How To Fix DC Comics - Comic Book Speed Round for 11/20/08

[St33ben]

justin is soooooo annoying when its pete and alex the show is better no mindless comments or arguments

[ThePatheticClub]

Pete is so awesome!

[skinwalkerxxx]

DC needs good books that sells. I know they could publish good books...because they're good books but what would be the point. There's a lot of books that sells that are bad and or just plain average but I thik it shows a failiure of some kind if a book can't reach an audience. I think there is a good reason behind it. Maybe with Blue Beetle they could have had stronger ties to the previous Beetle. Maybe Manhunter could have lured the readers of Mark Shaw if it had been him., etc..

[Nightavenger2]

DC Does the whole let's kill one character then have some other guy take over. I could understand if the guy sucked but if he doesn't it's as stupid as changing the QB when the football team is winning.

[blackmetalaske]

dc comics doesnt need to be fixed. its great as it is

[Nightavenger2]

I would disagree. They keep overdoing death, and keep doing the crap of let's one character, and replace him with another.

[LifeFirst]

Batman, Detective Comics, Legion of Super-Heroes are really good to me...I don't care what anybody says.

[generaldark]

speak for your self about not likeing final crisis. it was awsome!!!!

[darkseidrules]

Final Crisis is awsome!

[archer1949]

Final Crisis was awesome!

[micahhenry]

Two thoughts: First, Fantastic Four: True Story sounded a lot like how Final Crisis ended. It was almost as if Marvel tried to scoop the ending. Second, the Cleaners sounds exactly like the premise of the movie Sunshine Cleaning. Who knew that a ComicBookClub retrospective would be so enlightening.

[lovelylostlady]

you guys sound buzzed. but only slightly..

[kurumais]

judd winnick hasnt written a good comic since the first 10 issues of outsiders

[vampirehunter33]

can anybody tell me what the following dc comic is called . I once read and saw pics on the internet of some rings falling from the sky into a grave yard and the dead came back to life to fight dc super hero's . whats this called ??

[ComicBookClub]

Blackest Night! Coming this Summer!

[mastercheif1200]

have you ever heard of ecto kid or zero hour

[ComicBookClub]

Zero Hour, yup. Ecto Kid, nope, but I'm assuming it has something to do with the Ecto Cooler. Probably wrong.

[mastercheif1200]

ecto kid is just about some teen whos keeps swithcing through a demonish like world and regular world and he is being chased by some mysterios pepole

[arias2141]

That's what I'm wanting DC to do since 52. I love Final Crisis, don't care what any ones says but with that I also love Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Manhunter and others that don't involve the big 3 or glossy covers. Vertigo is very well known for its quality and thus a strong fanbase from either DC or Marvel readers. DC should take that example from its own imprint.

This year is Morrison, Next is Johns but with Grant taking a step back for a year in Vertigo, I expect the young to be heard.

[gunnerdowne]

I'm seriously considering not buying comic books anymore. My tastes must be completely out of sync with everybody else out there because every series I really enjoy always seems to get canceled. Oh yeah, and the comics are going to be, what, like 5 bucks here in Canada.

[PeteSandusky]

Great stack of books. I had to mute ya when you were holding up Walking Dead - I'm in trades. You looked unimpressed. Gravel was sweet! Another awesome show.

[HotRodakaMadMax]

dam that was tight. awesome review go Justin!

[mulletpeep]

What DC really needs to start doing is nurturing and promoting new talent. Name me one new writer at DC that's on say a Matt Fraction level and that's partially because they cannot get a long enough run on a title to make a name for themselves. Marvel's done this with Fraction, Brubaker and Bendis. Both Companies are guilty of continuity nightmare crossovers and are full of great but cancelled books. The talent is where the real difference is. I love Final Crisis, but i love Morrison to bits.

[ComicBookClub]

That's an EXCELLENT point. With Matt Fraction, Jason Aaron, Dan Slott, Marc Guggenheim, etc, Marvel has their next wave of writers in place, even as Bendis, Brubaker, etc. are still there. DC does have the younger writers, but they seem to burn through them much more quickly.

[markrobhatesyou]

Captain Britain & MI13 has not been cancelled. For the first couple of issues unassociated with the Secret Invasion event it's sold pretty well and no announcement has been made even hinting at its danger. New Exiles has been cancelled, She-Hulk and X-Men First Class. But NOT Captain Britain & MI13. I;d be interested to hear where you guys have gotten this Intel from. especially as the writer has stated that this is not the case.

[RoyalTenenbaum]

Saying that nobody likes Final Crisis was kind of a bold (and untrue) statement. I get the point of the rant, don't get me wrong. But on the other hand Final Crisis is one of the most interesting things I've read in the comic book industry in years.

