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[HNutz]

With all the creative changes in the news today...

If YOU were the EIC (starting tomorrow), what steps would you take? How would you fix things?

Or, if you were a writer, what books would you want and what would you do with them?

(This can be for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, etc.)

[nietoperz]

Well, I think that I would allow my writers to actually write. If I were to hire a rising star from indie comics, I'd do it for that writer's creativity, not to use him as a proxy for editorially mandated, micromanaged pap. I understand that Marvel and Dc tend to have universe-wide plot points that must be followed these days, but Marvel seems to manage the symbiosis of editorial and talent, while DC is just pissing talented people off.

Also, I'd try to cut back on the Bat / GL / X / Avengers books. But that's just me.

[Grayson]

If I were the EIC of DC, the very first thing that I would do is announce 3 mini-series entitled The Flash, Kid Flash, and Reverse Flash. Each book would star a different Wally West; The Flash would reveal that the previous DCU still exists, star Wally West as the Flash, and reveal that all of the characters currently appearing in the New 52 have disappeared. Kid Flash would star a young version of Wally West (possibly the Young Justice version), lost in the multiverse, trying to make his way home. Reverse Flash would star the Dark Flash Walter West as the new Reverse Flash, who has been corrupted after years of wandering time and space. Eventually all three titles would lead into the Reverse-Flashpoint event where it would be discovered that Pandora actually layered the DCnU on top of the Anti-Matter Universe at the behest of her master, the Anti-Monitor. This was done to weaken the DC Multiverse, while strengthening the Anti-Matter Universe in the process because when Barry Allen returned during Final Crisis, he actually undid the Crisis on Infinite Earths, which is also why the Crisis never happened in the New 52. At the end if the event, all the speedsters would join forces to defeat the Anti-Monitor but it will be discovered that the only way to truly defeat the Anti-Monitor once and for all would be to restart the Crisis and the only way for that to happen would be to recreate the event that undid the Crisis in the first place. Barry once again sacrifices himself for the good of all realities and we are left with a new Earth once again.

The New Earth would be an amalgam of the pre-Flashpoint DCU and some of the better ideas from the DCnU but those ideas would be up to the new creative teams to decide as they went along. This ridiculous notion that there have to be 52 titles at all times would be abolished and the amount of titles for each character would be cut down to one until we knew what sold and what didn't. As nieto suggested, I would allow my writers to actually write the stories that they want to tell. To accomplish this, I would allow my writers to make use of the 52 multiverse realities and I would come up with a system to allow our readers to know which reality they were reading about on the cover of the comic they are reading.

[holtom2000]

That's good. I would split off wild storm ASAP and let this universe continue on. But I'd also copy marvel and create a second line of books where that classic dcu could shine.

[HNutz]

I'm trying to go at it from a different angle.

If I was given GLC or Red Lanterns to write, I would...


(That's all I've got, so far )

[Grayson]

I'm trying to go at it from a different angle.

If I was given GLC or Red Lanterns to write, I would...


(That's all I've got, so far )

I won't lie, the only reason I was able to spit out that Reverse-Flashpoint idea so quickly is because I have been sitting on it for months now! I was originally going to use it one of Bubba's "Create a..." events.

[TheSecondLex]

Well, I think that I would allow my writers to actually write. If I were to hire a rising star from indie comics, I'd do it for that writer's creativity, not to use him as a proxy for editorially mandated, micromanaged pap. I understand that Marvel and Dc tend to have universe-wide plot points that must be followed these days, but Marvel seems to manage the symbiosis of editorial and talent, while DC is just pissing talented people off.

Also, I'd try to cut back on the Bat / GL / X / Avengers books. But that's just me.

All of this. Course, the first bad decision I'd make is run everything back to like 2003. A Batman book, a Robin book (none of this Red Robin shit), a Nightwing book and maybe like a Birds of Prey bimonthly or something. A GL book with Hal, and a Corps book with Kyle etc,. Get the ball rolling on All-Star Wonder Woman. See what Phil Jimenez is doing and give him something if he wants it.

