No more Action Comics for Superman

[ShadowGUN]

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/110817-AdventureComics.html

Now that is just stupid. Why cancel the longest running comic book ever and restarted with the Legion? Why not give Legion their own series back?

[Russkafin]

I think you are mis-reading it... it doesn't say they are rebooting Action Comics. It says Superman will be leaving ACTION Comics (temporarily I'm guessing) and turning it over to new characters... and that ADVENTURE Comics will debut with a new number 1 and star the Legion. It doesn't say Action is ending or rebooting.

[Mikintosh]

Oh, I thought they actually canceled Action Comics, which would've been abhorrent. I've read most of the Action Comics Weekly issues from the late 80s, the only major time in the last 70 years that they tried to use different characters in the book, and while this won't be what that was at all, there's precedent to show that this could work. Of course, then he mentioned "Superman in space." When is he not in space anymore?

I'm glad they're bringing back Adventure Comics too; I don't know why they didn't string that one along over the years like they did Action and Detective.

Wait, did they seriously kill off Pa Kent? Idiots.

[ShadowGUN]

I think you are mis-reading it... it doesn't say they are rebooting Action Comics. It says Superman will be leaving ACTION Comics (temporarily I'm guessing) and turning it over to new characters... and that ADVENTURE Comics will debut with a new number 1 and star the Legion. It doesn't say Action is ending or rebooting.

Yeah I gave a second read and you are right. Althought giving the series to new characters does sound like a rebooting to me.

[Ed Liu]

I think it's more like it's bringing Action Comics back to its anthology roots rather than a reboot. Superman's always been in the title, of course, but tradition is the only reason why it HAS to be about him.

On the one hand, I think this is kind of cool news, since I've felt that Action and Detective Comics should punt their high-profile cash cows and changed to anthology titles to find the next high-profile cash cows for DC. On the other hand, I'm beginning to wonder if that's not just a lost cause entirely, since DC has tried many many times to launch and relaunch both anthology comics and new superheroes, and failed a whole lot more often than they succeeded.

Guess we'll see how long this lasts.

-- Ed

[Shawn Hopkins]

Hopefully it works out better than Action Comics Weekly did. There were a couple of good strips in that, including the Green Lantern and Deadman ones, but most of them were pretty blah. They tried this with Showcase, too, and though I enjoyed some of those strips they had their weak points and often had shoddy art.

I've got to say, when anthologies fail the big two always seem to blame it on the format, but if you look at the recent history of them they usually don't do much to attract top tier talent to them or take them seriously enough. They may start off that way, but eventually they start to let things slip and it seems like by the end of their life cycles they're asking the pizza guy if he wants to try writing a strip as he walks in the door. The last days of Marvel Comics Presents, for instance, were especially sad.

[Jin Kazama]

I thought that they had this huge plan for Superman played out through, like, 2010 with New Krypton and all that. This kind of seems a little backwards to me.

And wasn't the plan they have now with Action Comics the entire idea behind bringing back The Brave and The Bold (the comic series). Why not change that into the title it should have been since issue one instead of changing a mainstay?

[Jacob T. Paschal]

DC makes my head hurt. Personally I'd like to see these more mainstream titles take on the anthalogy approach that Japanese comics use over in Japan. By publishing their titles in an anthalogy people are more likely to buy get interested in another title and buy the eventual graphic novel release.

[The Overlord]

DC makes my head hurt. Personally I'd like to see these more mainstream titles take on the anthalogy approach that Japanese comics use over in Japan. By publishing their titles in an anthalogy people are more likely to buy get interested in another title and buy the eventual graphic novel release.

Just because something works in Japan doesn't mean it works here, it depends on circumstances and market conditions here.

[Jacob T. Paschal]

Just because something works in Japan doesn't mean it works here, it depends on circumstances and market conditions here.

I'm simply saying I think it's worth a shot. DC's been canning titles left and right in an market were consumers are being more conservative with their money. Switching to such a strategy might allow for better introducing character's to readers of other titles if only because they'd like to get the most out of paying the price for such a publication.

[Anthonynotes]

Oh, I thought they actually canceled Action Comics, which would've been abhorrent. I've read most of the Action Comics Weekly issues from the late 80s, the only major time in the last 70 years that they tried to use different characters in the book, and while this won't be what that was at all, there's precedent to show that this could work. Of course, then he mentioned "Superman in space." When is he not in space anymore?

