DCU Concerns...

This isn't going to be a lengthy blog, and it isn't one about anything in particular, just a random collection of thoughts I had while reading Flashpoint #3 and my concerns about the post-FP world and how it will effect certain characters. 

As any one reading comic books knows by now (and as I pondered in an earlier blog (52 Number Ones...), DC is bringing a whole batch of #1's to the buying audience in September following the close of Flashpoint, and starting with a Geoff Johns-penned & Jim Lee-drawn JLA book (hence the image above).  Regardless of my thoughts on putting two paragons of timeliness on your flagship book (that's sarcasm btw), it is a whole lot of exciting craziness going in on the DCU and it is prompting a lot of speculation, the most prominent fear I would say being the potential demise of Superman & Lois Lane's marriage. 

Honestly, about that, I could care less....I'm a Batman guy, have been for a long time now and nothing is going to change that.  I trust in the creative teams behind the various Bat-books to craft a story that doesn't insult the fans like me who have been reading for decades and may bring some new readers to the pages of this character I have come to treasure so much.  With each additional piece of information that is put out there by DC regarding this reboot, reset, restart, or whatever you want to label it, my initial fears of total disregard for history have been mostly assuaged.  And despite that fact that Grant Morrison will NOT be helming a single Bat-Book for the first time since 2006, I think it will still do okay.

It's not the story I worry about, rather it is the fate of a certain batch of characters that I have grown attached to but who have yet to be named in any of the solicits for September's relaunch.  The first:

Batgirl IV aka Stephanie Brown

I think Stephanie Brown has benefited from the post-"Death of Bruce Wayne" world moreso than any character in the entire Bat-Corner of the DCU.  It's been cool as hell to see Dick Grayson step into the cowl but largely he's been the same Dick (laugh it up) that he's always been for the most part.  The Red Robin identity of Tim Drake has been an interesting growth process as he's taken all the best, and some of the worst aspects of Bruce, Dick, & Jason Todd, incorporated them into his own identity. Damian has been an interesting little snot since his debut at the start of Grant's opus and his growth has been one of the high points of the last several years, but I stand by my belief that no character in the Bat-Family has become more beloved (by comparison to where she started) than Stephanie Brown.  Bryan Q. Miller's handling of Steph has evolved her from a character most fans hated, or at least were indifferent about, and turned her into a well-rounded adult who is atypical of any other character in the Cave.  Steph is the only character attempting to have a real life, to go to school and have friends, she still has to lie to her mom, but is now finally being pulled into her "Batman Inc." role hinted at months ago.  No longer is she defined by Tim Drake, or the whole death/resurrection thing, but rather she has grown into her own character capable of carrying a book on her own.  Steph is the star, despite the, basically every issue, appearance of Oracle, or the occassional dip into the pool filled up with the rest of the Family.  Who would have ever thought the Cluemaster's daughter, the friggin' Spoiler would be that character.  Major kudos to Miller for crafting this character and to DC for allowing him the opportunity. 

It is because of all those reason that I worry for Stephanie Brown's future in light of Barbara Gordon's return to the Batgirl tights.  There's no mention of her in any Bat-books, nothing in Birds of Prey, so I hope that all the work put into building her up hasn't all been for naught in the DCnU.  In the vein of Batgirl, my other worry is....

Batgirl III aka Cassandra Cain

...Steph's predecessor as Batgirl, Cassandra Cain.  The formerly mute daughter of the assassin David Cain who became Batgirl following Huntress' failed tenure during "No Man's Land" and who would go on to rock the house in my opinion.  I always thought she was a great character, and one with loads of potential that was only barely tapped when the decision to turn her bad was made.  Buuuut as if that wasn't damaging enough, the decision to then have her be all mind-controlled by Deathstroke only did more damage to Cassie.  Then she became a good guy again after being freed from Deathstroke's mind control, was recruited to The Outsiders by Bruce, disappeared when he "died" but not before passing her costume off to Stephanie, and is only now...after several years off the radar...coming back into the Bat Family.  Retroactively Cassie's whole disapperance was part of Bruce's post-mortem orders, but it was Tim Drake who kept in contact apparently and traveled to Hong Kong to offer her a costume.  In the past couple months, Cassie has adopted the name of Black Bat, begun serving as a Batman Inc. operative, and is now back in Gotham during the "Gates of Gotham" mini-series. 

