If you could re-launch an old DC book into a new Vertigo book, what would it be?

[lukewarmwater]

If you could re-launch an old DC book into a new Vertigo book, what would it be? Why?

[Scroe]

Slam Bradley from detective comics.

[Bicycle-Repairman]

How about The War That Time Forgot? Once again, a squad of American soldiers are trapped on a dinosaur-infested island in the South Pacific during World War II -- except this time with graphic violence and profanity (think Saving Private Ryan meets Jurassic Park)! Unlike the original series though, the story would follow a regular cast of characters as they try to survive on Dinosaur Island without the means to return to or contact the outside world.

[Cayman]

Phantom Stranger


Cay

[twilight]

Young Justice.

It would be about babies fighting crime.

[Harry]

Strange Sports Stories!

[Expletive Deleted]

Rip Hunter: Time Master.

I'm envisioning something really, really trippy.

[JeffreyWKramer]

I'd still love to see a Vertigo WONDER WOMAN book playing off all the psychosexual themes and s/m imagery from the original Golden Age WW stories. The bondage, the bracelets of submission, the original, freaky version of Dr. Psycho, the lesbian subtext ... in the hands of the right creators, this could be great stuff.

[Sabrinaset]

The Spectre

The Atomic Knight

The Atom

You know, with his continuity, Hawkman practically IS a vertigo book, because I get dizzy just thinking about it...

[dancj]

I'd make a point of leaving characters like Phantom Stranger and The Spectre in the DCU while still allowing them to appear in Vertigo stories. You need a few slightly Vertigo-ish characters for use in DCU stories.

[outlander78]

Slam Bradley, Martian Manhunter and Batman in Detective Comics.

The Gotham Central squad (though the title is so good I'm not sure if Vertigo would improve it beyond the lack of #$@%ing out the swearing).

[CaptMagellan]

I'd still love to see a Vertigo WONDER WOMAN book playing off all the psychosexual themes and s/m imagery from the original Golden Age WW stories. The bondage, the bracelets of submission, the original, freaky version of Dr. Psycho, the lesbian subtext ... in the hands of the right creators, this could be great stuff.

I love that idea.

My own, would be Man-Bat. Sort of like "Werewolf by Night" written with a modern sensibility - Peter Milligan maybe. With art by Mahnke and Nguyen.

[Indigo Al]

The Forever People, set in the 60's and 70's, exploring the America of that time.

Although now that I think of it, it could lead to some tired cynical "dark explorations" of this very bright Kirby concept.

It would have to be done the same way that Neil Gaiman dealt with Prez: Teen President.

[FanboyStranger]

I have always had this crazy idea that a Vertigo New Gods series by Warren Ellis and Kevin O'Neill would be incredible. It's not that I'm one of the blind Ellis faithful-- in fact, I'd have to say that I've been incredibly disappointed by his output from the period between the end of Transmet and his great new titles-- but I think he could be the guy to really explore the conceptual and philosophical themes underlying the whole Fourth World coupled with a real sci-fi edge.

[Screwtape]

I'd love to see a Joker ongoing. Script by Ed Brubaker, art by Bill Sienkiewicz, in a perfect world.

Also, DC needs a horror or crime anthology title that comes out on a regular basis and has really good people involved. I'd certainly read it.

[Adem]

Deadman would be a great Vertigo book.

[Lurker]

Deadman would be a great Vertigo book.

Yep, tailor made. I've always wondered why this was never done.

[4DGlasses]

Sugar and Spike.

Psycho Campbell's soup kids on acid meets Chucky from Child's Play.

[DubipR]

Inferior Five.

[kenaustin]

Fallen Angel. Should have been Vertigo from the start. Good luck at IDW PAD. I'll be there.

Milestone's Xombi and Blood Syndicate. Xombi is tailor made for Vertigo.

[CaptainAwesome]

Young heroes in love...you could do so much with the title alone.
Resurection man...unless he already has a vertigo book.
Sgt. Rock...love to see a regular series with him.
Suicide squad...well i mean c'mon.

[dancj]

Deadman would be a great Vertigo book.

Try to get Mark Millar's Swamp Thing run. He writes a great foul-mouthed Deadman

Dan

[Valen]

Young heroes in love...you could do so much with the title alone.
Resurection man...unless he already has a vertigo book.
Sgt. Rock...love to see a regular series with him.
Suicide squad...well i mean c'mon.
I loved Young Heroes in Love and Resurrection Man. Switching them to Vertigo would be an excellent idea.

I would also be onboard for a return of Aztek or Bloodhound.

[Slam_Bradley]

I've long wanted to do such a thing with the original Crimson Avenger. Largely like Wagner did with Sandman Mystery Theatre but focusing on organized crime and corrupt politics (to tie in with Lee Travis' newspaper connections) rather than the serial killers that Wes tended to run in to.

Would love to do similar period pieces with Slam Bradley and Dr. Occult.