I'm glad they're bringing back Adventure Comics too; I don't know why they didn't string that one along over the years like they did Action and Detective.

Wait, did they seriously kill off Pa Kent? Idiots.

Actually, through most of its run until the 70s/80s, Action Comics always had various backup segments as it was treated as an anthology series starring Superman (and in the very earliest late 30s Action issues, Superman usually didn't appear on the covers). Various characters had backups in "Action", ranging from Zatara the magician (in the earliest issues) to Tommy Tomorrow (in the 40s and 50s) to Congo Bill/Congorilla (in the 50s) to the Atom (in the 70s)... along with various Superman-related backup strips in the Silver Age (Supergirl, etc.).

-B.

[Ed Liu]

I'm simply saying I think it's worth a shot. DC's been canning titles left and right in an market were consumers are being more conservative with their money. Switching to such a strategy might allow for better introducing character's to readers of other titles if only because they'd like to get the most out of paying the price for such a publication.

The underlying assumption behind this is that superhero comics fans reading Action Comics or Detective Comics are interested in things that aren't Superman or Batman, respectively. I think past history has proven that they really aren't. I think taking a title people already recognize and turning it into an anthology is probably the biggest gun that DC has in its arsenal to do what you're suggesting, but I just don't think the audience that DC has spent so much time building is going to go for it for the same reasons that they never went for it all the other times they tried it.

-- Ed

[Jacob T. Paschal]

They don't necessarily have to read the other titles, I sometimes don't with JUMP, however it increases the chances of the title getting out if people do read them and go on to buy related materials. At some point, considering a trend I tend to see with these superhero titles, there's going to be a crossover so they will or won't come into contact with the aforementioned title.

[rggkjg1]

from dan didio:


In Action, we're going to see some major changes - Superman will not be featured in Action Comics. The stars of Action will be the new team of Flamebird and Nightwing. Flamebird is a character we've seen, but this is the first time we're seeing her in costume. Nightwing is a character that we've known in the DCU for a little while, but he's new to the Nightwing costume as well. The team on that book will be Greg Rucka with Eddy Barrows. Eddy will be moving over from Teen Titans.
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/110826-Didio3.html

no. screw that. give nightwing and flamebird their own back up stories in a superman featured action comics. or their own mini or ongoing series. what happens to the team of geoff johns and gary frank?? ARGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHAHAHGHGAHAGHGAHGAHGAH

anyone remember this?:
http://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/3564/200/3564_2_618.jpg

and how long did that last? so i guess maybe a nightwing and flamebird action comics might be the next weekly comic from dc. as long as it's short lived and it will be superman focused again, then i'll go with it until we find out other wise.

what's next, detective comics not featuring batma........ oh right. he's apparently "dead" (didn't get the issue, look at the talkback thread, or any reviews of the issue).

wait a minute, the nightwing series ends and the nightwing from krypton returns in action comics around the same time as the last issue of nightwing. DICK GRAYSON IS THE NEW KRYPTONIAN NIGHTWING. IT'S ALL MAKING SENCE NOW:

http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/jlu/episodes/questionauthority/13.jpg

[Jacob T. Paschal]

Johns-Franks are hitting up Superman: Secret Origin this coming year.

[Hanshotfirst113]

I'm simply saying I think it's worth a shot. DC's been canning titles left and right in an market were consumers are being more conservative with their money. Switching to such a strategy might allow for better introducing character's to readers of other titles if only because they'd like to get the most out of paying the price for such a publication.


The underlying assumption behind this is that superhero comics fans reading Action Comics or Detective Comics are interested in things that aren't Superman or Batman, respectively. I think past history has proven that they really aren't. I think taking a title people already recognize and turning it into an anthology is probably the biggest gun that DC has in its arsenal to do what you're suggesting, but I just don't think the audience that DC has spent so much time building is going to go for it for the same reasons that they never went for it all the other times they tried it.

-- Ed

Well, there are also questions to be asked about just how many new readers come to comics, as opposed to the evidently ever-shrinking market of regulars.

[rggkjg1]

Johns-Franks are hitting up Superman: Secret Origin this coming year.
yeah, i'm looking forward to that. i've always wanted a comic adaptation of superman: the movie. (that comment is half sarcasim)

[Jacob T. Paschal]

yeah, i'm looking forward to that. i've always wanted a comic adaptation of superman: the movie. (that comment is half sarcasim)

Yeah.

Y'know, I never read Superman in the nineties but boy am I missing the Jurgens era.