5 Ways To Revitalize DC Comics
2.Forget About The 80s
If you had to pick the most influential DC comics of the 1980s, you would probably settle on Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns. The effect theyve had on modern comics is immeasurable. There are so many conventions used in those books that have become standard operating procedure, such as: the use of narration boxes instead of thought balloons for inner monologues to imply sophistication; the use of rape as a narrative device; the use of violence and grit to imply depth; deconstruction of superhero tropes; the idea that this is all serious business with no room for lightheartedness because that would be childish," etc.
DC is so in love with these two books that they see them as the solution to all of their problems. People dont like Superman? Make him darker. People dont like a dark Superman? Just turn the whole thing into the final act of DKR. How can we make a character more interesting? Add a death or rape to their personal backstory!
Barry Allen, one of the most happy-go-lucky characters in comics, had his origin retconned to include the tragic murder of his mother. Why? To make it darker and more serious. Its almost as if DC has forgotten that some people read superheroes for escapism, so they can see amazing people do amazing things that dont happen in everyday life. Sure, a mopey superhero might be more realistic, but if I wanted reality, Id go outside. Im a comic book fan! I want to retreat from reality!
Look no further than Batman V. Superman:Dawn Of Justiceto find evidence of DCs over-reliance on the 80s. Not to mention the recent Before Watchmen series, which absolutely no one demanded and by most accounts did little justice to the original story and even cheapens it in the worst cases. It doesnt matter how well those books sold in the past. It doesnt matter how well those books still sell. They are thirty years old.
DC needs to update its mentality. When your only tool is a hammer, every problem becomes a nail. Theres no way anyone should look at Supermans lack of popularity and conclude we need to make things darker. And upon the failure of that decision, the following conclusion should not be I guess we didnt make it dark enough.