[FanboyStranger]

Inferior Five.

Steve Gerber was trying to revive that for Vertigo, but Karen Berger convinced him that he'd be better off with his own concept, which lead to Nevada. I've always held out hope that some day he'd repitch his Inferior Five series, but I'm still holding out hope for Nevada II!.

[dancj]

Steve Gerber was trying to revive that for Vertigo, but Karen Berger convinced him that he'd be better off with his own concept, which lead to Nevada. I've always held out hope that some day he'd repitch his Inferior Five series, but I'm still holding out hope for Nevada II!.

Steve Gerber of all people pitching a revamp of existing characters?? I thought that went against his code of ethics

[Shellhead]

Angel and Ape.

[GeorgeG]

There's supposed to be a Deadman miniseries by Bruce Jones coming out sometime next year (I don't think it's about Brand though).

As for mine, a title with horror sensibilities: Desaad. Forget Hawkgirl, this is a title Walt Simonson should be writing.

[dancj]

Angel and Ape.

Howard Chaykin's already done that

[SpartanX]

Phantom Stranger, The Spectre, and Gotham Central-esque story

[Radical]

What about Dial H for Hero? Imagine the weird, freaky things that people could get turned into...

[miss5050]

maybe a little off topic
but I'd like to be a part of TRANSMETROPOLITAN
that comic book now
ppl talking with artists/writers online, be in the the middle of all this
WOW :o

[CaptainAwesome]

How about New Gods, or the Fourth World. It could be like Rome, but good.

[f. chong rutherford]

Maybe it happened and I missed it, but I always thought a Doctor Thirteen (the Ghost-Breaker!) series was tailor-made for Vertigo. I mean, how does that character react when he runs into real ghosts and goblins? He's the precursor of Scooby-Doo mysteries, and thus should ABSOLUTELY be redone with as much nudity, swearing, and decon/reconstruction as possible. In fact, it'd be even better if it was "Doctor Thirteen, Jr." or some such. His father, the original ghost-debunker, is killed on his last case. Junior is then haunted by his father's ghost, unsure if it's real or a hallucination.

[DubipR]

I always thought Night Force would be a great Vertigo book. Horror, occult and other freaky stuff would fit in nicely here. Plus, it would be cool to see Baron Winters again.

[Prelude]

Impact Comics, an imprint of DC, published a title called Black Hood (http://milehighcomics.com/cgi-bin/backissue.cgi?action=list&title=10941573610&snumber=1) in the early 1990s. The dark, urban setting and fair share of shady characters are perfect pickings for a Vertigo-style overhaul.

[FanboyStranger]

Maybe it happened and I missed it, but I always thought a Doctor Thirteen (the Ghost-Breaker!) series was tailor-made for Vertigo. I mean, how does that character react when he runs into real ghosts and goblins? He's the precursor of Scooby-Doo mysteries, and thus should ABSOLUTELY be redone with as much nudity, swearing, and decon/reconstruction as possible. In fact, it'd be even better if it was "Doctor Thirteen, Jr." or some such. His father, the original ghost-debunker, is killed on his last case. Junior is then haunted by his father's ghost, unsure if it's real or a hallucination.

I remember they did a Doctor Thirteen one-shot a few years ago. It wasn't particularly good.

[dekard49]

I think Azrael could do with the Vertigo treatment. Preferably Jean Paul Valley, but I think theres a motherload of material in some of the older, more "primitive" Azraels as well..

[aderechelsea]

Joker written by Azzarello ...

(no Batman in it .... just killing and insanity ..)

[Tony Bang]

I'd still love to see a Vertigo WONDER WOMAN book playing off all the psychosexual themes and s/m imagery from the original Golden Age WW stories. The bondage, the bracelets of submission, the original, freaky version of Dr. Psycho, the lesbian subtext ... in the hands of the right creators, this could be great stuff.

Sounds cool, but one question, what was it that made this version of Dr. Psycho so freaky?

[stealthwise]

Not exactly DC into Vertigo, but I'd love to see Marvel's Inhumans turned into a Vertigo book completely separate from a superhero realm and context. A world and society of mutated beings with strange powers would rock. I'd want Jenkins and Jae Lee on it, of course. :)

[gorosaurus]

If you could re-launch an old DC book into a new Vertigo book, what would it be?
The Adventures of Bob Hope...In Hell.

[abyss]

I always thought that Ragman given a good writer like Morrison would be a good title.

[Apathy Boy]

I dunno... Do you think there's a market for "Vertigo-izing" DC characters anymore? Vertigo's biggest hits from the last few years have been creator-owned books like PREACHER, TRANSMETROPOLITAN, FABLES and Y THE LAST MAN. New books based on DC characters have been failing spectacularly for a while now.

[MarkSullivan]

I dunno... Do you think there's a market for "Vertigo-izing" DC characters anymore? Vertigo's biggest hits from the last few years have been creator-owned books like PREACHER, TRANSMETROPOLITAN, FABLES and Y THE LAST MAN. New books based on DC characters have been failing spectacularly for a while now.

