James Robinson, one of our favorite writers, just tweeted out the following:
So as of today I am leaving Earth 2 with Issue #16.It’s been a blast.Man, it’s a lovely day.Think I’ll take Rex to the beach.
— JamesDRobinson (@JamesDRobinson) May 17, 2013
and
Yes, this also means I’m no longer working at DC Comics.Best wishes and regards to Dan, Geoff and everyone.
— JamesDRobinson (@JamesDRobinson) May 17, 2013
This is a blow for, well, everyone involved, as Earth 2 is one of DC Comics’ handful of high quality books that remain since The New 52 launched and that was mostly due to James Robinson. He had made the book his own and was clearly playing a long game, taking his time to build a deep and interesting world not influenced by any other books at DC.
It’s getting really hard to ignore the slow and steady exodus of creators from DC books, especially veteran guys with years of industry experience.
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At this point you have to wonder what’s keeping everyone else there.
Money.
This pisses me off! I loved this story. The rotating writers & people leaving DC has made me lose a lot of faith in them from top to bottom.
Damn it! This sucks.
I noticed no “thanks” to Jim Lee in that Tweet – unless Lee is grouped in with “Everyone”.
WOW! This is really shocking. He just did an interview at Word Balloon talking about Earth 2, and his long game with it. He also mentioned he was going to be bringing it into the regular DCU. I wonder if him leaving had anything to do with that?
Damn.
I honestly havent read any of E2 because I dont really dig anything going on at dc. But from the interviews I hear at CV he seemed completely into this title and had stories for years. I’ll likely check out the run but still shitty regardless. I have heard he has some creator owned stuff in the pipeline. So thats promising.
And with this I will no longer be getting any DC comics since Earth-2 books were the only ones I was getting anymore.
Why jump on to Batman/Superman if the main catalyst for Earth-2 is gone. What a long hard fall for me, I am truly saddened by this.
I’d lay money on Brian Azzarello being next out the door. He’s a veteran, writing the last excellent book at DC, which exists largely on its own. As soon as editorial notices how good it is, he’s out the door. They have a line to kill, and they’re not going to let a single good writer stand in their way.
Don’t even mention that. Wonder Woman is too good right now!
The DC comics I’ve been reading are Earth-2, Wonder Woman and Aquaman, and I’m not so sure I would stick with Aguaman for very much longer. All of these writers leaving strongly suggests a problem with management.
Wonder Woman, Batwoman, and Animal Man (not counting rotworld) are the best DC is producing now. If they mess up those books I’m gone.
I didn’t even think to ask him at C2E2, but I’ve always kind of thought Azzarello is telling one big story on Wonder Woman and then moving on. I’m loving the book, so I’m not in any rush to see things change, but I would be (pleasantly) surprised if he sticks around after he resolves the Zola’s Baby Saga.
This is so upsetting.
I just finished re-reading Starman and the Shade maxi-series and I’ve FINALLY caught up on Earth 2 and it’s clear that Robinson has a lot more to say about this world and the characters in it and that he was building toward something. It is tragic that he won’t get to continue that narrative.
Earth 2 and Batman are the only DC Comics I had been reading regularly. So sad.
That said, I wish Robinson all the best. I hope to see more of his creator-owned work, now that the leg-irons have been cut.
I remain stunned that I sat through all those panels at C2E2, and this exodus came up at nary a Q&A. Next time I’ll get in line, say “Jim A. Realname, ComicsAlliance,” and ask it myself.
I’d go with “Burt Macklin, FBI” but that’s just me.
Spoons, you win.
A while back, Robinson mentioned wanting to do a Vigilante mini-series with Darwyn Cooke. That sounded like heaven to me. Oh, well. Maybe they still can, in five or ten years. Sigh.
You rock, Mr. Robinson! Looking forward to your next project.
Was that before or after the Shade maxi series he did?
Wow! This sucks, I really don’t know what the hell is going on at DC. Why don’t the higher ups understand how bad this looks, they seem to think they can just ignore the problem and it’ll go away. I think they are in for a rude awakening. it’s getting easier and easier to just stop buying DC books, cause they keep canceling/ruining the ones I’m reading.
Comics just doesn’t pay enough. Bottom line .. I’m hoping for some creator owned stuff too.
Guesses on who the new writer will be? Scott Lobdell?
God, no! Please… god… no.
That’s a real shame. listening to Robinson in interviews and on podcasts it sounded like he had some big plans happening over a long period, it’s a shame that’ll be cut short.
Hopefully Scott will stay on the book for a while and we’ll get a decent writer for what has been (in my opinion) probably one of DCs best series right now.
::sigh:: Now I wonder whether to bother continuing with the series even before Robinson leaves.
If you love Robinson’s work, stay till it’s done. Support your favorite writers.
I might be overreading his “Man it’s a lovely day” comment. Seems odd to tack that on to the tweet, unless he’s hinting that he’s relieved and happy to be leaving DC.
That’s exactly what I think it means.
