Look upon my Microsoft Paint work and despair

Before Wednesday morning’s big news, I was all ready to write about the wish-fulfillment aspects of DC’s reprint program. Maybe next week.

Now, though, we’ve got Before Watchmen*, seven miniseries and a one-shot in the Seven Soldiers mode, and no doubt collection-ready. Please pardon my cynicism, but with all due respect to the impressive roster of professionals involved, this could have easily been subtitled We’re Back For More Cash.

To be clear, I understand DC wanting to make money off its intellectual property.  A while ago I argued that one purpose of the current Shade miniseries is to fill another slot on bookshelves next to the rest of James Robinson’s Starman collections. Starman was one of the rare series where one writer introduced a character (Jack Knight) and took him through a series of adventures, until that character reached the natural endpoint of his life’s particular phase. Neil Gaiman’s Sandman preceded it, and Garth Ennis’ Hitman followed. (Working with writers David Goyer and Geoff Johns, Robinson tied Starman into the JSA revival as well.)

Robinson hasn’t returned to the character of Jack Knight since Starman ended, although he used a few Starman characters in his Justice League work (and I’m pretty sure one of the supporting cast showed up in the year-long Trinity miniseries, with which Robinson was not involved) — but more to the point, no new creative team has explored what Jack, or Sandman’s Morpheus, or Hitman’s Tommy Monaghan, has done since their various series ended. There is a firewall around these characters, if not their unique milieux, apparently reinforced only by friendly agreement. When there are cracks — when Morpheus’ successor Daniel showed up in Grant Morrison and Howard Porter’s JLA, or when Paul Cornell and Pete Woods had Sandman’s Death meet Lex Luthor in Action Comics — it’s a big deal. I’d even go so far as to say that the old Multiverse was an in-story manifestation of such firewalls: all those Golden Age stories shunted to Earth-Two pretty much as-is, with the same going for the Fawcett (i.e., Marvel Family) characters on Earth-S, and yes, the Charlton characters on Earth-Four.

Indeed, at the risk of being obvious, Watchmen exists in its present form because DC didn’t want to let Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons put the Charlton characters themselves through the wringer. Thus, over the past twenty-five years, Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, Nightshade, Peter Cannon, and the Question have each had their own ongoing series, and each has enjoyed various degrees of success in the context of the larger DC superhero line. Ironically, there’s a distinct Doctor Manhattan influence in both the Captain Adam of Final Crisis and the New-52′s Cap, and the Question’s appearances on “Justice League Unlimited” recast the character as more conspiracy-minded, a la Rorschach. Of course, the Question and Blue Beetle who came over from Charlton have since died, and the New-52 setup doesn’t seem to leave much room for either to return.

The larger issue, though, is the extent to which these characters can be allowed to rest. J. Michael Straczynski, who is writing the Doctor Manhattan and Nite-Owl miniseries, told CBR

[a] lot of folks feel that these characters shouldn’t be touched by anyone other than Alan, and while that’s absolutely understandable on an emotional level, it’s deeply flawed on a logical level. Based on durability and recognition, one could make the argument that Superman is the greatest comics character ever created. But neither Alan nor anyone else has ever suggested that no one other than Shuster and Siegel should ever be allowed to write Superman. Alan didn’t pass on being brought on to write Swamp Thing, a seminal comics character created by Len Wein, and he did a terrific job. He didn’t say “No, no, I can’t, that’s Len’s character.” Nor should he have.

Mr. Straczynski’s response goes to the heart of work-for-hire comics; namely, that DC Comics owns (part of) Superman, Swamp Thing, and Watchmen, and as a practical matter can dictate who writes and draws the comics featuring them. Put bluntly, Alan Moore knew what he was getting into when he took on Watchmen, because it was the same situation he entered into with Swamp Thing. In fact, on a conceptual level there is probably not much difference between Before Watchmen and the mileage Geoff Johns has gotten out of “Tygers,” Moore and Kevin O’Neill’s Green Lantern Corps short story.

The real difference lies in the nature of the stories themselves. Superman and Swamp Thing were created to be ongoing characters with no definite endpoint, but Watchmen, Robinson’s Starman, Ennis’ Hitman, and Gaiman’s Sandman were all finite series. We can argue about whether creative teams other than Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster or Len Wein and Berni Wrightson have “done right by” Superman or Swamp Thing, but when you have a singular vision determining virtually every aspect of a particular series from beginning to end, it becomes a lot harder to disassociate that vision from that series. For example, Straczynski himself is associated pretty strongly with “Babylon 5,” the TV series he created and produced, so much so that any subsequent “B5″ projects would no doubt seek his blessing, especially if the series were considered to have told a story complete unto itself.

To be sure, more “Babylon 5″ might well receive and/or deserve those blessings, just as the Before Watchmen books might be worthwhile on their own merits. Certainly none of the professionals involved sets out to make bad comics, and certainly none of them will want to bring anything less than their best. Still, they’re in an unenviable situation, trying to do work which honors the original while still being original enough to justify its own existence. This is nothing new for work-for-hire comics, but the degree of difficulty is much higher.

And the thing is, DC does not need more Watchmen in the same way that it needs to keep publishing Batman, Superman, and Swamp Thing comics. As long as there is a DC Comics, there will be more Batman and Superman books, with dozens more creative teams looking to recapture what they first loved about those characters. Making sure those characters endure is fundamental to DC’s business model, and if some good comics come out of it, that’s just gravy. Accordingly, DC has no interest in producing the last Superman story, whether it’s “Doomsday!” or “Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?” As we saw last summer, DC doesn’t do endings, it does relaunches.

Accordingly, it’s helped nurture a culture where more of anything successful is implied, if not expected outright. As Tom Spurgeon tweeted, “the real takeaway here may be the sadness that [...] DC’s attempts to do Another Watchmen [are] now becoming doing More Watchmen.”

Now, I am not necessarily arguing against More. Personally, I’d love more of Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang’s Team 13, more Thriller by Robert Loren Fleming and Trevor von Eeden, and more ’Mazing Man from Bob Rozakis and Stephen DeStefano — but mainly because I think those creators could do more with those characters. Conversely, a creator’s triumphant return to a particular subject doesn’t always produce the same kind of work (see, e.g., Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Strikes Again).

At its best, the world of corporate superhero comics allows tradition and ritual to exist alongside creativity and innovation. On Monday I was glad to hear about upcoming collections of Amethyst, Mike Barr and Alan Davis’ Detective Comics, and Len Wein and Dave Gibbons’ Green Lantern. I’m also looking forward to the Trials Of Wonder Woman and All-Star Squadron reprints. Maybe next week I will get to talk about these in more detail. They’re all entertaining segments of ongoing series** which, for various reasons, were highlights either of those particular series or of DC’s superhero line. Each played within the rules of that superhero line, and none set out to be multilayered examinations of the comic-book form and/or the superhero-comics genre.

Nevertheless, it should be an elementary observation, but it bears repeating here: not every superhero comic must follow Watchmen, nor must Watchmen be as exploitable as the average monthly comic. While DC is free to do what it wants with the intellectual property it owns, it should have the same respect for Watchmen that it does for Jack Knight and Morpheus.

Again, it all comes down to the nature of the original work. Not only did Watchmen tell a complete story, set in its own unique world, it was designed specifically to be self-contained. The clockwork motif of an insular system which has to deal with unpredictable elements is one of the work’s core elements. DC may want to honor Watchmen with these prequels, but the work really doesn’t require them; and despite Moore and Gibbons’ exploratory steps to the contrary, the story as it exists almost discourages them.

Look, I know I don’t have to read any of the Before Watchmen comics. I realize these could turn out to be some very well-done comics, and I am guilty of prejudging something of which I have not read one page. It’s the kind of maddening thing which dares one to read it just so one can have an informed opinion, and by that time DC already has one’s money. If this project put these creative teams on the Earth-4 versions of the original Charlton characters — even if DC said This is Watchmen 2 with the names changed — I’d be all for it. That would at least be a touch newer than filling in the gaps of a pretty seamless narrative. No matter how much effort is put into these prequels, no matter how pure the intentions, no matter how polished the product, for a lot of fans this will be a reminder that DC did something because it could, because it would be relatively easy, and because it knew it would attract a truckload of attention. In an artistic field where potential is only limited by imagination, for DC to make such a reflexively conservative choice is incredibly disappointing.

+++++++++++++++

* [In one respect the title was inevitable. Back when hype about the Watchmen movie was supercharging book sales, DC reprinted a number of single issues under the banner “After Watchmen.”]

** [Amethyst started out as a 12-issue miniseries, and at first it wasn’t part of the main superhero continuity.]

The writer, who’s penning Dr. Manhattan and Nite Owl for the sprawling prequel to the acclaimed 1986 miniseries by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, drew some criticism yesterday when he told Comic Book Resources, “A lot of folks feel that these characters shouldn’t be touched by anyone other than Alan, and while that’s absolutely understandable on an emotional level, it’s deeply flawed on a logical level. Based on durability and recognition, one could make the argument that Superman is the greatest comics character ever created. But neither Alan nor anyone else has ever suggested that no one other than Shuster and Siegel should ever be allowed to write Superman. Alan didn’t pass on being brought on to write Swamp Thing, a seminal comics character created by Len Wein, and he did a terrific job. He didn’t say ‘No, no, I can’t, that’s Len’s character.’ Nor should he have.”