Thanks for saying that! Sometimes I feel like I'm the only message board denizen who sees it that way. Really, even in the early years some of the "matured" DC character titles didn't do that well. Doom Patrol faded fast, and Black Orchid and Kid Eternity were early failures. Whatever marketing power that approach once had, it seems to have completely dissipated.

[Slam_Bradley]

Thanks for saying that! Sometimes I feel like I'm the only message board denizen who sees it that way. Really, even in the early years some of the "matured" DC character titles didn't do that well. Doom Patrol faded fast, and Black Orchid and Kid Eternity were early failures. Whatever marketing power that approach once had, it seems to have completely dissipated.


How many of these have been tried recently?

I'd hardly call the 69 issues of Doom Patrol after Morrison took over "fading fast." Precious few series make even half that in the markets we've seen in the last umpteen years.

Sandman Mystery Theatre, Black Orchid and Kid Eternity started around the same time. The first went 70 issues. The others were much less sucessful with 22 and 16 respectively.

I honestly can't think of very many DC books that have been "Vertigoized" in the last five years.

And for every Preacher or Y: The Last Man, you have a series like The Minx or Deadenders that tanks.

There is no magic formula.

[TonyJaymz03]

as said, Slam Bradley

Crimson Avenger, but I'd go with the 2nd(or was it 3rd?)[ one. I always thought that was a cool character.http://www.spider-bob.com/heroes/dc/images/CrimsonAvenger_III_01.jpg

Neon The Unknown

a Brotherhood of Dada series, much like VU

Mr. Miracle & The New Gods

A Max Mercury series, taking a realistic look at having so much speed. It could be in contunity too, have Max escape the speed force, but end up back to 1880s AZ, where he started. Basically, whenever he goes too fast or loses control, he gets stuck in the time force loop once again, getting spit out whenever, and wherever.

I, Vampire

Human Target

[Lubichev]

I'd like to see more Weird War Stories. I really enjoyed those. There is currently plenty of fodder for some new ones.......

[stealthwise]

Human Target

What? Human Target was a Vertigo title, there's about four trades worth of comics before they pulled the plug for low sales.

[MarkSullivan]

How many of these have been tried recently?

I'd hardly call the 69 issues of Doom Patrol after Morrison took over "fading fast." Precious few series make even half that in the markets we've seen in the last umpteen years.

Sandman Mystery Theatre, Black Orchid and Kid Eternity started around the same time. The first went 70 issues. The others were much less sucessful with 22 and 16 respectively.

I honestly can't think of very many DC books that have been "Vertigoized" in the last five years.

And for every Preacher or Y: The Last Man, you have a series like The Minx or Deadenders that tanks.

There is no magic formula.

You're right about the magic formula. One correction: Morrison's entire Doom Patrol run was pre-Vertigo. It's a common mistake. The title took a short break, then re-launched under the Vertigo imprint under Rachel Pollack, and never sold very well. I don't think Amimal Man made the transition completely succesfully, either: it certainly went into rapid decline once Jamie Delano left.

It's true Vertigo-ized DC characters haven't been tried much recently, apart from The Creeper miniseries, which really only used the name. The new Deadman is going to be the same. But Vertigo has had trouble even with long-standing DC/Vertigo characters--I'm thinking of the two short-lived Timothy Hunter series, and the struggling Swamp Thing title (as well as the short-lived one that Vaughn wrote).

[Mr. Croup]

How about Creature Commandos and Thriller?

[JeffreyWKramer]

Sounds cool, but one question, what was it that made this version of Dr. Psycho so freaky?


There was some playing around with gender/sexual/personal identity in the early stories, with Psycho able to change/create different ectoplasmic bodies - sometimes male, sometimes female. Stuff like that.

[Firemane]

Deadman
Scalphunter
Tales of the unexpected
Metal Men

[DeCarabas]

House of Mystery, House of Secrets, and The Witching Hour seem like natural fits here.

How about some of the old Sword & Sorcery titles like Stalker or Warlord? Amethyst with a more mature take could be interesting, too. I know they've done a Phantom Stranger one-shot before but he used to have a monthly book of his own. Maybe it's time to give him another look.

[Zero Hunter]

Have they ever done a Challengers of the Unknown Vertigo book? With the write kind of writer that could be pretty good. Kinda put the style somwhere between Morrison's Doom Patrol and Planetary with just a bit sci fi/mysticism thrown in.

[The Wayner]

I'd love to see some of these titles which are mentioned, especially the war series.

Which brings me to the Haunted Tank... I think some interesting things could stem from this. You've got Jeb Stuart's ghost, a rebel flag flyin', tank battles... plenty else to throw into that mix.

[ryan_catcher]

Zatanna.

Have it be a prestige one shot every few months were we get to see more of her interactions with the magical community.