Yes, I read it as “And, now that nasty business is over, I need to go clear my head.”
I got to meet the man and had him sign my Starman hardcover. He said he had plans to bring “a” Starman into Earth 2, but was fighting editorial over which one. Guess it didn’t work out. This sucks.
This headline caused me to utter a very audible “No”
I literally exclaimed a very high-pitch ‘Whaaaaat?!’ when my eye spotted this article.
Ugh. I consider myself a DC guy, and I wish they would just let their great creators create! I want great books for the characters I love (duh), why don’t they seem to? Have companies not learned yet that, mostly, when you let a great creator just create, and don’t interfere, that’s when the great stuff is often produced. Earth 2, was evidence of just that. Again: Whaaaaat?!
I feel like if you’re not Grant Morrison or Geoff Johns, you’re expendable and can be replaced by Scott Lobdell at a moment’s notice. Azzerello, you’re next, buddy
Azzerello and Snyder the last two guys in the foxhole? I mean, editorial won’t dare direct Morrison.
You’d be surprised …
By the way, can we assume that DC’s insistence on having a DCU vs. He-Man crossover is what made Robinson leave the Masters of the Universe title last year? Or am I making too big a leap there?
Too big of a leap.
Yeah, I sort of thought so, especially after I went back and looked at the timeline. Which I did after commenting. Which I should have done before commenting and then not commented.
No, consipiracy theories are fun, facts be damned! That’s not snarky, I’m serious.
WHAT!?
Darn it DC, what the heck is going on with you lately?
Earth 2 was one of your best selling titles that didn’t include the big named characters! This was your success story! Why would you throw that away!?
Now I’m down to just collecting a single title from DC (Batman). A year ago, I was collecting around 15 titles! What a long and terrible year for you DC. Very disappointing.
Wish Robinson the best. I shall follow you to greener pastures.
I was looking forward to this new Starman he had in the works. Maybe that project with J. Bone will finally get off the ground now.
I’m really really really looking forward to the “Untold History Of DC Comics” book that will come out in 15 years. I’d like to preorder that now, please.
Hell – I’d chip in on a kickstarter for someone to write the tell all. Between the exoduses from the Green Lantern titles and this, I’m revisiting my DC pull-list and really question whether I want to keep reading anything. I’ve been enjoying JL and JLA – but it gets to the point where the safe bet is to assume it’s going to go down the same road soon enough.
I keep hoping for an update where DC and Robinson work it out.
Until there is some kind of transparency about what’s going on over at DC I’m going to assume it’s editorial interference. What makes these continued exits crazy to me is that Rob Liefeld may not be as nuts as he seemed to come off as late last year.
Or,,,, both could be true! 😛
Sigh, just when I feel like DC is starting to fix things another one of these happens. He really did seem to be playing the long game, wonder what happened.
Curious: What made you think they were starting to fix things? Were there any particular choices?
I read a lot of DC, some of the directions of certain books has improved as of late.
Vibe, Swamp Thing, Suicide Squad, Nightwing and this last issue of Supergirl. Just feel like the overall output had been improving over last year, the line has fewer bad books. With the exception of some of the superman books and Teen Titans they also still need to dump Levitz.
Does the line have fewer bad books, or just more starring familiar characters?
Fewer bad books. I’ve been reading all the risky books that get cancelled also. I think Green Team sounds awesome with Art and Franco.
It sounded like they fixed Green Arrow too…but until some very senior people start leaving the company, I’m not calling anything “fixed”.
Every time a creator walks from DC, it makes me feel depressed about the company. It feels like a rudderless ship… and the majority of the titles reflect that.
It really kind of does. I don’t want it to be true, but they seem to be sinking into mediocrity. It’s a bummer, because I’m not going to read 4 buck Marvel books, and I don’t want to read crummy second rate DC books, so my pull list will keep on shrinking.
But there are a lot of older books and TPs I haven’t read yet I will have time to get around to reading – so there is a positive!
Well it’s possible he’s leaving because of persona-BAHAHAHA I couldn’t keep a straight face.
Anyone want to bet on who’s next?
Now we wait for Scott Lobdell to be announced as the new writer for Earth 2!
If it means him leaving Superman or Action or both( fingers crossed) I’m all for it.
If it means him leaving Superman or Action or both( fingers crossed) I’m all for it. Not to hate on E2 I haven’t been reading it ,I just want to be able to pull a Superman comic again.
RED SHE HULK WAS CANCELLED, PAY JEFF PARKER. PLZ DC.
WHAT??!?! Is this true? I hadn’t heard.
Yea marvel solicitations came out a day or two ago, it is cancelled, looks like Gambit and Morbius are also being canned.
Bummer. Was enjoying She-Hulk and thought it would last a bit longer. So yea, somebody keep hiring Parker. He is good.
I passed on Earth 2 because I thought the character re-designs completely missed the point. It sounds like Robinson made something great out of it anyway and it became the only new DC book I was considering catching up on. This sucks for all those who were enjoying it.
