Forget the upcoming DC Comics event titled Brightest Day, this is it right here. Or we could also call it the end of "The Great Darkness Saga".
As reported all over the 'net today, DC has finally had the corporate shake up we're all been praying for and the end result is far more promising than we could have ever imagined.
There is a lot of good news here and the best of it is the part we've been calling for (in this blog) since last summer...the removal of DC's Editor in chief, Dan Didio. While Dan remains with the company, he's been properly removed from creative side of the biz and been given a nice comfy chair (and salary no doubt) to now over see the broader publisher side of things. Make sure books get printed, distributed domestically and overseas, increase book seller market share, attend Time Warner board meetings, Etc. In charge of still important but ultimately boring stuff.
While Didio certainly deserves to simply get kicked to the curb for nearly running DC comics into the ground over the past couple of years (no exaggeration, check the numbers), we're happy he's just now out of the editorial picture. Good riddance DiDumDum!
The better news is that creators like Geoff Johns and Jim Lee, DC's top tier creators that consistently make DC Comics money, are now going to be calling the shots. Just like when Marvel Comics tapped Joe Quesada, who was just a hard working writer/artist and fan, all those years ago to take over its creative reins.
Both Jim and Geoff are known as uber talented, well connected and well liked creators who not only understand comics and it's fandom but the nuts and bolts of the biz. Additionally, both are forward thinking guys that have had enough experience with Hollywood to understand there needs to be a new kind synergy between publishing, the internet, video games, social media, merchandising and of course film and television. We are truly looking at the dawn of a new era for DC and this new Time Warner arm of entertainment.
Of course it will take some time for any new creative plans Lee and Johns have on their 'to do' lists to emerge. We expect the earliest you'd see any real significant change in character, story or creator direction in the DC titles would be late in this year, maybe 4th quarter. The new leaders will need several months to plan and sign on new creative teams. That would leave the San Diego Comicon as the perfect venue where DC can make a really big splash with all the new publishing plans and announcements. Looking forward to it.
One plan of Didio's that was recently discussed will now for sure be crushed. Dan wanted to strip mine the Watchmen franchise and start a new series of spin offs with Alan Moore's most profitable characters. Won't happen now or anytime under Jim Lee's watch. Lee and his Widstorm publishing arm were the only factors that kept Moore working for DC/Warner Bros. Lee is never going to willingly stab Alan in the back and bastardize what's left of the one creation that has already caused such a decades long rift between creator and publisher. Of course, it's a pipe dream after all this time (and yes, Alan is just a tad out of his mind at this point) but if any one individual has a chance of coaxing Moore back to DC it would be Jim Lee.
Bet you Mark Waid is kicking himself today…if he had stuck around a couple of years longer, no doubt he’d be one of the creators given the keys to the kingdom by management.
Don't forget to fix DC Direct as well guys!
So rejoice fanboys! This truly is the brightest day in 21st Century Comic history.
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