Sorta like Paul Dini's Everyday Magic, but on a regular basis.

[The Grey Man]

Sandman Mystery Theatre...again, it was so good the 1st time around, re-launch it now

Mr E..he had a 4-parter a looong time ago, he is well worth further exploration

Deadman, needs a long run with quality & depth

Challengers of the Unknown...um...why not?

Baron Winters, magic creep with lots of dark depths to explore

Zatanna, let her plumb the depths of Vertigo magic

Wild Dog!!, wtf I hear u cry but I loved this character, bring him back

Hawk & Dove, their duality could be intelligently explored thru Vertigo's pages

Pariah, he must do something in between disasters!!!

The Corinthian...ongoing!

Spectre with Ostrander & Mandrake

Red Hood!!!!

Groo :confused:

The Power Puff Girls......um...i'll go now...bye! :mad:

[TheWolfOfAsgard]

House of Mystery, House of Secrets, and The Witching Hour seem like natural fits here.

How about some of the old Sword & Sorcery titles like Stalker or Warlord? Amethyst with a more mature take could be interesting, too. I know they've done a Phantom Stranger one-shot before but he used to have a monthly book of his own. Maybe it's time to give him another look.


Every one of those. Add Arion. It could all tie into the Books of Magic which did mention Gemworld a few times.

[Punisher]

I'd relaunch Sgt. Rock as a hard and gritty war comic

[botch]

Batman.....but then again Batman Begins was pretty much Vertigo batman. So maybe a batman vertigo title in batman begins continuity.

Zatanna. Filled with vertigo magic and Zatanna having magical sex.

[SpidaMatrix]

I would have to go with Animal Man.

[BeastieRunner]

I would like:

more Sandman

Joker

a horror series

Martian Manhunter

Batman (everything would be so much better if it was all Vertigo, plus it might help the imprint).

[Bright-Raven]

Prelude:


Impact Comics, an imprint of DC, published a title called Black Hood in the early 1990s. The dark, urban setting and fair share of shady characters are perfect pickings for a Vertigo-style overhaul.

The characters for the Impact Comics line from DC were actually licensed from Archie Comics. DC doesn't have the license anymore.

[CaptainAwesome]

I dont know if this has been mentioned, but I would do guy Gardener. As a GL. Just imagine how cool it would be if you could say the F-word!

[EZMOHR]

Gonna go with the Marvel Family. Have Billy Bastion as a 14 year old orphan/mental assylum patient who resides at mental facility on Fawcett Ave. He thinks the Gods talk to him and that he can gain their powers by speaking the name SHAZAM! Under the care of Dr. W. S. (what Billy calls him), he journeys into a realm of magic and heroes that is unknown if real or not. Yet, not all Doctors at the facility are supportive of the patients. Dr. Sivana has plans with the patients of Fawcett Ave. When Billy escapes he meets a always chipper, somewhat naive, yet tough girl named Mary, who he begins to develop a frienship with. As they live a life on the streets, they become entangled in the affairs of the President of the percieved terroist nation of Kandahaq...Samir al Teth Adam. This could be the more adult version of a book that was known for its innocence in the day.

[BeastieRunner]

I dont know if this has been mentioned, but I would do guy Gardener. As a GL. Just imagine how cool it would be if you could say the F-word!

Green Lantern Vertigo line: "One fucking punch!"

[Jack Destruct]

I don't care much for the DCU (nor it's continuity), but I think Seven Soldiers should've been a Vertigo title from the start. At least from the first trade that's how I feel.

Even if it meant taking those characters out of the DCU I still think it would've worked, making for a better 7S series and greater potential for continuing stories.

[CaptainAwesome]

Green Lantern Vertigo line: "One fucking punch!"
That would be the best thing ever. Period.

[MWGallaher]

Wildcat.
Set in the 40's, with Ted Grant dealing with crime and racketeering in and around the sporting world, in a manner akin to Sandman Mystery Theatre. The great thing about the character of Ted Grant that's never been exploited is this: he's the heavyweight champion of the world. In that role, he has access into almost every social stratus. He gets invited to political fundraisers, he's a hero in the slums, he's welcome at the most exclusive restaurants...only none of his hosts realize he's a mystery man, looking to right all the wrongs and bring justice to the under-served. Everybody in the country knows him at a glance, so he's got a perfect excuse for the crazy outfit, and in a Vertigo setting, he can deal with the really seamy stuff in an appropriately gritty manner.

[Joe Bullseye]

I have to say after reading this thread that any vertigo title need to have a warped writer to pull off a story in the way people want. Being I said that imagine Metal Men writen by Garth Ennis. :rolleyes:

[josh straightedge]

Demon, but it would have to be by Garth Ennis. I like the work he did on the character previously.

[pennywisdom]

I love this thread. Everyone who badmouths Identity Crisis for literally raping their favorite childhood characters and stripping the superhero mythos of its innocence and virginity can hypocritically wallow in their secret desires to see the Justice League turned into a hardcore porn piece, with gory violence and deviant sex acts.


