DAN DIDIO: COVERING THE DCU

[MattBrady]

Dan Didio joined DC Comics in January of 2002 as a relative newcomer to comics. Not that he hadn’t been reading them or following them, but he came into an executive slot at DC with no previous experience in comic publishing, management, or even creation. It was a risk that caused more than a few raised eyebrows.

Two years, nine months later, Didio is a well known name, even revered in some circles as the man who lit the fire under DC Comics to shake up the venerable comic publisher, and give the whole core “DC Universe” line and top to bottom shakedown and evaluation. Chief among Didio’s tasks, he signed dozens of creators to exclusive contracts, guaranteeing him a talent pool for the future, as well as placing some of these top creators (as well as fellow VP, Jim Lee) on the company’s top properties. Wizard named Didio its first ever “Man of the year” in 2003 for his work on the DC Universe, and, given the announcement of his promotion to Vice President — Executive Editor, DC Universe, it’s not just the outside that’s noticing Didio’s work to date.

Just prior to the announcement of his promotion, Newsarama had an opportunity to sit down with Didio to talk about a variety of topics.

Click here for the interview.

[HowAreWeToLive]

no news about the "ultimate" dc line with batman and robin, superman, and wonder woman?

and no clues about the killer in IC? you're killing me! my vote is for blot somehow. lol. even though he looks like swiss cheese by the middle of issue 1 and was pretty much accounted for at the time of sue's death. still...

[skeletorjr]

Here's hoping Identity Crisis is soon forgotten. Well-written and pretty to look at it may be, but I don't need anyone telling me "hey, remember those great, fun, innocent comics you read when you were a kid? Well things were really messed up and people were getting raped on the JLA satellite, now we're going to show you what things were REALLY like." I already know what things were like, I read the Justice League back in the day. I know a lot of people praise the so-called "realism" of the story, but if I want realism I'll watch the news, I read comics to escape from the ugliness I've seen in this series. I think trying to force comic book superheroes into the real world is a flawed premise to begin with, especially with such iconic characters as they're toying with now at DC. The only long-term ramification for me is that I'll stop buying DC books if they dwell on the events of Identity Crisis.

[BlueThunderArmy]

I could have sworn Mr DiDio wrote some issues of Extreme Justice. Maybe I'm getting him mixed up with somebody else...

[Aaron]

Originally posted by BlueThunderArmy
I could have sworn Mr DiDio wrote some issues of Extreme Justice. Maybe I'm getting him mixed up with somebody else...

That was Dan Vado.

[BlueThunderArmy]

Originally posted by Aaron
That was Dan Vado.

Ah. Of course. Thanks much.

[aphterburn]

Didio, like Quesada, has done more good than bad but a few misstepts have taken place. Ones of note: unnecessary reboots like Birthright, Doom Patrol and Legion.

[MatthewSmith]

NRAMA: One specific teaser…I don’t know if you’ve noticed this in the DCU, but there’s this character named Jason Todd that keeps threatening to return…some of your writers have teased him out, or perhaps even put him into stories. Any comment on that?

DD: There’s absolutely no comment on that [laughs].

Look, you can look at what’s going on in the DCU in one of two ways – you can look at it as the editors have forgotten about continuity, and forgotten about what has happened in the past, and are just moving things forward. We can look at a couple of characters and a couple of books and say that very plainly. Or, we can say that there might actually be a plan here that’s slowly rolling out in the DCU that has long-term implications for people who want to get on what’s probably going to be the most exciting ride of their lives.

Okay, I guess that’s the comment on that.

Dammit! Do not bring Jason Todd back!

The fans are the ones responsible for killing him off in the first place. What makes anyone think we want him back?

ARGH

[ColourMan]

I'm just interested in wondering how many of you "fans" actually voted way back when to kill off Jason.

I for one think it would be uber-cool to bring him back, but I'd have another vote so the fans could decide if they want him back. A lot of things have changed since the 80s, and maybe the majority of new fans want him back.

[Pikachu007]

Matt B any chance of you asking any DC bigwigs about bringing Batwoman into the DCU? I'd like to hear what plans if any are for the character...

[cncoyle]

Originally posted by Dan Didio
What the hell is going on in Superman with the Vanishing?

