The DC bloodbath was a couple of months ago. At the height of the pandemic,Dan Didio and senior editors were shown the door. Comics were canceled. The '5G' future was scrapped (sort of ... you can't convince me that Future State isn't some grab at material already produced). And I began to wonder if DC was in trouble.
It didn't help that there was no inkling at all about what is happening post-Future State. Will we pick up where we left off? Is Death Metal a death knell for the Rebirth timeline?
Finally, this week, some good news came out. Marie Javins was named Editor-In-Chief. Here is a link to Variety's article: https://variety.com/2020/film/news/dc-comics-marie-javins-editor-in-chief-1234826235/
For me, this was a great announcement. It might sound dramatic but I thought to myself 'this is a great move'.
And the article and a quote from Javins only bolstered that feeling.
The Editor-In-Chief name dropping Supergirl as one of the comics she 'devoured' as a kid can only be considered fantastic news. FANTASTIC NEWS!
We needed an Editor-In-Chief who actually likes Supergirl.
We don't need someone who thinks the only thing to do with Supergirl is make her angry, dark, and evil.
That made me smile.
I mean, looking at the books that Javin has been editor on in the past is like a 'best of' list of comics which have made me smile over the last several years.
To name a few, I see Adventures of the Super Sons, DC Superhero Girls, Future Quest, Justice League Dark, Legion/Bugs Bunny, and Mystik U on the list of books under her care. I loved all of these.
I mean, she even was editor on Snickers Supergirl/Jesse Quick comic I love.
Maybe ... just maybe ... this means we'll get a Supergirl book on the shelf that treats her right.
Now I understand that there may have been layoffs along with this. But I think I'll just linger on the good news.
What do you all think?
I do not know why I should try to convince you that Future State is not some kind of 5G recycling. I think you are quite right.
ReplyDeleteAs for Ms. Javins... I remembered her name of some Marvel Comics.
That line regarding reading Supergirl also caught my attention. I would like hoping this means a better treatment for Miss Zor-El, but I have been burned so many times by DC... I can't help but being... Angsty, anyway.
That mention of Nubia had me raising an eyebrow. The original version appeared in Wonder Woman something like three times and cameoed in Super Friends, could she really make that big an impression? It’s almost like DC has some Nubia YA books to push.
ReplyDeleteThen again, there’s no doubt Marie Javins is a brilliant editor with great instincts. I can’t wait to see what she gives us - I can’t believe DC will really shrink the line so much there isn’t room for experimentation.
Another possible good sign of her hiring is her penchant for editing more positive and less grim and gritty comic books. Grim and dark stories have their place in superhero comic books, but in these times we need less grim, dark and depressing stories and more positive and uplifiting ones to give us hope, as the Superman "S" is supposed to stand for.
ReplyDeleteMart, regarding Nubia, I think some of the stories we read as kids make an outsize impression on us, regardless of their actual number of appearances. For me, Amalak and Mazdan rank among Superman and Flash's greatest foes, simply because they were in some of the first comics I read. (And both stories were kickass mind-twisters! It's not just primacy that got them there.)
ReplyDeleteNubia can be the same way; I remember her from the 70s as a presence, even though I don't remember specific stories she was in. I think I first saw her in Super Friends, or maybe the cover of a Wonder Woman comic I saw on the shelf. But she was real, and seemed an important part of the mythology to me, even though I didn't know much about her. She also had a Mego doll, advertised on TV -- that's probably part of why she stuck in my brain. (Apparently she was slated to appear on the Wonder Woman tv show before the show switched networks.)
But certainly, DC has YA books to sell. And certainly, Javins probably wanted to make sure her inspirations weren't all white for her press release. But Javins is a couple years older than I am. In that respect, Nubia tracks in a way that Vixen or other more recent characters wouldn't.
Honestly, the thing that stuck out to me in her list the most? No Batgirl.
Anyway, I'm super excited for the Javins era. Bring it on!
I the jury is very much out for me, but as I recall Bugs Bunny/LoSH was a fun read even if the Bronze Age Supergirl ("May Her Memory Be a Blessing") was largely comatose therein...and "FutureQuest" was a fun read in every way. As for Nubia, if I'm not mistaken Nubia's illness in Supergirl #9 (January, 1974) is what induces Kara in a her brief "I hate men phase I'm an amazon now" phase to get into some mishagaus seeking a cure.
ReplyDeleteAnyway I'm in wait and see mode re. all of it.
JF
Sounds good! I didn't read Justice League Dark or Mystik U, but I did read and like the other titles listed. Marie Javins also edited the recent "Superman Smashes the Klan" mini series.
ReplyDeleteThere are all sorts of rumors currently flying around regarding DC's future plans. One thing I read somewhere is that DC will be concentrating more on individual characters and books and less on big events and reboots and the like. I hope this is true. DC needs to be more new reader friendly.