Say you took the reins at DC...

[Rorschach II]

In a completely hypothetical and probably impossible scenario, imagine for a moment that Warner Bros. makes you the head of DC. All the titles, all the characters, all the writers...it's all in your hands. And every writer in the world is dying to work for you on whatever title you please. What would you do? Which titles would you cancel? Which would you start (back) up? Which writers would you assign to which characters? Would you reboot any - or all - the franchises? Would you eliminate all the annoying little "pocket" and "alternate" universes?

Have a go.

 

[hippie_hunter]

- Have writers on no more than 3 books at a time, writers taking on too many projects is causing some serious delays in books.

- End the WildStorm line, the relaunch has been a complete failure.

- Pressure Jim Lee to focus on one project at a time

- Cancel Catwoman, Batman: Confidential, Superman: Confidential, JLA: Classified, JSA: Classified, Shadowpact, Robin, and Supergirl. Asides from Supergirl, the sales justify the cancellations. As for Supergirl, I just flat out hate that book.

- Hire a better promotion team to generate more hype for Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Green Lantern, and Aquaman. Marvel has a far superior promotion team, DC needs to step it up.

- Original numbering for Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, Aquaman, the Brave and the Bold, Justice League of America, Justice Society of America, Teen Titans, and Outsiders.

- Justice League of America by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee starring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Wally West, Hal Jordan, Aquaman, the Martian Manhunter, Black Canary, Green Arrow, the Atom, Hawkman, Red Tornado, Firestorm, Zatanna, and Plastic Man. The Justice League of America needs an A-list writer, an A-list artist, and an A-list roster at all times.

- Outsiders by Marc Andreyko starring Batman, Captain Boomerang, Grace Choi, Thunder, Black Lightning, Katana, Metamorpho, Guy Gardner, Faith, and Geo-Force. The Justice League takes control of the Outsiders and makes them the new Elite. They do the League's dirty work because the League has too much of a profile. Because his involvment in the League, Batman only gives orders to the team and does not take part in the missions. The same for Geo-Force due his leadership of Markovia, but he provides them with a headquarters and some support.

- Titans by Marv Wolfman and George Perez starring Nightwing, Donna Troy, Wally West, Red Arrow, Tempest, Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy, Flamebird, Red Star, Starfire, Vox, Jericho, and Bumblebee. First there was the Justice Society of America. Then there was the Justice League. Now there's the Titans. Basically have the Titans take down Justice League leveled threats and prepare the team to succeed the Justice League just like the Justice League did to the Justice Society.

- Teen Titans by Sean McKeever and Ale Garza starring Robin, Supergirl, Wonder Girl, Speedy, Ms. Martian, Ravenger, Kid Devil, Misty Kilgore, Offspring, Blue Beetle, and Aquagirl. The team for the Justice League's sidekicks. A mixture of Teen Titans seriousness with Young Justice's fun.

- Martian Manhunter by Greg Rucka and Jesuz Saiz

- A Hawkman ongoing

- Obtain comic book rights to non-DC properties. The World of Warcraft comic is a start, but DC isn't taking it seriously enough. Do what Marvel is doing with Halo: Uprising and Stephen King's The Dark Tower: Gunslinger Reborn. Do a Harry Potter mini based on the books. A Goonies miniseries by Richard Donner

 

[Varient]

In a completely hypothetical and probably impossible scenario, imagine for a moment that Warner Bros. makes you the head of DC. All the titles, all the characters, all the writers...it's all in your hands. And every writer in the world is dying to work for you on whatever title you please. What would you do? Which titles would you cancel? Which would you start (back) up? Which writers would you assign to which characters? Would you reboot any - or all - the franchises? Would you eliminate all the annoying little "pocket" and "alternate" universes?

Have a go.

Heh.
(Sinister Laugh)

Starting with the r's ------>
1. Rez's
Bring Back Superboy, Impulse, Secret, Maxima, Ralph D, and Superman From Earth2 and Ted Kord as a child.

2. Reform
Mentally Heal Superboy Prime, Hawkgirl, Captain Atom, and the Palmers.

3. Reduce
Drop back on the power level of ALL Aliens on Earth as a crossover,... Superman is stuck at twice the speed of sound and able to be killed by a nuke.

4. Ramp up
Increase the powers and abilities of the Non-powered set,... Get Oracle back on her feet, Tweak Booster like Lightning was tweaked to where his powrs start and end with him,.. not his costume.

5. Repair
Get serious with the Green Lanterns -
Give metamorpho a human form -
Pick a legion of Superheroes and stick with it.

