A Crazy Theory

[Batman Fan 31593]

Disclaimer: First of all, let me state up front that this post contains a theory that is completely my own and that anyone reading it should NOT take it for fact.

Let me also state that I am a longtime reader of Batman comic books. I started reading at the age of 10 in 1992, and with the Knightfall crossover a year later I was hooked. I have been a fan of Chuck Dixon ever since. I have many fond memories of growing up in the 90s reading his comics, and my favorite book was always Robin.

That said, something has been bothering me ever since the news broke that Chuck Dixon was no longer employed at DC. The timing of it all just seems odd to me. Here is the timeline of the past month:

On May 21, Robin #174 was released and revealed that Stephanie Brown was alive and that Leslie Thomkins had in fact not killed her, but faked her death.

Two weeks later, the Robin/Spoiler special was released on June 4.

Then the next week, on June 11, the bombshell news: Chuck Dixon is no longer employed at DC. http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=16759

On June 13, this excerpt from Chuck Dixon’s own website: http://www.dixonverse.net/


I did not quit.
I do not believe it had anything to do with politics.
My involvement with Robin ends with issue 174.


And finally, on June 16, the news came that Chuck’s editor on Robin, Jeanine Schaefer, has moved to Marvel. (Scroll down to the very bottom of the article)
http://www.marvel.com/blogs/Tom_Brevoort/entry/1189.My_Assistants

If you read Chuck’s comments from the Comics Should Be Good blog from last week, then you can infer that Chuck Dixon has no love for the way that DC is currently being run by Dan Didio (He never mentions Dan by name, but its obvious that it’s Dan he’s talking about). If you haven’t read this blog, here’s a link:

http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/06/13/fridays-editorial-conference/

Here is a comment that Chuck made in an interview with CBR back on September 24, 2007 when it was announced that he would be returning to Robin:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=11526

And my immediate editor, Jeanine Schaefer, is quite amazing. She and I share the same ideas about what the book should be and she challenges me to take chances I might not have with a less enthusiastic editor."

I find that quote VERY interesting in light of what has happened these past few weeks. But I’ll get to that in a minute.

One thing that bothered me about the recently concluded Gotham Underground miniseries is that I just can’t reconcile it with Chuck’s run on Robin. In Gotham Underground, there is a Spoiler running around that can turn invisible and is working for the Penguin. That does NOT sound like Stephanie Brown to me. But we don’t know who it was, because the now concluded miniseries never revealed her identity. In fact, they went out of their way in that miniseries NOT to reveal her identity. (Remember issue #5, the flashback issue, which showed that version of the Spoiler out of costume, but with a puzzle piece shaped hole covering her face in every panel in which she appeared?)

My theory is that Chuck was supposed to reveal the Spoiler’s identity in Robin #174, but it WASN’T supposed to be Stephanie Brown. Nope, Dan Didio, who has his hands in everything these days, wanted Chuck to create a NEW Spoiler. The thing was, though, that Chuck didn’t want to create a new Spoiler, and instead he brought back Stephanie and fixed one of the worst mistakes made in the Bat-books in recent history. And his editor, Jeanine Schaefer, who according to Chuck, “shares the same ideas about what the book should be”, not only went along with it, but ran interference for Chuck and kept this hidden from Dan Didio until it was too late and the book had shipped. They even went so far as to include a character who looks just like Dan Didio in Chuck’s run on Robin. This character is introduced on the very first page of Chuck’s first issue, #170, and is then shot to death in #174. Coincidence?

The truth is that I really don't know what happened because I wasn't there, none of us were. We may never know what really happened. But regardless of whether or not my theory is accurate, it will be very interesting now that both Chuck and Jeanine are gone to see what DC does with Stephanie Brown’s character.

[cdemink]

VERY interesting. Well done.

[Jack Zodiac]

Huh. Wow, y'know, that makes a lot of sense.

[matthewaos]

That does make sense I think, and also that means I would really like to see Dixon on Punisher...

[pariah-1972]

To be honest i usually don't like conspiracy theories but you backed it up with enough proof and common sense that i can actually buy into this.

Job well done sir !

[Joe Acro]

That actually makes a lot of sense. That would definitely explain why they wouldn't be willing to publish the subsequent three issues.

