SDCC: DC Comics: The New 52 – Thursday Panel

Welcome to the spin zone.

Who was there: Co-Publisher Dan DiDio, Editor-in-Chief Bob Harras, Executive Editor Eddie Berganza, JT Krul, Paul Levitz, Paul Cornell, Cliff Chiang, Dan Jurgens, Freddie Williams II, and Scott Lobdell.

Dan DiDio: “We’ve heard all these concerns, and I come to you, what do we have to do to change your mind?”

Fan: Hire women! [CBR reports he got loud applause] Why’d you go from 12% to 1% in women creators?

DiDio asked what that number actually meant to people and who he should be hiring, with names like Alex De Campi and Nicola Scott thrown out (he said “Damn right we should hire Nicola Scott, implying they have plans for the artist)

And that’s why statistics are valuable.

Wonder Woman

(CBR) Chiang said his and Brian Azzarello’s “Wonder Woman” would “hit the ground running.” “We don’t need to know what Wonder Woman’s origin is again.”

Yes, yes we do need to know! New readers will need to know! DC just completely fucked up her origin! How can they say that?! Women don’t get histories?!

(CBR) Chiang added that the gods will feel contemporary—”they can change how they look”—and may initially be unnamed, leaving readers to investigate who’s who.

I’m sorry, leaving characters unnamed is just stupid. How is this accessible to new readers again?

(CBR) A fan asked whether the new “Wonder Woman” comic might focus more on her compassionate, ambassadorial role rather than her warrior persona. Chiang hesitatingly said “we’re not focusing on that,” but “there will be a human side to her” and “the covers may be more extreme than what’s in the book.”


Teen Titans

(CBR) Lobdell then spoke about “Teen Titans.” “How many of you are excited about ‘Teen Titans?” he asked, to applause. “How many think I’m going to really screw it up?” again to applause. “You are so wrong!”

Wow. What a douche.

CBR reported that

Lobdell also said he would try not to repeat things that have already been done with the characters, noting distinctive new features for Red Robin and Wonder Girl.

While Newsarama live-blogged him as saying

“We’re trying not to repeat any characters” That’s why they changed the costumes so much on some familiar characters like Red Robin and Wonder Girl.

“We’re working really hard to make these characters feel like this is ground zero of a brand new book.”

I’m not sure if the “not repeating characters” refers to completely reinventing the Teen Titans looks and personality or avoiding repeating storylines, or both. On first reading the Newsarama version, I thought he was saying that Wonder Girl and Red Robin’s changes were part of DC eliminating “duplicate” characters like Donna Troy or Wally West from the universe, just like the first Crisis. (Which I still think they’re doing, if inconsistently.)

Marvel Family

Q: Marvel family, when are we going to get them?

DiDio: “They’re an important initiative and we’re trying to line them up with the rest of the company”

“The next big wave of books that come through, we’ll have them a part of it, I guarantee it.”

I’m adding that to my list of promises that Dan DiDio will fail to deliver on.

Wally West & Family

A fan who liked the multiple generations of speedsters asked about Wally West and his family in the DCnU

DiDio “Right now there are no plans for Wally West in the new Flash series”

Q: “I’m here to still talk about Wally West…”

DiDio “okay…”

Fan: “Last year you said you took Wally off the table so Barry could be the sole focus, and now you’re still saying that again.”

DiDio “We did say that last year cause we did want to build Barry Allen up as much as possible, and this year with the relaunch even more so”

Fan “How does that work when you have four robins running around?”

DiDio “I think we could do that with all the characters” He ended the conversation by saying “I think we’ll be sticking with Barry for awhile.”

F*** you DiDio.

Legion of Super-Heroes

(Newsarama) Levitz “Legion #1 for the third time. They’ll keep making me do it until I do it right.”

“We’ll be gently easing them in with a modest cast at first.

(CBR) After Levitz said that his vision of the Legion’s future era changes every chance he has to start fresh, DiDio opened the floor to questions.

Here’s an idea: maybe they should try giving it to someone new. Someone with a plan for diversifying that all-white future, fixing the double-standard in girls’ and boys’ costumes, and not giving all the leading roles to male characters. If that’s not the vision Levitz has this time around, give him the boot.

Female fan started with “I mean absolutely no malice with this question but…”

Barbara Gordon moving from Oracle to Batgirl. why?

“Barbara Gordon is the most recognizable Batgirl”

Not. Good. Enough.

Q: What of Thunder Agents, Xombi, and Stephanie Brown?

DiDio: “Yes, No, and Yes”

(CBR) Berganza has a timeline of the new DCU “that you will never see,” but one that organizes the new universe. He added that real people “have history, but that doesn’t mean you tell people about it all at once.” Characters in the new DCU will reveal themselves in the same way.

I bet we’ll never see it because it doesn’t add up.

Sources: Newsarama, Comic Book Resources