That of course led more than a few people to ask how Straczynski, who created the 1990s space opera Babylon 5, would feel if someone else were to develop a sequel, or prequel — “Babylon 4″? — to the television series (a revival has been long hoped for by fans, but the writer denied rumors as recently as August that he’s in negotiations with Warner Bros.). To answer the question, which he characterizes as “How would you feel if Babylon 5 was being done without your permission?,” Straczynski took to his Facebook page last night, writing, “It’s a fair question, and it needs to be fairly answered … but it has to be an honest comparison, apples to apples, not apples to pomegranates.”

“First, we have to take the word ‘permission’ off the table. Warner Bros. owns Babylon 5 lock, stock and phased-plasma guns, just as DC owns the Watchmen characters. [...] But I get that we’re talking about the emotional aspect of all this, not the legal stuff, which is pretty cut and dry,” he wrote. “So again: apples to apples. How would I feel if Babylon 5 were being made and I were shut out of anything to do with it, despite my desire to be involved? I’d feel pretty crummy about it. But as it happens, that has absolutely nothing to do with this situation in any way, manner, shape or form.”

Referring to repeated unsuccessful attempts by DC to convince Moore to revisit Watchmen — the most recent was in 2010, when the publisher offered to relinquish the rights to the comic if the writer “would agree to some dopey prequels and sequels” — Straczynski said, “He declined at every point. Fair enough. It’s his choice, and it’s his right to make it.”

“So now – apples to apples – let’s make the B5 comparison,” he continued. “Let’s say Warner Bros. came to me and said, ‘we want to do more Babylon 5, and we want you to run the whole thing. We’ll pay you anything you want, give you a proper budget, and you will have complete creative freedom.’ [...] So let’s say that Warners makes that offer, and I said, ‘No, I don’t want it, take your accursed money, your big budget and your complete creative freedom and begone, get thee behind me Satan!’ Let’s say they came back and said ‘Okay, then how about we pay you vast sums of money just to consult? How about that?’ [...] ‘What if we sweeten the deal? What if we offer to give you full ownership of Babylon 5, legally and contractually, so you own it? How about that?’

“If Warners offered me creative freedom, money and a budget to do the show the way I wanted, up to and including my completely owning the show, and I said no to that deal, and if after Warners waited TWENTY FIVE YEARS for me to change my mind they finally decided to go ahead and make B5 without me … then I would have absolutely zero right to complain about it,” Straczynski wrote. “Because it was my choice to remove myself from the process, it wasn’t something foisted upon me by anybody else.”

He went on to address other related topics, such as the supposed “sacredness” and one-off nature of the characters, before concluding this morning in a separate post that, “At this point, quite honestly the work needs to stand on its own. So with equal appreciation for both the kind words and the hard questions, and having said pretty much everything I can think of to say on the subject, I think it’s appropriate for me to recede a bit now into the shadows. As the books come out I hope that everyone who spoke out here, pro and con, will reconvene to continue the conversation and express their thoughts with the same clarity and precision they have demonstrated today.”

Here’s a selection of some of the more interesting quotes:

J. Michael Straczynski, who’s working with Adam Hughes on Dr. Manhattan, and Andy and Joe Kubert on Nite Owl: “Ever since Dan DiDio was handed the reins (along with Jim Lee) over at DC, he’s been making bold, innovative moves that might have scared the hell out of anyone else. At a time in the industry when big events tend to be ‘Okay, we had Team A fight Team B last year, so this year we’re gonna have Team B fight team C!’ Dan has chosen to revitalize lines, reinvent worlds and come at Watchmen head-on. It was, I think, about two years ago that he first mentioned that he was considering the idea, and he’s to be commended for fighting to make this happen.”

Brian Azzarello, who’s collaborating with Lee Bermejo on Rorschach, and J.G. Jones on Comedian: “I think the gut reaction is going to be, ‘Why?’  But then when the actual books come out, the answer will be, ‘Oh, that’s why.’ ”

Darwyn Cooke, who’s writing and drawing Minutemen and collaborating with Amanda Conner on Silk Spectre: “The nature of the undertaking is going to polarize a lot of the readership. I think a lot of people will be excited about this and there are a lot of people that will be dead against it. [...] I said no out of hand because I couldn’t think of a story that would measure up to the original — and let’s face it, this material is going to be measured that way — and the other thing is, I frankly didn’t want the attention. This is going to generate a lot of a particular type of attention that’s really not my bag. But what happened is, months after I said no, the story elements all just came into my head one day; it was so exciting to me that, at that exact moment, I started seriously thinking about doing the book.”

Straczynski, again: “A lot of folks feel that these characters shouldn’t be touched by anyone other than Alan, and while that’s absolutely understandable on an emotional level, it’s deeply flawed on a logical level. Based on durability and recognition, one could make the argument that Superman is the greatest comics character ever created. But neither Alan nor anyone else has ever suggested that no one other than Shuster and Siegel should ever be allowed to write Superman. Alan didn’t pass on being brought on to write Swamp Thing, a seminal comics character created by Len Wein, and he did a terrific job. He didn’t say ‘No, no, I can’t, that’s Len’s character.’ Nor should he have.”

Cooke, again: “I’d consider it a masterpiece if it had been able to have found what I would refer to as a hopeful note. … Again, it’s not hard to understand [where Alan was coming from], and that sort of storytelling does have an allure for young people. [But] I think the older you get, the more you look for hope or positive things. Maybe I’m just getting old.”

Original Watchmen editor Len Wein, who’s tackling Ozymandias with Jae Lee, and “Curse of the Crimson Corsair” with John Higgins: “As far as I know there are no plans for more books after this, but 25 years ago there were no plans for these books, so who truly knows? I think reboots are almost mandatory in an industry that has existed for over three-fourths of a century now. The need to inject new blood, new ideas, new approaches, is the only thing that keeps our readers coming back for more.”

“Curse of the Crimson Corsair” artist John Higgins: “The challenge is to make the stories modern and relevant to 2012 and to show what can be done with respect and consideration for the source material that has inspired so many people over the years. By adding to the mythos and not to detract from it. The Watchmen had such an influence on graphic storytelling since it first appeared and is a timeless classic. If we can create a new set of stories that can be enjoyed 25 years on, that would be an achievement and a reward in itself.”

“The original series of Watchmen is the complete story that Alan Moore and I wanted to tell,” the artist said in a statement. “However, I appreciate DC’s reasons for this initiative and the wish of the artists and writers involved to pay tribute to our work. May these new additions have the success they desire.”

Moore, however, isn’t as generous, describing the prequels as “completely shameless.” “I tend to take this latest development as a kind of eager confirmation that they are still apparently dependent on ideas that I had 25 years ago,” he told The New York Times.

The writer, who stopped working for DC in 1989 following disputes about Watchmen royalties and a proposed age-rating system, revealed in July 2010 that the publisher had at last offered to return the rights to his most famous creation, if he “would agree to some dopey prequels and sequels.”

“So I just told them that if they said that 10 years ago, when I asked them for that, then yeah it might have worked,” he said at the time. “But these days I don’t want Watchmen back. Certainly, I don’t want it back under those kinds of terms.”

Moore echoed those sentiments to The Times, insisting he likely won’t try to block Before Watchmen or face DC’s “infinite battery of lawyers” in a legal battle. “I don’t want money,” he said. “What I want is for this not to happen.”

J. Michael Straczynski, who’s teaming with Adam Hughes on the Dr. Manhattan miniseries, shrugged off the notion that only Moore should write the Watchmen characters.

“A lot of folks feel that these characters shouldn’t be touched by anyone other than Alan, and while that’s absolutely understandable on an emotional level, it’s deeply flawed on a logical level,” he said in an exclusive interview with Comic Book Resources. “Based on durability and recognition, one could make the argument that Superman is the greatest comics character ever created. But neither Alan nor anyone else has ever suggested that no one other than Shuster and Siegel should ever be allowed to write Superman. Alan didn’t pass on being brought on to write Swamp Thing, a seminal comics character created by Len Wein, and he did a terrific job. He didn’t say ‘No, no, I can’t, that’s Len’s character.’ Nor should he have.”

Red underwear makes a comeback in 2965

Before we jump into 2012, I have one last bit of business to take care of: toting up my 2011 predictions, and offering a set for the new year.

2011

1. The Green Lantern movie. Last year I predicted that GL would be “more lucrative than Captain America, not as much as Thor.  It ended up making $116 million domestically ($219 million worldwide), well behind Cap’s $176 million ($368M globally) and Thor’s $181 million ($449M globally). Also, it wasn’t as good. I liked it well enough (and from what I hear I may like the Blu-Ray version more), but apparently I was in the minority.

2. Superman and Wonder Woman after JMS. I just had questions for this entry: will Roberson and Barrows stay on Superman? (No.) Will Diana keep the jacket and pants? (No jacket, pants optional.) Finally, I asked “[w]ill sales improve once ‘Grounded’ ends?” Guess that depends on how you define “ends,” because “Grounded” closed out that Superman series; and the next issue of Superman was a New-52 No. 1 which sold almost 100,000 more copies than its predecessor. We may never know what might have happened to Superman without the New 52, but probably not that.