At Marvel, keep Hickman doing what he's doing. See if Mark Waid wants more stuff to do and give it to him. Pare the Avengers books down to two and an anthology; same for X-Men. DO SOMETHING meaningful/not totally retarded with Cyclops--have him hallucinate Jean or more mindsex with Emma, I dunno. Bring back an 'Untold Tales' book for one-shots etc. Bring back a Marvel Team-Up and put Spidey and the Human Torch as the lead for three issues, see where it goes. Give Scott Lang a six issue mini to see if he could support an Ant-Man monthly (which FF functionally is, but still).

Also, and this is so minor but I hate it all the same, I'd get rid of the [negative judgment call] no-smoking ban. The world needs Reed Richards with a pipe, dammit!

EDIT: I've just started picking up Kieron Gillen's stuff, impressed as I am by his Young Avengers. Keep this guy doing what he's doing. See if Ed Brubaker wants to come back from creator-owned stuff and do an oldfashioned SHIELD book, Cap and Fury vs Scorpio style. Or something.

And on a collections note, I'd really like to see Marv Wolfman's Daredevil see the light of day. Same goes for DC: more more more, I say, of previously unreleased stories/moments/etc.

And see who I need to talk to about getting the 60s Batman on DVD/Bluray. Prob a bunch of lawyers

[Thor-El]

First off if I were at Marvel or DC I would trim the lines, there are just to many bad comics out there right now just for the sake of there being multiple Batman, Avengers, and X-Men comics on the shelves. The notion of there needing to be 52 monthly comics from one publisher is just ridiculous, I would put the focus on quality over quantity right out the gate. Superman, Batman, Action Comics, and Detective Comics would be my core DC Comics and they would go back to their original numbering as those are some historical numbers at this point. There would only be one Justice League team book and one Avengers team book. We don't need JLA and New or Uncanny or whatever other adjectives you want to throw in from of Avengers and X-Men, there are just to damn many.

I would listen to the creators and actually utilize their respective talents and ideas instead of force feeding them my own ideas of what I think the readers want to read. In the same mindset I would take notice of what my audience is actually wanting to read about as well, trying to maintain a sense of relevance in an ever changing market. I would try to not become so dependent on one creator to carry the bulk of my business. We have seen what that has done to guys like Bendis and Johns over the past decade or so where they just get completely burnt out and lose a lot of what made them so appealing in the first place.

I would go back to making events actually events that mean something, and that doesn't mean that every event should have the tag line "Everything Changes Here", because we know it doesn't and even if it does it isn't always the best way to go. The summer for me was always exciting because thats when the big comic event usual happened, now they just happen one after another with them running into one another at a pace that really tires out everyone involved, and that makes everyone suffer from the creators to the readers. When everything is a special event, none of them really are.

I would do away with all the gimmicky bullshit that is just there to try and garner a quick buck as well. No one buys comics for variant covers and all that shit anymore. All of that is what almost killed the industry in the 90's. Comic book collecting is not a money making venture, if you are collecting comics for any other reason than reading them then you are doing it wrong.

Thats all I got right now.

[HNutz]

If I was given GLC to write, I'd take it back to basics. The Green Lantern Corps acting like a space police force, instead of fighting their own (Alpha Lanterns, First Lantern, etc.)

According to Bleeding Cool, DC wanted the writer to change his story so they could eventually kill off John Stewart. That's.... I don't think I like that. Not that a character should be "untouchable" or anything, but that the likelihood of a quality story coming from the top like this is pretty unlikely, IMO.

[MrBlack]

I'd limit the number of line-wide events. Yearly events would stay, because they are fun and they make money, but they would be limited to certain families of books and be part of an organic story developed by the talent controlling the main titles.

Line-wide events would be plotted well beforehand with the input of the talent, and all the talent would have advanced warning of any significant changes to the status quo ("Character X is going to be out of action for the next six months. Now might be the time to tell that flashback arc you were thinking of.").

New books would have six months to make an impact before getting the axe. Every new book is a miniseries unless it can prove its mettle.

Writers would be instructed to be aware of continuity, but not be hindered by it if they've got a good story to tell.