I'd still love to see a Vertigo WONDER WOMAN book playing off all the psychosexual themes and s/m imagery from the original Golden Age WW stories. The bondage, the bracelets of submission, the original, freaky version of Dr. Psycho, the lesbian subtext ... in the hands of the right creators, this could be great stuff.
Are you officially history's greatest hypocrite or just in the running?

[buytradestuff]

I would still love to see the Time Masters return for a fun, action packed, and dark mature series through time.

[brotherscrim]

The Question. No doubt.

[filthysize]

Vertigo is so much more than sex, gore, and F-bombs. It'd be a disservice to the imprint to just "Punisher MAX" the DCU heroes.

With that said, it'd be neat to see a costume-less Doctor Destiny series where John Dee is re-imagined to be suffering from a massive withdrawal of the Dreamstone's powers after Morpheus took it from him. He'd wander the nation, looking for dreams to inhabit, and every issue we see him entering and possibly manipulating a random person's deepest and darkest desires.

[BeastieRunner]

. . . [I]t'd be neat to see a costume-less Doctor Destiny series where John Dee is re-imagined to be suffering from a massive withdrawal of the Dreamstone's powers after Morpheus took it from him. He'd wander the nation, looking for dreams to inhabit, and every issue we see him entering and possibly manipulating a random person's deepest and darkest desires.

That sounds great. I'll add that one to my list of "Possible Re-launched DC Books Into Vertigo Books."

[Radical]

I'd love to see some of these titles which are mentioned, especially the war series.

Which brings me to the Haunted Tank... I think some interesting things could stem from this. You've got Jeb Stuart's ghost, a rebel flag flyin', tank battles... plenty else to throw into that mix.

Put me down for The Haunted Tank, too! I see it with an updated cast (not too PC, or it'll read like a kiddie cartoon instead of Vertigo). Ol' Jeb (either the original Confederate, or his descendant's spirit) could bitch about how much the world's changed from the "good ol' days", and we could have commentary on modern wars.

[DonC]

I love this thread. Everyone who badmouths Identity Crisis for literally raping their favorite childhood characters and stripping the superhero mythos of its innocence and virginity can hypocritically wallow in their secret desires to see the Justice League turned into a hardcore porn piece, with gory violence and deviant sex acts.


Are you officially history's greatest hypocrite or just in the running?


"Man, oh, man, this is gonna be good." - Cab Driver, Superman II

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

I'd like the ongoing Dhampire series that was supposed to follow the Dhampire: Stillborn one shot.

[rebelchelle]

I'd love to see Sgt. Rock in Vertigo. Any war story, today's or yesterday's headlines, would be wonderful to see in the Vertigo universe. Dial H for Hero and the Marvel Family.

[Jack Zodiac]

I'd like to see House of Secrets relaunched, after forever, as a Vertigo title. With Mark Merlin as the title character. He died not too long ago, in a retirement home in Gotham City. Bringing him back as a sort of ghost detective would be interesting.

Also, I'd love to see a Zatanna series set in the Vertigo-verse, if only for the reason that I think her and John Constantine as a couple is an awesome idea. :D

And even though he never had his own ongoing, I'd love it if Ambush Bug were given a Vertigo title. It could be as twisted and surreal as possible. Or even just a mini-series. Ambush Bug: Pissing Over the Fourth Wall or something like that. :p
________
KOREAN GIRL LIVE (http://www.girlcamfriend.com/webcam/asian-girls/)

[trickster]

I love this thread. Everyone who badmouths Identity Crisis for literally raping their favorite childhood characters and stripping the superhero mythos of its innocence and virginity can hypocritically wallow in their secret desires to see the Justice League turned into a hardcore porn piece, with gory violence and deviant sex acts.


Are you officially history's greatest hypocrite or just in the running?

You hit the hammer on the head.

[Sean Walsh]

I'd like to see House of Secrets relaunched, after forever, as a Vertigo title. With Mark Merlin as the title character. He died not too long ago, in a retirement home in Gotham City. Bringing him back as a sort of ghost detective would be interesting.

Huh?? :confused: I thought Mark Merlin/Prince Ra-Man died in the original Crisis...

[pennywisdom]

Vertigo is so much more than sex, gore, and F-bombs. It'd be a disservice to the imprint to just "Punisher MAX" the DCU heroes.
Yeah, how bad would Vertigo suck if it was just a platform to do cheesey, fan-fic porn comics featuring DCU characters? The thing that has always made Vertigo great is that the priority is on solid storytelling and original creative concepts.

