8 Ways DC And Marvel Make It Impossible For Fans To Read Their Comics

3. They're Unwilling To Experiment With Less Popular Characters

Mister Miracle Tom King
DC Comics/Mitch Gerads

This one probably stings the hardest, but - for the most part - both big publishers seem reluctant to give some of their less popular heroes a chance in the spotlight. Having largely been raised on the all-star bonanza that was Justice League: Unlimited (a show that had an episode dedicated to Vigilante, Shining Knight, S.T.R.I.P.E. and Star Girl, to name but one), this has never really sat well with me. I mean, surely there's more to the medium than Bat-Symbols and Supermen, right?

For the most part, DC's slate post-New 52 and Rebirth has largely centred around the Bat-fam and the trinity, with only the occasional title really picking up on a less popular character. There was, most notably, a brilliant Swamp Thing revival after 2011, but things have remained relatively quiet since. Convergence briefly shone a light on some cult-favourite characters (like Renee Montoya), but again, it feels like DC are opting to play it safe with their relaunches, forming a line-up of books filled with the usual suspects and the usual creative teams to match.

The real depth and breadth of the DCU just isn't represented in these titles, and although a return to series like Secret Six have been flirted with on occasion, fans are ultimately left with half a dozen Bat-books and yet another relaunch of Red Hood and the Outlaws. I mean, I'm not going to pretend that there's a whole world out there waiting for a new Deadman series, or even a new volume of The Question, but it would be nice to see DC really push ahead with some lesser known characters - like they are with Tom King and Mitch Gerads' Mister Miracle - on a more regular basis.

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WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.