Vixen – A TV Pitch Part 1

So the CW has had reasonable success with Arrow but the show ultimately lacks some of the more exotic nature of the rest of the DC Comics universe. That is why I am pitching a Vixen series – Vixen being the superpowered supermodel who can use the powers of any animals. Using the CW three part formula – pretty people + supernatural stuff + real life problems, I think I have a winning series pitch. After the jump is the loose pitch and then a list of characters and tomorrow I’ll post the loose season 1 episode outlines.

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Attack The Site: DC Comics

DC Comics Site

Attack The Site: DC Comics
DC’s site works in so far as they mention comics often. You have an easy way to see the titles and there are a scattering of images.
The problem is the site doesn’t seem like a comics site. It looks like a bureaucratic site with slightly better design. Where is the action, where is the adventures – where is the color?
The biggest thing though is how do you introduce new readers – in the unlikely case that people have never heard of the characters where do you go? Marvel has it’s built in Wiki if nothing else. If you want to find out from DC though there is nothing to help you.
And that is a thing – comic sites should have free comics that you can read – don’t rely solely on your brand – show your talent. Have some old back issues up. Do a back catalogue like Marvel does with a few free comics each week. Become inviting for new readers.
And once more if you are going to list all of the books that you have – let people buy the books or link to retailers. Find some sort of way that you can sell the books.
I ended up emailing DC basically expressing this because I did. If anything comes out of it, I’ll let you know.

Next Week – Marvel

DC Announces Watchmen Prequel

In a sign of the now faster approaching Ragnarok, DC Comics announced a 4 part prequel to Watchmen, the classic series by Alan Moore generally regarded as the best series by people who don’t like to confess that they read comics.
With Moore still holding a vendetta with the studio the chances are that Moore will have no involvement with the series.
Moore, whose beard summons the blood rain in the final days has not yet commented but shit … okay we are supposed to make fake news but I can’t think of a realistically fake way to tilt this story. I mean the Ragnarok thing was close but if you have a goose laying golden eggs already – Watchmen still sells well – why are you going to disturb it.
If anything this just shows how bad off DC Comics is when they can’t come up with any new ideas.
Yes, Watchmen is a famous story but the story has a beginning and an ending. The story has all of the parts that it needs and there is nothing that needs to be added to it. If there were to be one thing that the story were able to add and if Moore at least consented to help or give notes – that would be fantastic and different but it doesn’t sound that way.
Also if you want to do something parodying conservatism at the extreme, get Bill Willingham on it.
But yeah, jeeze.

Animals Protest DC’s Speciesist Hiring Policies

Birds Protest DC Relaunch
One of the several birds that flew into the DC Offices.

As we continue to avoid giving press coverage to any other comic company trouble continues to stalk and beat DC into submission. Recent news of speciesist hiring policies hit DC today when a bunch of birds flew in through an open window. The news was not even covered by anyone else but at Nerdcenaries, we hold a higher standard to making up news that is so important in our 24 hour news cycle.
According to our reporter who was there during the protest, the birds were there protesting the lack of nonhuman writers and even characters that have been absent in the recent DC reboot.
A bird I saw on the ground hopped around interpretively dancing its message before I tried to grab it. “Listen, we use to have Krypto and Comet and all of the other super animals. I mean there was a goddamn monkey – and those were just related to the superfamily. What about Ace the Bathound, Crosby he Fast Cat, Stumpy the Cyborg Turtle and all of the other characters? These policies are making it even harder for the animal kingdom to even want to purchase comics, let alone actually do it!” This news does nothing to help DC who is already under fire for presumed sexist characters and hiring policies, allegations which they have formerly denied.
When asked about the birds, the workers were exasperated and confused by the fact that there were birds in New York after the snow and that they were also tropical birds native to the Caribbean.
The source of these birds is currently unknown but if you find them, please return them to the Nerdcenaries offices. They eat sesame crackers and drink Pinot Grigio and are well loved.

DC COMICS ABANDONS PORTRAYING WOMEN

A Leak Of The New Justice League Cover
A Leak Of The New Justice League Cover

By Jordan Neves

NEW YORK, NY – DC shocked the comics world today when it announced its new controversial stance about portraying women: That is, that they aren’t going to bother with it anymore.

“We’ve been hearing the backlash from fans and have definitely taken note,” said premier DC artist Jim Lee, “but changing our ways so soon and so broadly is difficult. Why expect us to draw Catwoman without her zipper down to her belly? Or a girl in clothing an average person could wear comfortably? We feel we will be serving our fans better by staying away from the issue altogether.”

“Unfortunately, drawing our female characters with any sort of discretion or dignity is just far too cost-prohibitive,” Said Editor-in-chief Dan DiDio. “Plus, we just don’t want to do it.”

“Frankly, all these strong, independent women should be able to choose what they wear, so I don’t know what the big deal is,” said Red Hood writer and grown man Scott Lobdell in regards to DC’s many fictional females. “But it will be a relief to write for male characters exclusively.”

When made aware that other creators have been successfully writing and drawing non-sexualized females for years, DiDio replied, “That may work for small-market writers like Dan Clowes and Mike Mignola, but I don’t see their characters appearing in smash-hit blockbuster movies like Green Lantern.”

Key to the announcement was that none of the DC Universe’s numerous female characters will actually disappear. The company plans on retaining their copyrights in a most unusual way. “We’ll be replacing all of them with males in the same roles,” said Lee. “Of course, with this change comes fresh, brand-new costume designs; We just felt uncomfortable drawing the same costumes on men. It’s funny, I don’t know why.”

“It will definitely be a challenge writing practically new characters,” said Catwoman writer Judd Winick, “but it will be the real shot-in-the-arm that the industry has needed this past couple of months.”

In response to the many fans put off by this decision, DiDio simply responded “We’re glad our comics have people talking about these issues.”

The change is expected to take full effect in January.