The fact that they slap a "Mature Readers" tag on every title doesn't reflect their desire to do smut books, it just means they can take creative and substantial jumps into territories that they couldn't if they had to remain family-friendly. For Vertigo, the MR label isn't a prerogative to crank out semi-legal European goat porn that just happens to feature Superman... it's an opportunity to tell stories that dare to venture into territories DCU comics can't. Just because these territories are often for adults only doesn't mean Vertigo is basing its existence on a demand for hardcore sex scenes starring Wonder Woman. There's a legitimate artistry to Vertigo, which is what separates it from... let's say... Verotik.

Vertigo books have to be more than just an excuse to dream up something nasty.

[Jack Zodiac]

Huh?? :confused: I thought Mark Merlin/Prince Ra-Man died in the original Crisis...

Prince Ra-Man died, but apparently Mark lived on as himself, which was great, because smashing those two characters together was lame as hell. Anyway, the last time I remember seeing Mark was in an issue of Detective Comics, where Bruce meets him in a nursing home. And his wife just annouced his passing in an issue of Aquaman.

[Green Arrow Jr.]

Secret Six and Team Titans, I would like to see them done like the Doom Patrol or The Invisibles.

[the film freak]

I don't know. I do wish John Constantine would come back to the DCU again.

[Jack Zodiac]

You and me both, buddy. At least lift that ridiculous editorial policy of not using him in DC books anymore to increase the reality of his Vertigo title. He's a badass, tough shit magician who used to run around with guys like Zatarra and Swamp Thing. He fought in the effin' Crisis. He isn't being used to his full potential.

[tangentman]

Are you officially history's greatest hypocrite or just in the running?

Take Jeffrey out of that race--he's not showing hypocrisy, he's acknowledging very real facets of Wonder Woman's history. During the Golden Age issues, Marston explored psycho-sexual themes, such as bondage and lesbian metaphors. For example, the Amazons frequently preached the need for "loving submission to a kind mistress". Wonder Woman's creator was a pop-psychologist with interests in the areas pointed out by Jeffrey. One would have to be brain dead or irony-deficient to completely miss the subtexts of Wonder Woman's earliest years.


Now, my idea for bringing a DCU character into Vertigo--a supernatural horror/character study series featuring Nightshade. Eve Eden comes closer to death than she ever has in the past after a brutal fight against an unfamiliar horror. While unconscious, Eve receives a visitation from Daniel aka the new Dream. Daniel reveals that Eve was nearly murdered by a nightmare recently escaped from The Dreaming. The Endless master of the dream realm offers to save Eve's life in exchange for a special service--when she sleeps, Eve must protect dreamers from any nightmares that attempt to overstep their bounds.

Nightshade fights supernatural evil in her waking hours--and protects people from supernatural evil in her dreams. Nightshade's second career would work along the lines of Prue Halliwell's astral projection powers in CHARMED. Nightshade leaves her body to govern her charges--she still possesses her shadow powers, with additional perks as a Guardian of the Dreaming: her shadows conjure objects/constructs ala Green Lantern; she can walk through walls and even mental shields; defy gravity and other laws of reality; walk the Dreaming and astral planes; insight into the nightmares of any sleeping person she encounters; psychically track and locate a charge from The Dreaming; banish weaker-willed unruly nightmares via her portals.

Themes and situations which Nightshade would face--narcolepsy, comatose patients, demon possession (what sort of dreams WOULD a demoniac have? What happens while the victim is "out"?), schizophrenics and people who hallucinate through other means (ie drug addiction), dreamers working out problems in their unconscious minds.

[meethraa]

If you could re-launch an old DC book into a new Vertigo book, what would it be?
That's easy. CHASE.

EDIT: And yes, I would still probably use DC charaters on the background.

[pennywisdom]

Take Jeffrey out of that race--he's not showing hypocrisy, he's acknowledging very real facets of Wonder Woman's history.
Alright, I shouldn't have made that crack. That was uncalled for, and I apologize. I guess it just seemed to me at the time that someone saying they were offended by Identity Crisis because it portrays adult themes so graphically within the context of a costumed superhero book and simultaneously supporting a comic that would portray different adult themes within the context of a costumed superhero book seemed hypocritical. At any rate, I shouldn't badmouth people no matter what my position is, so I take my insult back. Sorry about that.

[tangentman]

I don't know if you can compare Jeffrey's idea, which was based on historical content of WW, with the exploitative Identity Crisis. The lesbian and bondage themes in Wonder Woman's classic years were presented in a "tongue-in-cheek" manner. Scenes with Wonder Woman "lovingly" tying up a minor villainess to show her the error of her ways, or the Holliday girls paddling their sorority sisters, were clearly intended to be fun and light-hearted. They were sexual in the "nudge-nudge, wink-wink" way of Benny Hill, not pretentious and amateurishly shocking just for the sake of appearing "edgy".

[Rorschach4100]

Animal Man. Loved the idea behind this book. I think it should be re-launched under someone who's kinda twisted and sick.

[dancj]

Animal Man. Loved the idea behind this book. I think it should be re-launched under someone who's kinda twisted and sick.