[Yankeemetfan06]

It comes down to this. If you like Morrison you'll like FC but if you don't like him you won't like FC. Just my opinion.

[randgoodfellow]

That's actually a pretty good description. I personally like him and FC.

[illersz1]

FC is really great..

[rline714]

when was that MI:13 cancelled?

[gohanwinner]

The sales for Manhunter and Blue Beetle aren't making them a lot of money. Didio made it pretty clear he didn't want to cancel Beetle.

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the hell out of Final Crisis, especially issue 4. I do agree, though, they need to take a step back from the event books and work on making their books more quality than just more and more major shake ups.

[Drig0r0]

Didn´t you guys made some interviews with Dan Didio a few months ago??

Guess you did´t have the guts to tell those things to his face, bunch of sissies..

[AndymanMessiah]

Alex, you are my bread and butter. You are awesome. You should be president on alternate mondays.

[Guest1001]

Captain Britain and MI:13 is NOT cancelled. Paul Cornell said it himself on his blog.

[iampeluche]

Oh man, now I can breathe, I think Justin is confused, the titles ready for the axe are She-Hulk, New Warriors and Amazing Spider-Girl.

[scottkicksyou]

HOW TO FIX the stack... what's the point? It's hopeless.

[begjon13]

THANK YOU ALEX!!! You have said what I have been thinking with respect to DC for weeks, and I'm glad a recognized industry critic is stating these things. I read an interview with EiC DiDio on Newsarama last week that displayed such poor market and business development sense that, were I a DC shareholder [and DC an independent entity rather than a very samll part of the Time-Warner machine], would have me FURIOUS and calling for his termination.

[DoctorGenome]

I totally agree Alex. I hate how DC jerked me around with Manhunter so I stopped reading it. I can't see why they kept putting it on death row and giving it reprive just before the switch is thrown. People blame Didio, and he is VP of Editorial so he should eat the blame, and ask for seconds.

As always as great show.

[Shackle]

Dude, What?

CB&MI13 isn't cancelled. I don't know where he got that information.

[theMaestroX]

I'm loving Final Crisis.

And the seperate events in the different main titles is making for a real varied and enjoyable read.

That rant Alex did at the end of the show, just sounded arrogant.

[gatsbyman]

Am I the only one who likes "Final Crisis?"

[iampeluche]

Hey Justin, what is the last issue of Captain Britain and MI 13? Where did you get the info?

Thanks.

PD: Great show, as always.

[masonTganes]

100% agree with the comments about DC.

Since Infinite Crisis they have destroyed the entire line.

SUPERMAN & GREENLANTERN & JSA titles not included.

the rest of DC is horrible. Unreadable.

And I LOVE DC 1000 times more than any Marvel.

DC STOP with the big events!!!!!!!!

[Limewan]

you guys should be getting a million views at least mann..

[Bojac]

I agree on GL Corps :D which is weird because I have avoided Corps ever since they brought it back but then I realized "crap I'm missing story elements".

[Death2Fanboys]

DC can cancel anything...as long as Jonah Hex keeps going.. I don't care.

Oh, and by way...I don't hate Final Crisis. I may not like Morrison in Batman but I don't hate the FC. I'm glad FC is happening. It feels like a title for the long time readers of DC.

I think new readers or those interested in getting into DC should check out titles like Trinity, 52, Brave and Bold, and a few others. Just to get more acquanted. Fact is this....It's a LOT more easier to get into Marvel than DC.

[vergil1021]

What did you do with your comic?

LOL!!!

[davecilley]

How to fix DC?

Get rid of Didio.

The replace him with someone who loves and knows the charactors but is also will to take chances.

Paging Mr. Mark Waid.

Too bad he's signed with BOOM! Studios.

[mrufoman]

I don't get it, I'm a fan of Morrison's work especially his New X-Men run and Final Crisis has been a joy!!

For the first time in my life because of Final Crisis, I'm buying more DC than Marvel.

Saying that I am a bit scarred how FC is going to end as if the rumors are true it's not Morrison's original ending.

One thing you can't say is that FC is a by the numbers big event, like so many have been in the last few years. I genuinely don't whats going to happen next!

[Melville10]

Alex is right. DC cancels titles that are so good. I was ticked off when DC opted to cancel Joe Casey's Wildcats 2.0 (or was it 3.0). Then again, I am baffled as to why Marvel is cancelling Capt. Britain and MI13 by Paul Cornell. Cornell wrote several Dr. Who episodes (Father's Day, Human Nature, and Family of Blood) that were nominated for Hugo Awards which is high honor for sci-fi writers. Why wouldn't Marvel give a Hugo nominated writer top billing?