THAT's what I wanna know!!!

I kid because I love.

Seriously though, great article, Matt! I'm happy to hear that Identity Crisis is more than a shiny needle in a haystack of stories, that's it's actually a thread connecting...

um, uh... many needles in the er...

DC haystack...

......

metaphors don't work on Mondays...

[Robot H Brian]

One thing would make me more excited about goings-on in the DCU:

More trades. Released more quickly. On better paper.

My buying habits lately have weighed overwhelmingly in Marvel's favor. I'm interested in a lot of stuff going on at DC, but I only buy trades (and spend a considerable sum only buying trades each month) and I'm turned off by the lesser-quality paper and the long wait for them. A year and a half for the first Gotham Central? Starman's been over for years now (that was the last DC monthly I bought) and they're just now releasing the second-to-last trade?

I wish Mr. Didio luck and hope that DC puts out more kickass product, and if their current publishing model works for them, that's great, but I'll pretty much stay out of the loop if that's the case.

[Garth Rockett]

Originally posted by BlueThunderArmy
I could have sworn Mr DiDio wrote some issues of Extreme Justice. Maybe I'm getting him mixed up with somebody else...

While, as mentioned, Didio didn't write Extreme Justice, he did have some comic writing experience (shortly) before January 2002, as co-writer of Superboy #94-100.

[classicist]

Originally posted by Robot H Brian
My buying habits lately have weighed overwhelmingly in Marvel's favor. I'm interested in a lot of stuff going on at DC, but I only buy trades (and spend a considerable sum only buying trades each month) and I'm turned off by the lesser-quality paper and the long wait for them. A year and a half for the first Gotham Central? Starman's been over for years now (that was the last DC monthly I bought) and they're just now releasing the second-to-last trade?

I'm with you; the best thing Marvel has given us in recent years is the liberal trade policy: everything gets a trade, and quickly. Heck, even the Fight Club Thunderbolts got a trade. I'd be spending a great deal more on DC if there were more trades to spend it on. I realize that they're trying to strike a balance between releasing old series - such as Starman and, finally, Sandman Mystery Theater - and nice editions of new stuff, but two volumes for New Frontiers and Hush? A hardcover of Godfall?
Anyway, at least Titans looks like it's coming out with regular trades, though you'd think they'd capitalize on Grant Morrison with Seaguy and We3 volumes.

[SanityOrMadness]

Originally posted by aphterburn
Didio, like Quesada, has done more good than bad but a few misstepts have taken place. Ones of note: unnecessary reboots like Birthright, Doom Patrol and Legion.

Yep. I'm not buying Superman, DP and (now) Legion because of all this.

I know one guy's not going to make a difference, but if more people did it, well, death by 1000 cuts is just as sure and apparently twice as painful.

[jedifish]

Originally posted by ColourMan
I'm just interested in wondering how many of you "fans" actually voted way back when to kill off Jason.

I for one think it would be uber-cool to bring him back, but I'd have another vote so the fans could decide if they want him back. A lot of things have changed since the 80s, and maybe the majority of new fans want him back.

I don't remember if I called in or not, but I was very happy he was terminated. What a lame character. I hope he's not coming back.

Good interview. DC just has so much more quality stuff coming out that is at the top of my reading pile each month than Marvel does.

[AdamYJ]

You know, though I like the amount of energy he brought into this stuff, I'm not too impressed with the product being released so far. One of the first things he did when he got the job was cancel my favorite comic and replace it with another one (Young Justice for Teen Titans). TT ended up being pretty good, but things didn't really take off from there. The Superman books and Wonder Woman have been boring. Most of the Batman books haven't been that interesting to me lately. One of the latest things he's involved in is bringing back Hal Jordan which probably means that Kyle Rayner, who is probably my favorite DC character, is going to be playing second fiddle. Identity Crisis may have been good, but I didn't have enough interest or money to keep going with it after issue #1. So far, my DC pulls have been very little. Still, I won't give up hope that something more will strike my fancy.

[render man]

Originally posted by jedifish
I don't remember if I called in or not, but I was very happy he was terminated. What a lame character. I hope he's not coming back.

Good interview. DC just has so much more quality stuff coming out that is at the top of my reading pile each month than Marvel does.

