If I Were In charge - DC Comics Edition

It is a comic geek’s fantasy. A new editor in chief for DC Comics is needed. Searching far and wide, they come to one conclusion: I should be the EIC. I am given carte blanche to do what I want. Initially, I keep it down to five initial actions.

1) A two year moritorium on mega-crossovers. A crossover should be a special event. Something to draw in readers and make them want more. Mega-crossovers aren’t special when they happen every year. Initially, I would propose that we hold off on a major crossover for at least two years, which would lead into my next action.

2) Begin planning a mega-crossover for after the moritorium period. With careful planning from start to finish, we would be able to insure that this crossover would be as spectacular as such an event should be. In addition to that planning, there is also the time to build to event, planning clues in a number of books.

3) Expansion into new media - DC has a decent presence on TV and in the movies. If I were made EIC, I would explore expanding DC into new media directions. Chief among them would be the creation of an web based comic (similar to what Marvel has done with Spider-Woman), DC wikis, using the old Who’s Who format to collect information on characters, teams, events on-line and in CD format, and dramatic podcasts (similar to the audio adaptation of the Doomsday storyline as Superman Lives).

4) The creation of two anthology series - DC has begun to bring back the anthology series, but the concept can be expanded. The two new series would have multiple stories with rotating characters (one headliner, and an “undercard of stories). One of these series would revive the old World’s Finest series, the other could possibly be a continuation of DC’s Wednesday Comics weekly, if it is deemed to be a success.

5) Creator push - Bring in big name talent to pull in new readers is just a given. But, DC can work on developing new talent. DC ran a title in the 80s called New Talent Showcase, an anthology series featuring stories that fell outside the usual DC universe, and worked to bring new writers and artists to comic audiences. A title like this, either traditional or digital, could expand DC’s talent base and introduce new titles that can be licensed for other media.