[The Xenos]

Only one problem. Dan Didio reportedly has gone on record saying that he was a fan of Spoiler and liked the character. He said he wasn't in power soon enough to prevent her death. Then again, I think this could all be a bunch of PR bullcrap to soften the blow to fans. I haven't seen the actual quote and that he's never attempted in all these following years to fix it himself makes me question how much of a fan of the character he really is.

Unless DiDio purposefully wants to make himself look like the badguy, wants to paint a target on his head,, make himself the guy in the drunk tank, the fallguy for everything wrong at DC, I don't see how his presentation of himself is working. he avoids fan complains. He even has mocked fans that he's going to kill more characters. When was the last time he came forward with what went on? Superboy, Bart Allen, Spoiler, Nightwing, Cassandra Cain, and now this thing with Chuck Dixon and Morrison blabbing about Final Crisis. What the hell is going on there?

They even went so far as to include a character who looks just like Dan Didio in Chuck’s run on Robin. This character is introduced on the very first page of Chuck’s first issue, #170, and is then shot to death in #174. Coincidence?

THANK YOU! I thought I was the only one seeing it. I'm not crazy after all. Well, not on this account.

[Seraku]

Makes more sense than any other theory on this I've heard, kudos

[hichaec]

I don't know, I feel like just too many people would have to be in on this and willing to keep mum about it. I mean, not just Dixon and his editor - also the artists, inkers, letterers, colorists, etc. for not only Robin but the Robin/Spoiler Special as well.

I don't think that everyone involved in these books would be able to keep such a HUGE detail as the identity of one of the characters a secret from the EIC for so long.

And as much as I love Spoiler, if this is what happened, then, well...Dixon would be acting horribly unprofessional, even if it did make for a better story in the end. Even people who're known to disagree with Dixon on any number of things will go out of their way to point out how classy and professional he is. Trying to pull a fast one on your EIC is anything but classy, in my opinion. So just looking at this from Dixon's perspective, I'm doubtful about this.

[Captain Jim]

I had also wondered about the "coincidence" in time, that this all happened right after Stephanie was brought back. I had also noticed the difference in interpretations of the character in Robin and Gotham Underground. This scenario appears to make as much sense as anything.

I'm not sure one needs to infer that Chuck was trying to sneak anything past Didio. An EIC is not necessarily involved in all the little details of each title. Otherwise, why have editors? Unless, of course, said EIC tries to micro-manage every little detail that happens in the books. Which, come to think of it, seems to be exactly what Chuck is implying.

[the goddamn batman]

I don't know, I feel like just too many people would have to be in on this and willing to keep mum about it. I mean, not just Dixon and his editor - also the artists, inkers, letterers, colorists, etc. for not only Robin but the Robin/Spoiler Special as well.

I don't think that everyone involved in these books would be able to keep such a HUGE detail as the identity of one of the characters a secret from the EIC for so long.


If Schaefer was in on it, really, only she'd need to keep it from Didio. I can't say specifically as things differ from book to book and I don't work for DC, but my understanding (and professional experience as an artist) is that the creative teams usually send their work to the editor for approval, not the editor in chief.

But again, I could be wrong about that.

[hichaec]

I'm not sure one needs to infer that Chuck was trying to sneak anything past Didio.

But that's not even being inferred here; it's been outright stated, and it's at the crux of this theory.

I'm sorry, but even as someone who isn't a huge Dixon fan, I don't think it's fair to suggest he'd lie like that.

I don't know how to reconcile Steph with the Spoiler in Gotham Underground - but really, considering what happened with Death of the New Gods and Final Crisis, etc., I'm willing to chalk it up to miscommunication and general editorial mishandling.

[hichaec]

If Schaefer was in on it, really, only she'd need to keep it from Didio. I can't say specifically as things differ from book to book and I don't work for DC, but my understanding (and professional experience as an artist) is that the creative teams usually send their work to the editor for approval, not the editor in chief.

But again, I could be wrong about that.

I think you're probably right that they wouldn't have to have their stuff approved by Didio. But I am still unsure that everyone involved would be so coordinated - and willing - that a conspiracy like this could work.

Like I said, though, I'm not really knowledgeable about how comics get put together. :tongue:

[Captain Jim]

it's at the crux of this theory.

I don't see it like that.

I'm sorry, but even as someone who isn't a huge Dixon fan, I don't think it's fair to suggest he'd lie like that.

Who says he lied? He was in agreement with the book's editor; it shouldn't require the involvement, let alone the approval, of the EIC.

