In other news, Diamond Comic Distributors has filed for bankruptcy.
DC Comics Ongoing Discussion
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^ Yeah, I read about that over on Bleeding Cool, and I was pondering whether or not to post it here. On the one hand, it doesn't affect DC directly, as DC was the first publisher to go with other distributors a few years ago, but it certainly still has a major effect on the industry. Mostly small publishers will be affected, as those were still largely with Diamond, and that is a shame, not only because of the people taking a financial hit, but those small publishers are where the medium shows its variety.
Also, Diamond is the main distributor for merch to comics shops, like toys and shirts. They make up a huge chunk of revenue for a lot of shops who will also be hit financially by this, as will smaller toy companies that aren't present in the toy isles of Target and WalMart.
The good news is that Diamond filed for the kind of bankruptcy that is trying to save the company instead of dissolving it. But it shows that the monopoly Diamond had was not a good thing for the industry.
Anyway, back to discussing DC Comics, I'm two issues into the Superman book post-Absolute Power, and I'm lukewarm on it so far. Williamson obviously lays the groundwork for a new epic story arc, and it remains to be seen where he's going with it, but so far the only new bit that I find appealing is amnesiac Lex.
Over in WW, Tom King did not slow down after AP, and instead gave the audience an immediate emotional gut punch, though a bittersweet one by the end of the issue. Still lovin' it.
Also, Diamond is the main distributor for merch to comics shops, like toys and shirts. They make up a huge chunk of revenue for a lot of shops who will also be hit financially by this, as will smaller toy companies that aren't present in the toy isles of Target and WalMart.
The good news is that Diamond filed for the kind of bankruptcy that is trying to save the company instead of dissolving it. But it shows that the monopoly Diamond had was not a good thing for the industry.
Anyway, back to discussing DC Comics, I'm two issues into the Superman book post-Absolute Power, and I'm lukewarm on it so far. Williamson obviously lays the groundwork for a new epic story arc, and it remains to be seen where he's going with it, but so far the only new bit that I find appealing is amnesiac Lex.
Over in WW, Tom King did not slow down after AP, and instead gave the audience an immediate emotional gut punch, though a bittersweet one by the end of the issue. Still lovin' it.
And that is just picking up on the events from House of Brainiac. I hate it when they do stuff like that to Lex because it usually means the writer wants to return him to his outright villain status. The character works much better as a foil.
Dan Slott to write ‘Superman Unlimited’ ongoing series in May 2025
Not personally familiar with Slott, and to say that the kryptonite aspect of the premise doesn't wow me is to understate the case. But the Planet stuff could be interesting -- anything that expands the roles of that setting and those characters is a plus for me. And I do like that Slott refers in the announcement to "Superman, Lois, the supporting cast ...," which frames Lois as a primary character right alongside Clark, as she should be. The fact that this creates an additional Superman ongoing is also excellent news; I'd love if we could get back to triangle-era quantities of Superman titles. I'll check it out when it hits trade (which is how I read everything).
Not personally familiar with Slott, and to say that the kryptonite aspect of the premise doesn't wow me is to understate the case. But the Planet stuff could be interesting -- anything that expands the roles of that setting and those characters is a plus for me. And I do like that Slott refers in the announcement to "Superman, Lois, the supporting cast ...," which frames Lois as a primary character right alongside Clark, as she should be. The fact that this creates an additional Superman ongoing is also excellent news; I'd love if we could get back to triangle-era quantities of Superman titles. I'll check it out when it hits trade (which is how I read everything).
This is also very welcome news. Kara, in particular, has been without a book of her own for far too long.
I'm not sure how to feel about this. I find Slott's stuff to be very hit and miss. I'm also not crazy about such an abundance of Kryptonite. This line in particular " Superman Unlimited is a tale of unlimited Super-Villains that are super-charged by Kryptonite" makes it sound like Smallville's freak of the week.
Having said that, I will go in with an open mind and let the comic speak for itself before I make any judgments.
Having said that, I will go in with an open mind and let the comic speak for itself before I make any judgments.
I enjoyed Waid's run on Action although it probably didn't need to be 12 issues.
Didn't like the Supergirl backup at all.
Didn't like the Supergirl backup at all.
I also like the expansion of the Daily Planet, and having a merger with Morgan Edge's Galaxy Broadcasting has strong Bronze Age vibes. I just hope they won't make Clark a news anchor again.