I continue to wonder when the pendulum will swing back in DC’s favor. I recently dropped The Flash. It wasn’t bad, it just got forgettable. Morrion’s Batman and John’s Green Lantern runs are about to end then I’m done with those titles. Of course, both of those runs have their roots pre-New 52. That will just leave Wonder Woman for me.
The only recent comic book thing DC announced that got me genuinely excited was Batman ’66. Also Morrison’s Wonder Woman. But that and Multiversity have been on the burner for a while now.
By the time DC “The New 52” gets to issue 24 (or the end of “Trinity War,” whichever comes last), if it doesn’t turn around in a REAL WAY, I’m out.
… And I’ve been reading and collecting DC since ’59. … Time to close shop. I’ve got enough books to re-read.
I’ll still visit iFanboy, though.
Since 1959? No joke? Wow, much respect. With this new Batman ’66 coming out, are you just like “yeah, read that already.”
@Master Destructo: No, not even that blasé about it. I’ve never been a fan of camp. As a kid watching TV in the months leading up to the premier of “Batman,” I watched the promos (which were very high-energy) and thrilled in the expectation that everyone else would see just how cool Batman was. Then the comedy aired, and I was crushed. I watched, but hardly ever with joy in my heart. Even at 15 I realized the kind of exposure the show gave comics wasn’t entirely in the mediums’ best interests.
The Shade mini was good, but Robinson’s JLA, Cry for Justice, and E2 were all the definition of mediocre. Anyone who tries to paint E2 as one of DC’s only good books is clearly not reading Wonder Woman, Flash, Batman and…, Dial H, Demon Knights, All Star Western, Green Arrow, or Batman Inc.
Actually, I know they’re not reading Dial H or Demon Knights. Those cancellations are a real reason to be upset – and you can’t blame that on editorial.
+1. I wish it were 1000.
Flash, All-Star Western and Green Arrow?
Pot calling the kettle black there.
@jgraff: “Robinson’s JLA, Cry for Justice, and E2 were all the definition of mediocre.” … in your opinion.
What you’re talking about is a matter of taste. I (along with many others) felt that Earth 2 was one of the best books to come out of the New 52. You did not. And that’s fine. I’ve been enjoying Wonder Woman and Batman just like you. I either dropped or was never interested in the other books you mentioned. Which is also fine.
Those cancellations are a real reason for YOU to be upset. Not me. Books being cancelled when they aren’t selling is nothing new. We may not be able to blame that on editorial, but it’s not a mystery why they were cancelled. The numbers weren’t there, because the majority of people weren’t interested. Disappointing for some, sure, but it’s hardly shocking once you look at the numbers.
James Robinson being another established creator in an ever-growing list of creators to abandon ship for vague and unspecified reasons is something that concerns me (or at the very least leaves me curious). The reason being that it’s unusual. Creators leave books all the time, but the popularity of these creators and the frequency with which they’re dropping off, while not unheard of, is a sure sign that something stinks at DC.
I don’t read “Earth 2” and so I’m mostly apathtic about this. I’m still reading mainly DC (and enjoying it FYI) but I will comment on this slow, steady exodus from DC; Rob Liefeld:Quit, Josh Flakov:Quit, Gail Simone:Fired and rehired in the span of 3 days(?), James Robinson:Quit. Somebody started a ‘WhatStupidThingHasDCDoneToday.com’ and… I don’t know, it feels like we’re all watching DC to see it fail again and again. It feels like the comic equalviancy of Britney Spears pre-2007. And people seem happy about this. This is a first for me so maybe I’m too wet behind the ears or not cynical enough but…ehh I got nothing. Carry on people.
You can’t really count Gail Simone as part of the exodus because she has more books now than she did and still works there. Then look at the other 3, yeah… 3. I’m not saying DC is perfect, but having 3 people leave doesn’t really count as an exodus like a lot of people are saying.
There’s been way more than three people – pretty much all of the creative teams on the Green Lantern books were gone before they even started. There were also a whole bunch of “new” (to DC, at least) creators who just sort of quietly disappeared: Duane Swierczynski, Mike Costa, Ivan Brandon, etc. DC literally has no idea how to manage their talent, unless they’re named Johns, Morrison, Snyder and Azzarello.
@ithoSapien The term you are looking for is Schadenfreude. The term for DC’s actions, on the other hand is, Shenanigans. It is not weird to laugh at shenanigans. But my reaction to this news is
http://i.imgur.com/Uhzcl.gif
*runs off crying*
There was also George Perez, and I’m sure there were others I’m not thinking of right now.
Andy Diggle. Paul Cornell also went really fast, as soon as his contract expired.
I bet they are cancelling the book. Bob Harras might be trying to run everyone off.
I wonder if Robinson will jump to Marvel or go indie? I’d love to see if take a shot at Marvel’s Ultimate universe. Or have him do a Starman-like book with C-list Marvel character. Maybe Ghost Rider?