I don't know how to reconcile Steph with the Spoiler in Gotham Underground - but really, considering what happened with Death of the New Gods and Final Crisis, etc., I'm willing to chalk it up to miscommunication and general editorial mishandling.

That's certainly a possibility. I personally was more struck by the timing of how everything came down right after Steph was revealed as the Spoiler.

[The Xenos]

I don't know, I feel like just too many people would have to be in on this and willing to keep mum about it. I mean, not just Dixon and his editor - also the artists, inkers, letterers, colorists, etc. for not only Robin but the Robin/Spoiler Special as well.

I don't think that everyone involved in these books would be able to keep such a HUGE detail as the identity of one of the characters a secret from the EIC for so long.

And as much as I love Spoiler, if this is what happened, then, well...Dixon would be acting horribly unprofessional, even if it did make for a better story in the end. Even people who're known to disagree with Dixon on any number of things will go out of their way to point out how classy and professional he is. Trying to pull a fast one on your EIC is anything but classy, in my opinion. So just looking at this from Dixon's perspective, I'm doubtful about this.
That's a good point too. I don't see Chuck being.. well.. insane enough to do this. He is classy and repects his editors. Still, something is fishy. Something odd went down.

Also, yeah, the whole Robin / Spoiler special was made all about brining back Steph. I wouldn't think you could get a special issue done without you EIC noticing. Then again.. this is DC AOL Time Warner Comics. Who knows how their editorial is run.

Either way, aside from they theory, this page brings up a weath of statements and known events. From Chuck's statements to the news of his Robin editor moving to Marvel, it's all very interesting.

[hichaec]

I don't see it like that.

The thing was, though, that Chuck didn’t want to create a new Spoiler, and instead he brought back Stephanie and fixed one of the worst mistakes made in the Bat-books in recent history. And his editor, Jeanine Schaefer, who according to Chuck, “shares the same ideas about what the book should be”, not only went along with it, but ran interference for Chuck and kept this hidden from Dan Didio until it was too late and the book had shipped.

I'd be with you except for the "ran interference" bit. If there was no dishonesty involved, that wouldn't be necessary.

The theory hinges on the idea that they went out of their way to make sure that he never saw the book before it had already been printed. That is certainly trying to sneak something past him.

Frankly, I don't see how this theory could work without the supposition that Dixon lied. From the start, if Didio asked him to create a new Spoiler, how would the theory work if he outright refused? No matter what, it was asked of him and he didn't do it in such a way that he had to hide the book from the EIC until after the thing had been printed. That's a far cry from honesty.

[the goddamn batman]

I think you're probably right that they wouldn't have to have their stuff approved by Didio. But I am still unsure that everyone involved would be so coordinated - and willing - that a conspiracy like this could work.


That's assuming anyone other than Dixon and Schaefer even knew. The penciler, inker, colorist and letterer might not have been involved in conversations about Spoiler.

I know that I talk to my Art Directors. I don't talk to the CEO's or EIC's. If my art director tells me to draw X I draw X. I don't call the CEO or EIC to make sure things are on the up and up.

Again, I don't work for DC, and I can't comment on the specifics of how they work, but my professional experience leads me to believe that there's a chance only Dixon and Schaefer would be aware of what Didio wanted.

[hichaec]

But wouldn't that be a huge risk to take? If even one of them had asked a question or something to an assistant editor (or whomever) it could've blown the plan.

I don't know. I believe what you're saying and you're most likely totally right, but this whole conspiracy thing still sounds fishy to me.

[the goddamn batman]

But wouldn't that be a huge risk to take? If even one of them had asked a question or something to an assistant editor (or whomever) it could've blown the plan.

Sure. But Schaefer's obviously a smart person if she's an editor... and she could have stated that any questions be directed to her and Dixon... or any of the other possible ways to cover the bases.

I don't know. I believe what you're saying and you're most likely totally right, but this whole conspiracy thing still sounds fishy to me.

I'm not sure that I'd 'believe' me... I'm not sure I 'believe' me... but I do think it's possible.

[AlistairCrane]

In DC Nation around Christmas, it said something about Spoiler and a memorial in a Batcave, along with a comment saying that wouldn't be happening or something..and that coincided with the Dixon arc that brought her back.

I can't accept this theory because I think DiDio helped initiate the plan to bring back Steph. And I still think the Spoiler in GU was Steph, but they held off on revealing her identity so it would be revealed in Robin #174.

[Tanjint]

I don't necessarily think the subterfuge aspect is an integral part of the theory.

