So, as 2012 wraps up, we take a look back on the year and all the highs and lows it provided. The victories, the defeats, the part where Rob Liefeld threw a fit on Twitter and supposedly retired from comics and then took it back and we all continue to wonder what is UP with him not being able to draw feet?
Let us bid a fond farewell to 2012 and look ahead to 2013, when we’ll see massive cross-over events, characters LIKE YOU’VE NEVER SEEN THEM BEFORE and something that will CHANGE THE UNIVERSE IRREVERSIBLY…until it is inevitably reversed.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
And since you’re all joining us on January 4th for our drinking party and giveaway on Google+ (you ARE joining us, correct?), let’s take this chance to rework that classic song “Auld Lang Syne” into something a bit more…relate-able, shall we?
Should Spider-man yet be retconned
and never brought to mind!
DC bids Morrison goodbye
for auld lang syne!For auld lang syne, my dear
for auld lang syne!
We’ll all deny CYCLOPS WAS RIGHT
for auld lang syne!And surely you’ll buy your BATGIRL
and surely I’ll buy mine!
We’ll see Steph and Cass reintroduced
for auld lang syne!For auld lang syne, my dear
for auld lang syne!
at least we get Iron Man 3
for auld lang syne!
–Ashly is actually looking forward to comics in 2013, you can see her occasionally reference them on Twitter @newageamazon
If you’ve been online at all today, odds are you heard the sad news: as of last week, Gail Simone was notified, via e-mail, that she is no longer the writer for DC’s Batgirl title. Bleeding Cool put the news out there and Gail herself confirmed it via twitter:
On Wednesday of last week, new Batgirl editor Brian Cunningham informed me by email that I was no longer the writer of Batgirl.
— GailSimone (@GailSimone) December 9, 2012
She also talked about making a boat out of marshmallows, which was honestly a much more pleasant conversation.
The point is, Gail Simone isn’t writing Batgirl anymore and this has caused the internet to have FEELINGS.
So, it falls on me, in my first piece for IHO Geek, to help you, loyal comic fans, learn how to survive in a world without Gail Simone on Batgirl.
First, I want you to know that the grieving process has several stages. It starts with denial. Then comes anger. Anger leads to Hate, Hate leads to Suffering, Suffering leads to the Dark Side.
I should at this point remind you all that I am not a licensed therapist and no one should ever take any advice I’ve ever given at any point of time. That was your disclaimer, folks.
Anyway, look, it’s natural to be angry about this. DC drops the writer of, as Bleeding Cool put it, “the best selling female lead comic in the North American comics industry.” And considering the uproar we female comics fans have been making it comes at a shocking time. And it was done VIA E-MAIL, which just has “asshole” written all over it, right?
Being angry is okay. But keep in mind a few facts:
First, we don’t know the whole story and speculation can only take you so far. While we’re all curious as to why this happened, we don’t know and may never actually know and we might have to live with that fact. Let’s not throw around hate and accusations, because honestly it probably won’t do much good. Actually, the best thing you can do is vote with your dollars: send a message to DC by no longer buying Batgirl after Gail’s last issue (presumed to be this January).
Second, let’s not turn on each other at this point. One of my joking responses to this whole thing on Twitter was to claim the fault obviously lies with “Fake Geek Girls.” I was being sarcastic, and I labeled it as such because with the way things are going, it felt like someone out there was REALLY thinking something like that and would REALLY agree with it. Gail Simone has been a defender of geeks of all types and a welcoming and inclusive figure in the internet world of comic geeks. Keep that in mind and don’t attack each other.
Third, and most importantly, let’s keep our reactions in proportion to the issue, hmm? I mean, while it might seem like a good idea to attempt to burn down DC’s headquarters over this whole ordeal, that is, apparently, illegal. Or so I was informed by the very nice NYPD officer I met this summer after the whole Steph Brown kerfluffle from SDCC this past year. He was a very charming gentleman who used very soothing tones with me and my only complaint is that he did not return my lighter after it was all said and done.
And really, Gail’s responses to all of this have been positive. Her Tumblr post thanked her co-workers and fans for their support and she seems positive about the future. Which makes sense, after successful runs on titles like Birds of Prey, Secret Six, Wonder Woman and more, it seems pretty easy to accept that we’ll be seeing Gail’s name on covers again soon. If not from the Big Two, then definitely in more indie titles. After all, she did recently run a successful Kickstarter campaign for a self published title with Jim Calafiore, Leaving Megalopolis.
Gail, we wish you the best in your future and look forward to whatever adventures you’ve got planned for us.
Also, seriously, say the word and I will burn DC down to the fucking ground and salt the scorched earth left behind so nothing will ever grow there again.
You read it correctly! Stephanie Brown, the spunky college student who donned the fabulous egg-plant Batgirl suit just prior to Barbara Gordon’s well timed Deus Ex Machina event, is coming back to a regular series by DC Comics this August! Unfortunately, she will not be returning in the way most fans had hoped.
Instead of Stephanie appearing again in the DCnU, former Batgirl writer Bryan Q. Miller has announced Stephanie will be returning as Nightwing in the new Smallville series! When questioned about his decision, Miller responded with,
“Bruce can be somewhat of an angry man. Stephanie’s personality is so can-do and unsinkable and bright, so it’s very much on purpose on Bruce’s part that he has a good cop going out on patrol with him every night.”
Stephanie Brown fans are no doubt excited to see her return to comics, even if it isn’t in the proper DC universe. Sadly, this will have to do for Brown fans as Batman head editor Mike Marts has gone on record stating Stephanie Brown will not be appearing any time soon in the DCnU. You can see why Stephanie Brown will don the cowl as Nightwing instead of Batgirl this August during Smallville’s Detective arc.
We’re half way into the second month of DC’s New 52, and although retailers are reporting a slight drop in sales, the figures are still higher then last years reported sales. About twice as much in fact. Whether or not the sales will hold up into 2012 has yet to be seen. What we do have, however, are the solicits for January 2012! There are no new titles being released, which is a bit of a shocker, but the month still shows some serious promise in terms of story potential!
With the initial run of DC’s new 52 wrapping up, many questions about this new universe that have yet to be answered. The fates of many popular characters are still up in the air, not only in regards to their existence, but their origin! One example would be Karen Starr, or as she is more commonly referred to, Power Girl. With lasts weeks release of Mister Terrific, we did get a whiff of this universes version of Karen Starr; but whether or not she is even a superhero, let alone Kara Zor-L from Earth 2, has yet to be answered. Luckily, for us, DC has just released solicits for the month of December, and some of these questions are being answered, not a lot however.
Here it is, the third month of DC’s new 52 with even more new titles popping up. As of this post, every new first issue has been released, and there has been praise and criticism from readers both new and old. Some issues have brought up old controversy’s; while others have showed a true step in the right direction. Although they’ve sold like crazy, with several titles recieving not only a second, but third and fourth printing, it’s issues 2-3 that will REALLY say whether or not this reboot was a success. At least, on a marketing level. Also, starting with January solicits I’ll be posting not just DC, but marvel, image, dark horse, and a few select others! See you next month!