3. Batman: Earth One. I was looking forward to the next “Earth One” release in 2011, and I’m still looking.  [Edited to add:  Of course, DC picked this morning, well after I'd finished this post, to preview both Batman:  Earth One and Superman:  Earth One Volume 2.]

4. All Star Batman/Multiversity/Teen Titans: Games. Last year I had hoped to see all three of these long-delayed projects finally published. However, only Games, started in the late ‘80s and finished over 25 years later, made it across the finish line. Of the remaining two, I suppose we’re most likely to see Multiversity, although its Earth-4 installment may have to compete with an actual Watchmen follow-up.

5. The United Colors of Batman. I was “curious to see what [Batman Incorporated] look[ed] like at the end of 2011,” and now I know: a gigundo $7.99 special issue, a brief appearance from the Batman of Moscow in Batman and Robin, and the ongoing Batwing series. That’s actually not bad for a concept which grew out of Grant Morrison’s conceit that “every Batman story counts,” considering that all those Batman stories must now fit into an arbitrary-seeming five-year history.

6. End of the Archives? Last year I thought the Archives line was being phased out in favor of the hardcover Omnibii, paperback Chronicles, and black-and-white Showcase Presents reprints. Not so fast, my friend — there are more on the way.

7. Reprint floodgates. Were the Sugar & Spike Archives and the Flex Mentallo hardcover (coming in February) really “the first crack in the dam holding back collections of Suicide Squad, Captain Carrot, Secret Society of Super-Villains, and Jonah Hex?” Hmm — kind of. Suicide Squad got one paperback (although the second is at least in limbo) and Secret Society got a Volume 1 hardcover (with Vol. 2 coming in the spring), but still no Captain Carrot or Jonah Hex Volume 2. Still, among semi-obscure ‘70s and ‘80s fare, there was that Firestorm paperback; and collections of I … Vampire! and Night Force are apparently on the way. Good news for the 300 of us on the Internet who care about such things.

8. The changing shape of Events. Last January I thought Flashpoint and the Wonder Woman storyline “Odyssey” contained the seeds of a stealth crossover, and they’d eventually intersect in some kind of big-event way. That didn’t really happen, at least not how I pictured it.

9. The spirit of ‘86. Last year I wanted to see “a behind-the-scenes look at what went into that seminal year,” especially focusing on the revamps of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman supposedly called the “Metropolis Line.” That didn’t happen either, but we did get a whole slew of revamps.

10. DC on TV. I thought things looked good for “Human Target,” “Wonder Woman,” and the proposed “Raven” series. 0-for-3.

* * *

So, for 2012:

1. The Dark Knight Rises. Can it make a skillion dollars? Will it have Robin? Will it have subtitles?

2. The New 52, one year later. The more I think about it, the more I believe the New-52 books will each get at least twelve issues, regardless of sales. If any books are cancelled (and you have to think some of them will be), it’ll be in such a way that DC can claim they “told their stories,” not that readers grew tired of them.

3. The Next 52 (or however many). This is where I mention the promised-but-not-solicited Justice Society series and its Earth-2 setting. More to the point, here DC has a chance to expand the scope of its main line beyond that which made the New 52 a little too familiar. I got into this a little a few weeks back, but that was based on conventional wisdom and a little tea-leaf reading. Maybe a little more originality will work into the next batch of books.

4. Pandora’s playlist. Part of the reason I think the initial New-52 books will all get their twelve issues is this notion that they’re all building to some line-wide event involving the Hooded Woman from the No. 1 issues. DC says to call her Pandora, and she dresses like the Phantom Stranger’s aunt. From her I’m expecting some insight on the fate of the pre-relaunch timeline. Not that I care, of course.

5. More Watchmen. Really, what more is there to say? If the prequel rumors turn out to be true, whatever merits the stories themselves may have will surely be outweighed by the project’s inherent irrelevance. Also, the phrase “naked cash grab” won’t stop popping into my head. Still, there’s time for DC to repurpose the art which has been leaked thus far, and claim it’s all part of some commemorative portfolio. A big part of Watchmen deals with the nature of superhero comics themselves, so naturally it continually risks further exploitation. For characters reworked from their Charlton beginnings, so that DC could subsequently put out Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, The Question, et al., this is somehow ironic, sad, and inevitable, all at once.

6. More multimedia expansion. For various reasons, I haven’t owned a videogame system since my faithful Super Nintendo (almost twenty years ago — yikes!), and haven’t played a game-system kind of game regularly since X-Wing Alliance. Nevertheless, last year I heard nothing but accolades for Batman: Arkham City, which followed the similarly-praised Batman: Arkham Asylum, and which helped cement the Dark Knight’s insertion into another non-comics entertainment area. Although the DC Universe Online game doesn’t seem to have captured the gaming world’s collective heart, it’s still out there too, now free to play. Even if DCUO fades away, surely more Arkham-style games are in development. As for TV, “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” ended its Cartoon Network run, but “Young Justice” and “Green Lantern” will anchor CN’s DC Nation block of … well, a whole lot of different things, perhaps enough to warrant another new show just through the law of averages. Oh, and there have been announcements about new live-action TV series featuring Deadman and The Spectre. I got burned last year on DC’s TV prospects, so I’m not predicting anything about them. One thing’s for sure, though — DC is trying its darnedest to establish footholds in non-comics venues, even if that doesn’t translate into more comics sales.

7. Man of Steel and Green Lantern 2. Carla and I talked about these over the weekend, but I think we’ll learn a lot about the prospects of each by the end of 2012. Specifically, we should know more about whether either of those can replace the Batman (and/or Harry Potter) series as Warner Brothers’ go-to movie franchises. Now, this isn’t quite fair, because there will be another set of Batman movies after Christian Bale takes off his cape. Still, 2013′s Man of Steel is yet another chance for Warners to prove that Superman can be successful without either Christopher Reeve or the particular charms of “Smallville.” From what I have seen, I am hopeful but not optimistic. In fact, if the animated GL series does well enough, it could boost the chances of a live-action sequel, and it’s easier to replace a Green Lantern than it is a Superman.

8. Market share. December’s sales numbers show Marvel reclaiming the largest share of the Direct Market, after four months of coming in second to DC’s superhero titles. This doesn’t shock me, because Marvel just publishes more titles than DC does, and as the initial enthusiasm for the New-52 fades, the numbers tend not to be in DC’s favor. Still, now that DC has had a taste of the top spot, I wonder whether the publisher will start chasing it. Maybe it has started already.

9. Digital effects. Barring some unforeseen collapse, 2012 should provide a year’s worth of insight into DC’s day-and-date digital sales. Whether DC decides to share that with the public at large is another matter. If nothing else, though, digital sales help enforce a stricter shipping schedule for the print books. That could mean more changes in creative teams, whether temporary or permanent, but it could also help foster some every-Wednesday comics-shop habits in those coveted new readers. Of course, digital comics don’t need to conform to standard pamphlet lengths, and if DC decides to offer more digital-only (or at least digital-first) stories, it might open up new avenues for both readers and creators.

And that brings us to …

10. A return to storytelling. I have complained to various degrees about the problems the New-52 relaunch created for us longtime fans. I have also tried hard to be understanding, and to embrace the spirit of freedom and creativity a relaunch encourages. Accordingly, to the extent the New-52 books haven’t themselves embraced that spirit, I’ve been disappointed. If you have the chance to do what you want, you probably need to justify why you do the same old things. Here’s hoping that in 2012, the superhero line uses its still-new freedom wisely, as books like Animal Man, Wonder Woman, Swamp Thing, and Batwoman have, and that it cultivates an atmosphere of experimentation. If the DC of 2012 is built on solid fundamentals and good comics, that’ll be the best news I get all year.

Any doubts regarding the accuracy of reports about DC Comics’ long-rumored plans for Watchmen prequels may have eroded over the weekend with the emergence of character art by J.G. Jones and Joe Kubert and Andy Kubert.

Bleeding Cool characterizes the illustrations of Nite Owl and The Comedian as cover art for the projects, purportedly being assembled under the code name “Panic Room,” but considering the characters’ names are written on the pages, it seems more likely they’re concept designs.

The four prequels to the seminal 1986 miniseries by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons are said to also involve Darwyn Cooke, J. Michael Straczynski, John Higgins and even Gibbons himself. Cooke, however, seemed to dismiss reports he was working on one of the miniseries, telling CBR News recently, “Ah, get out, man. That’s like three years old.”

Remember that unpublished cover Geof Darrow drew for J. Michael Straczynski’s “Grounded” arc on Superman that we posted the other day? Remember Darrow saying to Inkstuds’ Robin McConnell that it never ran as a cover and that “it’ll never see the light of day” despite his “really nice guy” editor’s assurances to the contrary? Good news, Darrow fans: Both Darrow and DC confirm that the finished cover will appear in Superman: Grounded Vol. 2, on sale this Wednesday, Dec. 7. The crazy cat lady will get her time in the sun at last!

