Earlier today, DC announced that it has plans to release eight new miniseries spotlighting some of their more interesting supporting characters. Scheduled for early 2016, these eight six-issue miniseries will revive old fan-favourite characters. With the aid of both some original creators and new talent, DC plans to reposition these characters moving forward in further attempts to diversity their line of books. DCs editor in chief and senior vice president for editorial says, By bringing them on to their own special limited series, we're really spotlighting what's so fantastic about these characters, while DC co-publisher, Dan DiDio, promises that readers will By bringing them on to their own special limited series, we're really spotlighting what's so fantastic about these characters. Comic book legend, Marv Wolfman has the opportunity to revisit Raven, a character created during his stint on The New Teen Titans. Looking forward to reaching an entire new generation of readers, Wolfman says,
"When I go to comic conventions it thrills me to see all the young fans cosplaying as Raven from the Teen Titans GO! cartoon show," Wolfman says. "Because so many comic fans are boys, it's wonderful that there's something about her that connects with both girls and boys."
Gerry Conway, who recently criticized DCs creator credit policy, gets another shot at writing his creation, Firestorm. Len Wein, co-creator of Swamp Thing, will return to the plant monster once again after writing him for the brief two issues Convergence miniseries; Wein will also be penning a new Metal Men book. Mike W. Barr is back writing one of his original Outsiders in Katana: Cult Of The Kobra. According to Dido, their goal is to freshen up and contemporize these properties. We want the best writers working on our characters, and these are the best writers for these characters. Alongside these well-established creators and their creations, DC has three more minseries planed, each with new voices highlighting different properties across the DC Universe. Aaron Lobresti will be bringing Metamorpho back onto the scene in a big new way. Sensation Comics: Wonder Woman writer Amy Chu will be taking fan-favourite, Poison Ivy, in a new direction. Harras says that Poison Ivy: Cycle Of Life And Death is a fun twist on her character. Chu says that she find Poison Ivy a fascinatingly complicated character with an incredible fan base. We know her, but we don't really know her. There's so much opportunity to build her world without the burden of continuity. And let's face it, writing villains is more fun. Comics legend Keith Giffen will be writing Sugar and Spike, which will put a grown up spin on Sheldon Mayers popular comic book toddlers from the 50s and 60s. Admitting that DC was cautions about reintroducing Sugar Plumm and Cecil Spike Wilson, Didio states:
"They're not spoiled kids anymore, but they're older and they're operating as private investigators handling problems and mysteries that the superheroes can't handle themselves."
These announcements come on the heel of DCs new publishing initiative called the DC You. Emphasizing diversity through out their entire line, these miniseries are the first new post-launch titles DC has announced since their re-launch in June. "This is about character but there is a complete story in every one of those miniseries," DiDio says. "It has a beginning, middle and end, and something that affects the course of that character that we would be able to launch and take further if things are successful."