I think most readers of this blog loved Landry Walker and Eric Jones' Supergirl and the Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade. It was a near perfect Supergirl comic that both new and old fans of Kara could enjoy.
When the series ended, it seemed teed up for a sequel. Sales were good for a Johnny DC title and the series had critical acclaim. What more could DC want?
Unfortunately, no word was heard about a sequel. And we all waited and wondered. And wrote letters. And asked Dan Didio.
Much like Yota's question about Linda Danvers made it onto Didio's Q&A column on Newsarama, so did blog friend Gene's question about Cosmic Adventures this month! Here is the link:
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/091102-Didio-10-Questions.html
And here is the question itself. Sorry for the small font.
It is hard for me to interpret this answer rationally.
Part of me is ecstatic that Didio took the time to answer the question. Answering the question means acknowledging that a question exists.
And Didio does say that he would 'consider' a sequel if the Johnny DC line expands. But for all I know that is just lip service.
And I agree that the book wasn't a 'girls book'. I think young boys would enjoy the action and humor as much as girls.
But the bottom line is no planned sequel. And that sort of sucks ...
Because I remember the topics that Landry Walker listed as on his radar should he do a sequel. Here is that list:
Jerro.
Lesla Lar.
The Phantom Zone.
Satan Girl.
Starro.
Melinda Mee.
Those are topics I would have loved to read about. I still wonder if trade sales might nudge Didio the right way.
Put it this way, he said he'd consider it when the line expands. What would he choose? An unknown book proposal or a critical and (seemingly) sales hit? I don't know what is stopping him, from the direct market charts it seemed to outsell most of the JDC like like Superfriends and the cartoon network books. Are there numbers from other sales avenues we need to take into account?
ReplyDeleteI still think a "Cosmic Adventures" type strip would kick @ss in a future edition of "Wednesday Comics", failing an all-up monthly book of course.
ReplyDeleteJohn Feer
Do you think that DCU's failure to expand the Wonder Woman brand is influencing the decision here? In that interview, he went on about how much DC wants to expand the WW brand but have struggled to do so. Contrast that with the resurgence of the Supergirl brand in both the standard DCU and sucess with Cosmic Adventures. Is he concerned that the recent growth of the Supergirl brand is somehow stunting the growth of the WW brand. Just a thought since some of the decision makers have not been Supergirl's biggest supporters. It is not logical, but then again, so is the decision no continue the series when Cosmic Adventures was so well received and outperformed other books in the Johnny DC line.
ReplyDeleteScott
Scott: for your own piece of mind don't believe everything DiDio sprouts for half of the stuff he goes on about he later backs out on. (All Star: Batgirl by Geoff Johns anyone?)
ReplyDeleteSadly I think we have more of a chance getting a sequel to Wed comics then one for poor Landry's own Supergirl in the end. :/
Nikki wrote:
ReplyDelete"Are there numbers from other sales avenues we need to take into account?"
We have the TPB coming up next month, so perhaps strong sales of that might help bring about a sequel.
I think Cosmic Adventures would make a great animated DVD movie. The comic has the style and feel of an animated feature, so making it into a 75 minute movie would be seamless. It would provide Supergirl greater visibility to the general public and be a good opportunity for DC and WB Premiere to break into the younger DVD demographic. The people to write to would be:
Bruce W. Timm
Producer
Warner Brothers Animation
4000 Warner Boulevard
Burbank, CA 91522
Gregory Noveck
SVP Creative Affairs, DC Comics
1700 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
Put it this way, he said he'd consider it when the line expands. What would he choose? An unknown book proposal or a critical and (seemingly) sales hit?
ReplyDeleteI guess I have to hope he is telling the truth.
My guess is Johnny DC books aren't a financial boon, even a 'hit' Johnny DC book. So he may be working under some restrictions.
I'll hold out hope.
I still think a "Cosmic Adventures" type strip would kick @ss in a future edition of "Wednesday Comics", failing an all-up monthly book of course.
ReplyDeleteThat's not a bad thought either.
The Palmiotti/Conner strip showed that something like that would really work in that format.
Do you think that DCU's failure to expand the Wonder Woman brand is influencing the decision here? In that interview, he went on about how much DC wants to expand the WW brand but have struggled to do so. Contrast that with the resurgence of the Supergirl brand in both the standard DCU and sucess with Cosmic Adventures.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post.
That is a very interesting theory. Wonder Woman certainly gets screen time in Super Friends in Johnny DC.
And if that is true, it sounds like an editor shooting himself in the foot.
Sadly I think we have more of a chance getting a sequel to Wed comics then one for poor Landry's own Supergirl in the end. :/
ReplyDeleteI do think healthy trade sales might also sway things. Imagine a Johnny DC book selling well on the trade market! That would be hard to ignore.
I think Cosmic Adventures would make a great animated DVD movie. The comic has the style and feel of an animated feature, so making it into a 75 minute movie would be seamless. It would provide Supergirl greater visibility to the general public and be a good opportunity for DC and WB Premiere to break into the younger DVD demographic.
ReplyDeleteAnother great idea!