Bleeding Cool contends it’s been “informed quite conclusively from a reliable source” at the publisher that the artist is among the A-list talent involved in the secretive project, which reportedly will use key characters from the seminal 1986 miniseries by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.

Other previously mentioned creators include Darwyn Cooke, J. Michael Straczynski, J.G. Jones, John Higgins and even Gibbons himself.

Murmurs of DC’s desire for a Watchmen follow-up gained steam in 2010 after the departure of President Paul Levitz, believed to be the last in-house obstacle to using the Moore-Gibbons characters. The writer seemed to confirm as much last year when he revealed the publisher finally had offered to return the rights to the property — copyright and royalty issues form the roots of his legendary feud with DC — in exchange for a concession: that Moore “agree to some dopey prequels and sequels.” He refused.

Then-newly minted Co-Publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee said at the time that DC “would only revisit these iconic characters if the creative vision of any proposed new stories matched the quality set by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons nearly 25 years ago, and our first discussion on any of this would naturally be with the creators themselves.”

As recently as August, Gibbons addressed perennial rumors of a sequel and the possibility of the characters being transplanted into the DC Universe, telling Comic Book Resources, “It’s not something that I’d personally like to see happen. [...] What I would say is, intrinsic to the whole idea of Watchmen is that they existed in a world that was the way it was because of their existence. And I think to transplant them into another world actually removes a huge part of what is the essence of Watchmen.”

Just ahead of its “DC All Access: Superman” panel at New York Comic Con, DC Comics debuted the cover of the second volume of Superman: Earth One, the bestselling 2010 graphic novel by J. Michael Straczynski and Shane Davis. Presumably the publisher will announce a tentative release date during the presentation.

See the full cover below, and check back with Comic Book Resources for a report from “DC All Access: Superman.”

Collen Doran's Wonder Woman

When J. Michael Straczynski was still the writer of Wonder Woman, he approached Colleen Doran about developing a new, “fantasy-oriented” look for her. He’s given Doran permission to share what she came up with, which she’s done on her blog.

She clarifies a couple of things in the comments section of her post. First, that she wasn’t hired to draw the actual comic; just to design the look. But more importantly, that this look would’ve been for a story after the one in which Wonder Woman wore Jim Lee’s controversial redesign.

Two versions of Cliff Chiang's cover for "Wonder Woman" #1: left, the updated version; and right, the orginal

Despite her depictions on promotional materials and the covers for the debut issues of Justice League and her own title, it appears as if Wonder Woman will once again don star-spangled shorts come DC Comics’ September relaunch.

The evidence emerged this morning with the announcement of the DC Comics: The New 52 preview book that will be released next Wednesday in comic shops and at Comic-Con International in San Diego. In the upper left-hand corner of the cover is a slightly modified version of Cliff Chiang’s art for Wonder Woman #1, with the Amazon Princess now sporting shorts for the first time in more than a year — when Jim Lee’s divisive costume redesign was introduced as part of J. Michael Straczynski’s short-lived new direction for the character.

Wonder Woman #1, by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang, will be released on Sept. 21.

Green Lantern #1, by Dave Johnson

Although it seems like DC’s big relaunch announcement came out an eternity ago, it actually took the publisher less than two weeks to roll out the 52 titles and their creative teams for the big relaunch/reboot/overhaul coming in September. Now that the cats are out of their respective bags, I thought I’d see where various creators and characters will land after the reboot.

So I went back through DC’s August solicitations to see who was writing or drawing what, and tried to map everyone to their post-relaunch project — if they had one. However, looking at DC’s August solicitations, there seem to be several fill-in issues, so where appropriate I tried to map the most recent ongoing creative teams to their new projects (for instance, I consider Gail Simone and Jesus Saiz the regular creative team for Birds of Prey, even if they aren’t doing the last two issues before September hits). Keep in mind that I just went through the ongoing series and skipped over all the miniseries … of which there are a lot, what with Flashpoint winding up in August.

It’s also worth noting that although several creators didn’t appear in the “big 52″ announcements, that doesn’t mean their tenure with DC is necessarily over — some, like Frazer Irving, have said they have future projects that haven’t been announced. So I tried to note where creators have talked publicly about their post-relaunch plans with DC (or lack thereof, as the case may be). The same could probably be said for some of DC’s characters as well. Or, as Gail Simone said on Twitter: “Again, September is NOT THE END. There’s still plans for characters that we haven’t seen yet.”

So let’s get to it ….

Green Lantern titles: There is no Green Lantern title in August. July’s issue, #67, wraps up “War of the Green Lanterns” and is by Geoff Johns, Doug Mahnke and Christiam Almy — the same guys working on Green Lantern #1. Green Lantern Corps #63 is by Tony Bedard and Tyler Kirkham, while Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #13 is by Peter J. Tomasi and Fernando Pasarin. The latter creative team takes over Green Lantern Corps in September, while the former moves to Green Lantern: New Guardians. As Sean Collins pointed out last week, not a lot of change here in terms of creative teams, although the GL books do have a new sister book in the previously announced Red Lanterns title by Peter Milligan and Ed Benes.

Booster Gold: Looks like issue #47 is the last one, which ties into Flashpoint. Dan Jurgens is writing Justice League International #1, starring Booster Gold, with artist Aaron Lopresti. And Jurgens is drawing the J.T. Krul-written Green Arrow.

Justice League of America: The book will drop “of America” from the title in September, as Geoff Johns and Jim Lee take over the series from James Robinson and … I guess the last regular artist was Brett Booth? Booth moves to Teen Titans, while James Robinson doesn’t appear anywhere on the big list of 52 titles. Which is … odd.

Between this, GL and Aquaman (with artist Ivan Reis), DC Chief Creative Officer Johns is tied with Teen Titans/Red Hood and the Outlaws/Superboy scribe Scott Lobdell for writing the most titles for DC come September.

Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #1

Superman titles: Lots of changes here … Paul Cornell and Kenneth Rocafort wrap up the “Reign of the Doomsdays” storyline in Action Comics in September. Cornell moves on to Stormwatch and Demon Knights, while Rocafort moves to Red Hood and the Outlaws. The book’s previous artist, Pete Woods, is on Legion Lost. Meanwhile, Grant Morrison and Rags Morales take over Action Comics.

The “Grounded” storyline in Superman ends with August’s issue #714, by J. Michael Straczynski, Chris Roberson, Allan Goldman and Eber Ferreira. Straczynski’s not tapped to write any of the September titles, which isn’t surprising, based on the fact that he stepped away from monthly comics to work on the sequel to Superman: Earth One — another question entirely. In any event, the man they brought on to finish up “Grounded,” Roberson, isn’t on the list either. Roberson tweeted last week, “I’ve laid off alcohol & nicotine after Heroes, but I’m treating myself to a cigarette and beer, marking the end of my brief stay in the DCU.” He’s still writing iZombie for Vertigo. Goldman also isn’t on the list, while the book’s regular artist, Eddy Barrows, moves to Nightwing. George Pérez and Jesus Merino relaunch the the book in September as Superman: The Man of Tomorrow.

Two issues of Superboy arrive in August, by Jeff Lemire and a trio of artists. Lemire moves on from the title and will be writing Frankenstein and Animal Man in September, while Lobdell takes over writing Superboy with artist R.B. Silva. Artist Pier Gallo doesn’t appear to be doing anything for DC in September.

Supergirl‘s final creative team before the reboot, Kelly Sue DeConnick and Chriscross, aren’t working on any of the September books, although DeConnick did note that she was approached to pitch to them.

Most recently Superman/Batman has featured the work of Cullen Bunn and Chriscross, neither of whom appears on the big list o’ 52, with Joshua Hale Fialkov’s three-parter appearing in the final issues this summer. Fialkov will be writing I, Vampire in September.

The Bat-titles: Batman Incorporated goes on hiatus after August, but DC has announced that it will be back as a maxi-series next year. Morrison, as noted above, goes to Action Comics. The Bat titles themselves stay fairly consistent — Tony Daniel will continue to write and draw one of them as he moves from Batman to Detective Comics; writer Scott Snyder moves from Detective Comics to work with former Spawn artist Greg Capullo on Batman; and David Finch will continue to write Batman: The Dark Knight (a series he once drew as well) for artist Jay Fabok, who is slated to take over art chores with July’s pre-relaunch-resolicited issue #4. The only creators from those books pre-relaunch who don’t appear on the big list of 52 books are Jock and Francesco Francavilla, although Jock is apparently still doing Batman-related covers, while Francavilla will do “special fill-ins” for Snyder’s other writing project, Swamp Thing. Daniel has another project as well — The Savage Hawkman, with artist Phillip Tan.

Batman & Robin

Tomasi is also listed as the writer for Batman & Robin, a book he was announced as the regular writer for after Morrison left. However, since then the book has actually been written by several folks, including Judd Winick, David Hine and Cornell. Hine’s name doesn’t appear on the relaunch list. Winick and artist Guillem March, who worked together on B&R, will team up on Catwoman in September. Winick is also writing Batwing with Ben Oliver on art.