Funny enough, if you go through his timeline he asked Ron for his email because he had stuff he wanted to send to Image.
I believe (hope) that he will try the indie route..
I can’t handle this anymore. I want to stop buying comics. I am so tired of the revolving door stuff going on at DC. While there are still great writers/artists in the “mix”, I am afraid to get too attached to any book, for fear that it get cancelled or have the creative team shuffled about. I was never a big Rob Liefield fan, but watching DC put their eggs in that basket and then knock him over is a huge disservice to his fans. Did Hawkman/Deathstroke/Grifter get better after he left? No, they got cancelled short months later. (BTW, is Grifter still getting published?). It seems as if in a few months the only writers left at the publisher will be Johns, Lemire, Didio, Tynion, and Lobdell. (I would’ve put Simone in that group, but we’ve seen her treated like garbage recently, so it will only be a matter of time…) I love DC comics. I have a collection that goes back to before Crisis on Infinite Earths. When will this craziness end? PS Robinson, I stuck behind you with all of the pre-New 52 JLA stuff and I really liked it, especially Supergirl and Grayson/Batman.
You know, there are other comic book companies and creators out there. Perhaps you would like to find out more about the Good Word of Brian K. Vaughn? Here, take a pamphlet.
Unfortunate but I don’t think it’ll still make DC realize they are in the shit.
It’s gonna take an even bigger name that Robinson for that to happen. If someone like Johns, Lemire, or Synder decides to leave (doubtful but you never know now) then DC is gonna get their act together. Hope I’m not sounding too callous about Robinson leaving. Just not a big fan of his like a lot of people are. Still doesn’t make this news any less depressing and frustrating.
I’d been wondering for some time, how long it would take for DC Editorial to notice Earth 2 and start fucking around with it. So, the time is upon us.
In spite of the disastrous 12 months DC’s had in the talent management dept, I’m still surprised at this bad, bad news and the abrupt nature of James Robinson’s departure.
I really am beginning to lose faith in the DC brand, entirely.
The only bright spot lately for DC is Lemire’s Green Arrow. Other than that, mostly crap. The new 52 was bad since the beginning. You’re doing something wrong when someone like me doesn’t like a Swamp Thing or Animal Man book. I literally could go on for hours. It just really bums me out.
OK, I spend one day off this site to avoid Star Trek spoilers (just saw it, loved it) and this is what happens? Honestly, I haven’t been buying Earth 2 every month, but have been enjoying what I did read. Yes, Robinson’s recent work has been mixed, but this was a good title, which I’ll miss. In my mind, he’s never gotten the full attention that his best work deserves. I hope that another publisher picks him up soon.
The train wreck continues. I didn’t read E2, but losing Robinson is a big deal. How long is this going to continue before somebody does something about it? Can WB do anything? DC is so fucked and they don’t even realize it. If this keeps up, there isn’t going to be a DC Comics.
Sounds like dc editoral has done it again !!?? as somebody said earlier i think the only safe writers are johns,lemire and snyder at the moment
Once upon a time I loved DC comics. Now every time I see them on the racks I feel a strange emptiness towards them. I never thought a company could fall so low so fast, but I guess if you try hard enough anything is possible.
I’ll be dropping Earth 2 after issue #16. Thinking about cutting way back on my DC books.. its just getting too unpredictable over there. Can’t seem to get their shit together.
I had just announced publicly (to myself) that “I love this book” The panel of \Green Lantern swooping in to Boston and finding the Flash in the middle of a fight and then them re-grouping and setting off to take on the
World Army made me so happy. Something about the design and that this team feels like it is now coming together as a team on it’s way to being a family just hit all the right points for me. I was looking forward to the future of this book tucked away from the greater DCU to do it’s own thing. This news is sad and worrying. Lets hope they get someone really good on it and leave it alone to do it’s own thing.
This is completely disappointing, and believe with all the high profile veteran writers leaving that its not due to money but upper management pointing these guys in directions they don’t wanna go and ultimately ruining what they were doing with their stories. His slow build and long term plan was always gonna connect with the main DCU eventually, it was just great that it was getting built without any outside influence but eventually it would tie in when he wanted it too. Worlds Finest technically connected Earth-2 to the main DCU already as well as certain characters mentions as well as Darkseids invasion of both worlds. I really hope Nikola Scott stays on board and a good writer takes over knowing Robinson’s plans then does well further. This is one of the only DC books I still get and care about, I’ll give it a shot after #16 and am still excited for this new Earth-2 Batman. Maybe this creator leaving trend being more of an outing this time will cause a ripple effect change that turns some things around at DC. Too many good characters to suck any longer.
DC Comics is a total joke. Such a clown show.
Ridiculous editorial forcing out creative talent. A horrifying disregard for talented artists. It’s baffling to consider that just a little over a year ago, DC was considered the easy winner over Marvel. As of now DC is so bad, and Marvel is killing it so good, that it feels as if it’s been this way for ages. Holy crap, DC. You guys are a disgrace.
Bob Harras needs to go. NOW.
