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DC Comics Doing Some Major Reshuffling


DC Comics is not only cancelling about 20-some titles, they're introducing a very diverse line-up of books. Black Canary, Starfire, Cyborg are three that jump out. There are a LOT of promising titles in this, honestly. The big thing they're touting is that they're going to focus more on the stories and less on continuity. Which sounds like they might finally give creative teams more breathing room. For the last few years, even before the new 52 launch, there were countless stories of how hard editors were on creative teams. So that's a good change.

Sounds like DC is trying to compete a little with Marvel's more diverse line up of comics and especially Image's diverse line of titles. Though boil it down, they're all still superhero comics, unlike Image's very diverse line. And it sounds like many of their main superhero titles, like Justice League and Superman, will still feel more like early 90s Image Comics than the DC comics I grew up on. Shame. But with this new direction, that might change, too.

​Yeah, as I mentioned before, the SUPER DUPER EVENT OVERLOAD burned me right the fuck out and I've been on an extended hiatus from comics in general since around October.  Honestly, at this point I'm happy with The Flash every Wednesday on Hulu, because it packs more nerd joy into one episode than I've gotten out of DC's comics line in many years.  GRODD GRODD GRODD GRODD GRODD!  Plus a Prison Break reunion with Captain Cold and Heatwave?  How awesome is that?  

On the Marvel side, I really really really miss Superior Spider-Man and I actually think it was a grave miscalculation to not just give Ock a new identity and let him be Venom in a new city or something.  It really sucked the fun out of the Spider comics for me when he left.  

Comments

  1. I liked the show a bit more, and I'd go a higher with the Roode/Young match.

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  2. That's more of my bias against Young. I absolutely cannot stand him.

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  3. Come on, you watch shitty RAWs from 1995 but can't find time for Arrow?!


    (I'm actually telling you this because I got a chain letter saying to hook 5 people on Arrow or Daniel Bryan will job out at Mania)

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  4. Flash is great. Fun show.

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  5. Scott Keith... you have FAILED THIS CITY

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  6. I can see that. I'm not so big on Young either, but I think it's because he probably works cheap in comparison to some of the the guys they have let walk. TNA doesn't seem to have much money and Young is loyal, has a low price tag, and is decent enough in the ring, even though I don't buy into him much.

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  7. I'm fine with him as a regular guy (as in not doing the same comedy he's done for years) and nowhere near the main event. He just doesn't belong there.

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  8. *dundundundundundundundundundundundun*


    FLASH! AH-AAAAAAH! SAVIOR OF THE UNIVERSE!


    *DUNNN DUNNADUN DUN*

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  9. I like continuity though. It's one of the things I hated about the New 52, so saying they're going to focus even less on continuity turns me off even more, to be honest.

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  10. Prediction: Warner Bros. will dump the publishing division of DC within five years.

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  11. Does Young work cheap though if he has that fishing show? I think that's the only reason TNA likes him because Dixie probably believes Young has mainstream appeal.

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  12. Game of Thrones, man. Scott needs to find time for GoT. I tried giving Arrow a chance but the show just comes across as cheap.

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  13. I don't really want to watch it because reasons, but the Prison Break reunion thing has got me really interested because I absolutely loved that show.

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  14. Unfortunately I can easily see her saying she'll stick with him because of that show too. Even if it's off the air she'll say people will remember him from it.

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  15. Thank you for saving everyone of us!

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  16. Unlikely. Then they wouldn't have anywhere to get their ideas from.

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  17. Man, Arrow looks like such dog shit to me, I've never even started an episode. Is it honestly good? I like the Flash show alright, but I'm not into young, sexy Green Arrow. I like goatee, liberal aging Green Arrow.

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  18. I've got no interest in the universe combining event but I'll give some of these new books a try. DC has been willing to do some different things lately and I appreciate that. I think Gotham Academy is a fun, cute book. I tried out Batgirl but I wasn't super impressed but I appreciated the effort to do something besides "What if the heroes had to kill???" Or "Yeah, we'll being back this pre 52 concept after we fuck it up royally and remove everything you liked about it." I'll likely pick up Black Canary, Bizarro and Martian Manhunter.

    I love Marvel's diverse lineup lately. I'm digging Ms Marvel, Silver Surfer, Captain Marvel, Ultimate Spidey, Daredevil and Guardians of the Galaxy. They all feel unique and fresh. I've also got Howard the Duck and Spider Gwen pre ordered.

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  19. Nah. If anything every book will just become Batman or Justice League branded and they'll just put out 50 books starring the same 5 characters.