Just like Stephanie, there doesn't appear to be a place for Cassie in this post-FP DC Universe as of yet, and just like Stephanie Brown, I am hoping that is only a short term thing as I fell like she would be a perfect fit for this new "Red Hood & The Outlaws" series.  I want her to remain viable, and visible, not because there has been some tremendous work to make her relevant, but rather because I see so much potential for the character after so much time away from the spotlight.  Cassie Cain hasn't seen monthly appearances in years, she fits the bill perfectly for DC's diversification initiative (a mute asian, female), and is another character who offers up something fresh to the Bat-World.

My next worry isn't just one characters, it's 6...or 7....or 8 depending on the issue...

Gail Simone's "Secret Six"!  I've written about my love for this book in the past (Secret Six Blog) and now with no sign of its survival, I am a sad puppy.  I won't go into the detail I did in the blog (see that's an internal plug right there), but suffice it to say that the characterization, the stories, the interpersonal relationship developed by Simone have done wonders for a lot of characters that were going nowhere, had lost their way, or were just plain useless to most.  New life has been breathed into Bane and Catman, Ragdoll has been turned into an amazingly rich character, as have Scandal Savage and Deadshot, and a fucking Shark has been the highlight of the past year.  He's like Groot for the S6 or something (read the most recent incarnation of "Guardians of the Galaxy" for Groot). 

So while it warms my heart to see a couple of these characters still kicking around in the new "Suicide Squad" book, I am saddened to see that they will not be a unit, and I am hoping that Bane in particular is not relegated once more to just being the guy who broke Batman's back once upon a time.  The relationship between him and Scandal has been a highlight of the run, and I would love to know where Simone was heading, if she even had an idea for the culmination.

And that's probably the thing that hurts the most with the entire new 52 relaunch, all of the unfinished work.  I'm sure it wasn't a terribly difficult thing for a writer to wrap up a short term story in time for the September renumberings, but I'm just as sure that most writers had long term plans for their books that just got squashed by this relaunchbootstart.  Which brings me to my biggest story concern stemming from this....

...the whole concept of Batman Incorporated.  See this was the brainchild baby of Grant Morrison, and the supposed culmination of years of planning.  Well now we've got Grant shifted over to "Action Comics", leaving the Bat-Franchise without him for the first time since he started "Batman & Son" in 2006, and that Batman Inc. title on hiatus until sometime in 2012.  Now to say that putting a Grant Morrison book on hiatus is just begging for it to never be completed would be an understatement given his history of delays, false starts, and never weres, but I hold out hope regardless. 

My concern, given that we've been led to believe Bruce going public still happened & Batman Incorporated is still in existence, is that the whole idea of Batman Inc. will ultimately fall by the wayside.  Aside from the "Batwing" comic (a barely touched on character I just don't get giving a book to considering the amount of time they spent establishing Nightrunner), none of the new books seem to embrace the concept.  Hell, "Batman Inc." is the only one of the current books that really employs the international flavor as it is...well "Red Robin" to a lesser degree, a much lesser degree. Without Grant to explore the idea of corporatizing Batman, where will this leave Batman Inc. as a concept?  I'm hoping it doesn't just fizzle out, especially not before Grant wraps up his Leviathan arc in 2012, and that Scott Snyder & Tony Daniel (I honestly don't give a damn about David Finch) continue to incorporate...Incorporated...into their future.

Well that ended up a lot longer than I thought it would be....not really shocking given how wordy I tend to be.  Anyway, I guess in September we will begin to see what the future holds for our favorite imaginary friends...and Batman too.  He's real.

Oh yeah, and I know I tend to avoid wrestling related stuff here, but check out my friend Eric Santamaria's Wrestling Roundtable when you get a chance...