Rumored Creative Team Changes

[Dr. Cheesesteak]

Heard great things about all Valiant stuff. Will have to try it.

yeah, why I edited my prior post and began the high projection of Venditti. XOManowar is really good. I think it's among the best superhero comics out right now, and easily the best sci-fi comic I've ever read (although it's less sci-fi-y now)...not that I've read a ton of sci-fi comics to begin with hah. It isn't groundbreaking, but the storytelling has been great since issue #1 and dialog is superb, specifically once Ninjak enters the picture. Venditti has a lot of experience in prose/literature, so I suppose that could explain it.

But as for the other Valiant stuff, yeah it's really good. The only title I haven't attached to is Shadowman, but that's just on #1 lol. Check the Indie forums, plenty of Valiant threads there! =D

[liopleurodon]

Bat-wise? Only thing worst was TDK pre-Hurwitz.

'Tec is just awful, Red Hood is cringe-worthy, I dropped Batman and Robin although it was good until the whole "battle of the Robins" idiocy, Batwing had a great first arc, then took a nose-dive.

I have no desire to see her leave DC for good. That doesn't change the fact that other than Secret Six all of her work has been pretty mediocre for years. Her Wonder Woman was simply terrible.

I strongly disagree, I loved her Wonder Woman, particularly The Circle. I was not a fan of the arc with the green lantern stuff in it though.

BOP can just as easily be cancelled. Think about it, every character has been set-up for easy spin-off.

I really hope this is not the case. It would be a huge setback for women in comics.

Hey guys... Francis and I aren't going anywhere for a while. He's taking 18 and 19 off completely so he can recharge and then we will be doing our next big arc, which will probably be 5-6 issues... and will focus on REVERSE FLASH.

Very happy to hear this!

Gail Simone posted on her message board that she isn't leaving Batgirl.

Where? Was it on her Tumblr? This is some fantastic news for me.

[Mr. Holmes]

'Tec is just awful, Red Hood is cringe-worthy, I dropped Batman and Robin although it was good until the whole "battle of the Robins" idiocy, Batwing had a great first arc, then took a nose-dive.

Red Hood is the only Bat-book I read besides Inc. It's thoroughly entertaining, creative, and character-driven.

[FIFTY-TWO (52)]

What's with the crazy rumors?

[LoneNecromancer]

Red Hood is the only Bat-book I read besides Inc. It's thoroughly entertaining, creative, and character-driven.

That. The only problem with Red Hood is that it hasn't recovered from the loss of Rocafort and seriously needs a better artist to come on board at some point.

[FHIZ]

That. The only problem with Red Hood is that it hasn't recovered from the loss of Rocafort and seriously needs a better artist to come on board at some point.

Agreed. Even though Rocafort was a tough act to follow, the level they've seemingly placed the bar is WAY too low.

[JasonTodd428]

Rocafort is a hard act to follow for sure. As I've said before I think once Rocafort left RH they should have just gone with a completely different art style period instead of trying to keep the style they had going. The book would have suffered less for it if they had, or at least I think it would have. I like Green better than the guy that drew the last issue but I don't think he's a good fit for the book either. It's sad really since I'm really enjoying the book except for the art.

[LoneNecromancer]

Rocafort is a hard act to follow for sure. As I've said before I think once Rocafort left RH they should have just gone with a completely different art style period instead of trying to keep the style they had going. The book would have suffered less for it if they had, or at least I think it would have. I like Green better than the guy that drew the last issue but I don't think he's a good fit for the book either. It's sad really since I'm really enjoying the book except for the art.

I think they were intending to have Pasquel Ferry draw the book, but that appeared to fall through halfway and Green came in and had to draw #12 in less than two weeks.

And something odd also happened with the #0 issue. Wasn't Dwayne Turner originally supposed to draw that?

[xbarryxallenx]

Whatever changes are coming, I'm just glad to have the creative team for Flash stay intact, and I'm very glad to see Gail Simone stay on Batgirl. These are the top two books on my pull list.