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  20. Spider ock is in the current spiderverse cross over, and it wouldn't surprise me if he survives and gets his own book. Peter Davids new avengers 2009 book has a 'mysterious' New leader, and that would fil spider ock to a tee.

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  21. I don't know that I'd call it "honestly good", like I'd recommend it to anybody regardless of their tastes. But it is a perfectly acceptable CW genre show that occasionally pulls off something undeniably cool, and manages to be different from the comics continuity without shitting all over it.

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  22. I'm surprised there's no Supergirl title in the lineup considering there's a TV pilot being made.

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  23. DC Continuity!


    LOL!


    The braintrust at DC actively dislikes most of their own characters. They throw their hardcore fans a bone by always saying "Everything Counts" due to multiversal shenanigans but the fact is most of the New 52 continuity changes/tweaks actively suck the meat missile. A few of the books got better sure but not due to continuity it was due to gasp better talent on the books.


    The Dan Didio regime has lasted well over a decade now and it's long overdue for a change. You can throw in Jim Lee & Bob Harras and other 90's Marvel and Wizard cast off's into the editorial pool but at the end of the day it's still Dastardly Dan at the top somehow and i'm over it.

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  24. Oh, I love Arrow. They are exceptionally good at storytelling. Once they got over their initial growing pains in the first season, (If you're going to start watching, I'd watch the pilot just to get the characters and set up down and switch to about episode 10) It's been almost all great.


    I thought the Brick story was a little anti-climatic, but even with that "angle" not being as epic as the story should have warranted, the episode still managed to push ahead a lot of other stories.

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  25. The way they ended the Spider-Ock story was awful. I was really hoping that they'd at least merge the characters in some way. And I thought there was a lot of wasted potential. I really think they could have used Venom in a much better way. They could have had the symbiote bring out the original Parker's mind. Or transfer the original memories that it had back to Sp-ock. Have Venom ruin him somehow. But no go. They just have Parker come back for no reason and Ock effectively commit suicide for also no reason. And then it's back to Parker being Parker and having really learned nothing and not having grown.


    Marvel booking on the big story arcs reminds me of Heyman booking. Awesome build and they never quite remember the pay-off. (See also, Age of Ultron/AvX)


    If the Spider-Verse nonsense leaves Spider-Ock in 616, I'd consider going back

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  26. I am a huge Flash geek and know more about the lives of Barry Allen and Wally West than anyone ever should. I have a fangasm every episode. They throw in so much for the hardcore Flash fan and it's great.

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  27. I don't read many superhero comics because I got tired of how the publishers seem to be more interested in treading water between huge events, but I really enjoyed Spider-Ock. That was a really fun story. The ending sucked and made me kinda hate Peter Parker.

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  28. Caught a little bit of the show last night. What a dark and dreary set they have now. But I like it in that it's a throwback to the 70s arena shows.
    And it's nice to see after all these years, Jeff Hardy is still pursuing his dream of killing himself out there.

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  29. I really enjoy when you add jokes to the recaps. It shakes up the pace and is more fun.

    From reading your recaps, it sounds like TNA is putting on better shows. I really hope they can get it figured out.

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  30. I only knew about his powers honestly. I'm hooked now. I just like that its lighthearted and fun evey episode.

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  31. Agreed. And anything that makes Firestorm a major part of it is OK with me. Marvel proper rules the big screen, but I am appreciating DC's TV output and Flash gives me more faith in that.

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  32. re: Flash...how about Linda Park, the Vibe reference, and WASPINATOR making a cameo as Julius?

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  33. So DC is rebooting but they are keeping the armor-wearing, Not Image stuff from the New 52? Pass.

    I also hear Marvel is pretty much going to erase anything owned by Sony or Fox from comic continuity, and just stick with the MCU characters pretty much (and Spider-Man, cause well, it's Spider-Man!)

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  34. Yes, can someone tell WB's movie division that it's OK for their DC films to be the same? And not everything must steal from Christopher Nolan and TDK trilogy?

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  35. Haha wouldn't that be nice?

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  36. "Yep Mode" Abeyance Brown ©February 7, 2015 at 7:59 AM

    Seriously, E&C did little to kill themselves, retired.
    Matt and Jeff do everything to kill themselves, still going strong. It's so weird.

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  37. "Yep Mode" Abeyance Brown ©February 7, 2015 at 8:01 AM

    I got invested into the Spud match as well, but of course I've slowly turned into a Spud mark, so that's not surprising.

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  38. Prediction: That would be dumb.

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  39. Spud and EC3 are the best thing about TNA for me, those two are just too much entertaining.

