Dan DiDio OUT at DC Comics

[Andrew NDB]

There's hope, yet.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/he...lisher-1280488

[MikeandRaph87]

WHAT? Wonder why? I am just glad he got the golden parachute. I HATE this guy as much as you HATE Geoff Johns! I finally got this after years!



Now lets hope JLI characters, Dick Grayson, and Barbara Gordon get better respect, and no more reboots every five years. *Looks at 5G*

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by MikeandRaph87

I HATE this guy as much as you HATE Geoff Johns!

There is still the terrible possibility that they could swap in Geoff Johns, though...

[ZariusTwo]

Originally Posted by andrew ndb

there is still the terrible possibility that they could swap in geoff johns, though...

Bendis is coming

[oldmanwinters]

So in 2020, what is the "in-universe" legacy of The New 52 experiment?

[MikeandRaph87]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

There is still the terrible possibility that they could swap in Geoff Johns, though...

I like his work with Hal Jordan and Wally West. At many events Johns did substitute for Didio alongside Lee because Didio did not go over well with audiences and putting Johns out there it was better received. That being said I know where you are coming from. I would be okay with the switch, but we do need someone who is passionate about comics and worked their way up in the business. Dan had no experience before getting a high profile job at DC in mid 2002. I prefer writers or artist not random media executives moving over to the left. Most of what I like or characters I like Dan had a distaste for so there was always that natural bitterness. He was also disrespectful to myself and other when asking a question at a panel.

Its just, why now? If its DC employees leaving in high numbers because of him, that happened at least twice before, around 2009 and then again in 2012.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by MikeandRaph87

I like his work with Hal Jordan and Wally West. At many events Johns did substitute for Didio alongside Lee because Didio did not go over well with audiences and putting Johns out there it was better received. That being said I know where you are coming from. I would be okay with the switch, but we do need someone who is passionate about comics and worked their way up in the business. Dan had no experience before getting a high profile job at DC in mid 2002. I prefer writers or artist not random media executives moving over to the left. Most of what I like or characters I like Dan had a distaste for so there was always that natural bitterness. He was also disrespectful to myself and other when asking a question at a panel.

Its just, why now? If its DC employees leaving in high numbers because of him, that happened at least twice before, around 2009 and then again in 2012.

Probably just comes down to sales being way down. Alienating workers and coming up with new hokey, tired event ideas were probably secondary.

I don't want to get too excited because we don't know their next move. Whether it's giving it to Johns, Bendis, or just some random black, lesbian woman who believes there isn't enough social justice in DC comics to check all the right boxes... a lot can go awry in the days ahead.

[IMJ]

Oh I didn't know you had a thread about this - I just started one as well. My take on it is that it's not good news, given all of the circumstances surrounding what's been going on in the industry and with DC, their lost sales and the upcoming 5G thing that people are largely up in arms about.

The guy has nearly two decades there....

[Lord Nightwalker]

I'm not interested in any of the Gen five concepts that are flying around out there. I have some issues with it. For instance, in the case of Batman. Ever since they put it out there that " anyone can be Batman" there's been this false notion about that statement. Bruce Wayne IS Batman. His knowledge. His Skill. His will. His Drive and focus. His ability. His anguish. His joys. HIS. Anyone else in that suit is playing dress up. Unless he himself passes the torch, they can get bent. And it had better make God damned sense. It's like saying anyone can be Sherlock Holmes. Same deal with Clark Kent. He IS Superman. Unless he passes on the torch....

[MikeandRaph87]

Originally Posted by Lord Nightwalker

I'm not interested in any of the Gen five concepts that are flying around out there. I have some issues with it. For instance, in the case of Batman. Ever since they put it out there that " anyone can be Batman" there's been this false notion about that statement. Bruce Wayne IS Batman. His knowledge. His Skill. His will. His Drive and focus. His ability. His anguish. His joys. HIS. Anyone else in that suit is playing dress up. Unless he himself passes the torch, they can get bent. And it had better make God damned sense. It's like saying anyone can be Sherlock Holmes. Same deal with Clark Kent. He IS Superman. Unless he passes on the torch....

Exactly. Also the Sherlock Holmes example is a good comparison because he actually has a successor built in who would make the mantle his own and make perfect sense. Dr. John Watson. Dick Grayson proved this with Prodigal and defined it with Life After Death.