I called in and voted for him to die. It was pretty cool (I was 13 at the time). They said hello, asked me which way I wanted to vote and I did so.
Plus I love how DC makes an emphasis on doing stuff other than superheroes. I wish the bubble would burst, I'm pretty sick of just about all of em.

[Mr Wesley]

Originally posted by ColourMan
I'm just interested in wondering how many of you "fans" actually voted way back when to kill off Jason.

I did, you young whippersnapper! I voted for him to die, and I'd do it again, too!

Now, if you don't mind, it's time for to take my Geritol and have my nurse change the bedpan. (Ooh, spongebath!)

[GeorgeG]

I think the greatest thing about Identity Crisis is that a lot of people are arguing about the story and about the characters. That’s what comics are about, that’s why it’s fun to be a fan – to be able to sit around and argue about whether or not we’re telling strong stories or not, and whether characters are behaving in certain ways, or more importantly, what’s going to happen next.

I couldn't agree more.

But I wish this interview had more to it.

He talked about getting the right creators for the right titles. Is Azz right for Superman? Rucka for Wonder Woman? Willingham for Robin?

What makes the team of Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray right for not just one title, but two DCU books?

Why Dan Jolley for two DCU books?

Why is Pfeifer taken off of Aquaman? If he didn't fit, we should just all uhh...quit.

How about the revamps going on in the DCU? Legion. Richard Dragon, etc.

Is he concerned that the DCU titles are showing more mature themes than those labeled for mature readers? IC is a clear example. The Flash. Nightwing. Teen Titans. JSA.

War Games is a complete contradiction to what he said about events. He tried to explain it away, but sorry, you say one thing and then do the exact opposite?

How about Spoiler becoming Robin? Sounds like an event to spike sales.

Couldn't he talk more about GL:Rebirth and the future GL title? Judd Winick taking over Batman? Who the permanent writer for Catwoman will be (if not canceled)?

[HIPHOPJUNKIE]

...It sounds like Jason Todd WILL be back!

...I think that in the upcoming year many heros and villains will switch sides;
imagine seeing an evil Green Arrow, a despotic Batman or a murderous human hatin' Aquaman. THAT WOULD BE ILLER THAN THE I.C.U.!!!!

[Kon-EL]

Actually I had an intresting conversation with another retailer at a convention recently and he told me that the 900 # thing was a scam. The fans actually voted not to kill Jason,but DC went ahead and did it anyway. As for him coming back, if you will recall Jason's body was still missing at the end of the "Hush" story arc. Kinda makes you go "Hmmm..." , now doesnt it? I would really like to know what this "big event" for 2005 is gonna be though. Does what's going on in Superman have anything to do with it? Also I wish DC would clarify if the upcoming Legion relaunch is a reboot or a revamp or what. Too many unanswered questions for my tastes, but hey what can we do.

[chap22]

Originally posted by ColourMan
I'm just interested in wondering how many of you "fans" actually voted way back when to kill off Jason.

I for one think it would be uber-cool to bring him back, but I'd have another vote so the fans could decide if they want him back. A lot of things have changed since the 80s, and maybe the majority of new fans want him back.

actually, back then i voted to save him. i didn't particularly like the little booger, but i didn't want to have to read about a batman who had lost robin at the hands of the joker. now that they've done it however, i have ZERO interest in them bringing him back. the stories that spun out of his death were good--bats went dark, tim drake was introduced, slowly but surely bats got over his loss, but still remembers it (and it serves as object lesson/ reminder/ warning to all of bats's support group). and i personally just feel that bringing him back tells no good story that hasn't been at least touched on already; rather it smacks of cheap marketing gimmick. just my two cents, though...

[Aaron]

Originally posted by ColourMan
A lot of things have changed since the 80s, and maybe the majority of new fans want him back.

Nah, I called them last night... they said they didn't care.

Aaron

[jedifish]

Originally posted by ColourMan
I'm just interested in wondering how many of you "fans" actually voted way back when to kill off Jason.

I for one think it would be uber-cool to bring him back, but I'd have another vote so the fans could decide if they want him back. A lot of things have changed since the 80s, and maybe the majority of new fans want him back.

I think the majority of new fans like Tim as Robin.