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  40. Really nice to see Awesome Kong on TV again event if the KO division is only a shadow of its former self. I can get into a Kong vs Taryn Terell feud.

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  41. That shot to the crotch on top of the cage door followed by a brutal bump down to the steel stairs was brutal. TMZ reported that he was knocked out cold from it. Don't know how accurate that was, but it looked nasty.

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  42. Extant1979 - Mr. Cable AccessFebruary 7, 2015 at 8:45 AM

    Considering they just brought back Superboy in the most recent issue of Supergirl, AND there's been a bit of a push with the character, I'm surprised, too.

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  43. Extant1979 - Mr. Cable AccessFebruary 7, 2015 at 8:47 AM

    Very upset about two things: How can DC NOT have a Booster Gold series in this reboot?


    Also: How can Scott NOT be watching Arrow?

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  44. Lashley has really been a pleasant surprise for me. I had very low expectation about him and all his matches have been really entertaining, one of my favorite was his one on one against Aries, really good stuff.

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  45. So they're going to get rid of the xmen and fantastic four? I don't see that happening. I know the ff series is ending soon but like every marvel book, it'll reboot in a month or so.

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  46. I wouldn't be surprised if Didio is gone with the next 2-3 years. I think we are witnessing the beginning of the end of the Didio reign.

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  47. I'm baffled that a company that is able to produce television that is as awesome as Arrow and Flash keeps pumping out such big screen garbage (aside from the first two Nolan Batmans)...

    That said- Flash and Arrow are great and DC choosing not to use them as part of their cinematic universe is.... Well par for the DC course

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  48. It has always amazed me how DC has some of the most iconic characters in comics history (maybe more so than Marvel) and yet fumbles the ball so consistently. I honestly stopped giving a fuck about them when they had the Harley Quinn "draw the best suicide" art contest.

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  49. I guess it all depends on who is behind these things. For years, it was Marvel that had the best comic stories and animated series, but couldn't make a good movie to save it's life. Now they are on top in so many ways. I think the Arrow universe is so good because they have real comic book writers and fans of the genre behind the scenes. The same thing for Marvel who had the sense to hire guys that actually wrote comic book stories and are good film makers as well.


    DC could have killed it with a big screen adaptation of their TV shows, but they chose to give the reigns to a guy that's made some of the most boring superhero movies ever. I won't miss the chance to see Superman Vs Batman, but unless Zack Snyder gets someone to lighten up that movie's script then I predict a big failure for the DC Movie Universe.. and I really don't want that to happen.

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  50. Doesn't really affect me that much, I like what they've been doing with Wonder Woman so far, the last 3-4 issues of Catwoman have been amazing, I sporadically read a bit of aquaman, flash and swamp thing, but to be absolutely honest it's Snyder's Batman that's the crowning king of mainstream comics for me atm. As long as this doesn't hurt that, then im all good.

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  51. Because no one cares, I'd like to point out that IDW's run of the Transformers is really, really good.

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  52. Outside of the green lantern and arguably Man of Steel, they haven't really had a chance to prove themselves either way, if BvS, Wonder Woman AND suicide squad fails...then you might have something to that statement. As per Flash and Arrow being part of the cinematic universe, you DO realise that the reason they are so great is because they aren't held to a higher cinematic universe, they can do whatever they want.

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  53. They've already "killed" off Wolverine, They are killing off Deadpool (in lieu of the new movie), they've already put the kibosh on FF, they've already made Wanda and Pietro inhumans (as opposed to mutants) it's just petty ridiculousness.

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  54. Superior Spider-man is quite possibly one of my favourite spider man related things ever.

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  55. It really is, it finds a way to dodge and deflect a lot of the CW-isms (although it isn't entirely bulletproof in that regard) and absolutely drizzles every episode in heavy comic book geekiness, the first season goes through the usual plot of the week motions that most first seasons go through, but once it bites into it's mythology deep, then it gets REAL REAL good, I'm talking slade wilson, amanda waller, ARGUS, suicide squad, al ghuls, roy harper, the atom, bronze tiger, clock king, the flash (obviously), the merlyns, the entire wonderful mess with the black canary and the wonderful progression of ollie queen being a pretty boy hooded vigilante, to someone who is genuinely glorious ollie queen, masked, green and awesome right there on the screen.

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  56. Yeah I've been trying to do more of those.


    They have been. I have zero faith in them to keep it going but they have been for now.