The last few issues of Batgirl have been by Bryan Q. Miller and Dustin Nguyen, while Pere Pérez is the artist for the last three issues before the relaunch. None of them are listed as creators on the 52 titles in September. In responding to a question on Twitter, Bryan Q. Miller said: “RT Anything new on the horizon for you at DC? @TreyKrimsin Maybe – but nothing in any way immediate.” The new Batgirl creative team is Gail Simone, Ardian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes, with Barbara Gordon stepping back into the costume.

Red Robin ends in August with an issue that has Tim going after his dad’s killer, Captain Boomerang, since CB is back from the dead. Writer Fabian Niceiza is working on Legion Lost in September. The artist for the last arc, Marcus To, isn’t doing anything in September, while the book’s previous artist, Freddie Williams, is working on Captain Atom with Krul. Red Robin will appear in Teen Titans come September.

The characters from Gotham City Sirens — Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn — seem to have scattered into the wind; Catwoman has her own book in September, while Poison Ivy appears to be in Birds of Prey and Harley Quinn is heading to the Suicide Squad. Creators Peter Calloway and Andres Guinaldo aren’t on any books in September.

Birds of Prey #1

And speaking of Birds of Prey, Simone’s last issue is #13, as the July and August installments are by writer Marc Andreyko and Billy Tucci — neither of whom is working on September’s books. Simone will move on to Batgirl, as noted above, as well as Firestorm, which she’s co-writing with Ethan Van Sciver. Jesus Saiz, who took a break from the book after issue #13, returns to BoP for the relaunch in September.

So what happens to Batman Beyond? Honestly, I’m not sure. It isn’t listed as one of the 52 titles, but CBR’s interview with Adam Beechen last week seemed to indicate the book isn’t going away:

I do know what our next arc is going to be, but I can’t talk about it yet. I’m in the process of plotting it out, and I even know what the next arc after that will be as well as our next “Legends of the Dark Knight” issue. We’re in a pretty good place about what’s ahead of us, and if all goes according to plan, we’re pretty well set for the next bit of time. And we’re going to keep the team intact as long as we can and keep trying to crank out good stuff.

It’s worth noting that there’s also a Superman Beyond #0 in August; it’s listed as a one-shot, but c’mon, a zero issue in August? How can there not be a first issue in its future?

Wonder Woman: The somewhat-controversial “Odyssey” arc, which put Wonder Woman in pants, wraps up in August by Straczynski, Phil Hester, Don Kramer and Wayne Faucher. None of these four is listed as a creator on any of September’s books. Wonder Woman #1 will be by Doctor 13: Architecture & Morality collaborators Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang.

Hester was brought onto the book at the same time Roberson came onto Superman, when Straczynski decided to step away from monthly comics. And while neither of them appears to be doing anything in September, Hester said on Twitter that “there are a lot of moving parts here,” and “So much in motion right now, but it is appreciated” when fans asked about his involvement, or lack thereof.

Adventure Comics and Legion of Super-Heroes: Paul Levitz will continue to chronicle the tales of the Legion, while Fabian Nicieza will write a Legion Lost series. Adventure appears to be gone. As for Adventure artist Phil Jimenez, a DC-exclusive creator, he tweeted, “Hey, comic readers — thanks for all the inquiries! I’m not a part of the big DCU relaunch, but I’ve got a few cool tricks up my sleeve!” followed by “Fun stuff! Hopefully announced by SDCC!” And artist Yildiray Cinar is working on the previously mentioned Firestorm book, as Francis Portela takes over Legion of Super-Heroes.

All-Star Western

Jonah Hex: Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Grey will continue to tell the tales of the ugliest bounty hunter in the west in All-Star Western. They’re joined by artist Moritat.

Green Arrow: J.T. Krul will continue to write Green Arrow, joined by artist Dan Jurgens. Artist Diogenes Neves moves to Demon Knights, written by Cornell.

Secret Six: Simone has confirmed that issue #36 is indeed the last, as the characters Deadshot and King Shark move on to the new Suicide Squad book. Artist J. Calafiore is not listed as working on any of the 52 titles.

Zatanna: According to Paul Dini on his LiveJournal: “A few folks have asked me about the future of the Zatanna book at DC. I don’t know what plans DC has for it after this August, though I can confirm my last issue is the current one, #13.” Issue #13 came out in May. Solicitations for issues #14 and #15 list Dini as the writer, while Beechen is listed as the writer for August’s issue #16. So … I’m not sure what that means.

Responding to a question about the relaunch, Zatanna artist Jamal Igle tweeted, “I wasn’t invited to participate.” The character will appear in Justice League Dark.

Justice Society and Power Girl: I guess this explains why the description for the new Mister Terrific title didn’t reference the Justice Society. Apparently issue #54, by Marc Guggenheim and Jerry Ordway, will be the last. Neither Guggenheim nor Ordway was listed as working on any of the 52 titles, although artist Tom Derenick, who drew the recent issues #51-53, will team with Ivan Brandon on Sgt. Rock and the Men of War.

Power Girl, meanwhile, ends with August’s #27 by Matthew Sturges and Hendry Prasetya, neither of whom is listed as working on any of the 52 titles. The series’ previous writer, Winick, is working on Batwing and Catwoman, as noted above, while artist Sami Basri is working on Voodoo with Ron Marz.

Honestly, I was half-expecting a round of Justice Society titles to be announced at some point — Justice Society, Power Girl, maybe Star Girl or Starman. Maybe they’ll be tapped as mid-season replacements? On the other hand, the description of the Morrison/Morales Action Comics relaunch offered by DC’s The Source blog — “This momentous first issue will set in motion the history of the DC Universe as Superman defends a world that doesn’t trust their first Super Hero” — would appear to preclude the existence of a team full of World War II-era heroes that predates Superman’s generation.

Teen Titans

Teen Titans and Titans: Teen Titans writer J.T. Krul is penning two books come September, Captain Atom and Green Arrow. But I’m not seeing Nicola Scott or Doug Hazlewood on anything, though. That can’t be right; someone at DC get on that, stat.

Titans writer Eric Wallace is working on Mister Terrific; Fabrizio Fiorentino isn’t on anything. Deathstroke gets his own title in September, while Arsenal will join Red Hood and Starfire in Red Hood and the Outlaws.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents: I was kind of wondering about the long-term future of this one even before the reboot. Which is too bad, as it’s also one I really enjoyed. Writer Nick Spencer is exclusive to Marvel now, so his name wouldn’t be on any other DC book, while the regular art team of Cafu and BIT will work on Grifter. Recent issues have featured art by Mike Grell and Nick Dragotta, who aren’t listed on any of September’s books.

Xombi: With John Rozum working on the new Static Shock series, I would have assumed that was it for Xombi. But someone asked about it on his blog, and he responded: “… I still can’t comment one way or another. Check back periodically, but in the meantime, please take a few minutes to write a letter to the powers that be at DC about what you think about Xombi and send it to them via snail mail. It has an impact. It’s what led to the current run of Xombi in the first place.”

At the very least, maybe they’d let Rozum and artist Frazer Irving wrap up the series in the new anthology title. Speaking of Irving, he tweeted: “For all interested parties, I do have a post-relaunch DC gig but it’s a secret at the mo And Gutsville still needs finishing…” More Gutsville is a plus for sure.

Flash: Flash‘s current run ended in May with issue #12 by Johns and Francis Manapul. The title will return in September sans Johns and with Manapul and Brian Buccellato sharing art and writing duties.

So there you have it, DC’s September books through the filter of their previous line-ups … and I still didn’t hit every single book that’ll come out in September. And based on some of the comments from various creators about additional projects beyond the 52, now I’d just really like to see what DC’s October looks like …

In the meantime, what September books are you going to get? Head over to CBR and take the survey!

Comic-Con International

Comic-Con | Lori Weisberg provides a reminder, and a primer, for online registration for Comic-Con International, which goes live Saturday at 9 a.m. Pacific. Registration is for daily passes and four-day memberships without Preview Night. Those with the Wednesday preview sold out on the final day of the 2010 convention (more could be released later, depending on returns and cancellations). Prices have increased slightly, from $100 to $105 for four-day memberships and from $35 to $37 for single-day passes ($20 for Sunday) — plus a $2 processing fee for each badge. Comic-Con will be held July 20-24 in San Diego. [San Diego Union-Tribune]

Retailing | Responding to reports that Borders Group may file for bankruptcy as early as next week, a spokeswoman asserts the struggling book chain intends to stay in business. “Our goal is to have a strong Borders for the long term, ” Borders spokeswoman Mary Davis said. “As such, Borders is involved in discussions with multiple parties – including lenders, vendors, landlords and other business partners – to determine the route that will provide it with the best opportunity to move forward with its business strategy.” [The Plain Dealer]

Digital comics | Marvel has announced its Marvel Comics App is now available for the Google Chrome web browser for free via Google’s Chrome Web Store. [Marvel.com]

Kevin Keller

Publishing | Brian Truitt looks at the popularity of Kevin Keller, Archie Comics’ first gay character, who’ll receive his own miniseries in June. “When you’re at different shows and conventions, and people come right up to you and talk to you about it, that’s when it really hits you how much the character has affected people,” creator Dan Parent says. “It’s all fantastic.” [USA Today]