Ugh…..fucking Bob Harras……
It has been “this way” for ages if we are talking about sales. Marvel has been beating DC in sales for a decade or two or three. That blip in 2012 was just that, a blip. Frankly i gave DC a huge shot reading half of the 52 for more than a year but man is the talent jumping ship quick and its been showing in book quality. You are right about Marvel putting out quality books right now. Bad position to be in for DC when marvel is putting out their best work in a decade and DC is probably putting out its worst. Theres more to come.
Just wfi i dont wish anything bad on DC .. but geez.
@ j206 @ilovecomics I wholeheartedly agree that DC is showing a complete lack of respect for the talent that makes the magic. They both have killer titles but its just sad why and how so many have failed with DC. It’s like I want to give them props for taking a bold chance on everything and giving books a shot no one expected to see, on the other hand the constant creator shuffling on the titles that were good and now cancelled combined with the obvious disregard for talent that I don’t care to give them that much respect at this point, in history overall yeah, I love em and hope they pull it together and not just rely on the constants like Snyder & Lemiere. Grant Morrison doing that DC Multiverse project should open some doors as well as the WW Earth One. Marvel is killing it with many titles and while I hate the $3.99 tag and in house ads too often in some issues, I truly enjoy some of they’re titles much more right now. That itself is pointless though cause I still love a handful of DC titles including Earth-2, OH F@#k!!! It!! Good thing we got IDW,Image, Dark Horse & ONI, Valiant,etc….with great new series like East To West, Jupiters Legacy, Sex, Chin Music, and soon to come Lazarus, Bounce, Quantum & Woody….along with consistent pleasers Saga, BPRD, Manhattan Projects, Nowhere Men, X-O….and many more. So I can see some ppl avoiding the big two altogether but for me they’re the soul of it all and will always stay up on a cpl w em in good times or bad, they just lose and hopefully not completely lost sight of that soul . And yeah DC beat Marvel for like a cpl months in the sales charts when they launched the New52 and like one other time in history so it’s just business as usual at the House of Ideas.
Ya JSA kid. Your lists there from Saga to XO and IDW to Valiant .. a lot of great stuff coming out from them. Batman got me into comics as a kid and then Spiderman pulled me away from DC (except for Bat titles) for most of my life. But ive been an Indy guy for many years now. That doesnt mean i didnt give DC a shot year in and year out. I was very excited about the new 52. I dont know what happened. Im still reading 10 DC titles.. but Sword of Sorcery, I Vampire, the Frankenstein title, Demon Nights all canceled and the Green Lantern books getting 2 exciting new writers and then all of sudden leaving before starting. I was even excited about Andy Diggle on Superman or Action ( i forget) and then nothing. One thing Marvel is aware of is to fully commit to even lower selling books because as a company if you keep on canceling books.. the fans may not even pick up an issue 1.. thinking that it will just be canceled before a story is resolved. The Paul Cornell Vertigo book also comes to mind.. It was pretty good and then had an awful rushed ending. Anyway im still reading Batman and Inc, as well two of the Lantern titles, The new writer on Swamp thing hasnt missed a beat, and Animal man is still good, Green Arrow by Lemure is awesome, All star western is consistent, stormwatch has been starting to loose me (even though i love Starlin), and Justice league dark im thinking of dropping soon. I was reading so many more titles at one point though.
Its so weird. I love the DC characters more than anything else in the fictional world. I am a HARDCORE DC boy!
Two years ago, I didn’t read a single Marvel book.
Now, I collect way more Marvel stuff. WAY more!
Vertigo is dead, at the latest since they canned Hellblazer… now they are burying their image on the mainstream DC stuff too??? WHATS HAPPENING?!?!? Seriously! They HAVE to get their shit together! I feel really stupid, being a DC fan right now.
I don’t think that Vertigo is dead, yet. They’re releasing new series from Snyder, Lemire, and a Sandman prequel. That kind of slate does not say to me that they’re letting the ship sink. I do think that 2013 might be a make or break year for the imprint. If these series don’t meet expectations, then, I think that we can start writing obituaries . . .
Wait wait wait wait wait wait, are we ignoring “Fables”, “Fairest”, “The Unwritten”, and “American Vampire”?
I wasn’t ignoring them; I was merely citing high profile new projects that Vertigo is producing to counter the argument that DC is gradually closing up the imprint. The fact that they are heavily promoting the upcoming Unwritten/Fables arc is another example of how, I believe, they are trying to bring in more readers.
Don’t get me wrong, guys! Vertigo still has great series, but its a far cr from the early or mid 00’s! Image seems to be the new Vertigo right now, and as a huge Vertigo fan, that really makes me sad.
If DC comics is pushing out the veterans, I wonder if this means that they might be looking for some new talent?
I think that much has been pretty clear for a while — Kyle Higgins, James Tynion IV, Justin Jordan, Ray Fawkes and Ales Kot, among others have all gotten their Big 2 breaks with DC in the last two years.