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  57. Both Man of Steel and Superman Returns were awful- awful movies, Green Lantern, Jonah Hex, Catwoman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman and Robin, Superman 2, Superman 3 (quite frankly, although I loved it as a child, Superman 2 is no prize), Steel.... I'm pretty sure that DC is even responsible for the Watchmen movie...
    Hell, I think Swamp Thing might be the based DC based movie outside of the Nolan trilogy (and even the Dark Knight Rises was a disappointment).

    DC simply has no track record and I am fully expecting Dawn of Justice to be a tone-deaf, joyless mess.

    And good writing can overcome any problems with having the TV Flash and Arrow play a part in the movies... unfortunately good writing is something DC only has when it comes to TV and cartoons (Young Justice was superb).

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  58. From a comic fan point of view it is petty BS, but from a business standpoint, it is fairly common practice- trying to devalue a property you want to acquire. In this case, I think that Marvel realizes that the comics are associated content are free advertising for a movie they don't profit from- I think it is basically just a negotiating tactic.


    Plus when they finally get the issues resolved, then the X Men can not only join the movie universe, but make a huge return to the comics.


    Yeah it sucks as a fan, but get used to it- there is too much potential money at stake for Marvel/Disney to love and let live

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  59. I'd be shocked if that happens. He's a yes man and will literally do anything to keep his job.


    I mean they did throw together the entire New 52 in about 6 months when sales were dropping like a stone and he was facing heat. Reboot the entire line half assedly with 52 new # 1 issues in a single month, see sales skyrocket because duh and then go man am i a genius or what to your corporate overlords.


    When sales go down again, do some giant stunt like this. When sales go down 2 years from now do it again or bring back old continuity etc etc.

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  60. DC seem to want everyone to have the same tone as Batman, the cartoons work because they are forced to have a lighter tone preventing bullshit like Superman breaking a guy's neck without much build, or (like the comics) turning Doctor Light into a super-rapist. For me Identity Crisis was pretty much the end of fun DC, outside of the occasional Booster Gold or Connors Power Girl.

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  61. I'm no expert in deals like that, but are you telling me that Marvel profits in NO WAY from those movies?

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  62. I don't have the will to watch Impact, so I thank you for your rants to keep me up-to-date.

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  63. There is some recognition from non fans, but it is obviously not translating into increased comic book sales. If you want to argue that they are canceling prifitable books in general, I can understand-but at this point it is like think Raws ratings will go up because Bautistia was in Guardians

    If this was Marvel during the bankruptcy years- when they were making nothing but bad decisions , then that is one thing.

    But this version of Marvel (at the corperate level) is a profit machine

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  64. You can't bring up an entire history of films like that and put it up against the current mcu! What about roger cormans fantastic four? (or the singleton ones) what about wolverine xmen origins, or x3, or ang lees hulk, spider man 3, ghost rider 1 and 2, howard the duck, blade trinity, daredevil,punisher etc etc If DC has failed in anything, it's they've started way to late and are now in the process of playing catchup, whilst marvel could get away with a subpar phase 1 and have it suceed due to any lack of real expectation, DC now need to get their own phase one out of the park in a huge huge way.

    Point being, DC haven't even started yet, that is their only real failing so far.

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  65. It really has gotten better, though I reserve the right to disavow this statement when it falls through the floor again.

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  66. The difference is, since Marvel has started controlling their own intellectual property they have done a great job. DC on the other hand is still basically outsourcing their film division so I can hold their past bad decisions against them.
    And the first movie of what is now the DC cinematic universe (MoS), was in my opinion, absolutely atrocious- so again... Nothing to believe in.

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  67. From a business standpoint, nearly everyone sounds good. Doesn't stop the fact that they are essentially cannibalizing their primary output and dragging their reputation in the mud to essentially maximise profits, they want all their properties to come home to their studios, which is fine...but they didn't seem to have a problem when sony was cranking out billion dollar hits for them, to actively disrespect comic book fans, the very people who stuck with them when they weren't cranking out mainstream blockbusters in order to appease those who would turn on them the minute they make a stinker. Well...it's the kinda thing that WWE does.

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  68. I completely agree with you, I think it's shitty what they're doing. I'm just saying I understand from a business standpoint it. You just have to remember that they are making more money from the movies right now than they ever made from the comic sales. It's a gamble, but if it's a gamble that pays off with Fox eventually giving up and selling back the rights then from a business standpoint it is a good move. One $700 million Disney/Marvel X Men movie is probably worth 5 years of X-Men comic sales

    So yeah it is a prick move but they can afford the financial debt in the hopes of bigger games down the road

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  69. I could understand attempting (and failing) to sink spiderman for the pure purpose of taking it away from sony, because they are failing on a critical and commercial level, and if they think they can put it at a place where they can bring more money to it, then i could understand that situation, but something like the x-franchise, which is not only commercially successful but has enjoyed somewhat of a critical resurgence int he past couple of years, I just think it's incredibly stupid that marvel is forcing comic book fans to follow suit on whatever the mcu does. It's why I prefer the multi platform approach from DC, you don't like one iteration...youll have another thats more for you.

