The Talent Wars: How Does DC Stack Up?

[Mr. Holmes]

Yeah I imagine a third book is practical. A Young Justice spinoff, with teen heroes not in Teen Titans would be excellent. Or a solo ongoing with someone like Kid Flash or Red Robin (though RR would probably go to someone else first).

[Desaad]

But why relegate him to Smallville? Is the book really that popular?

I would just think it'd be waaay smarter to market an A+ writer like BQM on a book that's actually part of the overall DCU continuity, rather than a standalone book like Smallville, that in all honesty does not matter *at all* in the grand scheme of things. However good it may be, it doesn't sell as well as a Teen Titans book would, nor would it ever be as popular with BQM at the helm. DC has good talent, but they aren't marketing them as well as they should.

The whole concept of what matters or what doesn't is one I've frankly outgrown.

Good comics is good comics. I'd like DC to build their universe, fill it full of excellent creators, but if they don't I'm happy to read whatever good creators put out. Doubly so when they're doing takes on characters I like. BQM's Smallville is essentially a Superman title; that it is unconnected to the mainstream universe doesn't matter much to me. Ditto something like Morrison's All Star Superman or upcoming Wonder Woman Earth One or what have you.

If there is a reason I want writers working at DC, it's because I want to see them work with the characters, and the concepts, and the thematic power those things have. Bryan Q Miller on Smallville is doing that, and I'm happy to eat it up.

As to why he's being relegated to it, he was a producer and writer on the show, so he's got a lot of affection for it, I imagine.

[Desaad]

Fair enough then. I wonder if DC has approached him about writing more books for them though? (If his current workload isn't simply more than 1 book, that is...and I realize Smallville is 40 pages, but still...)

And if he's not available for more DC work, then there are still plenty of good writers out there that Marvel hasn't scooped up yet, and DC isn't pursuing either.

The West Coast digital and East Coast publishing are run by completely different sets of editors, unfortunately, so there isn't a lot of crossover. I SUSPECT that Miller is on Didio's blacklist for the whole thing with Steph being Nightwing in Smallville, so I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't offerring him anything, which is unfortunate.

The whole West Coast/East Coast divide is unfortunate in general. The West Coast stuff was run by one of the best editors DC had, previously a Wildstorm guy, and he recently left; he was giving work to Fialkov and Kot and Costa and a lot of the off kilter voices you are seeing on Legends of the Dark Knight. I wish some of that had translated into ongoing books in DC proper.

[brandnewfan]

The whole concept of what matters or what doesn't is one I've frankly outgrown.

It matters to me, just for the fact that the new 52 is still very new and in serious need of more world-building by great talent. I fully understand reading good comics for the simple fact that they're good versus whether or not they fit into continuity. But regardless of all that, the new 52 is the main focus of DC right now and should be filled with as many good creators as possible rather than a handful of them, and then a handful of really bad ones. I'd rather have BQM writing, say, Teen Titans than I would him working on the sidelines and DC letting that book and those characters go to someone who won't write them as well.

This is all just my personal opinion. I get that others won't feel the same way.

[Mr. Holmes]

Yeah part of me wants to see better talent on the New 52.

Most of the New 52 lines have really strong flagships, followed by an ocean of mediocrity. Dark line is probably the exception.

[BrotherUnitNo_4]

I think it's more a talent management issue over a talent issue. DC has talented writers, but they for the most part have shown a tendency to just put books in the hands of the more established talent. See DeFalco on Superboy and Legion Lost or Mackie on the Ravagers or heck, even this week's announcement of Nocenti on Katana.

Venditti and Jordan seem to be the major exceptions to this.

[Desaad]

I think it's more a talent management issue over a talent issue. DC has talented writers, but they for the most part have shown a tendency to just put books in the hands of the more established talent. See DeFalco on Superboy and Legion Lost or Mackie on the Ravagers or heck, even this week's announcement of Nocenti on Katana.

Venditti and Jordan seem to be the major exceptions to this.

I think a big part of it is that those guys are a bit more malleable. There were all kinds of statements circulating about these indie writers not being experienced enough with (what I suspect is an overbearing) editorial and the demands for re-writes and last minute changes that arise.

Even well respected and happy writers like Snyder seem to say that the key to their success is to be married to the THEME of their stories rather than any particular character availability or plot point.

[satish patel]

andy diggle wrote some unimpressive daredevil and before that, thunderbolts (which i liked but i don't think was loved and is not an A list title) and he's going to be taking over a flagship title for DC. scott lobdell is (over)writing a flagship title. i don't think marvel would give him the time of day these days.

