Dan DiDio, and DC, seems to have lost the plot.

Check out this article on Bleeding Cool for why.  I heartily recommend you read it all.  It's a report from the DC Retailers roadshow.

Ready?
OK, so I fully endorse the idea of not writing for trades, of just writing good stories.  On the other hand, I ahve also heard that if books do not get good sales immediately they will be cancelled.  Gah.  Sometimes great books aren't recognised in the early sales figures.  I have a feeling that the less well known characters will not sell as well and then be dropped.  But I digress.

Not putting up with delayed content is also something I approve of.  I don't care if your job is also your vocation, or how much you love it, be a damn professional.

I am also quite pleased with the lineup of the new JLA.  Yes it could be more diverse.  Yes it is very white.  But I also love these characters (except for Hal, and maybe Deadman) and I want to read about them.

But then, then I got to the descriptions of the new books.  I shall share some of the prizeworthy* ones.  My comments will be underneath each entry

Supergirl- Another area of improvement DC is looking for is characters to sound true.  Supergirl, as she has been written, sometimes comes across as mature and responsible as a 40 year-old adult.  She shouldn’t.  She’s a teen who is still finding herself and her character should reflect that.

 Does he mean Sterling Gates near universally acclaimed run?   You know, the one that brought nearly all Supergirl fans on side, that everyone thought was fab, that turned around a very unpopular title?

 Batwing- Based on fan interest in this character from Batman Incorporated, DC wanted to give the character an ongoing title.

I have no idea who Batwing is.  People on twitter seem to favour Nightrunner over Batwing.   I know, I have a small sample group, but still.

Batgirl- Barbara Gordon is back as Batgirl.  The events of Killing Joke and her tenure as Oracle have occurred and this title addresses her return to the role.

 Oh great. So she is in some way out of the chair. I've documented my thoughts on this before.

Catwoman- The sexy side of Batman.

What the fuck? Is that all Selina is to you?  That's your synopsis?  I accept that it may be the reporter's words and not DC's, but something has gone wrong somewhere.

Birds of Prey- Barbara Gordon will still be part of the book.

Well, that's something at least.

Red Hood and the Outlaws- One of the most requested characters for a book is Jason Todd as an anti-hero.

What, over Cassandra Cain?  Seriously?  Over Stephanie Brown? of which...

Teen Titans- All four Robins star or co-star in a book.  (I know, what about Stephanie Brown?  It was hinted that we would see her in Batman Incorporated. Dan Didio said she worked better as Spoiler.)  This book is Tim Drake’s showcase. There will be some synergy between this and Superboy.

FIVE Robins.  There have been FIVE Robins.  You'd think DC would remember the girl wonder campaign, and why they brought Steph back in the first place.  I bet Bryan Q Miller is feeling reaaally happy about this.

Suicide Squad- Combining elements from previous iterations of the Squad and the Secret Six with Harley Quinn’s fashion sense from the Arkham games.

OK,  a character's fashion sense should not form part a pitch for a comic.  Unless you are writing a fashion comic.  Suicide Squad isn't a fashion comic.

Blackhawks- They wanted a book that had a G.I. Joe feel to it, so they went out and got a G.I. Joe writer to work on it.

Or, you could write a GI Joe book.  I still want to know where Zinda is.


I am not a happy fangirl.

*not really prizeworthy