I don't understand why heroes can't be married and can't be happy at the expense of the mission. Didio and Quesada are wrong about that,but what do I know I am just a fan.

Why was there not enough creators standing up to the New 52 and reader frenzy enough to shrink the effects like with 5G?


Funny enough when looking for more information on Didio and 5G Kevin Eastman's name popped up. I did not know he was still involved with Heavy Metal, then again the magazine has never been on my radar. Eastman apparently didn't know that he was no longer involved with the magazine either.
https://www.bleedingcool.com/2020/03...etal-magazine/

[King Kahn]

Didio LOVED comics but he was also the problem.

He harbored toxic people in the industry and kept old tropes and ideas alive.

Hopefully they don't put a bean counter in place of him and maybe someone with newer, younger ideas.

[MikeandRaph87]

Originally Posted by King Kahn

He harbored toxic people in the industry and kept old tropes and ideas alive.

I thought he himsrlf was the toxic person? There was that editor Berganza*that was not known by fans at large who was a sexual harasser, but I don't know of others.

Old tropes and ideas? No marriages and heroes much sacrifice happiness because their personal misery drives them to save lives?

[Andrew NDB]

Oh, I know all about Eddie Berganza. He stole two chicks away from me, too.

[King Kahn]

Originally Posted by MikeandRaph87

I thought he himsrlf was the toxic person? There was that editor Berganza*that was not known by fans at large who was a sexual harasser, but I don't know of others.

Old tropes and ideas? No marriages and heroes much sacrifice happiness because their personal misery drives them to save lives?

Yeah. He was a bit toxic too but it was more so harboring a culture of toxicity.

Yeah. Old tropes. He def didn’t like sidekicks because it “aged” the heroes. He tried at every turn to kill them off. Especially ones like nightwing, Wally west etc. he refused to reboot allllll the comics when they did the whole rebirth thing. They kept the green lantern and Batman continuity since these two properties were selling which led to convoluted backstories and plot devices to explain things thereby negating what they were trying to do by rebooting things.

[ZariusTwo]

DC knows what they did to Jon all too well

[PizzaPower1985]

Haven't read the whole thread yet, but I doubt it's been mentioned... When Jenette Kahn left DC the company has largely changed and morphed into a mutant/plant-monster hybrid of its former self. Paul Levitz stepping down and basically getting out means that DC is no longer DC.

DiDio KNEW almost nothing about DC Continuity and whoever it was that kept blocking Mark Waid from writing Supermaan... I dunno but I blame DiDio.

I have a close personal friend/relative that wrote nasty, dirty, filthy, hateful letters to DC when Levitz stepped down. But truthfully, since Jenette left, my heart has been broken BECAUSE SHE RESPECTED MY CHARACTERS. SHE ACTUALLY LOVED AND NURTURED THEM. Basically? F*CK DiDio.

Now, that said...

IF (with a gun to my head) I had to praise him, I would say this...

"Thanks Dan, for letting Paul Dini write Detective Comics. He gave us one of the best runs on 'Tec in recent memory. Good decision."

But alas, he also let Morrison destroy Bruce's legend in the Batman title and I haven't read a new DC Comic since Damian was introduced in main canon so... I guess my thanks is kinda half-hearted.

[AquaParade]

What? Morrison's Batman is the greatest modern mainstream superhero comic, imo.

[Leo656]

Ehhhh I don't think I'd go THAT far. Then again, I don't keep up like I used to.

Grant's stuff is an acquired taste. I like that he thinks "big", but he has a terrible time in putting his own LSD-soaked ideas out there in ways that make sense to casual readers and people who are less-inclined to read Continuity Porn.

Big fan, generally speaking, but Grant's one of those writers that whenever people say they don't like him, I completely get their reasoning even though I don't agree with it.

I haven't read any Batman since "Flashpoint", myself, but at first I seriously did not like his "Black Glove"/"R.I.P" run... then I re-read it in one long shot and found it absolutely brilliant. But as it was coming out, I thought the guy had lost his mind and that the stories were awful. And reading them monthly, it WAS a chore... but that's kind of how a lot of his work is.

"Final Crisis", same thing - although some of that had a ton to do with DC not telling everyone they HAD to read "Superman Beyond" for the main mini to make sense - week-by-week, it's a confusing, over-cooked, masturbatory mess. But if you take two hours and read the entire thing in bulk, it's... kinda SOME of that, still, but you can recognize the poetry in what he was trying to do. I think it's brilliant, but there's no middle ground at all on it, it's either Awesome of Garbage to most people.