I think it's safe to say that between what the bat-book editors and Didio want due to R.I.P. and/or disagreement about exactly how to handle the return of Spoiler, Dixon decided he wanted out/Didio decided Dixon wasn't compatible with those plans.

-T

[pariah-1972]

I had also wondered about the "coincidence" in time, that this all happened right after Stephanie was brought back. I had also noticed the difference in interpretations of the character in Robin and Gotham Underground. This scenario appears to make as much sense as anything.

I'm not sure one needs to infer that Chuck was trying to sneak anything past Didio. An EIC is not necessarily involved in all the little details of each title. Otherwise, why have editors? Unless, of course, said EIC tries to micro-manage every little detail that happens in the books. Which, come to think of it, seems to be exactly what Chuck is implying.Does Dan really have time to do that with every single book out there?

[hichaec]

I don't necessarily think the subterfuge aspect is an integral part of the theory.

I...don't really understand how the theory is supposed to work if you take that stuff out? Then it would just be Dixon openly defying Didio, and if the latter were so against the return of Steph, I can't see why Dixon wouldn't have been fired sooner so Didio could "correct" the storyline.

[Batman Fan 31593]

IAnd as much as I love Spoiler, if this is what happened, then, well...Dixon would be acting horribly unprofessional, even if it did make for a better story in the end. Even people who're known to disagree with Dixon on any number of things will go out of their way to point out how classy and professional he is. Trying to pull a fast one on your EIC is anything but classy, in my opinion. So just looking at this from Dixon's perspective, I'm doubtful about this.

You know, I actually was thinking about this last night after I made my original post, and I agree with you. From what I know of Chuck, he IS a classy and professional guy. Doing something underhanded like I suggested doesn't seem like something he would do.

For the sake of argument, taking the premise of my theory that Dan Didio wanted a new Spoiler, is it possible that Chuck never new this? Does Dan even talk to the individual writers of the books? It's been suggested that Dan likes to micro-manage, but is it possible he only talks to the books editor and not to the writer? Perhaps Dan wanted a new Spoiler and Jeanine just allowed Chuck to do what he wanted to do. If so, perhaps this was a case of Jeanine Schaefer vs. Dan Didio, and Chuck just got caught in the middle. I know that Chuck came to Jeanine's defense in the thread on Comics Should Be Good, so I am fairly confident in assuming that if there was conflict between Jeanine and Dan, Chuck would side with Jeanine, which perhaps lead to his dismissal. But again, this is all just speculation. I don't work at DC and I wasn't there to witness what happened.

I'll be interested to see who is named as editor in the credit box for Robin #175 when it's released next month.

I don't know how to reconcile Steph with the Spoiler in Gotham Underground - but really, considering what happened with Death of the New Gods and Final Crisis, etc., I'm willing to chalk it up to miscommunication and general editorial mishandling.

Before someone brings it up, YES I am aware that Jeanine Schaefer worked on both Gotham Underground and Robin. But where she was THE editor on Robin, she was only the asst. to Mike Marts on Gotham Underground. She likely had MUCH more influence on Robin than she did on Gotham Underground.

I just wish some random fan would stand up at a convention and ask Dan Didio point blank "What were you thinking when you let Chuck Dixon go?" I doubt we'd get a straight answer but I'd still like to see his reaction.

[Joe Acro]

All this talk of subterfuge and Didio previously showing support and knowledge of Stephanie's return has me thinking.

Maybe they were building to a version of Stephanie as depicted in Gotham Underground, but Robin wasn't going to take her in that direction.

[Supermancho]

Let's keep this conspiracy thread between us. Don't let in Oliver Stone:biggrin:
http://myholes.co.uk/images/uploads/thumbs/thumb_batmanbegins.jpg

[Captain Jim]

I just wish some random fan would stand up at a convention and ask Dan Didio point blank "What were you thinking when you let Chuck Dixon go?" I doubt we'd get a straight answer but I'd still like to see his reaction.

I can tell you exactly what he'd say: "Next question."

[Tanjint]

I've been reading the comic book urban legends column back archives and saw the one where I believe it was Al Milgrom got fired from Marvel for hiding some insults to Bob Harras in his inkwork for one of the Earth X trilogy one shots....with this in mind, could it have been for something as simple as the Dan Didio character that Dixon created only to be killed?

-T

[Major Comma]

we may never know what happened,
Time will tell.