 

[The Batman]

*I’d focus on making the Batman and Superman lines more successful. It’s a shame that Superman books, aside from All Star, are still not selling at the numbers it should be. Bats and Supes are the cornerstones of the company, and should be treated as such. The first part of the plan is making sure the regular Bats and Supes titles actually sell in the top 20 consistently, and I’d damn well make sure that, aside from JLA, Superman/Batman is a title that even 14 year old ignorant marvel zombies who don’t realize there’s more than one company you can like would buy.

*One of the reasons why Marvel is a good company is because they have more than two icons. Spidey, Cap, X-Men, F4, Hulk, Avengers, Iron Man, Daredevil, etc. are all characters you can say are top tier and are recognizable. Still, the most DC heroes anyone will recognize are Batman and Superman, but the tide is kind of changing with the JLU, Teen Titans, and LOSH cartoons. After Batman and Superman are taken care of, characters like Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Teen Titans, and the Legion of Superheroes would get attention from high profile creative teams.

*I’d also make DC more accessible, which means I would get rid of the multiverses again and try to streamline Superman’s continuity again. The three books I would make most accessible are JLA, Superman/Batman, and The Brave and the Bold.

*I’d bring back Bart as a Teenager, and Superboy as well. I’d also bring Static to the DCU and have them all join Teen Titans.

*I’d keep the legacy aspect to the JSA and the JSA alone. It’s hard to get into the character when you have 14 lame forgettable versions of them bogging down their continuity.

*JLA Roster: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Zatanna, Black Canary, Black Lightning, Hawkgirl, Vixen

*Teen Titans Roster: Robin, Superboy, Impulse, Static, Blue Beetle 3, Wonder Girl, Ravager, Ms. Martian, Stargirl

*Continuity between books would be strong like it was in 2003-2005.

 

[Cyrusbales]

I'd do a Black Adam regular, which goes through how teth adam was corrupted etc.

And I'd focus on alternative universes, DC's main world is far too stagnant at the mo.

 

[sethcohen]

2. Reform
Mentally Heal Superboy Prime, Hawkgirl, Captain Atom, and the Palmers.

3. Reduce
Drop back on the power level of ALL Aliens on Earth as a crossover,... Superman is stuck at twice the speed of sound and able to be killed by a nuke.

4. Ramp up
Increase the powers and abilities of the Non-powered set,... Get Oracle back on her feet, Tweak Booster like Lightning was tweaked to where his powrs start and end with him,.. not his costume.

thank god youre not in charge, no offense

 

[Darthphere]

I'd kick Geoff johns in the balls and remind him who the **** the boss is, and of course thats Tony Danza.

 

[Rorschach II]

thank god youre not in charge, no offense

Seriously. As Kevin Smith said in reference to bringing back Elektra (a character whom Frank Miller created and killed off) on his Daredevil run: "It's one thing to wear your dad's clothes and another thing to **** his wife." Bringing Oracle back onto her feet again would be ****ing Papa Moore's wife BIG time.
​

 

[gildea]

Seriously. As Kevin Smith said in reference to bringing back Elektra (a character whom Frank Miller created and killed off) on his Daredevil run: "It's one thing to wear your dad's clothes and another thing to **** his wife." Bringing Oracle back onto her feet again would be ****ing Papa Moore's wife BIG time.
​

Frank miller already brought elektra back though...

I really really doubt alan moore would care either.

 

[The Batman]

Seriously. As Kevin Smith said in reference to bringing back Elektra (a character whom Frank Miller created and killed off) on his Daredevil run: "It's one thing to wear your dad's clothes and another thing to **** his wife." Bringing Oracle back onto her feet again would be ****ing Papa Moore's wife BIG time.
​

Except:

1. Alan Moore didnt create Barbara Gordon like Miller did Elektra...

2. Alan Moore wouldnt give a damn whatsoever

3. If Batman can get his back broken and healed, if Superman, Green Arrow, and Hal Jordan can come back from the grave, why the hell cant Gordon get her spine repaired? Frankly, IMO, the Oracle character has become stale and tired, which is one of the reasons why she probably isnt a main character in the bat books anymore

 

[The Question]

Except:

1. Alan Moore didnt create Barbara Gordon like Miller did Elektra...

2. Alan Moore wouldnt give a damn whatsoever

3. If Batman can get his back broken and healed, if Superman, Green Arrow, and Hal Jordan can come back from the grave, why the hell cant Gordon get her spine repaired? Frankly, IMO, the Oracle character has become stale and tired, which is one of the reasons why she probably isnt a main character in the bat books anymore

Spinal injuries aren't that simple. Some can heal, some can't.

 

[The Batman]

And yet in a world of high tec equipment and impossible things happening, a chick in a wheelchair cant simply get it fixed?


