I’m a bit tied-up at the moment
What part of “shared universe” seems to confuse some comic fans?
I’m just read this, and the comments from the nerderazzi, on Newsarama. I would post a reply there, but I’ll just be told that I suck. I can take that, but can’t be bothered with it. That negativity has to be a partial cause of what’s wrong with our industry.
There a number of issues which fans are unhappy with, and I will address these over the course of the next few days. The first to get the righteous treatment is “Why are there so many cross-over tie-ins (which I have to buy)?”
The DC Universe is a shared universe. If big events happen in one corner of it, then those events will and should impact all other relevant parts of the universe. That is the fun of reading comics – the interaction between different characters that all exist in the same world.
Personally, I think DC have treated the current situation incorrectly by even pointing out that the issues tie-in to miniseries. This is not your father’s cross-over. Remember the days of the annual event, where a miniseries would run for a period and regular titles would tie into it under some pretence. Here we are talking about cross-universe events, happening simultaneously which involve every character. The stories are too big to tell in mini-series, and their ramifications need to be explored in the individual titles. If not, they risk degenerating into what the naysayers hate – mindless marketing stunts!
Sometimes the tie-in will affect the whole issues, and sometimes they will be less significant, but writers should not feel like they cannot use an element of another story and feel like they have to concentrate on it. For example, when Superman is attacked by an OMAC, in Superman 217, that was not the focus of the tale. And it served a purpose – I now believe that these OMACs are monitoring and testing the meta-human population. At the end of Teen Titans #23, Doctor Light is whisked away by Deathstroke and Ravager to join the Society – I have seen evidence of the Society in action and now their expansion is more believable.
If fans don’t like what is going on, then they have several choices:
Stop reading continuity comics: Perhaps you like comics, but are disgusted by not being able to read Batman stories that are not sullied by the appearance of Green Arrow or Zatanna. Well read Legends of the Dark Knight, a generally out-of-continuity title that deals predominantly with stories set in the fabled “Year One” period. Or All-Star Batman and Robin. Even Detective Comics is currently running “City of Crime” by David Lapham, which is a stand-alone pre-War Games tale. Then of course there are the hundreds of Graphic Novels of stand alone material (e.g. Batman Black and White) which you may not have read. Plus at any one point there are at least two miniseries or One-Shots coming out that while (sometimes) part of continuity are certainly written as stand-alone stories (e.g. Dark Detective).
In fact, if the DCU is that offensive then read a Vertigo title, or move over to a more manageable universe.
Don’t buy titles which you deem unnecessary: I think DC are doing a great job recapping important story elements that occur in other titles- just look at Prelude to Infinite Crisis. A large amount of the current controversy surrounds the use of the Superman and Wonder Woman titles to tell a four part storyline that bridges OMAC Project Issues 3 and 4. However, the first pages of OMAC 4 are a recap of what has happened.
In this case I don’t deny that it would have been advantageous to read these stories. However, at what point does a reference to another story spoil a reader's ability to appreciate that tale? (Probably a discussion for another time before I start ranting about that too!)
Overall, just buy the titles that you like. If you hate what is being done, then a threshold is soon reached where the annoyance you feel is greater than the happiness you get from buying the comic, in which case see above, or stop buying altogether – the medium isn’t for you.
I’m just read this, and the comments from the nerderazzi, on Newsarama. I would post a reply there, but I’ll just be told that I suck. I can take that, but can’t be bothered with it. That negativity has to be a partial cause of what’s wrong with our industry.
There a number of issues which fans are unhappy with, and I will address these over the course of the next few days. The first to get the righteous treatment is “Why are there so many cross-over tie-ins (which I have to buy)?”
The DC Universe is a shared universe. If big events happen in one corner of it, then those events will and should impact all other relevant parts of the universe. That is the fun of reading comics – the interaction between different characters that all exist in the same world.
Personally, I think DC have treated the current situation incorrectly by even pointing out that the issues tie-in to miniseries. This is not your father’s cross-over. Remember the days of the annual event, where a miniseries would run for a period and regular titles would tie into it under some pretence. Here we are talking about cross-universe events, happening simultaneously which involve every character. The stories are too big to tell in mini-series, and their ramifications need to be explored in the individual titles. If not, they risk degenerating into what the naysayers hate – mindless marketing stunts!
Sometimes the tie-in will affect the whole issues, and sometimes they will be less significant, but writers should not feel like they cannot use an element of another story and feel like they have to concentrate on it. For example, when Superman is attacked by an OMAC, in Superman 217, that was not the focus of the tale. And it served a purpose – I now believe that these OMACs are monitoring and testing the meta-human population. At the end of Teen Titans #23, Doctor Light is whisked away by Deathstroke and Ravager to join the Society – I have seen evidence of the Society in action and now their expansion is more believable.
If fans don’t like what is going on, then they have several choices:
Stop reading continuity comics: Perhaps you like comics, but are disgusted by not being able to read Batman stories that are not sullied by the appearance of Green Arrow or Zatanna. Well read Legends of the Dark Knight, a generally out-of-continuity title that deals predominantly with stories set in the fabled “Year One” period. Or All-Star Batman and Robin. Even Detective Comics is currently running “City of Crime” by David Lapham, which is a stand-alone pre-War Games tale. Then of course there are the hundreds of Graphic Novels of stand alone material (e.g. Batman Black and White) which you may not have read. Plus at any one point there are at least two miniseries or One-Shots coming out that while (sometimes) part of continuity are certainly written as stand-alone stories (e.g. Dark Detective).
In fact, if the DCU is that offensive then read a Vertigo title, or move over to a more manageable universe.
Don’t buy titles which you deem unnecessary: I think DC are doing a great job recapping important story elements that occur in other titles- just look at Prelude to Infinite Crisis. A large amount of the current controversy surrounds the use of the Superman and Wonder Woman titles to tell a four part storyline that bridges OMAC Project Issues 3 and 4. However, the first pages of OMAC 4 are a recap of what has happened.
In this case I don’t deny that it would have been advantageous to read these stories. However, at what point does a reference to another story spoil a reader's ability to appreciate that tale? (Probably a discussion for another time before I start ranting about that too!)
Overall, just buy the titles that you like. If you hate what is being done, then a threshold is soon reached where the annoyance you feel is greater than the happiness you get from buying the comic, in which case see above, or stop buying altogether – the medium isn’t for you.
posted by Bat-Mac at 4:45:00 pm
1 Comments:
There is room for both, as I discussed in the article. Just don't buy a continuity title and then be shocked when Annex appears, warning of cross-universe impending doom.
DC are always publishing miniseries that are not "shared universe" driven, especially involving Batman, Superman or the JLA. I'm not sure what the situation is at the House of M.
Cross-overs in the past have been handled very badly, especially at Marvel, where editorial pressures have destroyed many a writer's will to live. That doesn't mean they are a bad idea.
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