[jimmymardikian]

alex please change your shirt

[flowbot159]

Sea-level, Justin?

[puklop]

Big events kill books, I've said this time and time again, its why I barely read marvel or DC books anymore unless they're max or vertigo titles . They get a good idea, a good main team/character, than they trow them into a big event and the book goes down hill in the snap of a finger.

Like Alex said, stop worrying about continuity and treat your quality books with respect by leaving them alone to grow.

[jlauritsen]

i kinda agree, big event kills books? yea when they used it as much as they done in recent years, i think big events shouldn´t be used that much but they put em right after eachother, barely giving us time to get good individual in diff comics. Before you was (or i was) lookign forward to crossovers between heroes, now i dun care, it will happen next week again probaly.

all in all i think big events are good if there is a time between them

[Melville10]

I gave up on Secret Invasion after issue 6. The pacing stunk and I don't care how it ends to be frank. I like Bendis but this was overrated. I have no interest in final crisis either--never thought the original crisis was that good. I think the big events water-down the books. I would rather spend my money on books like Atomic Robo or Milligan's Human Target. I am a fan of some DC/Marvel books but I'm done with the mega-crossovers.

[iampeluche]

I don't think everybody hates Final Crisis, but a lot of people don't love it either, I'm reading it and I don't hate it or love it, it's just that I don't get it, it's a really weird story for an event. Peace.

[anthonycadger]

It's nice of you guys to let the special needs guy hang out with you.

[QuintMarvel]

I normally agree with Alex, but he's just wrong on Final Crisis. He's probably paying too much attention to loud fans on the internet.

But, yeah, Blue Beetle is/was the best book no one is reading. I was shocked when the news broke, and further shocked when they leaked someone was going to die.

Batman R.I.P, who cares, he's not going to die. Or he'll get better. In BB no one is safe. It might be his mom or his dad, or Milagro, Paco, Brenda. Best case scenario it's La Dama, which is still sad.

[Melville10]

If they did kill Bruce Wayne, he'll end up coming back to life al la Colossus, Hal Jordan, etc. I doubt Cap America will stay dead.

[HarveyLocust]

lol. luved petes reaction to the bent corner. the whole time I was noticing petes comics were all bagged and boarded, and alexs and justins wern't.

[theAstud]

But I like final crisis. I think I'm the only one who gets it to.

[namelessronin]

ppl have the ability to gloss over continuity. same boat with Gadget3440. Final Crisis, in terms of substance AND flash, is far superior than Secret Invasion. the only problem with DC is Dan DiDio. Paul Levitz needs to can that guy, pronto!

[Gadget3440]

I might not agree with some of Pete's reviews, but by god he knows how to treat his comics. Good show Pete, good show!

Kudos to Alex for his rant on DC too, although I'm preferng Final Crisis to Secret Invasion, so I disagree with him on that point.

[jgokorsch]

Comment to Mattcruise. I beg to differ on your Spider-man analysis. Brand New Day, anyone? This also sucks wad and should be reversed to the old continuity. How is there still a Spider-girl if Mary Jane and Peter never got together? I stopped reading Spiderman after that storyline and haven't been back since.

[mattcruise]

The problem with DC is continuity. I can't follow it. I don't know where to begin, I don't know whats canon and what isn't. Its just a big mess to me. In marvel I can read Amazing Spider-man #1 from the 60's , all the way to Amazing Spider-man #500 and its the same series. When I read DC it always gets rebooted somewhere, and I'm like where do I start and what is going on. I just can't follow DC.

[Emporerofkortoph]

Completely agreed. I like batman and the dc animated universe but its impossible to follow without a bunch of research that ends up giving you spoilers anyway.

[Jugglingdude]

But Alex's ending tirade was awesome!

[Jugglingdude]

"I might be a sucker but you suck"

Such refreshing straight forwardness.

I skipped through most of the reviews except Pete's. Pete was on!

[Jugglingdude]

"you're a hollow asshole"

Ha! Classic.

[AllegroRubato]

You're nuts Alex, Final Crisis is AWESOME!

Other than that, you're absolutely right. I didn't know the imbeciles were cancelling Blue Beetle...I knew they were cancelling Manhunter, which is already stupid enough, but now it's maddening...

Anyways, DC having continuity IS very important... Its what makes them different from the mess that is Marvel. I still prefer DC over Marvel, but yeah, stop cancelling the best titles...

[seeso]

Dudes, get your facts straight, Captain Britain and the MI13 is NOT canceled! You're giving everyone heart attacks.