The question is, are they looking for new talent because they want fresh perspectives, or do they want greener creators that won’t push back when they disagree with an editorial decision?
I mean, as fans we certainly can’t answer that question, nor should we really care. All I know is that when Batman Inc ends, I’ll be down to one DC book (Wonder Woman). And I’m not sure what it would take to reacquire my interest in new DC titles at this point.
Nothing on the dc web sight for writers, still looking for artist though.
I haven’t liked anything he’s written on his second tour with DC except for Shade and that’s been done for a while. Not the end of the world for me.
I’m am so happy that I’ve spent my money elsewhere since DC started to tank this past fall. Good to see I made the right choice!!!!!! Nothing like spending money on series just to have it abruptly go down the toilet. Guys break free, there are so many great comics from other companies. Just think what your missing out on sticking with this sinking ship. Vote with your dollars and let DC know they suck right now!!!!!!!!!!!
Horrendous work from DC here. It really does seem like the wheels are totally off behind-the-scenes there at this point. Earth 2 (and Batman) are easily DC’s best books. Robinson was one of their few writers who was must-read no matter what the book was. Marvel has SUCH a deeper roster of writers, James was one of the few reasons to check in on DC every month. Honestly, I think Valiant has a better set of writers than DC does now. Valiant > DC.
This is a bummer, as I consider myself a DC follower more so than any other publisher. It’s really disheartening when you see him tweet “man, it’s a lovely day..” along side his announcement that he would be leaving DC.
Get your shit together, DC…….please.
Start by getting Bob Harras the fuck out of the office. (Just a thought)
I dropped all of my DC books a few months back. This is the first time in about fourteen years I am getting zero titles From DC. This kind of thing keeps happening and it just makes me have no desire to support the company at all.
Also, I just wanted to be the thirtieth person in this comments section to say “long game.”
So after E2 #16 I’m down to two; Batman and Wonder Woman. That’s the fewest number of DC books I’ve been reading in over twenty years of reading comics.
On the bright side, they’re making it really easy for me to branch out and try more of their competitors’ books by freeing up all this space on my pull list.
I’m just going to buy less books. I’m not going to take my money and just throw it away to other companies just to spite DC or anything. There’s no chance in hell I will start picking up 3.99 Marvel 20 pagers. I enjoy some books from Image and Dark Horse, and even IDW and Avatar (despite their 3.99 price.)
Sometimes it seems like people are just rooting for DC to fail, for whatever asinine reason. Competition is good for the consumer, but I have seen so many people on the internet who can’t grasp this. If DC dies, will we getting 4.99 books from Disney Marvel in the near future?
At BCDX97
You can charge $3.99 if your books are actually good. Why would somebody spend $2.99 on books that suck and are going nowhere because of creator changes or the titles being canceled????? Who pays full price for books anyways ? Most LCS offer discounts and DCBS offers books for 40%-50% off.
@BCDX97: I never said I was doing it out of spite. I keep a limit on what I spend and how many books are on my pull list. It’s how I manage my comics-reading hobby. When you consider that, it’s perfectly logical that my dropping a book or a book being cancelled allows me the opportunity to try out things I wouldn’t have otherwise, regardless of publisher.
Because of the way I manage my pull list/budget I don’t have the same hangups you do regarding the dollar difference. I don’t mind paying an extra dollar for quality when I can afford to do so.
Since you know nothing about me, it’s ridiculous to assume I’m hoping DC will “fail”. I don’t need to explain my lifelong love of the DCU to you. Believe me when I say I want DC to right the ship. It’s obvious from the large majority of comments here that something is wrong. Fans aren’t happy. It doesn’t mean that everyone is waiting for the company to fall apart. It means they aren’t happy. Something is rotten at DC Comics whether you want to acknowledge it or not.
These things are cyclical. They’ll fix it, and they’ll be back on top. But in the meantime, I’m not going to spend my money on books I don’t want to read out of some imagined sense of loyalty. It’s not up to any one of us to save them. It’s up to us to vote with our wallets and convey our discontent with the direction that things are going. That is the one and only responsibility we have, and the only kind of power we possess to change things.
@WheelHands I didn’t mean you specifically as wanting them to fail. A lot of people on the Internet are that way, they try to tear everything down. I can understand your frustration with DC – I’m frustrated, too.
I can afford four buck books if that’s what I want – I just don’t think any Marvel books are worth a dollar more. I don’t think any DC books are, either, and since they seem like they are going to start creeping up in price, I’m sadly getting myself ready to walk away.
But DC has more good books than just Batman and Wonder Woman – the situation is not that dire.
I have some marvel books I feel are worth 3.99, but mostly yea DC has more good books than just Batman and Wonder Woman, totally agree. I buy somewhere around equal marvel and dc books, and enjoy both. Feels like i’m in the minority around these parts lately.
I also think that while it isn’t a good sign, Earth 2 for me wasn’t at the point where I can’t imagine someone doing better on writing. It was good but I think it could be amazing with the cast already in place.