[Whip Whirlwind]

DC has great writers and great artists (better than marvel imo), but Marvel's biggest strength imo is their numbers. They've got a pretty solid bullpen of writers/artists who are at best great and at worst good/decent.

Do you guys think part of that is maybe that marvel just has more to offer financially? If I was working at Disney I would recognize the value of the comics (more stories to mine for movies), and by sending what to Disney is a small amount of cash down the pipe could be why Marvel just seems to be snatching up good writers left and right.

DC needs to take more chances though, appeal to newer writers desire to be on a big / biggish name title or character, and not be so overbearing editorially.

[satish patel]

the only things DC has going for them in a dorky talent "war" is that marvel keeps giving bunn so much work. and still gives way work. and loeb too, i guess. but they keep going to bunn over and over. to their own detriment.

[WhitOro]

If we want to talk about treatment, sometimes I get the feel that even Marvel doesn't know how to work with some of their talents. Fialkov doesn't get a lot of books, true, but as good as Gillen is, that doesn't change the fact that marvel editorial has done nothing but sodomizing his books with endless tie-ins. His run on Uncanny consisted of FEAR ITSELF/actual-plot/AVENGERSVSXMEN/ending. He did manage to write a lot of good stuff despite that, but come on. Sometimes having a single small book in your own little corner helps making good stories, like Fialkov is doing.

In terms of personal ideas, I generally prefer a lot of DC writers. On the art style, I would get the edge for DC. Rocafort, Reis, Manapul, Burnham and Nicola Scott, just to name a few. Marvel still has Greg Land, and their willing to give him one of their A-List. WTF.

Also Cornell has pretty much left the house, it seems like. He might even write for Marvel if the rumor is true. Man I would kill to see Gillen, Aaron, or Hickman write a DC book.

You know, the fact that Cornell dropped his DC books might just be a time issue. He's a pretty big novelist and his new book comes out in a few days (if it already didn't) so he'll be busy promoting it, plus he just had a son a few weeks ago. More than not wanting to work or changing his side to Marvel, I think it's just plain "I have more important things than comics right now". He's still writing his Vertigo title

[BrotherUnitNo_4]

If we want to talk about treatment, sometimes I get the feel that even Marvel doesn't know how to work with some of their talents. Fialkov doesn't get a lot of books, true, but as good as Gillen is, that doesn't change the fact that marvel editorial has done nothing but sodomizing his books with endless tie-ins. His run on Uncanny consisted of FEAR ITSELF/actual-plot/AVENGERSVSXMEN/ending. He did manage to write a lot of good stuff despite that, but come on. Sometimes having a single small book in your own little corner helps making good stories, like Fialkov is doing.

That's just the downside of working on a flagship book. Notice how Woods's X-Men went untouched by AvX, how Waid's Daredevil has remained firmly within the Spider-man family as far as crossovers or how Parker's Hulk had one with Fear Itself.

[Ari Gold]

Getting in late to the discussion and this may have been said already, but I believe DC has the only writers (Morrison & Johns) who could take a B-list or C-list character and make them a Top 10-15 selling book. Marvel's top writers (Bendis, Hickman, Aaron, Waid, etc.) can't do that.
Part of that is the circumstances and state of each company separately, but not sure it's the entirety of that conversation.

[jackdaw53]

Its all personal taste.

For me, DC right now doesn't have a single writer/ character/ premise combo that I regard as a "must buy". But I wouldn't regard that necessarily as a quality/ talent problem. For example, I don't like any Geoff Johns or Grant Morrison work... but I accept their popularity with people who've read a lot of comics proves they must have "something"... their sales and critical acclaim are not down to flukes.

But i'm not sure DC is really capable of getting anything like the best out of the talent it has got. Examples of this:-

1/ Losing Greg Rucka off the wonderful Batwoman run he was producing. He's practically got the next arc written, all critical reviews were saying how good it was.... then he's just "lost" for no clear reason.
2/ Jeff Lemire was doing a really quirky enjoyable Superboy run... so he's just moved.
3/ Geoff Johns is doing way too much, clearly in danger of burn out.

[Lemurion]

I keep hearing about how Marvel has a better depth of talent, particularly in the writing bench; and then I pick up Marvel books. There are some really top notch books at Marvel, including Daredevil, Hawkeye, and the recently concluded JiM, but there is also a lot of unreadable crap. I'd trust the depth argument more if I could stomach more of the books.