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  70. I can't argue that. At least the right guy went over. Roode is great, a total package.

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  71. Well first- Sony is doing a good job destroying Spider-Man without any help.

    Second it might suck, I'm not arguing that- just that it is not a bad business plan- Disney/Marvel has realized that the movies power the organization and the comics are just an ancillary revenue stream

    In December, the best-selling X-Men comic (an Avengers crossover by the way) moved 70,000 units- let's be generous and say there are 10 X Titles at $4 each / 12 issues a year... That is 3.36 million dollars in revenue they are losing (by the way, revenue- not profit). That's nothing to to Disney.... Even if they completely alienate the comic reading audience, it is not enough to hurt the bottom line

    Again, Dick move- yes
    Bad business- no

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  72. I'll put it this way; if Arrow wasn't good, it wouldn't have lived long enough to give us Flash.

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  73. Same; I wish Brick went out more satisfyingly, but there was a lot of great hooks in the last five minutes of last week's excellent ep to have me looking forward.


    And apparently, there's talks to turn John Diggle into Green Lantern. That's um...interesting.

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  74. FUCKING SOLOMON GRUNDY (seriously, I hope that's not the last we've seen of him)

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  75. First off, Linda Park, smoking hot. Between her, Caitlyn Snow, and Iris, it's good to be Barry Allen. It was funny to let Grant Gustin show off his Glee background.


    Also, I don't believe they're gonna keep Caitlin and Cisco lab lackeys this whole time -- esp. once they start blowing out the Wells story -- so I'm all for putting things in place for Vibe and/or Killer Frost, esp. since Cisco somehow knows martial arts!

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  76. Those Doink vs. IRS matches aren't going to watch themselves, you know?


    It reminds me of Kevin Smith's Hollywood Babble-On podcast where he geeks out over the slate of comic book shows on TV and then Ralph Garman points out Kevin doesn't actually watch any of them.

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  77. Getting Geoff Johns really involved in the Arrow/Flash universe really paid off.

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  78. Agreed, it's nice that they can do their own thing and crib from all corners of DC lore without having the higher-ups being like "Don't do this until the movies come out" or "don't use this character, he's gonna be in the next Batman movie"

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  79. GRODD GRODD GRODD GRODD GRODD

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  80. Outsourcing? how? Dc is entirely owned by WB, WB owns all these properties and have for years. Irony is that, you are half correct the bad descions DC/WB have made are felt more but it's because they AREN'T outsourced, they are handling their own properties, while when Marvel failed at least they had the excuse that it WAS being outsourced. (and arguably they haven't failed on the properties that they've taken in themselves)

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  81. Still sucks...real hard. Thankfully the only marvel comics I've touched are Hawkeye and Daredevil.

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  82. Marvel has it on film division with in Disney they make all the creative choices on the movies. That's not the case with the DC movies. Warner Bros. makes the decisions- DC is for all intents and purposes just providing intellectual content and material

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  83. You would be insanely naive to assume that Disney doesn't have a say in how those Marvel movies are made, and considering that WB has owned DC since the 70's, I'd kinda say they have a little more right to do so than disney does.

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  84. Exactly. HE should have been DC's Josh Whedon for their cinematic universe. It's not too late. If BvS fails expectations, then they just might want to make some changes before the JL movie.

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  85. Marvel is it own independent studio inside of Disney- The same as
    Is an independent brand under the Warner Bros. umbrella- That is not the case with DC.
    and the fact that DC has been associated with Warner Bros. since the 70s and his only produced two good movies does not exactly fill me with Hope for any future endeavors

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  86. Sorry- the same as New Line is an independent studio inside of WB

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  87. I'm going on record as being a skeptic of the guy playing Barry Allen. I thought he was too young, and this would be another CW snoozefest. I am pleasantly suprised that he is a pretty good actor and plays the nerdy good guy role to a tee. You truly want him to get the girl (any one of them) and his innocence doesn't come off as cheesy or naive.

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  88. Kong was terrible. No movement, no power behind her moves. Just a fat old lady.

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  89. If they are going the route that I THINK they are going with Caitlin than it's gonna be more heartbreaking for Barry.

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  90. if that really is maffew he never had really good taste in wrestling and his videos have become sad to watch

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