The number of “good” books any publisher has is always a matter of personal opinion. Obviously, that kind of thing can’t (or at least shouldn’t) be debated. I’m sure a lot of readers can’t separate the work from what’s going on behind the curtain, and I agree that’s unfortunate. I try not to let the business side of things influence my reading, but I’m sure I’ve fallen victim to that once or twice.
In this case though, I’m confident that the universe they’re building at the moment just doesn’t appeal to me. I admit, I resisted the entire concept of the relaunch, and if any executive decision influenced my reading preference, it’s probably that one. Ironically though, the two books (besides Batman) that I’ve been enjoying the most are the two that I feel truly followed through and delivered on the promise of the New 52, and those were Earth 2 and Wonder Woman. New stories, and creative spins on old favorites executed by talented creators.
I can honestly say that everything I’ve dropped in the last two years has genuinely felt second-rate to me. I made a decision a long time ago not to blindly read anything that doesn’t truly excite me, and as far as I’m concerned, all I’m doing is following through on that decision.
I think what really matters here is that, despite our differences, we all seem to agree that something is wrong at DC Comics, and we hope it gets sorted out sooner rather than later.
@WheelHands 2nd rate is a great way to put it. They don’t have too many writers who could crack Marvel at this point. And their art on the whole is some of the most bland stuff in comics right now.
Who else has left DC recently? I tried most of the new 52, only stuck with Batman and Nightwing, thought most of the rest was pretty poor. Earth 2 didn’t interest me all that much but Robinson’s other work is great.
At mattfox7669, I think you mean if your books are popular you can charge 3.99, many of Marvel’s best books have been 2.99. Daredevil, Hawkeye, FF, Remender X-force, Avengers Arena, Gillen JiM.
Remender leaves X-Force you get 2 X-force books instead of one but it is now popular so now they make 2 3.99 books when the writing hasn’t gotten better than Remender and the art certainly hasn’t gotten better than Opena or Noto.
DC has had some creative issues but people are going out of control with this as usual.
Batman and Wonder Woman are the ones usually mentioned but books like Batwoman, The Flash, Batman Inc, and Aquaman have been consistently good this whole time as well.
Other books such as Detective comics, Green Arrow, JL and JLA, have recently come out or gotten teams that work and they are not good books.
Yes DC needs to fix something with editorial, maybe this involves firing Harras but they are still putting out some good books. Marvel is fresh into a relaunch but it isn’t all gold, they double ship expensive low risk books with tissue paper for covers.
@Arathi411 Thank you. I feel like DC is still putting out a lot of fantastic books, too.
As a reader of Justice Society related books since 1991’s relaunch miniseries I was really disappointed to learn that those characters couldn’t exist in the New 52. So while it wasn’t the same as any of the earlier JSA incarnations and there the idea of legacy was gone from the book, Robinson was doing great work on Earth 2 while navigating stormier than normal editorial waters. My excitement that the Earth 2 universe would expand soon with Robinson on another book apparently will be unfulfilled.
If James can stomach more “property work” over at Marvel, I hope they scoop him up and turn him loose on perhaps their own legacy heroes: Invaders, Timely era stuff, or frankly anything else.
Sadly, Flash is now the last book I’m invested in at DC. Meanwhile I’m enjoying, for the first time in years, some Marvel books on a monthly basis thanks to some other longtime DC writers who made the move. I didn’t have a reason to look elsewhere before, but the New 52 has found me in exodus mode.
Shame as I was enjoying Earth 2. Not as much as a lot of DC’s other books but it was a decent read. I am however reserving judgement untill either a new writer is annonced (please not Scott Lobdell) or it’s canellation.
I dropped all my DC books awhile back and even though it sucks for DC fans and people losing jobs… I’m kinda stoked that this just expedites Image’s rise to the number 2 spot. You made a good choice Ron. I’m rooting for y’all. I’m predicting now that the big 2 will one day be Image and Marvel. Lets do this.
I read some Image books and 1 Marvel book, but I think that would just be horrible.
Marvel or DC doing bad is not good for the industry, the relationship between the big 2 and independent publishers is huge in my opinion. Look at sales for whatever month and tell me how many high sale independent books have talent that didn’t get their name out there originally through one of the big 2 and get back to me. DC or Marvel goes under that is half the jobs out there for freelancers to get known to a wider audience.
Also Image is doing well but they are a platform for independent talent but it is pretty high risk for the creator, with some of them resorting to things like kick starter to get things off the ground as well as more independent books from dynamite and dark horse, what happens to them if another publisher steps up their game to compete on this front.
As long as DC has Batman, that will never happen. Thats a good thing. Image doing well is great, but they are doing so well because they still are Indy. If that were to change, I think Image would change with that too and masbe not for the better.
Also, I am a hardcore DC fan and don’t want to see them drown.
The only DC title I’m still reading is Wonder Woman. If that gets screwed up, I’m off of DC for the foreseeable future. At least until Grant Morrison’s Wonder Woman project and his Multiversity crop up. But those aren’t ongoing titles.
