Dan Didio Leaves DC Comics

The news broke last week that Dan Didio was out as publisher at DC Comics. Here is a link to where I read it first - The Hollywood Reporter of all places:
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/dcs-dan-didio-as-publisher-1280488

I am in the medical profession and I know nothing of the inner workings of publishing. I never wish ill on anyone.

What I do know is that under his tenure, I often didn't recognize the DC Universe I was reading. It was often a very dark place. The overall feeling was often dark, grim, dismal, depressing.

He would say things like this.

Heroes shouldn't have happy personal lives. They are committed to being that person and committed to defending others at the sacrifice of their own personal interests,” he said, according to reports. “That's very important and something we reinforced.

Heroes can't be happy. They can't be married. They can't have families.

He would promote books like Heroes in Crisis where a beloved hero, the hallmark of hope in the DCU becomes a killer.

"I do believe you need that visceral impact in a story," DiDio continued. "Heroes In Crisis is really going to be a book that I think will really reclassify and redefine what it takes to be a hero again in the DC Universe."

Visceral. As if you couldn't have a story where a hero could do good because it was the right thing to do. Where a hero could be happy about being a hero. Where it wasn't all hands being cut off and offal.

It was a universe where evil was relative. Where you might have to root for something evil because it was the lesser of two evils.

Is that the DCU we know?


And then there was Supergirl under his tenure. Of all legacy characters, of all characters with a history, Supergirl was one who was a beacon of hope and optimism and brightness. I don't think he understood her at all.

Within her first arc, she was sexualized. She was turned evil. She was doubted by Batman.

In her solo title's first arc, she became Dark Kara.

In her title's second year, we learned she was sent to Earth to kill Superman. She had shot up a high school on Krypton with her deranged father.

All this darkness was rejected by long term Supergirl fans. People who want angsty characters won't read Supergirl. Supergirl fans don't want her angsty. It is a recipe for disaster. In 3 years they tried it three times. It never works.

Thankfully, Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle came on and righted the ship. But then that universe went away.

In the New 52, she was angry. She hated Superman. She wanted to be left alone. She was willing to blow up Earth with H'el to save Krypton. She left Earth and was killed by the Cyborg Superman (she got better).

Not dark enough?

They made her a Red Lantern.

As always, it didn't work.

Then Rebirth happened and after some rough spots we were in a good place. Supergirl was the hero of National City. She accepted Earth.

So of course the plug was pulled. She was made the Mistress of the Axe. She was a near killer.

Not dark enough?

Let's infect her with the Batman Who Laughs and make her a villain.

Guess what, it didn't work. The book was canceled.

Welcome to the wash/rinse/repeat cycle of Supergirl darkness. If something dark doesn't sell, we should only make it darker. Until sales plummet to the point that we either redeem or cancel. And then, a couple of years later, we'll try the darkness again.

It is like Supergirl is a microcosm of the warped view we saw over and over under Didio's watch. 

And yet ...

And yet ...

We got Morrison's Action Comics run.
We got the DCYou revamp with books like Black Canary and Starfire.
We got the Gates/Igle run of Supergirl.
We got Multiversity.

There were high points. But it reminded me of a line from Peter Milligan's Extremist comic. They were like 'perfumed hankerchiefs in a field of sh*t'. Bright spots on a dismal canvas.

And then, on line, I saw many creators, people whose work I love and admire, compliment Didio for his passion and dedication for his work. They talked about how Didio wasn't behind everything but he took all the on-line abuse, protecting his creative workforce.

I often loathed his overall DCU.
But I loved some books under his tenure.
I couldn't help but think someone with a clearer vision and love of the DCU would be better in his position.
But I know nothing of publishing.
And creators whose work I love lauded him.
But Supergirl was misunderstood by him and those beneath him.

Perhaps it is simply too big for me to grasp.

Will the DCU be better under the next regime?
I can only hope.

Posted in: Reviews