If a character is killed, they have to stay dead for at least three years, unless the death and resurrection is part of the story's plot. Likewise, any changes to a character's status quo should last for a while, rather than having everything reset at the end of every story arc.

I would keep a small line of books meant to appeal to new readers that would be in continuity with each other, similar to the Ultimate line. This line would be rebooted every five years.

[Zechs]

DC?

Barry's time is up and he dies for good. We have a new Flash with Wally West mentoring him.

Superman? I keep the current continuity but axe the Superman/Wonder Woman relationship. It stinks. Bring back the Lois Lane/Superman one. I'd keep Supergirl and Superboy as they are but put young talent on writing those books. I'd also have two book Superman books. One for worldly tales (one he can fight Lex, Metallo, Prankster, Toyman, Parasite, etc) and the other cosmic (Doomsday, Kalibak, Mongul, Cyborg Superman, Zod, and Brainiac). As you can see NO DARKSEID as a direct threat. Return Darkseid to a cold calculating threat that if he does enter a fight he mops the floor with Superman.

Green Lantern? I'd kill off Hal Jordan. Make John Stewart the main GL while Kyle, whomever that other new human GL is, and Guy sprinkle them across New Guardians, GLC, and Red Lanterns. I have the GLC book be a space cop book with Red Lanterns being the more cosmic threats.

Batman books? I'd do away with the "current" origin of Tim Drake and either put a new one in or put the old one back. Anything better than the current it's garbage. Secondly I take him off Teen Titans and put Ellie in who is now Robin in the book. I'd give Tim back his own ongoing and have do his own adventures and introduce Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown.

Have a Batman book with a revolving cast (Gordon, GPD, the numerous vigilantes, and freaks). See Gotham not from the perspective of Batman.

Batman Inc focus on the global cast of heroes. Plus insert newly introduced Cassandra Cain into cast as Hong Kong operative.

Batgirl? I'd have Barbara Gordon stop acting like a dingus and if it was up to me I'd just upgrade her to Batwoman. Yeah I want two Batwomans in the DCU. I'd change Kate Kane's title to Tales of Mystery and just her a small distance from the higher tier Bat Family.

I'd bring back Sandman Mystery Theater and have Brian Azzarello write a Question book (Vic Sage with none of this mystical magic crap).

[sdsichero]

Magical ponies everywhere!

[HNutz]

Green Lantern? I'd kill off Hal Jordan. Make John Stewart the main GL while Kyle, whomever that other new human GL is, and Guy sprinkle them across New Guardians, GLC, and Red Lanterns. I have the GLC book be a space cop book with Red Lanterns being the more cosmic threats.

I like pretty much everything you're suggesting, but I don't know if getting rid of Hal's the best idea right now. Aside from JLU, he's the GL in the rest of the cartoons, the movie, etc.

I say make Guy a Red Lantern (maybe he does something unforgivable, like kills one of the Guardians or something) and Kyle a White or Blue Lantern. This way, there's just Hal and John as Earth's GLs and Simon as a trainee or something.

[Zechs]

I like pretty much everything you're suggesting, but I don't know if getting rid of Hal's the best idea right now. Aside from JLU, he's the GL in the rest of the cartoons, the movie, etc.

I say make Guy a Red Lantern (maybe he does something unforgivable, like kills one of the Guardians or something) and Kyle a White or Blue Lantern. This way, there's just Hal and John as Earth's GLs and Simon as a trainee or something.

Hal as a character needs to step down or step away from the lime light. Same as Barry's character. Of course for me the best and most memorable version of Hal Jordan that I loved to read about is the one nobody likes.. aka I LOVED THIS VERSION:



The only true time I ever found Hal Jordan interesting.

[Amoebas]

DC - I'd cut back on the number of titles and bring in better talent.

Marvel - I'd remind my editors that every book is somebody's first, that continuity matters and that books come out once a month.

DC & Marvel - I'd stop the tradition of consecutive numbering and replace it with a simple YYYY.MM cataloging matrix (2013.11, 2013.12, 2014.01, etc). Thereby eliminating the need for the constant #1 renumberings.