Confessions of a Comic Book Guy is a weekly column by Steve Bennett of Super-Fly Comics and Games in Yellow Springs, Ohio. This week, Bennett looks back at the game-changing top story of 2011.I've never exactly been what you'd call a list maker so I've never felt the urge to indulge in the year-end practice of compiling one of those "Year In Review"/"Top 10" deals which now dominate the week before Christmas. In years past, compiling "best of" lists was one of the harmless pastimes America used to fill the lull between Christmas and New Year's. But America's pathological impatience for what's next has gotten so bad we can't even wait to do that anymore (which is how last December we ended up having displays of Cadbury Eggs at Kroger's before they opened up the Valentine's Day stuff).
Looking back at 2011, if I were going to name the top comic book industry-related story of 2011 it would pretty much have to be the DC's New 52 renumbering/relaunch/ reboot. Not that it matters but I liked most of the new DC comics. Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Justice League and most of the Batman titles were, as expected, all particularly strong. Chief among the pleasant surprises was My Greatest Adventure. The publisher earned points from me just for reusing one of their classic titles, but who would have ever thought a solo series revamp of the Doom Patrol's Robotman could possibly be this good. It gives me actual hope that the umpteenth Challengers of the Unknown revival that's set for DC Universe Presents #6 might actually stick.
Most disappointing so far have unfortunately been the Superman titles, the ones I had the highest hopes for. As good as Action Comics has been it's failed to live up to my expectations, which I'll happily admit were probably unrealistically high. But given how incredibly high the stakes were for Superman it really should have been a lot more than the "meh" mess it was -- sadly, I'm enjoying both Superboy and Supergirl more, though not by much.
I can't say that I "like" Red Hood and the Outlaws exactly, but have got to admit each month it shows me things I’ve never seen before in a mainstream superhero comic book. There were plenty of titles I didn't like (there were entirely too many Green Lantern titles for my taste, but then I've never really cared for sour, stroppy space operas) but more importantly there were the ones I didn't quite "get" (Blackhawks, Men of War, Animal Man, etc.). Not that that's a complaint; supposedly these comics were specifically written, drawn and marketed for readers who haven’t been reading comic book for forty years, which kind of leaves me out of the equation.
I've declared it the story of the year because it was an audacious, well orchestrated attempt to deal with not only what was wrong with their comics but what was wrong with the comic book industry as a whole. I would call a "game changer," except (well, first it isn't 2008 anymore) it didn't change the game so much as acknowledge the game had changed a long time ago. And the best thing about it was not only did it apparently work but the news made headlines in such mainstream publications as The Hollywood Reporter, as in the piece "DC Comics Beats Marvel in 2011 Sales Figures" by Borys Kit and Andy Lewis.
Me, I think it might be a little early for a Bat-centric crossover; no matter how well intentioned May's Batman: Nights of the Owls may be I can't help but remember the Batman "events" that clogged our shelves back in the 1990s (Batman Contagion/Legacy/Cataclysm/No Man's Land, etc.). And while I didn't expect the "Drawing The Line At $2.99" program to evaporate as quickly as it did (for those scoring at home it lasted eight months), I really have no objections to 40 page comics for $3.99 featuring back-ups. As long as they remember the back-ups have to be every bit as good as the lead feature -- something they’ve always had trouble remembering in the past.
Naturally I'm curious as to what comes next so I was intrigued by the piece posted by Vaneta Rogers on Newsarama January 6, "DC Execs Clarify Dec. Sales Figures, Preview 2012." Along with featuring an interview with DC's John Rood and Bob Wayne it announced that during February's ComicsPRO the company will reveal their plans for "how to shake up its print comics market." Plus, they’ll announce the results of the DC Comics Nielson Survey, which to be honest I had somehow completely forgotten about.
The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.