I got into comics with the “New 52”. Reading comics is the first hobby I’ve been excited about in years. DC comics is my first love when it comes to the comics industry. I’ve tried hard to expand my reading to marvel, darkhorse, and Image, but DC will always be special to me. Now it seems like leaving DC is becoming a “thing” for high profile writers and artists to do. I may have not been paying attention, but from what I think I’m supposed to understand, its due to editorial attempting to rule writers with an iron fist? Is there a reason why the big two don’t allow writers more freedom? What am I missing here?
Most people have been pretty tight-lipped about it. I don’t know why–maybe a severance tied to keeping one’s mouth shut? No idea. One big exception has been Rob Liefeld, and a simple google search will tell you the whole story there. For whatever reason, Marvel is doing a much better job at holding on to their talent in terms of both art and writing than DC right now.
I’m loving where Marvel is right now.
First ill say its good that you are open minded about trying all companies (try harder). To me after reading comics for 20 years since i was around ten ive learned to follow writers from one company to the next. I think youll find that following writers is the best way to get the most bang for your buck. I still have a soft spot for Batman, the Flash, and Spidey and ill come back to them when new writer/artist teams switch on and off those books but largely i buy favorite writers. As for DC I dont know all the ins and outs of whats going on but ive never seen anything like it in comics before. It seems very unstable. For me it affects what new series im going to try at DC because any new series at DC seem to be destined to go unfinished. Whats worse than not reading the end of a story? I dont want that. Marvel seems to allow more freedom partly because they have some real talent in high positions at Marvel and id guess these guys know how to treat “other talent”. Also the fact of the matter with guys like Hickman, Aaron, Ennis, Bendis, Waid, Wood, Remender, and Cornell working for Marvel the talent is not even comparable to DC’s. So Marvel may be able to give these guys more freedom just because they are more talented. I mean if half of DC’s writing staff are second stringers maybe they need more direction. Anyway Marvel Now is the best Marvel had been for a decade. I highly recommend it. All New Xmen, FF, Thor, Avengers Arena, Guardians of the Galaxy, New Avengers, and Thanos rising.. all very impressive. Why does Image give more freedom to their talent.. its because its not their talent.. Image doesnt own the things they publish so they have to give more freedom to their artists. Lots of other Indy companies have similar kinds of contracts from what i understand. Anyway i think the answer is for editorial to not have too much or too little control.. otherwise you end up with garbage comics. There have been quite a few stinkers from Image this year as well even though they are the “darling” of the comics medium at the moment. I would say GO VALIANT COMICS and GO DARKHORSE COMICS. They do it right. And DC please clean up your act.
@ilovecomics I’m currently reading All New X-men, Thor, and Guardians of the Galaxy, and Thanos Rising, I love them too. I still would put Batman, Justice League, Aquaman, and Batman and Robin over any of my favorite marvel books. The art seems a lot better. I love Wolverine and the X-men and the story of Uncanny X-men but the artists are all so terrible. Thanks for the comment, I will keep trying hard to try as may different things as I can.
>Frazier Irving
>terrible
does not compute
Ya ive been buying Batman and Batman and Robin since they came out .. ive been on and off aquaman just because of budget/time reasons but i dropped J League somewhere in the first year (that just personal for me.. I cant wrap my head around having all of the best heroes on one team.. I liked Avengers soo much more when wolvie and spidery werent on it too). Seems you have good taste DSsamurai cheers. If you take any of my advice dip into Valiant Comics they have been out of this world this year.
“Well I’m shocked” said nobody
Is there a pool on who leaves next?
It’s a tough time in the industry, right? As indie publishing options expand and creators want to do creator owned work, we’re going to see a lot of changes. The way I see it, working for DC or Marvel is still a very special thing, and worth enduring whatever editorial wants from you. Of course, if you really feel like certain editorial demands will ruin your run on a book, maybe creative integrity demands you have to walk. If you put out a crappy book, the reading public may never forgive you–even if the real reason came from editorial. DC and Marvel will have to rethink what it takes to keep great creators on their books, and in the end that should mean better books for all of us.
I think that Marvel, despite their faults, have at least tried to give their creators room to do what they want. I mean, they let Dan Slott kill Spider-Man right after Spidey’s fiftieth and right around Stan Lee’s birthday. That’s pretty bold and I can’t see anyone at DC outside of Morrisson getting away with that sort of thing. Also, the early promos for Marvel NOW advertised the creators even more than the characters.
With his exit, I will be down to Batman, Green Arrow, Justice League, All Star Western, and two comics that I’m on the bubble of dropping (Aquaman and Animal Man.) Hopefully Snyders Batman run and Lemires Arrow will run for a while. At this point not much would surprise me though.
Uh-oh. Damn. His Earth-2 reboot was better than ANYTHING DC’s done w/ the New 52. There are times when I’m reading an issue of Earth-2 and wishing it was the New 52.