Creators | Eric Powell has removed a video he released last week that called for fans and creators to support and produce more creator-owned work, explaining his “attempt to draw attention to the lopsided tendencies of our industry has clearly become a divisive force instead of the unifying positive one I intended it to be.” [Facebook, via iFanboy]

Creators | Mexican cartoonist Rafael Barajas Durán, who uses the pseudonym El Fisgón, claims that Banamex, the country’s second-largest bank, canceled his 10-year-old account after he drew a series of cartoons lampooning the bank industry. Banamex contends it’s because he didn’t respond to letters requesting that he update his account information. [The Narcosphere]

Creators | Alex Zalben talks at length with J. Michael Straczynski about the sequel to Superman: Earth One, his move from monthly comics to graphic novels, his abbreviated runs on Wonder Woman and Superman, and criticism that he doesn’t finish the titles he starts: “This perception has kind of taken on a life of its own, and it doesn’t seem to matter what the actual facts are. It’s become like those who don’t believe in climate change, you can point to contrary evidence all you want, they won’t budge. In addition to finishing Rising Stars and Midnight Nation, I did eight or nine years on Spider-Man, did such miniseries as Bullet Points, Strange, Silver Surfer Requiem … I’ve written hundreds of published comics. And the lion’s share of it came out on time.” [MTV Geek]

Comics | Tom Horgen rattles off “10 essential graphic novels” by Minnesota creators. [Star Tribune]

Wow — between Erik Larsen and Eric Stephenson, it sure seems like Axel Alonso pissed in Image Comics’ Wheaties at some point!

Hey, it wouldn’t be a Robot 6 post without a “let’s you and him fight” angle. But now that that’s out of my system, there’s a lot one could say, pro and con, about Axel Alonso’s promotion to editor-in-chief of Marvel. Actually, the level of surprise with which the news was greeted says something all by itself. True, he’s never been the public figure that his predecessor Joe Quesada and colleague Tom Brevoort (who, again, has long said he didn’t want the EIC job) have been, so in that regard he’s an unknown quantity to readers and fans. To creators and editors, however, everything I’ve heard indicates that his reputation is sterling, dating back to his involvement in Vertigo — he’s well-liked personally and well-respected professionally (unless you’re Darwyn Cooke).

Personal anecdotal evidence is routinely the least reliable kind, but I myself can tell you that he was friendly and attentive to me during my earliest years of having a professional interest in comics, way before I had even the minuscule amount of recognition I have today and thus when it was totally unnecessary for him to be so. I’ve heard from many other people that that approachability remains in place today. Moreover, it’s worth pointing out that like the similarly respected Quesada, Alonso has roots in creator-driven and creator-owned comics, something that surely goes a long way when you might otherwise be seen as simply the head suit in a major corporation.

And despite the increased prominence of franchise-wide crossovers for the X-Men under his reign, Alonso seems to me to remain the torchbearer for Nu-Marvel, the era when off-the-beaten-path creators were essentially given carte blanche to take the company’s characters and run with them. Certainly that’s been the raison d’etre of the Alonso-spearheaded MAX line, which has become for contemporary crime novelists what Law & Order was for working New York actors. Of Marvel’s major editors, he seems the least concerned with traditional superheroics — which approach, after all, revived the fortunes of the company in the early ’00s to the point where they went from Chapter 11 bankruptcy to multibillion-dollar Disney acquisition in ten years. For readers who hanker for that freewheeling feeling again in this the age of linewide events that point nearly every book in the same direction at the behest of a relatively small cadre of editors and creators, Alonso seems like your best bet.

On the other hand, Larsen is basically right about the low-key state of the X-Men under Alonso, even if he’s probably way too harsh in his assessment and certainly too narrow-minded in terms of whom he’s blaming. The X-Men still sell, after all, and important issues regularly crack the Top 10, even if they no longer dominate it as a whole. But yes, since the departure of Joss Whedon — and arguably before that, when it became clear Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men was an adjunct to the line rather than its flagship; and arguably before that, when Grant Morrison’s abrupt departure left the line and its then-flagship New X-Men floundering — the X-Men, which had been the dominant property in North American comics for around 25 years, assumed second-banana status to the Avengers in Marvel’s line-up. Now, correlation does not imply causality, and there are any number of possible reasons I could suggest for why that happened that either predate or simply have nothing to do with Alonso’s role as editor: a desire on the part of the company to push the characters to whom they retained the movie rights; an unrelated drive to shore up what had long been a weak point of the line; the individual interests of the creators and editors at the company at the time; the innate resonance of the Avengers’ quasi-military set-up and quasi-terrorist antagonists with the country’s mood for the past decade, versus the X-Men’s less zeitgeisty status as outcasts and outsiders; Wolverine’s spread into the Avengers franchise and the X-books’ subsequent lack of a unique claim to the company’s biggest character; the X-Men’s near-total lack of involvement in the company’s event comics (although that in turn invites the question of whose decision that was); and on and on and on. But whatever the reason, and despite the presence of acclaimed writers like Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction in the Uncanny X-Men driver’s seat, little that has happened on Alonso’s watch has changed the X-Men’s status as the Superman to the Avengers’ Batman, leaving how he’ll handle the whole line and its bestselling Avengers franchise something of a question mark.

Similarly, it’s Tom Brevoort who’s been at the center of the storm when it comes to planning and executing the company’s major events: Avengers Disassembled, New Avengers, House of M, Civil War, The Death of Captain America, Secret Invasion, Dark Reign and Siege all originated in his shop. Alonso’s crossovers have been X-specific and thus tell us less about how he’d oversee one of the big ones, although with Fear Itself just a few months away, we’ll soon find out. And speaking of Brevoort, Alonso isn’t half as outspoken as his counterpart, nor is he anywhere near as frequent a presence on the Internet or as the star attraction of comic-con panels. With fan outreach and carnival-barker hype just as much a part of the EIC gig as figuring out who’s secretly a Skrull or who gets to kill the Sentry, Alonso’s strengths and weaknesses in those departments are also largely unknown.

Meanwhile, useful though it has been as a means to field-test talent and push the boundaries of where Marvel’s properties can go in terms of raw content, Alonso’s MAX line — with the exception of Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos’s wonderful Alias and Garth Ennis’s bible-black Punisher run, both now years behind us (please note: We would also have accepted U.S. War Machine) — has never produced an evergreen hit of the lasting acclaim or staying power of the big Vertigo titles, including many Alonso himself was involved with. Now, you can convincingly argue that MAX was never intended to do work that way: It doesn’t have the creator-owned capacity of Vertigo, just for starters, and for a long time now it’s been a miniseries-based line rather than an ongoing-series one. But regardless of whether you view the line as a failure or a success that simply has modest goals, it too doesn’t tell you much about how Alonso would govern the whole Marvel line.

To a certain extent, we can glean how Marvel thinks Marvel might fare under an Alonso administration by noting the credits they saw fit to mention in the press release announcing his promotion. There’s the X-Men and the MAX line, which stand to reason as they were his most recent gigs. There’s an (almost — don’t forget the Princess Di debacle) unqualified creative success in the form of Peter Milligan and Mike Allred’s X-Statix, one of the great Nu-Marvel books. And there’s that Marvelized issue of ESPN Magazine, because hey, a head honcho has to be all about synergy these days. But there’s also Rawhide Kid, the much-maligned Ron Zimmerman Western that gained notoriety more for the simple fact of its protagonist’s sexual orientation (and the somewhat less than decorous methods by which it was depicted — Brokeback Mountain this ain’t) than for its quality as a work of art. And there’s Amazing Spider-Man during J. Michael Straczynski’s tenure on the title, a period in which the sales were generally strong but the stories, I think it’s safe to say, were more talked-about than beloved: the retconning of a magical element into Spidey’s previously science-fictional origin; the revelation of a sexual relationship between the Green Goblin and young Peter Parker’s late love interest Gwen Stacy, complete with hushed-up pregnancy; a persistent emphasis on mystical elements in storylines like “The Other” in ways that seemed discordant with the character as he’d come to be known; and of course the hugely divisive “One More Day” arc in which Spider-Man literally made a deal with the devil to save his octogenarian aunt at the expense of his marriage. It can be argued that Alonso’s creativity-encouraging willingness let his creators follow their bliss went a bit too far during JMS’s run on the company’s most iconic character (even if, as rumor has it, there were contractual reasons behind the hands-off approach).

So where does that leave us? Well, in a position not all that dissimilar from where we were when Marvel tapped one of the two outside contractors who ran its comparatively edgy Marvel Knights sub-imprint to take over the whole megillah in 2000. If I recall correctly, Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti’s Knights line had produced a high-profile hit in Daredevil, a pair of cult favorites in Black Panther and Inhumans, and a pretty major misfire in that Punisher thing where he hunted demons. Sure, Quesada also had a history as a publisher thanks to his and Palmiotti’s Event Comics, but that sword cut both ways: Unlike Alonso, a fixture in Marvel’s halls for a decade, Quesada was a true outsider to the company and its culture. With that as your starting point, Marvel’s subsequent trajectory under Quesada, from anything-goes home of Morrison, Milligan, Millar, Bendis et al to blockbuster event-comic juggernaut to vital creative center of a multimedia conglomerate, was all but impossible to predict.