Bah - I think the biggest mistake DC made with Animal Man was taking it to Vertigo. They need some characters who can tell intelligent wierd stories in the mainstream DC without exiling them all to Vertigo.

Dan

[Kara Zor El]

I think the Eradicator could be a good Vertigo character and book. Exploring his violant methodology, his isolation and his imposter and parrasitic nature.

[karaokefanboy]

Anarky. A kid dresses as an adult vigilante and takes on the government. Worse, he knows what he's doing. I loved that character but Grant & Breyfogle jumped the shark with his first on-going issue, when he fought that cosmic monster the Abberation (or whatever). Real ripped from the headlines political scandal would be awesome.

Anarky vs. Gas Prices!

[dancj]

Anarky vs. Gas Prices!

Oh hyeah - I heard Americans were getting out of joint because their petrol was costing something like a 5th of what we pay in Britain.

My heart bleeds;)

[karaokefanboy]

See, a character like that could put things in an international context!

[Radical]

I have to say after reading this thread that any vertigo title need to have a warped writer to pull off a story in the way people want. Being I said that imagine Metal Men writen by Garth Ennis. :rolleyes:

Put me down for Metal Men too. For some reason I'm seeing it as some kind of sociopolitical satire of labor relations. (I'm also seeing it as relatively light and cheery for a Vertigo title...but then again maybe I'm just getting sick of dark stuff all the time.)

[rerun]

Hitman. Worked well on DC, but the envelope could be pushed a little more on Vertigo.

[Radical]

I, Vampire

Put me down for I, Vampire too. In fact, here's my take: in a world where humans coexist (uneasily) with vampires, Andrew Bennett (the vampire of the title) runs a blog or regular podcast/web series on vampires: their biology, psychology, social structures, and even what hurts them and what doesn't. When asked which "side" this serves, his usual response is to the effect of "This is a public service, and the public includes both 'sides'."

Vampires are treated with the same fear and loathing that AIDS victims are sometimes subjected to (although as one character puts it, "At least AIDS victims don't feel the need to eat people.") Vampirism is more like a Romero-esque "zombie" virus than the traditional supernatural force, although mammals like bats and wolves can be infected with it.

In Andrew's world, it's not just the vampires that are bad guys: human vampire-slayers tend to go on vigilante sprees, killing "vegan" and human-killer alike. Some of the truly fanatical ones will even kill humans, asking questions later. At the opposite end of that spectrum are the methodical ones who study their prey, taking the time to divulge whether said vampires are "bad eggs" or not.

Dramatis personae:

Andrew Bennett: The "hero" of the story, the star of the show (more-or-less literally: each issue should open with one of his podcasts/webisodes). Andrew ("Andy" to his pals) possesses superhuman strength, a healing factor, an infectious bite (but you have to be missing a lot of white blood cells to turn), and a "vegan" attitude ("vegan" in this case meaning "no humans", although when he's in dire straits, he'll nip from his "circle of friends", but not enough to transform). He's been a vampire since 1591, so he's had plenty of time to study his "condition". As a result, he knows what he's talking about.

Mary Seward: Andrew's lover, whom he turned into a vampire; she was dying of the pox. Unfortunately, she became corrupted by the power. She took the name Mary, Queen of Blood and created a group of vampires called The Blood Red Moon bent on taking over the world. The Blood Red Moon has evolved into a shadow government/terrorist sect, and uses human agents armed with the latest technology. Mary has also evolved, in her case into something literally inhuman.

Deborah Dancer: Stripper turned vampire slayer (and Andy's lover; she loves the "fang-gasms". The first time it happened, he apologized for the neurotoxic effect it has on some people. :biggrin:). She stakes out (pardon the pun) vampire hangouts, gathering info on who's good, who's bad, and who's still human.

Dmitri Mishkin: Ex-KGB agent and another of Andy's "circle of friends". He uses a flamethrower and a machine gun. He doesn't fang-gasm.

Mitch Pikewell: Fang-gasms. He used to be a Hell's Angel until an attack from the "Mooninites" gave the term a new meaning. He's still got the attitude (and build) of a biker, so anyone calling him a "fang-fag" had better either pack heat, or have good medical insurance. Walks softly and wears a pair of spiked gauntlets.

Dr. Lerner: Ex-Nazi mad scientist (which may a little cliche' even for a Blade-meets-I Am Legend series). After the war, he was "employed" by Mary.

Lolita: We first see her taking apart a would-be child molester. (Having been vamped at eight, she was the intended victim.) She provides some rather black comedy, doing "cute" yet disturbing things like using someone's intestines as a jump rope. Even Mary gets annoyed that someone that young was vampirized; in a twisted parody of motherhood, she "adopts" Lolita and in return for protecting her, only lets her hunt certain enemies.

That's all I have for now.