[Guest1001]

Captain Britain is NOT -- I repeat NOT -- cancelled. Paul Cornell himself said "That's not true. Rest easy!" ComicBookClub needs to get their facts straight.

[hellointernet]

I can't believe Captain Britain is cancelled. That's fucked.

[nightwing722]

I'm on board with Alex's rant somewhat.Both DC and Marvel cancel excellent books while horrible ones remain.The problem is, that both companies give titles to writers with name recognition over quality. For all the good that Bendis does, he also phones in a lot of scripts.They gave Hulk to Jeph Loeb. Why? Hulk was doing better than he had in a while under Greg Pak. DC keeps giving Judd Winnick work.With how Grant Morrison writes comics, he should have never been allowed near Final Crisis.

[jbuit10]

Damn right!! DC and Marvel are both taking advantage of the loyalty we have with their characters by turning out shity and weak stories/events that in the end mean nothing, and they also go and raise prices. WTF! Times are tough, Ill chose Quality of Quantity any day. Their price points are just going to keep new readers away and the weak story arcs are going to drive us from buying as many titles. And the first ones to feel it will be your local comic book shops. Love the Show.

[Guido5595]

Are you guys fucking kidding me. Final crisis is fantastic. Secret Invasion blows and so does Blue Beetle.

[BaiLong45]

What?! Captain Britain and the MI:13 is cancelled?! When did Marvel announce this?

[markrobhatesyou]

They didn't. Because it isn't. This book is pretty much 100% safe abd looks set for another year. This is bad info. When the writer and publisher both say 'This is the first we've heard of it' you do have to wonder where these guys come up with their info. Grasping at straws methinks. This is one of Marvel's better titles out there right now, and it needs more sales not ridiculous and ungrounded rumours.

[WrenchNinja]

Very well said Alex. Very well said.

[lelandb123]

I don't know what DC would do without Geoff Johns. I read a good amount of DC but I'm surprised issue after issue how confusing and unenjoyable it seems. It's so bogged down with characters and continuity that I can't grab onto anything. It's a total shame that Blue Beetle got cancelled because that was probably my favorite DC book thanks to you guys.

[spdrwrtr]

Thanks for reviewing Ghostbusters: TOS 2 Alex!

[Bestial1985]

Dan Didio should be fired, the decisions he's made recently on Action Comics(no longer will it be a Superman title) and Batman(WRITTEN by Tony Daniel? and the battle for the cowl) not to mention canceling Robin and other titles. Im really worried about DC

[cerebus2099]

what! robins been canceled...dang, i didnt see that coming.

[JMan1380]

Final Crisis does suck. Countdown did suck. Dan has acknowledged this in an interview somewhere. It shows in the main titles which are getting stronger. The Superman titles are rocking. WW is apparently building strength, GL has an obvious direction, and I'm sure there are other strong titles also. Just because two of their "best" titles are ending doesn't mean DC sucks. There may be a strong fan base but it's small for BB and Manhunter. If sales are low they have to go...which is balls.

[superby1]

I'm a big DC fan. Have been most of my life and the only titles I'm picking up right now are Action Comics and Booster Gold. But they need to get rid of Didio and all the bad decisions he's making. They're canceling all the good books and keeping all the lame stuff no one wants to see.

[geekmontreal]

Fucking A, Alex! Fucking A!

[chovengo]

DC is bored , when a crisis something happens they always kill the losers but nothing happens to the main characters it is like the crisis never happens in the first time when you read your comics, it is always the same, but MARVEL ..... MARVEL RULES since no more mutants to killing Captain America it is just fun and great stuff, new teams, great comebacks , new situations for their heroes it is just great, it is just like MARVEL is been written for FANS and thats cool

[loverman13]

DC are fuck ups, not only have they fucked up by cancelling blue beetle & they fucked up with the big events & they fucked up with the batman family titles & they fucked up with all their charcters in general... BUT they dont even compile series story arcs into trades for people to collect to read they collect some, when they feel like it... WHAT THE HELL DC? WHAT THE HELL?

[Jorsalheim]

I agree with Alex on the topic of DC. They do have Geoff Johns though ;)

[WeeklyComicReview]

Yeah, JSA and Green Lanter are awesome titles which he does, so DC has at least 2 good books going for it :)

[WeeklyComicReview]

Captain Britain & MI13 is being cancelled? Did I hear that correctly?!

[ahfldsj]

as much as i love dc i have to agree with alex there.

and the simple fact that dc just sucks with keeping things in the schedule i just bad.

grrr.

dc, what happened?

did your balls drop off?