But hey, let’s give predictions a shot anyway. My guess it that you’ll see Alonso use his rapport with the creative community to continue what by all accounts is a stellar creator-relations regime at the publisher. You’ll see his innate sensibilities and eye for a certain variety of talent made manifest in a climate where creators who like their superheroics with a hard edge continue to feel at home. You’ll see some Alonso-esque high concepts a la “X-Men vs. vampires” or “Hit-Monkey” lobbed at the wall to see if they stick. I would guess you’ll see more opportunities for writers to work with big-name characters relatively free of line-wide directives — perhaps through renewed emphasis on the Marvel Knights or Astonishing labels, perhaps even in certain hands-off titles within the core franchises. (Here’s hoping!) How will he fare with Marvel’s main moneymakers, aka events and Avengers? That’s tougher to say, but keep in mind that story summits and creative committees have long been the driving force behind these things, even if individual writers or editors eventually take point. Everyone may have shifted up a rung on the ladder on the editorial end, but the players are basically all the same. If anything, the presence of an EIC who isn’t also being pulled in multiple directions by simultaneous CCO duties as was Quesada over the past year or so will likely improve the focus and morale of the publishing wing all by itself — that’s not a reflection on Quesada, who goes out with a lot of good will on his side and whom I frankly respect a great deal, but it could be a welcome shot in the arm after a year of punishing sales declines, lackluster responses to big initiatives, and fan enthusiasm at a low enough ebb that Tom Brevoort talks repeatedly and publicly about needing to get people excited again. And that’s one thing you can say for sure about naming Axel Alonso the new editor-in-chief: It’s gotten people excited.

Dates a-plenty on the cover of 52 #19

So, is this a tradition? I have to come up with a better subtitle…

For the past couple of years, I’ve picked out twenty random DC topics, of various levels of importance, for a paragraph’s worth of analysis each. No guarantees as to accuracy, of course — this site is for entertainment purposes only. Regardless, even a blind pig finds a truffle now and then.

With last year’s list in mind, let’s get right to it–!

* * *

2010

1. DC at 75. My first impulse — which is not necessarily the correct one — is to say that DC had a relatively low-key anniversary, because there was no single celebratory event unifying the superhero line, like there was in 1985 with Crisis On Infinite Earths. I think that’s unfair, though, considering that the superhero books did have some commemorative covers, and there was a big coffee-table book. That’s about right, I guess.

2. FOX’s “Human Target.” I am embarrassed to admit that I have only seen maybe one-and-a-half episodes of this series so far. I hear good things, though; including about solid ratings and critical acclaim. In terms of cultural impact, it’s apparently no “Walking Dead,” but it’s not under the radar either.

3. Wonder Woman #600. Last year I theorized that “if [Blackest Night’s] readers are intrigued sufficiently by the Blackest Night: Wonder Woman miniseries, they may decide to check out the regular title — and even if they don’t, WW #600 may itself be a big enough event to draw them in.” I wasn’t too far off on this one. Issue #600 sold over twice as many copies as the previous issue, and subsequent issues have been selling anywhere from 12-14,000 more copies than they were before the anniversary. Obviously much of that is due to the altered-timeline story and attendant publicity over Wonder Woman’s latest revamp, but #600 was the first issue where any of that appeared.

4. The new Justice League(s). The JLA made last year’s list largely on the strength of speculation about a second Justice League title, which (rumor had it) would be written by Geoff Johns and pencilled by Jim Lee. So far that hasn’t materialized, and James Robinson’s Justice League has been puttering along behind a malleable, eclectic lineup. At the start of 2010 I thought it could only be a placeholder League; but going into 2011 Robinson’s approach (if not quite his roster) has taken hold more firmly. In fact, if his League has any competition for fans’ attention, it comes from the former Justice League International over in JL: Generation Lost.

5. Legacies, History of the DC Universe 2.0, and Who’s Who 2010-11. Of those three projects, only Legacies appeared in 2010. Its intentions are noble, but so far it’s been an uneven, at times pedantic trip through the generations. In fact, it’s occasionally muffed the details of DC history, from character introductions to costume elements. Makes me wonder whether it’s a setup for the timeline-twisting promised in Flashpoint — but I digress….

6. Co-features may be just the beginning. Well, maybe not. The co-features were discontinued in 2010, in favor of a consistent $2.99-for-20-story-pages format. However, many of the interrupted stories will be concluded in their own Specials.

7. The Jonah Hex movie is set for June 18. Jonah Hex was a critical and financial flop, so its deadly opening date — against the unstoppable Toy Story 3 — probably sealed its fate. Last year I hoped Hex would at least do well against a remake of Footloose, but I got that entirely wrong: Footloose is still in post-production.

8. The Legion of Super-Heroes. Currently there are two Legion titles, Legion of Super-Heroes and Adventure Comics, both written by Paul Levitz. LSH is currently selling around 26,000 copies (and falling, it seems); and Adventure is around 24,000. That seems to be an acceptable number for a Legion book, considering that the group has been selling in the mid-to-high 20s for the past few years. However, this is the first time in over ten years that the Legion has had to support two monthly titles, so I don’t know how long it can stay in Adventure.

9. The Flash family. Speed metaphors are unavoidable: Flash has been slowed by publishing delays, but it looks to get back on pace with December’s two issues. Of course, the embryonic Flash franchise is being asked to support the Flashpoint event, which may lead to the long-awaited launch of the Kid Flash and Speed Force books.

10. The return of the artist. Whatever I was trying to articulate last year, I don’t think it came to pass. Not to say that DC’s books had subpar artwork — far from it — but once again, the writers were running the show. Brightest Day was advertised as a Geoff Johns/Peter Tomasi book with a rotating bullpen of artists. Frazer Irving did fantastic work on Batman and Robin and Return of Bruce Wayne, but Grant Morrison was still the draw (no pun intended). Francis Manapul brought a whole new sensibility to The Flash, especially compared to Scott Kolins and Ethan Van Sciver, but again, Johns had the higher profile. In fact, a couple of artists finished the year writing their respective Bat-books, namely Tony Daniel on Batman and David Finch on The Dark Knight.

* * *

2011

1. The Green Lantern movie. I am not sick of it yet, but we still have a few months to go. Honestly, I don’t know how it will do. I didn’t expect that a nerd magnet like J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek would be so successful, and I thought The Dark Knight would suffer backlash from overprotective parents. However, my non-comics-reading friends seemed to like the trailer well enough, so we’ll see.  I say more lucrative than Captain America, not as much as Thor.  It’s understood by this point that no one expects a big bump in comics sales, right?

2. Life after JMS. Superman and Wonder Woman will have to play out J. Michael Straczynski’s storylines for most of 2011, but what then? Will Chris Roberson and Eddy Barrows stay on Superman? Will Diana keep her kicky jacket and long pants? (I’m guessing the new costume’s appearance in the JLA/The 99 miniseries is an anomaly.) Will sales improve once “Grounded” ends?

3. Earth One. Speaking of Straczynski, we’re told he’s taking time off from monthly comics to work on the sequel to Superman: Earth One. That’s fine, but I’m more interested in the series’ next debut, Geoff Johns’ and Gary Frank’s Batman: Earth One. The success of SM:E1 has no doubt raised expectations for the new book, sales-wise; but really, I think BM:E1 will be better-received by readers too. I don’t want to say that Batman is an easier character to write, but you really have to go out of your way to write him poorly. Fortunately for Johns and Frank, they can be guided in all kinds of ways by recent (shall we say) “unconventional” creator-driven Batman projects….

4. All Star Batman/Multiversity/Teen Titans: Games. And since I brought up All Star Batman, what are the odds we’ll see its relaunch this year? Lee announced last spring at WonderCon that the retitled Dark Knight: Boy Wonder would continue in February 2011 — so keep an eye out for next month’s solicitations, I suppose.  Meanwhile, Games was supposed to come out in November and has not been resolicited, and Grant Morrison’s romp-through-the 52 miniseries Multiversity was supposed to come out in 2010, after Blackest Night. From what I understand, George Pérez’s health problems have delayed Games, and Morrison clearly has been preoccupied with Batman.  Which of these will grace us in 2011?  I’m hoping for the hat trick.

5. The United Colors of Batman. And not to dwell on Batman, but I really liked how DC used the Detective and Batman Annuals to introduce Nightrunner, the new French representative of Batman, Incorporated. For a story which could easily have traded on hype, it was a good, practical way to show how these recruiting trips will work. More to the point, it felt like a Batman story — which, taking nothing away from Nightrunner’s unique cultural contributions, is how it ought to feel, what with him being the new French Batman. As to the rest of the world, Morrison and the rest of the Bat-team have an unenviable task: filtering entire geopolitical groupings through the lens of Batman, one franchisee at a time. There’s real outreach potential in the Batman, Inc. concept; but there are also plenty of opportunities to stereotype. Nightrunner was a good start, and not least because he certainly avoided the standard French stereotype. Batman, Inc. next checks in with old friends El Gaucho and Chief Man-Of-Bats, and from there goes to Africa. I’m curious to see what the franchise looks like at the end of 2011.