The Kryptonite thing, yeah, that could go either way, but I'd hate it to be a permanent thing. But even if it is, it'll take only a few years before they undo it in some way (or, more likely these days, simply ignore it).
I haven't really read anything from Slott, aside from probably the odd DCAU tie-in story that got collected in one of those YA Graphic Novel format a few years ago, but he appeared on Kevin Smith & Marc Bernardin's Fatman Beyond podcast in December:
He's brought out at 1:03:18. Struck me as a fun guy with a lot of interesting ideas, and also a genuine fan.
The Kryptonite thing, yeah, that could go either way, but I'd hate it to be a permanent thing. But even if it is, it'll take only a few years before they undo it in some way (or, more likely these days, simply ignore it).
I haven't really read anything from Slott, aside from probably the odd DCAU tie-in story that got collected in one of those YA Graphic Novel format a few years ago, but he appeared on Kevin Smith & Marc Bernardin's Fatman Beyond podcast in December:
He's brought out at 1:03:18. Struck me as a fun guy with a lot of interesting ideas, and also a genuine fan.
I've never made a secret of this. I'm the writer for Diamond's PREVIEWS catalog. I can't talk about any of that above, except that 1) I'm still employed (and started writing the March issue yesterday), and 2) this week has been really hard. My cardiologist yesterday -- routine follow-up, happy with my numbers -- said I need to "be kind" to myself. I don't know what the future holds, but I always tried to do right by the comics industry. Every comic isn't for everyone, but every comic is for someone.
It'll possibly be even worse in a few months, I just found out yesterday that our single issue comics are printed in Canada, which means they could be going up to $6 or $7 for a single regular issue thanks to certain happening in the US right now. I'm not sure about anybody else, but that pretty much guarantees that I'll be sticking to collected editions or whatever I can get off of Hoopla for free. I was already hesitant at $4 for something so short, but that really is more than I'm willing to spend.At $5 an issue, I'll wait for it to show up on the DC app.
I just finished reading The New Frontier earlier today, and it was absolutely fantastic, I can see why it won so many awards.
I'd seen the movie that was released back when DC first started releasing the direct to video animated movies, so I had some idea what to expect, but I knew when I saw how long it was it was going to be very different.
I came into this not knowing much about the Challengers of the Unknown, King Faraday, or the original Suicide Squad, but this story really made me like them.
I was a little surprised how little Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman were in this, but I did like how much it focused on Hal Jordan and Martian Manhunter, who are two characters I've always really liked.
I've always enjoyed stories that are able to tie real history into it's story, and I liked how Cooke did that hear, like with the McCarthy Hearings going after super heroes.
I really loved the artwork.
I'd seen the movie that was released back when DC first started releasing the direct to video animated movies, so I had some idea what to expect, but I knew when I saw how long it was it was going to be very different.
I came into this not knowing much about the Challengers of the Unknown, King Faraday, or the original Suicide Squad, but this story really made me like them.
I was a little surprised how little Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman were in this, but I did like how much it focused on Hal Jordan and Martian Manhunter, who are two characters I've always really liked.
I've always enjoyed stories that are able to tie real history into it's story, and I liked how Cooke did that hear, like with the McCarthy Hearings going after super heroes.
I really loved the artwork.
Not about a DC Comic directly, but Black Lightning co-creator Tony Isabella has come out as transgender, changing her name to Jenny Blake Isabella.
That is really brave in the current hideously hateful political moment. Extra respect.
And at 73, shows it's never too late.
Though I have to admit, the name threw me off for a second, because I immediately thought "Why not go with Toni Isabella?" But, obviously, a name is a very personal thing and it should be the one she wants.
Though I have to admit, the name threw me off for a second, because I immediately thought "Why not go with Toni Isabella?" But, obviously, a name is a very personal thing and it should be the one she wants.
She will be continuing to write under "Tony Isabella" as a pen name and presenting as Tony for most of the year's conventions. Maybe she just didn't want any confusion over what "face" she was presenting as.
So I've been enjoying Tom King's run on Wonder Woman for the most part, but one thing that has been bugging me is the way he writes dialogue for Yara Flor. She just sounds way too formal and like English isn't her first language, even though she grew up in the States.
She grew up in the U.S. and speaks like a young person from the U.S. That was one of the story points in her initial appearances. I haven't been reading Wonder Woman, but you should let Kirk55555 know that Tom King is not writing the characters as she is intended to be.
Jenny Blake? Like the character from The Rocketeer!