Manapul and Buccellato have knocked The Flash right out of the park and seem to top their efforts with each successive issue. I love the way they juggle multiple storylines so well in each issue - it's hard for most writers to do that and maintain the pace of the main story, but they seem to accomplish that with ease. They have been dropping little hints from waaaaayyy back that are just now coming to fruition (how far back do you go to see Solovar's first appearance? Well played M&B!). And, the art in this series plays a more critical role in driving storyline that most...you really have to "read the art" to keep up properly. The way they handle page layouts, sound effects and colors (notice how Barry is more "there" in the panels where he appears in costume) gives a particular style to this series that I truly enjoy. Glad they are staying together for now.

I've followed Batgirl since her first appearance (which came out when I was a kid), and no one gets Barbara Gordon's voice better than Gail Simone. She took on one of the most difficult tasks of the New52 - putting Barbara back in the cape and cowl - and made it shine. The interactions she gives her characters have an authenticity that few other writers seem to provide. I've said elsewhere that I would buy a Ma Hunkel series if Gail were writing it - and honestly I probably would. To me she is one of the best writers I've read in my 45+ years of collecting.

Just a general note on actual and rumored changes - Continuity of creative teams is critical if you want a consistent voice for a character. It also gives the chance to drop story hints along the way that aren't simply forgotten later...which builds a more rich and complex world for the characters. These two titles are great examples of what happens when creative teams are given that kind of opportunity. Whenever the dust settles on any changes that do happen at DC, I hope the new creative teams are given the chance (and the time) to do the same.

[BrotherUnitNo_4]

I first found out about her when she did X-Factor a year or 2 ago. She's done a decent amount on that title, a few TPBs worth. She's scheduled to do Archer & Armstrong from Valiant in the next couple issues.

It boggles my mind that neither Marvel nor DC saw fit to get her on an ongoing. She's very talented and best of all her characters can actually manage a full range of expressions in the Kevin Maguire/Amanda Conner mold.

[PennyDreadful]

As usual, all the interesting stuff is happening behind-the-scenes instead of in the actual books.

True that. Also, this is DC, where they love to make last-minute changes and pull the rug out from under people. Glad that the current Flash team is staying on, but everything else is subject to last-minute changes. Don't believe anything unless it's in a solicitation or--better yet--a published book.

[Bluebow]

Who are the people saying this? What I hear is that Barbara Gordon doesn't seem to be as mature or interesting as she was before. Mostly, they're people who miss Oracle, but they could also be people who miss the savvy, tough Babs of the pre-reboot era. I would've liked it if they'd kept her computer savvy at the very least and, most of all, made her more distinctive.

I agree with the second part of this, it is not about missing Oracle so much as wondering how this version of Barbara Gordon can mature to be anything like as tough or pragmatic and tactically astute or even mean sometimes as her from this point. Also as has been said there are many reasons for buying this title other than wholehearted support of the current situation, nostalgia, hope of improvement if you stick with it, investment in the character or just because its Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. I am glad it sells so well though because if Barbara Gordon was to fail to sell enough as Batgirl I doubt anyone else would get the chance after her.

[havok1977]

Swamp thing - China Miéville and Francesco Francavilla/Marco Rudy

Dear DC, may I have this for Xmas?

[Xarcon]

It boggles my mind that neither Marvel nor DC saw fit to get her on an ongoing. She's very talented and best of all her characters can actually manage a full range of expressions in the Kevin Maguire/Amanda Conner mold.

I'll second that. Lupacchino's awesome. I'd welcome her onto pretty much any book I'm reading. I look forward to the day when that creative change is announced.

[Brave Sir Robbin]

'Tec is just awful,

I read this kind of thing a lot. I wonder if I am the only one who really likes this book. I am glad to read that Hurwitz may be staying.

Maybe it is because I am not a Batman fan but TDK under Hurwitz and Detective with Layman are the first two Batman books I have read that really resonate with me. I have read that some people say that Hurwitz doesn't get the voice and/or character right. If that is true, it probably doesn't matter to me because I don't read much Batman. But the current TDK with Scarecrow to me has been a neat duel between the two protagonists, going in their heads, following their thoughts as they face off. It is more intimate with the character's minds than the big comics with the big signature plots.

I also don't mind the gore. I have gotten used to it reading various vampire and horror comics so as long as it fits the plot and does not come across as gratuitous, I am good with it.