So yeah, I'unno. I generally love Grant's stuff BUT I also don't think he's half as clever as he thinks he is. So when people say they can't stand him, I sigh, but I understand.

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by Leo656

Ehhhh I don't think I'd go THAT far. Then again, I don't keep up like I used to.

Grant's stuff is an acquired taste. I like that he thinks "big", but he has a terrible time in putting his own LSD-soaked ideas out there in ways that make sense to casual readers and people who are less-inclined to read Continuity Porn.

Big fan, generally speaking, but Grant's one of those writers that whenever people say they don't like him, I completely get their reasoning even though I don't agree with it.

I haven't read any Batman since "Flashpoint", myself, but at first I seriously did not like his "Black Glove"/"R.I.P" run... then I re-read it in one long shot and found it absolutely brilliant. But as it was coming out, I thought the guy had lost his mind and that the stories were awful. And reading them monthly, it WAS a chore... but that's kind of how a lot of his work is.

"Final Crisis", same thing - although some of that had a ton to do with DC not telling everyone they HAD to read "Superman Beyond" for the main mini to make sense - week-by-week, it's a confusing, over-cooked, masturbatory mess. But if you take two hours and read the entire thing in bulk, it's... kinda SOME of that, still, but you can recognize the poetry in what he was trying to do. I think it's brilliant, but there's no middle ground at all on it, it's either Awesome of Garbage to most people.

So yeah, I'unno. I generally love Grant's stuff BUT I also don't think he's half as clever as he thinks he is. So when people say they can't stand him, I sigh, but I understand.

Yeah, I agree. I wouldn't really argue anything for "best of" in reality, but it's certainly my favorite modern run in comics.
It definitely took some time for me to appreciate fully as well.

Originally Posted by PizzaPower1985

How "modern" are we talking here? And be careful, you're talking to a 34 year old fogey that has little respect in DC (or Marvel) for much past the year 1991.

Of course it's completely subjective BUT...
I think if we're talking "greatest" in modern it has to go to someone who knows Batman on a very personal level. Paul Dini grew up with Batman and got inside his head. And to top it off, his stories were mostly done-in-one detective yarns, the way Alan Grant and Normie Breyfogle (RIP) used to do. Dini became Bruce when he wrote him.

Morrison just read through a bunch of history and checked off all of the "WTF" boxes. Zebra Batman? Check. Zur-in-Ar? Check! Oh wait, Batman had a kid with Talia? Check! His run was like an yellow LSD-induced fever dream that proved that the Silver Age should rarely be touched in Batman history. And I don't think he wrote any done-in-one detective yarns in his entire run?
He's not the worst Batman writer ever? That probably goes to Robert Kaniger in the 50's BUT he's not the best.

Yeah, I'm talking out my ass when I say anything is "the best", but fair of you to ask.

I personally enjoyed the way Morrison incorporated so much of Batman's history into his run. Ambitious, mind-bending, complex tapestries are somewhat what Grant is known for, but that's not my favorite thing about his Batman run or his comics in general. I mean, that's part of it, but it sort of overshadows just how good Grant is at the other stuff. Grant's books are always filled with stunning emotional beats and kick-ass "fist-pumping" moments. The Batman run is full of these.

[Leo656]

Originally Posted by AquaParade

Yeah, I agree. I wouldn't really argue anything for "best of" in reality, but it's certainly my favorite modern run in comics.
It definitely took some time for me to appreciate fully as well.

It REALLY struck me when I re-read it all in one shot. I was reading it as it came out weekly and was really annoyed by it. But on the second pass, all in one day, it was like "...Ooooooohhhhhhhhh, okay," and it totally clicked, and now I love it. But a ton of it makes WAY more sense when you know what to look for, as well, so a second pass is almost mandatory.

I liked the first few issues of "Batman and Robin", except I didn't care for the flying Batmobile. And I really wish it had been Dick and Tim instead of Dick and Damien. Dick and Tim had always had such a great brotherly dynamic, and although one could argue that Tim had even outgrown the "need" for being Batman's sidekick by that point, it would have been fun to see them together with Dick in the proper Batman role. So I felt a little gypped by that but I did like the first few issues of the book. His take on Jason was... interesting.