[raulcotto]

Great show guys! Gotta an idea for a segment after watching the show. It would be a 1-2 Minute segment called,"You Had Me At #1 or Issue 1"(working title). Now I would give this to Pete being he his the more critical one of the group, in a good way! Me and Pete have similar taste and it would be funny to see him rant on what pisses him off from week to week.

To Pete: Without Wolverine where would Marvel be today? He has become their flagship!

[MakenZero]

Are you freaking serious Blue Bettle is being canceled!?!?! oh god why is this happening @_@!!!! Plus he was great seeing him in the New Batman brave and Bold. That show is awesome check out the cartoon!!!!!

[khalman]

I'll tell you how DC will redeem itself. Two words, Blackest Night. I've loved all the Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps titles since Sinestro Corps(though secret origin was a little weak), but Blackest Night is going to kick ass. Plus it hopefully won't have 600 random pointless tie-ins. If it does, I will be poor.

[Champion17]

You guys didnt like Green Arrow/Black Canary cause you werent a cameo in it? Unlike a certain other comic podcast that is in this...heh

[burndisneyland]

Good call on the DC rant. I agree that the culling of these titles is a bad move & giving any more to Morrison is such a bad idea to me. I sometimes fear that Booster Gold will follow suit, but currently that one fun title continues to shine.

Love the show & you make me buy more comics each subsequent week.

[megacoolliam]

Captain Britain hasn't been cancled? Please tell me it isn't cancled and Justin is wrong!

[markrobhatesyou]

Yes. Justion is wrong. This is bad intel. No truth in it whatsoever.

[scottkicksyou]

alex is gonna get a beating for that. I like Final Crisis. I don't know how your ESP missed me, but I am out there. I do, however, agree that it is too fresh and wide-ranging to go on for almost a year. The people that don't like it will be very pushed away from DC. Why can't we keep all these major events weekly like 0HOUR and Day of Judgement?

[deraickripper]

DC IS WRONG... BUT at least you can find a lot of great stuff in vertigo or any gran "god like" morrison thing...

batman r.i.p. alone worth more than the entire secret invasion

[HydraSX]

Batman R.I.P is fuckin terrible. Secret Invasion has in no way lived up to the hype, but R.I.P is just awful.

[Violet9Spider]

R.I.P. is not bad, it's quite good! The problem is DC can't keep the thing on schedule. The story was supposed to be wrapped up in September for God's sake.

[deraickripper]

you are just not smart enought to understand r.i.p. morrison is the best out there.

[HydraSX]

Fuckin excuse me? I've enjoyed a lot of Morrison's work, but this is a pile of shit. Understanding it is not the issue, it's simply not enjoyable.

[subfighter316]

How to fix DC? Enough with these massive Crossovers!

[cjohn2683]

I'm going to miss Blue Beetle. :(

[Teckniphobia]

That rant deserves an amen.

[batrez6]

lol pete is getting angry on the bent corner of the comic

[Xhumation]

Dc (or Winnick or whoever) listen to that man he knows what he's saying.

[nightwing01]

Oh, yeah, I with everything that Alex stated.

Thank God for Vertigo books to keep my interested in comic comics

[nightwing01]

I have never been a Green Arrow fan. Yet, I jumped on ONE YEAR LATER until the end.

The one thing that I can't stand about DC, it does a huge push to the over the top "mega events," yet doesn't help push the books that are well better written and drawn that are selling poorly.

And thing that I can't stand is that people that wait for trade on series like MANHUNTER, BLUE BEETLE, and so, get mad when the series gets axed. Have the series monthly on your pull list to help the series.

[FattBaker]

I agree, DC needs to step up or they're going to tank, how many titles have they canceled now? Nightwing, Robin, Birds of Pray, Blue Beatle, Manhunter, and Flash? (oh sure Flash Rebirth is on the way, but still). Get your crap together DC or you can make mine marvel.

[srwapo]

The problem is that DC can't afford lower selling titles at this point.  Marvel is selling so much that they can take the occasional hit that comes from experimenting with new series. DC; not so much.

[FattBaker]

I wouldn't call Flash or Nightwing a "new series", hell, all the titles have been around for at least two years. (also did I hear right? Green Arrow/Black Canary is ending too?  Add it to the list I guess)

[langerlord]

Wait. Capt Britain is cancelled? When did this happen?

[atomzzk]

Yeah, lol wut?

[DragynWulf]

The writer has confirmed that it is not cancelled. The Comic Book Club guys made a mistake.

[markrobhatesyou]

It hasn't. Captain Britain is safe. Confirmed safe by both the writer and Marvel. Nobody seems to be willing to answer where this rumour came from.

[JStrips]

Great show guys!