Surrrreee

 

[The Question]

And yet in a world of high tec equipment and impossible things happening, a chick in a wheelchair cant simply get it fixed?


Surrrreee

Why not? If that technology doesn't exist in the DCU, then there's no problem with it.

 

[The Batman]

Why not? If that technology doesn't exist in the DCU, then there's no problem with it.

Agreed...but some act like if Oracle is healed, it'll ruin her character

 

[The Question]

Agreed...but some act like if Oracle is healed, it'll ruin her character

I don't know. I think it would be a little gimicky, myself. "Look out world, the oirgional Batgirl is BACK!" Personally, if they made her able to walk again, I'd still want her to lack enough mobility in her legs that she still couldn't be Batgirl.

 

[The Batman]

I don't know. I think it would be a little gimicky, myself. "Look out world, the oirgional Batgirl is BACK!" Personally, if they made her able to walk again, I'd still want her to lack enough mobility in her legs that she still couldn't be Batgirl.

it dosent matter to me either way if she becomes batgirl again.....

 

[rigel7soldiers]

Come on, it would. She'd no longer feel bound to the Oracle persona and would abandon it. Besides, John Stewart was paralyzed, and look at him now.

Cancellations: All Star Batman

Reboot: Young Justice. Loved that book, still a little sore about it being cancelled. And, a lot of the secondary members are languishing in the minors. I'm thinking Empress, Lagoon Boy, Secret, and Inertia would be an alright team to start out with.

Batman - Bringing Bats back to his roots. I'd like to see some more ordinary villains. Not generic, but not inherently freaky to the point of ridiculousness. he never runs into guys who are just good at murdering.

JLA Roster: Captain Marvel, Aquaman, Dr. Fate, Wonder Woman, Blue Beetle and Booster Gold.

JSA: Dr. Mid-Nite, Hawkman, Commander Steel, Cyclone, Damage, Mr. Terrific, Hourman, Jay Garrick, Alan Scott, JJ Thunder.

Teen Titans: First off, the Match degrading into a coincidentally Bizarro-like personality was ******ed. That's out of there. I'd probably also bring back Superboy in one way or another, but he wouldn't be in the Titans. Maybe have Offspring join, or something. If so, I'd really rather him be serious and easily aggravated; You never see that with stretchy guys.

 

[trustyside-kick]

Concerning Bat-related characters:

Jason Todd

- While I did like the fact that his death haunted Batman, and was a big deal...I cannot lie and say I didn't absolutely love Under the Hood. So I would keep Jason alive, and not take out his return.

- I would, however, have the crappy and horrible Nightwing OYL arc re-written, tossing the original out the window. The whole insect/octupus/squid thing was beyond ******ed. It shocked me greatly because I loved that writer's work on Batman: Year One Scarecrow.

Hush

- Re-write Hush Returns, and this time have Jeph Loeb write it. He created the villain, he should be the one for the project. With the way Hush Returns ended, it looks like this villain will never return. I feel he could have some potential if written better, but it's hard with Hush Returns in the back of my mind. After he is re-written correctly, I think he could become a good villain to add to the DCU mix for other heroes to face; who knows.

Concerning Aquaman-related characters:

Aquaman

- While I did not enjoy most of the OYL changes, I would not completely take those out of continuity when there were few moments of greatness; especially in the recent issues of Tad's run. I feel if he was given more time, he could bring Orin back in a grand and nicely written way, rather than Orin coming back years from now in some typical, sterotypical, comicbook revival.

- So if Tad would be able to bring him back (who knows, maybe he would be able to bring him back somewhat/somehow in his next 3 issues), I would have him be a water elemental-type of being (which seems to be hinted so far will happen or at least similar to it). It would be a magical-like type of water, so he would be more of a threat to be reckoned with. Many people say he is part of the "big 4" or big "5" in the DCU, it's time he was given the respect he deserves then. He would be able to take multiple shapes in the water, and bear near god-like in his own element which makes sense; I want him to truly be the "Superman" of the water. He would be able to hold a normal/human form as well of course.

- Out of water, it would be much more difficult for him to keep his form, because it will cause more concentration on his body. With this new body, he would now be more vulnerable to heat and energy blasts, however, than he was before. But at the same time, on land he could still control water to an extant (depending on how strong the link is), and would be able to change forms every now and then (but each time he would do so, it would make it more difficult to hold his form and dehydrate slightly quicker).

Ocean Master

- I would make him more of a threat, perhaps obtaining some sort of magical artifact or learning a new art or two. I would love him to at one point become a threat for even the JLA to take on. He is a magic user, he has so much potential. I feel that of all the villains, really only the Aquaman villains seem to be restricted to him. I would like to expand upon this and make them more accessible to other heroes for writers to use. This goes for all of his rogues.

