Recalibrating DC Heroes for a Grittier Century (NY Times 10-12-05)
If there was ever a job for Superman, this is it.
DC Comics is in the midst of a major effort to revitalize the company's fabled superheroes for the 21st century and better connect with today's readers. The undertaking, which began in 2002, has involved a critical look at DC's characters - from Aquaman and Batman to Zatanna - and developing story lines that sometimes have heroes engage in decidedly unheroic deeds.
One of the goals, DC executives say, is to hold on to a more sophisticated readership. "Our characters were created in the 1940's and 50's and 60's," Dan DiDio, the DC Comics vice president for editorial, said. "There's a lot of elements where we've had a disconnect with the reader base of today."
Readers now, Mr. DiDio said, "are more savvy, and they're looking for more complexity and more depth for them to be following the stories on a monthly basis." A crucial phase of the campaign starts today with the release of "Infinite Crisis," the first of a seven-part monthly series that will bring together all the story threads - and the superheroes - that have been evolving in separate series over the past three years.
Toward the end of "Infinite Crisis," the characters will be catapulted a year into the future, some emerging with significantly new outlooks. To explain their transformation, next May DC will begin publishing "52," a yearlong weekly series set in "real" time chronicling the gap in the heroes' lives. By the end of the process, DC hopes to have recreated a universe of superheroes more in keeping with the times.
"Our audience is much smarter, much more sophisticated, and not necessarily because it's older," said Greg Rucka, a writer working on DC's plan. "A 12-year-old 20 years ago and a 12-year-old today are reading at very different levels. That's just the way it is." He added: "Everything has to evolve."
Several writers are working to further that evolution. They include Geoff Johns, a fan-favorite creator who helped revitalize "Teen Titans" and "Green Lantern"; Grant Morrison, who pushed the Justice League to new heights of popularity; Mr. Rucka, a novelist whose comics work includes runs on Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman; and Mark Waid, a former editor at DC and an expert on the accumulated histories of DC's heroes. Others involved in the project include Keith Giffen, who will provide page layouts for "52," and George Pérez, an artist held in high regard whose style guides will give DC's heroes a consistent look.
The approach was more like the team model for writing a television series than the traditional solitary one for comics, said Paul Levitz, the president and publisher of DC, a unit of Time Warner.
Revitalizing old characters is not without risk. In 1996, Marvel Entertainment, DC's archrival, made over some of its oldest heroes. The "Heroes Reborn" project included new origin stories that took place in a parallel universe. But the project was not popular with readers; eventually the characters were returned to their original stories. In 2000, Marvel tried again with a much more successful "Ultimate" line of comics.
DC's move to remake its superheroes has led to bold decisions:
Last year, the "Identity Crisis" mini-series, written by Brad Meltzer, a novelist, had the Justice League retaliating for the rape of a hero's wife by brainwashing the villain - a turn of events that drove some fans to the Internet to vent their concern over DC's direction. The series was one of the year's best-selling titles.
This past year, tension among Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, the pillars of the DC universe, has been running high and erupted in July when Wonder Woman resorted to killing a man to save the Man of Steel.
The one-year gap that results from the "Infinite Crisis" will allow a hard look at every DC title with the question "What works about this character for the 21st century?" Mr. Waid said. Some titles may end up being canceled. Others will get a change of editors or writers.
"52," the weekly series that begins in May, will be a story-telling and production challenge. A weekly series leaves little room for delays in writing, illustrating or printing, and the "real time" concept means no inventory story can be dropped in to fill a gap in the narrative.
The commitment of resources "scared a lot of departments," Mr. DiDio said, adding, "This is not just an editorial risk; it's a company risk." If fans embrace the new DC superhero universe, the gamble will be worth it. Last year, the comic book industry generated nearly $500 million in sales. Milton Griepp, the publisher and founder of ICv2, an online trade publication that covers popular culture for retailers, estimated that monthly comics accounted for about $290 million of that sum. (The rest came from trade paperbacks.) Industry estimates for August's market share, in dollars, placed DC at 38 percent and Marvel at 41 percent.
What about fans who feel that DC is becoming too dark a place to visit?
Mr. DiDio and Mr. Levitz agreed that there would be opportunities for course correction. If one of the writers feels "we're off track, we'll regroup," Mr. DiDio said.
While some readers have posted complaints on the Internet that superheroes have become entangled in grimmer stories of late, DC creators note that even its most illustrious heroes' tales have dark roots. It was the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents that spawned Batman; the story of Superman began with the destruction of his home planet, Krypton.
"I think people feel it's dark because it's so compelling," Mr. DiDio said. "They don't know how our heroes are going to get out of the danger." Mr. Rucka agreed: "When they're saying 'it's too dark,' they're saying, 'I'm scared.' "
He added, "It's not a crisis if they know they're going to win."
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