6. End of the Archives? Okay, enough Batman! If you’re like me, you might recently have found all the DC Archive Editions on sale for half-price at the local comics shop. I took the opportunity to catch up on the Flash Archives with vols. 4 and 5, and bought the first Kamandi Archives. Unfortunately, I take this as the first indication that the Archives line is being phased out, in favor of newer, thicker full-color formats like the hardcover Omnibus Editions and the paperback Chronicles. In its twenty-plus years, the Archives line reprinted a whole lot of Golden and Silver Age material, including nine volumes of Justice League of America, eleven books’ worth of Justice Society stories from All Star Comics, and twelve books’ worth of Legion of Super-Heroes adventures. However, at $50.00 (retail) a pop, these were not collections to be entered into lightly. I’m not getting the Wonder Woman Archives mainly because DC is now reprinting the same stories in less-expensive Chronicles form. The question then becomes whether DC will try to use the Chronicles, or a similar reprint line, to cover the same ground as the Archives. Surely we’ll see more Silver Age material reprinted in Omnibii, and we’re already seeing a good bit of Golden Age Batman and Superman stories in their respective Chronicles. Not all of the Archives’ subjects have that kind of name recognition, though. It would be a shame if the end of the Archives meant the end of DC’s commitment to these reprints.

7. Reprint floodgates. Maybe I’m worrying irrationally, though; as recent weeks have brought news of two long-awaited reprints: Sugar & Spike Archives Vol. 1, and Flex Mentallo. Is this the first crack in the dam holding back collections of Suicide Squad, Captain Carrot, Secret Society of Super-Villains, and Jonah Hex? Might the “dead zone” of the ‘70s and ‘80s finally yield a bountiful harvest? Can I find another metaphor to mangle? One of these things will surely happen in 2011….

8. The changing shape of Events. We know already that 2011 will have its share of crossover events. “Reign of Doomsday” started this week and runs to May through various titles. “War of the Green Lanterns” brings all the GL books together. Flashpoint’s structure has yet to be revealed. One thing about the latter, though — it may already have started. Recent issues of Flash and Time Masters have discussed changing DC’s timeline, and in fact have pointed out that Wonder Woman’s current storyline might be a symptom thereof. Furthermore, the new WW history has become a plot point in Justice League: Generation Lost. What interests me about this “stealth crossover” is the fact that DC hasn’t called attention to it — it’s just a fact of life these days. Of course, Wonder Woman’s current storyline doesn’t really depend on being part of a shared universe; but again, that’s why it’s so odd that the other books would comment on it. Part of me resents another book’s changed premise intruding on the plots of Flash and Generation Lost. Still, my fannish nature enjoys putting the pieces together without a hype machine telling me where they all are. Wonder Woman may therefore be one of 2011′s most important DC-superhero books that (almost) no one reads.

9. The spirit of ‘86. I mentioned last week that 2011 is the silver anniversary of some of DC’s best-known projects, including Dark Knight, The Shadow, Watchmen, and the Superman and Wonder Woman revamps. I don’t expect DC to celebrate any of those anniversaries, although the publisher could put out yet another edition of Watchmen or Dark Knight if it wanted. What I’d really like to see, though, is a behind-the-scenes look at what went into that seminal year. For example, at one point, the Big Three were going to be revamped entirely, as part of something called the “Metropolis” imprint. It wasn’t just Frank Miller, John Byrne, and George Pérez, either — Howard Chaykin submitted a Superman proposal, and I think Steve Gerber was interested in Wonder Woman. It may be more disgusting than making sausage, but I bet it’s a story worth telling.

And finally …

10. DC on TV. This spring, “Smallville” wraps up, possibly with Clark flying past the Daily Planet in his familiar blues-and-reds. However, there’s more in the pipeline. “Human Target’s” new season is apparently off to a good start. “Young Justice” follows a love-it-or-hate-it premiere with a regular series starting this Friday. David E. Kelley may surprise us all by bringing a credible “Wonder Woman” series back to the small screen. My guess, though, is that “Raven” will have the easiest path to life on The CW. She struggles with her emotions, her father’s an otherdimensional demon, and she may or may not be part of a super-powered support group. Sounds like a plan to me.

Okay — 51 weeks to see how this all pans out!

The Walking Dead: Compendium One

The Walking Dead and Scott Pilgrim dominated graphic novel sales in bookstores in December, claiming nine of the Top 10 spots on the Nielsen BookScan chart.

Buoyed by the record-setting first season of the AMC television adaptation, zombie comic landed the top spot with The Walking Dead: Compendium One, the $60, 1,088-page collection of the first 48 issues of the Robert Kirkman-Tony Moore-Charlie Adlard series. Three volumes of The Walking Dead, including new editions of the first two collections, appeared in the Top 10, and five in the Top 15.

All six volumes of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim made the Top 10, which could be attributed to the November release of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World on DVD and Blu-ray — or a sign that the series is on its way to becoming a perennial bestseller.

Meanwhile, Superman: Earth One, the hardcover graphic novel whose blockbuster sales led J. Michael Straczynski to abandon the Superman and Wonder Woman monthly series so DC Comics could fast-track a sequel, plummeted from No. 1 on the chart to No. 15. The retail news and analysis site ICv2.com suggests the book may be a victim of availability — there may not be enough additional copies to replenish what’s been sold — rather than a decrease in interest. Indeed, Superman: Earth One is No. 5 after nine weeks on The New York Times hardcover graphic books list.

From Steve Rude's 2011 calendar

Creators | Renowned artist Steve Rude has announced that money raised from an online art and comics auction has enabled he and his family to keep their home: “When I saw the bread coming in after Gino made her announcement (this was unbeknownst to the oblivious Dude), I was, and still am, in a mild state of stupefication. The outpouring of generosity was clearly far beyond what Gino and I could’ve asked for. Your contributions poured in from all corners of our planet; the sizeable backstock of comics and Dude related ‘higher reading paraphernalia’ were ordered by the spit-load; and Erik Larson bought his complete Next Nexus 3 issue! All said, we saved the house.” The Nexus creator is still working to regain his financial footing, so he’s selling 2011 calendars and, soon, a new sketchbook. [DudeNews]

Creators | Stan Lee will receive his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Jan. 4. [Mark Evanier]

Jim Davis

Comic strips | Cartoonist Jim Davis has issued an apology for an ill-timed Garfield strip that appeared on Veterans Day. The strip, which appeared in newspapers on Thursday, featured a standoff between Garfield and a spider, and referred to “an annual day of remembrance” called “National Stupid Day.” In a statement, Davis explained that the strip was written almost a year ago, “and I had no idea when writing it that it would appear today — of all days.” [CNN, The Daily Cartoonist]

Conventions | Wizard World Austin Comic Con kicks off today at the Austin Convention Center. [The A.V. Club Austin, KXAN]

Retailing | Citing the economy, Words and Pictures will closes its location on the University of Calgary campus after 20 years. [The Gauntlet]

Retailing | Max Mitchell profiles Cosmo Cassetta, owner of Cosmo’s Cards & Collectables, one of the few remaining comic stores in the Bronx. After 20 years in business, Cassetta is thinking about retirement. [YourNabe]

Bakuman

Best of the year | Molly McIsaac makes her selections for the best manga of 2011. [iFanboy]

Creators | Moebius will make a rare U.S. appearance on Nov. 20 as a speaker at the CTN Animation Expo in Burbank, Calif. [Hero Complex]

Creators | Jef Catapang profiles comics artist and TV host Francis Manapul. [Canadian Immigrant]

Creators | Warren Ellis discusses his tools of the trade. [Warren Ellis]

Comics | David Brothers wades into this week’s announcement that J. Michael Straczynski will leave as writer of Superman and Wonder Woman and focus on a sequel to the Superman: Earth One graphic novel. [4thletter!]

Comics | An assistant professor of English at Indiana State University presented a lecture Thursday called “Batman’s Dark Night of the Soul: Space and the Spatial in Arkham Asylum,” focusing on Grant Morrison and Dave McKean’s Arkham Asylum. [Indiana Statesman]

–The Comics Reporter’s Tom Spurgeon, analyzing the ramifications of J. Michael Straczynski’s decision to depart his runs on Superman and Wonder Woman for the original graphic novel series Superman: Earth One and similarly formatted projects. “I think that’s where the business is going,” JMS said in his statement; will it go there faster now that one of its most high-profile writers has made the switch?

–Marvel Senior VP – Executive Editor Tom Brevoort on the other book J. Michael Straczynski departed mid-stream, the long-delayed Marvel maxi-series The Twelve with artist Chris Weston. Perhaps this is one of the “high-visibility mini series…with a beginning, middle and end” to which JMS was referring in his statement about leaving Superman and Wonder Woman to focus on non-monthly comics. (The “and end” part’s the kicker.)

–Writer, editor, and long-suffering Superman superfan Mark Waid, presumably comparing writer J. Michael Straczynski’s abrupt mid-storyline departure from his controversial Superman and Wonder Woman revamps to focus on the (previously announced) second volume in the Superman: Earth One series with former Alaska governor Sarah Palin’s departure from office to do…whatever it is Sarah Palin does now. I say “presumably” because as far as I know, Superman hasn’t yet walked far enough across America to be able to see Russia from his house.