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scans_dailyI know a lot of this has already been posted, but I figured putting it in a concise post is best. My commentary is in "Quotes" while DC's statements are in bold.
From Comic Alliance, I'm getting info about what their saying and it's pretty nasty. Oh, and believe me, it just gets worse from here!
But first: legality!
Cargo Pants!
DC’s Flashpoint Panel (Thur Morning)
A fan asks if DC is going to create more “mainstream” minority characters. They point out that Blue Beetle was on Smallville.
“Yes, a guest spot, paired with a white guy, on a single episode of a now-ended TV show! That is so mainstream!
DC’s ‘The New 52’ Panel (Thur Afternoon)
Cliff Chiang says Wonde Woman now has “retractable pants”.
“Yeeeeeeeeeah. I’m not touching this with a ten-foot pole”
DiDio says “Yes” to Stephanie Brown.
“YAAAAAAY!”
DiDio says that returning Babs to Batgirl (EVEN THOUGH SHE’S BEEN ORACLE LONGER) was because DC wants to return all their characters to their most “accessible” versions.
“WHAT!? No, really, WHAT THE FUCK!? APPARENTLY DC thinks that differently abled characters are not accessible!? Why, because all your abled-bodied readers are too privileged to understand a differently abled character!? Because Barbara development as Oracle is too complicated compared to, say NIGHTWING!? FUCK YOU DC”
Wonder Woman will continue to be compassionate, not a warrior. BUT they are presenting her as a warrior in marketing.
“Presumably, then, to appeal to all the MACHO ASPECTS of the male comic fandom. Yeah, and presenting her as one thing in marketing and showing her as something else in the actual comic is going to work SO WELL, DC.”
When asked why DC’s female creators drastically decreased, DiDio avoided the question and asked the audience who they wanted that they currently work with. He implied that Nicola Scott got hired on something in the future.
“Yay Nicola Scott! Maybe one day she won’t be “THE CHICK” artist and will be appreciated just for her talent! Also, REALLY GOOD JOB with the derailment and avoiding the question, DiDio.”
Cornell says Demon Knights will include a character named Horsewoman who will use a (medieval??) wheelchair. He says she can’t replace Oracle, but he’s excited.
“See, this is DC’s thinking. They view diverse characters as quotas, and when they get rid of one, they just need another to maintain their DIVERSITY! Yes, I know Cornell said Horsewoman CAN’T replace Oracle, but by implying one wheelchair-using characters COULD replace another, DC/Cornell shows their attitudes towards minorities is just about quota. They don’t care about characters and development, they care about tokenism!”
Apollo and Midnighter are still gay. Cornell says he wanted to get a “They’re Still Gay” T-Shirt.
“Of course DC wants to keep their ONLY gay heroes! They already filled their lesbian quota with Kate!
<>DC’s Batman Panel (Thur Late Afternoon)
Mike Marts (Batman group Editor) says they have 4 issues from Williams and 1 and half from Amy Reeder for Batwoman.
“This is good news for me, but given the amount of time they’ve had to work on this, I expected more to be done. So, I’m still worried about delays. Also, YAY, Amy Reeder, THE ONLY OTHER FEMALE CREATOR, is still on Batwoman”
Gail Simone says that 1) Stephanie Brown will return and 2) Babs as Batgirl is just out of college.
“1) Yay Stephanie Brown, 2) You lied to us Gail. In your interview you said Oracle’s history would not be changed. Well, this is a HUGE change, and one that effectively erases all of the character development Oracle had.”
Winick continues to be unable to use any adjectives to describe Catwoman other than “sexy” and “dirty”. Also, Helena Kyle doesn’t exist.
“Do I even need to comment on this? This is just disgusting how we are in 2011 and a female character can be presented this obviously as fap material. Yes, Catwoman is sexy, but if that is the ONLY way you can describe her, then you have a SERIOUS problem. And, of course, having a baby seriously gets in the way of someone being “SEXY” right, Winick?”
Winick says Batwing’s arch nemesis is called Massacre, who is shown stabbing a man through the back.
“I don’t really have a problem with this alone, but wait until Winick elaborates on a later panel!”
Lobdell says Starfire is going to be more alien, and that she will Roy and Jason as her teachers on humanity.
“Oh, bullshit. Starfire never needed anybody to “teach her” about humanity. Also, icky subtext with two "bad boys" teaching a naive, sexy alien women about humanity. Starfire is strong, and compassionate, and emphatic. She’s human enough. What is WITH DC and making their extra-terrestrial characters more ALIEN!? I thought they wanted their characters to be more “accessible”!?”
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Date: 2011-07-26 11:41 am (UTC)I also think it's bull. He might believe it, but it's bull nonetheless.
