Boom! Wham! Pow! The ComiQuad is a column dedicated to the spandex-laden world of comics and superheroes. It goes up each Wednesday and will alternate between comic book reviews and other comic book news. Reviews shall try to be spoiler-free. And it’s back! Zam!
Fifty-two. 52. 5-two. Five-2. The Big “5-2.” The New 52.
That number was the herald for a new age of comics. DC Comics made the risky decision to restart and reinvent their entire fictional universe in the name of new and better stories. The DC Gods entrusted 52 different stories into the hands of 52 different capable creative teams.
Less than a year-and-a-half later, DC apparently thought those teams weren’t quite capable enough in light of recent announcements. Now only six of those creative teams are the same.
Six.
The lucky six titles are Batman, Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman, Flash, All-Star Western, and the Legion of Super-Heroes.
The complete status of the original New 52 comics is (starting in June):
Same Creative Team: 6
Same Writer, Different Artist: 7
Different Writer: 21
Canceled: 18
With their episodic storytelling style, comics and televisions shows aren’t all that different. Imagine you’re watching a Scooby-Doo marathon and, without any warning, the next episode features a cyborg Velma, vampire Daphne, and a communist Scooby-Doo who now goes by the name “Comrade Doo.”
A little extreme, yes, but there’s nothing more jarring than having a story you’ve been following suddenly swerve in a direction it was never going before. A new artist or writer can definitely change a comic for the better, but that doesn’t change the fact that it is changing it. And when people subscribe to a comic book series, they subscribe to that specific story. When what you invested in gets changed, it can be frustrating.
A more realistic example is the status of the current Batgirl series.
When Batgirl was launched back in September 2011, the comic was written by Gail Simone with art by Ardian Syaf. Syaf lasted a full 12 issues before being replaced by Ed Benes, an artist renowned for putting female characters in gratuitous “boobs and butt” poses. After a few issues, he got replaced by Daniel Sampere. In the recently solicited Batgirl #20, the new artist is Fernando Pasarin.
But at least the writer has stayed the same, right?
A few months ago, a huge debacle sparked when it was announced that Gail Simone had been fired from Batgirl. The Internet exploded, and Simone was swiftly rehired back on the title. Because of that, however, there are two issues in the Batgirl series that are written by another writer, Ray Fawkes.
Fawkes, a well-respected writer in his own right, writes differently than Simone. As every single writer does from one another. Which means this month’s Batgirl #17 was significantly different than the previous issues. Simone writes with Batgirl’s voice in the first person. Fawkes had a different character narrate. Simone often includes Batgirl’s personal life and relatively large supporting cast. Fawkes did not and focused more solely on Barbara.
None of those traits are inherently good or bad. But Fawkes’ story was dramatically different from what I had been investing in since the dawn of the New 52. I, as a fan of Simone’s work, am lucky that this change will only be for two issues. Otherwise, I’d likely give up a on series I had already invested a lot emotionally and financially into.
By the time June rolls around, only 13 writers will still be crafting their original stories. That creative instability combined with new titles getting axed after eight issues makes investing in comics an unusually risky endeavor.