Concerning the DC movies/cartoons/mainstream media:

- One of my big issues with DC is that they will not do what Marvel do, advertise more than just Batman and Superman. Those two DC heroes have had more than enough (if you ask me too much) media exposure, and they need to change that. So I would have the original JLA members each have their own movies, and expand onward. A JLA movie would possibly come afterwards, but I'm more set on having a JSA movie because there was already a JLA cartoon in the 60s/70s and in recent passing years. I do not think I need to become anymore specific, but I would basically try to make the movies more diverse, and not just Batman and Superman trilogies and so forth.

- I would strongly wish the Timmverse crew could work on more animated cartoons, branching off and based from their work thus far in the BTAS, STAS, JL, JLU. Like the movies, I would have it be characters who haven't had enough outside comic exposure.

Concerning characters who normally have title cancels because of sales:

- Obviously there are different reasons for these characters to not sell as well. But there are some characters like Aquaman who are written well in other titles than his own; same can be said for many DC characters. Try to promote less on Batman and Superman comics, and try to shine the light on the other characters more. I wish DC cared more about "the little guy".

- Put famous and well-known/well-respected artists and writers on the other titles, to see if it can spur interest in readers. An example with Aquaman again would be a long run written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Jim Lee. Aquaman was always depicted best sometimes in Morrison's JLA, and while there are some haters, people cannot deny that when Jim Lee is on a title, it helps sell the book so much because of his beautiful art. But this is just one example. I wish to do the same for many either rarely known, or unknown characters that do not sell as well.

- I want to stress the emphasis on shining the spot light on characters besides the heavy hitters of the JLA or the Big 3.

Concerning continuity flaws:

- Another thing I would stress heavily would be in the editorial department. As a fan, one of the things that bother me most is when there are continuity flaws or issues. I'm not saying I would make it required to read every issue prior to the one a new team would be working on, but I would require them to read a few issues relating to some of the characters and such that they are writing. I can understand if this already happens, which makes sense, but I would look at it closely more because as a fan I cannot stand continuity mess ups. I would dedicate and create a whole new team whose sole purpose would be to check for this, amongst other things concerning editing issues.





*I may have more to add in future posts. Above is just what came to mind at the moment.*

 

[The Question]

Come on, it would. She'd no longer feel bound to the Oracle persona and would abandon it. Besides, John Stewart was paralyzed, and look at him now.

Yeah, but the injury to his spine was far less severe than Barbara's, he's nowhere near as phsical a fighter as Babs was as Batgirl, and much of the reason he was in the chair for as long as he was was psychological.

 

[Antitang]

Without getting to detailed I would simplify the DC universe so that it doesn't scare off new readers and then I would continue putting out a new DC related movie every few years while still trying not to over sell like Marvel has been doing IMO. I really think that DC has been doing a great job as is I would be extremely scared of ruining a great thing so I think I would resign and give it to Geoff Johns heh.

 

[GoldenAgeHero]

^^i like the sound of that

 

[Anubis]

Doesn't matter. No matter what I do people will come on Message boards and call me an incompetent dumb ass every other post. That's why GAH should be head of DC. He's used to the insults by now.

 

[GoldenAgeHero]

^^geoff johns on every title.

 

[Omega Red]

Let the artist for comics decide which ones they want to work on. That way they will but an effort into the books.

I would push one Superman, Batman, WW, Flash, The Legionaries (NO TITANS!!) GL, Lobo, Orion. Firestorm.

Second Level would be Crimson Avenger, The Question, Booster Gold, Steel, Aquaman, Cyborg, Mr. Terrific, Green Arrow, Impulse

And I would try to find someone who would want to try to work on the other Side of Comics. Giving Darkside, Sinestro, Tiger Shark comics

I would give Vertigo a big push!!

But me I would REALLY focus on the movies. I would light a fire to get movies out and Stop beating the Dead Horse know as Superman and Batman.

Wonder Woman would be out in the Summer the following year. A Hal Jordan two movie deal would be next on the list, moving from him to John Steward and then to Kyle would come out in the spring, along with a Crimson Avenger for the next year.

The Dead of Superman would be the summer of 2010, And JLA would come out in the Winter. And a Flash movie would come out next. And break out a Metal Man comedy after that.


I just came with this stuff off my head. I could come up with more

 

[Rorschach II]

I would definitely compile a huge DC Encyclopedia on every character and their history in order to cut down on continuity errors and I would destroy the multiverses and return Jason Todd to the grave. Resurrecting him took a lot away from The Batman-Joker dynamic, in my opinion.