[Brother Justin Crowe]

Anarky. A kid dresses as an adult vigilante and takes on the government. Worse, he knows what he's doing. I loved that character but Grant & Breyfogle jumped the shark with his first on-going issue, when he fought that cosmic monster the Abberation (or whatever). Real ripped from the headlines political scandal would be awesome.

Anarky vs. Gas Prices!

I'd dig a Vertigo Anarky book.

Vext might work as well.

A Spectre book spinning out of Madame Xanadu would be an instant buy for me.

Kamandi.

Adam Strange.

Ragman.

King Faraday.

Maybe Chronos, but it might lose part of its charm by not being in the DCU.

[Brother Justin Crowe]

A Spectre book spinning out of Madame Xanadu would be an instant buy for me.

Please tell me you registered just to post that. Because that would be awesome.

Are you listening, Matt Wagner?

[Stony]

Sadly it was a sig spammer
Nevertheless, I'd be up for a decent Spectre series too.... one that doesn't wear a mask (Hal Jordan!)

[Brother Justin Crowe]

Sadly it was a sig spammer
Nevertheless, I'd be up for a decent Spectre series too.... one that doesn't wear a mask (Hal Jordan!)

Rats! Foiled again.

I actually enjoyed the DeMatteis/Sook Spectre, probably because I've always been a big fan of DeMatteis' metaphysical stylings. The mask was a bit silly, though.

[dupersuper]

There's supposed to be a Deadman miniseries by Bruce Jones coming out sometime next year (I don't think it's about Brand though).


They still let him write things?

Of the titles not yet mentioned, I vote Warlord...

[mgs]

The Spectre

The Atomic Knight

The Atom

You know, with his continuity, Hawkman practically IS a vertigo book, because I get dizzy just thinking about it...
Awesome ideas!!! :smile:

Particularly the Atomic Knight as he was in the first comic I ever read!! (in Wonder Woman)


Howard Chaykin's already done that
yes, and I loved the series!!!


Hitman. Worked well on DC, but the envelope could be pushed a little more on Vertigo.
Interesting. I wonder how it would possibly compare to Marvel's MAX Punisher though?



Adam Strange.
A few years ago, when they rebooted AS, they also put out a new mini on the Space Ghost character. From what I remember, it was a fairly gritty little series that was NOTHING like the fun toon of old!

Maybe that character as a Vertigo series would be interesting too?


Umm...for me, it's already been done, but another Weird Western Tales Vertigo series would make me happy. And maybe bringing back Sandman and all! :smile:

[Pól Rua]

Alright, I shouldn't have made that crack. That was uncalled for, and I apologize. I guess it just seemed to me at the time that someone saying they were offended by Identity Crisis because it portrays adult themes so graphically within the context of a costumed superhero book and simultaneously supporting a comic that would portray different adult themes within the context of a costumed superhero book seemed hypocritical. At any rate, I shouldn't badmouth people no matter what my position is, so I take my insult back. Sorry about that.

I know it's futile to respond to years old posts, but I can't let this stand.

Because 'Identity Crisis' DIDN'T portray adult themes. It portrayed cynical reactionary adolescent themes in the context of cheap, exploitative sensationalism.
Just because a story deals with sexual matters doesn't automatically make it the same as cheap, exploitative rubbish.

'Lost Girls' is not the same thing as 'Barely Legal Butt Slutts IV'.

[hondobrode]

I loved Young Heroes in Love and Resurrection Man. Switching them to Vertigo would be an excellent idea.

I would also be onboard for a return of Aztek or Bloodhound.

Bloodhound !

I'd totally forgotten about that character.

I loved that series !

Night Force - I can't think of a more perfect title to port over to Vertigo.

Oh, and Vertigo Kamandi !!

[Greg Anderson]

John Stewart, Mosaic.

[SJNeal]

I actually enjoyed the DeMatteis/Sook Spectre, probably because I've always been a big fan of DeMatteis' metaphysical stylings. The mask was a bit silly, though.

I liked that series too. I had just come around to accepting that Hal wasn't going to be GL again when they canceled it. We all know what happened from there... :smile:

As far as what DC book I like to see Vertigo-ized, I'd take another run at any of the original series. To this day nothing has really captures the Vertigo magic for me the way Sandman, Shade, Books of Magic, etc did. Granted, we've had some excellent creator-owned/original work, but to me "real" Vertigo will always be those quirky, dark titles from the fringes of the DCU.

[Kent H]

They still let him write things?

Of the titles not yet mentioned, I vote Warlord...

I don't know if you noticed, but that post was from years ago. The Jones Deadman series came and gone, and I think it was the last comics he wrote. At least, I'm pretty sure he hasn't done any since.

[Jamie]

I don't know if you noticed, but that post was from years ago. The Jones Deadman series came and gone, and I think it was the last comics he wrote. At least, I'm pretty sure he hasn't done any since.

The War That Time Forgot, Checkmate, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre all followed his run on Deadman.

[keilthetarheel]

a great example of them doing this well was Jonny Double - wish it was more than a 4-issue mini