultaker Sword. Mythology contains a rich history of legendary weapons, most famously “Excalibur,” weapons that could only be used by the pure of heart. It is one thing to wield the Soultaker, it is yet another to be worthy of it, and be able to control it. Does Katana’s Soultaker sword really contain the souls of those she kills? Is this a sign of the sword’s great power, or of her madness? Is the endless bloodshed changing Katana? Is she worthy of her own sword? Will she ever master it?

I have a fascination for extra-judicial societies and underground cultures, and in situations where justice can only be found outside the law, and how these societies have evolved over the centuries. The spirit of Katana lies in the true Samurai of long ago; both those trained to protect nobility and the clans that rose in the countryside to protect villages. They were ruled by codes of honor, bravery and selflessness, but over the years many devolved into assassins for hire. Katana will encounter and battle modern day versions of ancient clans, the Sword Clan and Dagger Clan, and her antagonists will include SICKLE, COIL and SHACKLE, men who have mastered their preferred weapons.

KATANA will be a lean, mean, and very visual book. There will always be a spectacular battle in a striking setting. I am inspired by both Japanese Samurai films, in particular the films of Kurosawa, and how they share the spirit of American Westerns, with the influences running in both directions, and including the “Spaghetti Westerns” and films of Sam Peckinpah. These films share the spirit of clans of men, or sometimes loners, who have their own sense of justice and yet know their way is dying out. In that sense, KATANA will be both modern and ancient at the same time. I have a curiosity about the ancient lives and codes of a ninjas, samurai, assassins, and the clan system of old, but want to explore a modern, edgy side of this culture. Katana is an outsider in every sense, and will fighting both modern and ancient evils as she struggles to understand the secret powers of her SOULTAKER sword.

I am thrilled to be working with Alex Sanchez as the artist on Katana. His work wildly eclectic, exciting and powerful, yet slyly humorous, which is a perfect match for Katana.

Katana herself is searching for redemption even as she does the dirty work of an assassin. The sword is her purgatory. The thing about killing is that eventually it either makes you sick, or you get to like it. Katana knows this. The trick is to balance on that highwire so that you avoid both fates. That is the core of her struggle.

http://geek-news.mtv.com/2012/11/05/ann-nocenti-katana/

 

[RoughNTumble]

what is life without breakdancing

 

[Scarecrow_King]

yay. Two more books I don't have to buy.

 

[JewishHobbit]

I don't know why but all this "Vibe sucks... but give us a chance" talk is actually working on me. I sorta want to check it out?!

 

[Anubis]

There are no bad characters, just bad writers....that said, the writer doesn't inspire my confidence.

 

[JewishHobbit]

At most I'll give it maybe 2 or 3 issues... if even that. I'm not exactly looking for new books.

I'm curious though.

 

[RockSP]

I'm going to check out those Katana and Vibe comic books when they come out I think

Katana is neat

They aren't gay.

 

[Mystirious]

And that's why I won't mind if they end up getting cancelled

But even though i don't care about characters who aren't lgbt I can still enjoy a story with a straight main character if the story is interesting

Though the lack of breakdancing in the Vibe comic book upsets me

Why would you get rid of the breakdancing

What the what DC

Katana walks a tightrope of contradictions. She is a trained assassin, and yet she is not a killer.

I'm pretty sure she killed a whole lot of people in Birds of Prey, on panel and off it

 

[Mystirious]

Yeah. I'd even accept a fake one for when he's out kickin' fat cat ass.

I am deeply let down by the lack of rants about 'Fat cats' in his comic

I don't think I'd even bother with Green Arrow until Ollie has a Van Dyke again. It's like Superman without the spit-curl or Batman without ears.

Roy needs to sneak into his room at night and glue a beard to his chin

 

[X Knight]

Katana I might be interested in..........

 

[Mystirious]

Samurai adventure goodness ftw

 

[Czar Colossus]

I don't think I'd even bother with Green Arrow until Ollie has a Van Dyke again. It's like Superman without the spit-curl or Batman without ears.

Yup

 

[Mystirious]

Or Power Girl without her boob window

 

[JewishHobbit]

Man, thanks Mysti... Stormwatch was good two issues in a row and suddenly I'm interested in what's happened before now. I might just keep on trucking with this book. Thanks for drawing my attention to it

P.S. Etrigan is awesome. I'm not interested in buying Demon Knights but I'm hopinghe shows up Justice League Dark soon due to the Xanadu connection.

 

[Czar Colossus]

Or Power Girl without her boob window

.....damn wish I had said that (what's wrong with me).

 

[hippie_hunter]

Hellblazer is getting canned with issue #300 and replaced with Constantine, a new ongoing set in the main DC Universe written by Robert Venditti (Demon Knights) and art by Renato Guedes.

 

[chamber-music]

I figured Hellblazer would get cancelled. Its been running on its last legs under Milligan and having two different Constantines running around was probably confusing for newer comic readers with the original version in his own isolated little corner of the world aging in real time.

DC seem to be trying to make Constantine one of the cornerstones of their new supernatural DCU with him leading Justice League Dark and showing up in Swamp Thing and Animal Man.

Former Hellblazer writers Warren Ellis, Ian Rankin and Andy Diggle have already been on the twitter saying DC is going to tone the character down or make him PG ect.

Jeff Lemire has done a pretty good job with the character writing him in Animal Man and JLD

 

[JewishHobbit]

I'm loving Constantine in Justice League Dark. I don't know if I'd want to buy an ongoing though. I'll probably skim the first issue.

 

[Primal Slayer]

Time to give us a new Zantana series DC..

 

[chamber-music]

One think is for sure there will be alot less swearing and shagging in the DCU Constintine.

 

[runawayboulder]

Well, there goes the last DC title I buy.

A piece of me just died inside......

 

[Mystirious]

Stormwatch was so good this week

But Engineer needs to be removed as leader until they're able to fix whatever is wrong with her 'cause of tge wacky caveman technology she swallowed

Not only is she being a dbag she's putting people in danger

Man, thanks Mysti... Stormwatch was good two issues in a row and suddenly I'm interested in what's happened before now. I might just keep on trucking with this book. Thanks for drawing my attention to it

P.S. Etrigan is awesome. I'm not interested in buying Demon Knights but I'm hopinghe shows up Justice League Dark soon due to the Xanadu connection.

Glad to hear you've been enjoying it Hobbit

I'm happy to have recommended it to you and I hope that you're going to be enjoying future issues of it as well

Yep I think Etrigan might pop up there as we found out

Spoiler

Xanadu was the one who trapped him beneath the city

in this issue

 

[JewishHobbit]

God I hope so. I'd love to see Constantine find away to make him a servant or something and then have that backfire.

 

[nite-owl]

I don't like the Hellblazer news at all.