They say you can’t go home again. Well, DC is proving that to be quite untrue with eight new six-issue mini-series’ featuring original creators reintroducing their creations to a whole new audience. According to USA Today, beginning in early 2016 these writers, as well as a few others, will be getting the chance to reinvigorate characters that haven’t had the spotlight before, or giving a refreshing new take on fan-favorites.
“By bringing them on to their own special limited series, we’re really spotlighting what’s so fantastic about these characters,” says Bob Harras, DC’s editor in chief and senior vice president for editorial.
These comic books are born out of DC’s continuing push to diversify their line, adds DC co-publisher Dan DiDio, and readers will also “see a lot of this feeding into that core sensibility of superhero storytelling.”
Some of these choices are surprising, if not exciting. We have many writers returning to creations they haven’t touched in over three decades. Len Wein will be tackling his most famous creation, Swamp Thing, along with his Convergence partner Kelley Jones, although we’re not sure if he’s doing interiors or just covers. Wein will also be writing a Metal Men series, with the artist to be announced.
New Teen Titans co-creator Marv Wolfman returns to Titans Tower for the first time in a very long time for a Raven mini-series with an artist to be announced. Wolfman had this to say:
“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 has been in the news lately for his thrashing of DC’s royalty structure, will be returning to his most famous co-creation Firestorm. I guess they’ve buried the hatchet.
Mike W. Barr, writer of the recent Convergence: Blue Beetle, gets to reunite with his former sword-wielding Outsider in Katana: Cult of the Kobra.
But it’s not all reunions, as three other mini’s featuring new voices tackling supporting characters are coming as well. Amy Chu will be writing Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death, taking the character in an all-new direction. Chu said that writing for DC comics is very personal for her.
“My grandfather was a doctor in Hong Kong back in the ’50s, and apparently he was a huge DC fan,” the writer adds. “For years, he would have comics shipped to his office from the U.S. So for me to be writing comics today, and especially DC comics, is some kind of crazy karma.”
Aaron Lopresti takes on another former Outsider, the element man himself, in a self-titled Metamorpho mini.
And Keith Giffen put’s a grown-up spin on Sheldon Mayer’s Sugar and Spike of all characters. This one could be interesting. Dan Didio stated:
“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.”
Many of these characters are either unproven, or unsuccessful on their own, so this is DC’s way of testing the waters.
“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.”
Look for these titles, and more if announced, starting in early 2016.