I mean seriously, are there going to be fans picking up a comic and saying "Oh my god, Batgirl's a blonde instead of a redhead, and her name's Stephanie instead of Barbara... I CAN'T GET INTO THIS!"
Meanwhile, they're pushing Barbara-as-Batgirl as a supergenius with all of her Oracle skills, something I don't think I've ever seen her as in any of the cartoons, where she was mostly just a light bubbly kickass character with a side role as potential-love-interest-to-Robin, and that's not to mention her history as being disabled which is still there, only now it's the (apparently ultra-accessible to those coming from the cartoons) "I spent many years in a wheelchair but I'm okay now just a little adjusting needs to be done!".
A fan who loved Batgirl in the cartoons and came to the comic would find Steph as Batgirl more in line than what they're making Barbara. There are probably more potential Teen Titans fans who would be thrown by Starfire's difference from the cartoons than there are Batman fans thrown by Steph.
And, considering that they are the same company that makes the cartoon, what's wrong with making the CARTOONS more like the comics? You want fans coming from the cartoons to find the comics accessible, make the cartoons reflect more of the characters in the comics.
For that matter, I think if you started a new Batman cartoon and had Batgirl always be Stephanie Brown and never once mention Barbara, it wouldn't make a difference to 90% of the people watching it. For that matter, you could probably start a cartoon with Steph as _Robin_ and most people wouldn't bat an eye (it might even get more press). The popularity is because it gets in front of the eyeballs of a lot of kids, not who's in what uniform.
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Date: 2011-07-26 12:19 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2011-07-26 02:07 pm (UTC)On the OTHER hand, guess who was in Batman: Arkham Asylum? Oh, you now, that hugely popular video game that probably re-introduced Batman to millions of new people? Barbara as Oracle!
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Date: 2011-07-26 02:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-26 02:14 pm (UTC)It was still on reruns on Disney XD until 2010, apparently, but I was thinking more of THE BATMAN and BATMAN THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD, a show so recent it hasn't even finished airing new episodes.
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Date: 2011-07-26 02:17 pm (UTC)As I understand it, something akin to wheelchairs were in use in the 15th Century in Europe and possibly as far back as 6th century in the China, so I would have thought it possible in the Middle Ages Europe for something similar to be in place (Even leaving aside a world where tech and magic are both present)
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Date: 2011-07-26 02:18 pm (UTC)The term "trophy wife" is sexist in and of itself.
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Date: 2011-07-26 02:33 pm (UTC)I'm not in a wheelchair or disabled and even I find those comments offensive. Babs was more self-made and accomplished as Oracle than she ever was as Batgirl. To quote another person I had this conversation with, the Oracle identity was uniquely hers and hers alone, whereas being a "Bat-person" wasn't. The fact that her paraplegia didn't stop her from continuing to fight crime made her that much more inspiring, and the work that she accomplished as Oracle made her an invaluable member of the superhero community.
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Date: 2011-07-26 03:20 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2011-07-26 04:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-26 04:20 pm (UTC)If they'd been allowed a hard reboot, I could see refiguring Babs' origin story and never having the shooting occur. But now it's a 'sort of the same' universe where everything happened very very quickly. No wonder the creative types don't know how to explain it.
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Date: 2011-07-26 04:20 pm (UTC)Besides, Barbara from the movies and TAS does not behave anything like Barbara ACTUALLY behaved as Batgirl, or as Oracle. So what, in addition to everything else they are going to re-write her entire personality just to cater to the people who don't read comics?
And finally: You should NOT make the comics more like the derivative media! The derivative media should be modeled on the comics, not vice versa? As comics fans, we should not let people who AREN'T comics fans dictate what are comics should be like! I understand they need to boost sales, but I feel like this method is just as artificial as all of the giant EVENTS.
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Date: 2011-07-26 04:51 pm (UTC)Does he realize what he said?
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Date: 2011-07-26 04:56 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2011-07-26 05:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-26 06:48 pm (UTC)Then it was a pretty awful response to someone who was asking for a reason.
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Date: 2011-07-26 07:34 pm (UTC)I'm not saying I agree, I'm just commenting on what I think their thought process is. Right now, the industry is fighting for it's life and that's what they're focused on. I think I've heard only one good thing out of the whole DCnu debacle is Ryan Choi may return.
I'll be honest, I think a lot of comics fans today don't realize how HARD it is to come into comics, now. There was a time when you could pick up a comic and immediately get everything you need to know in that comic to follow it. I'm not advocating a return to that, by any means...but now it's very hard to jump on any title. To complete n00bs, some comics (of which the X-titles are the worst offenders), it's virtually impossible to figure out who the legion of endless characters are. While I don't know that DCnu is the solution to that problem, at least its an attempt.