Looking through the DC relaunch titles, a lot of them sound interesting, but there are also a fair number that are obviously going to get cancelled pretty quickly. I don’t want to single any out, as that wouldn’t be very nice to the creators, but I’m sure a few have caught your eye too. Now, while there are several books headlined by female characters (Batgirl, Batwoman, Birds of Prey, Catwoman, Supergirl, Voodoo, and Wonder Woman), I think we could use a few more, and I have some suggestions for books we should have had instead of the titles that are destined to be goners.
I’ve left a few good choices out because I have a theory: There are no Justice Society or Captain Marvel or Fourth World books in the relaunch, and I think DC might be planning to open up the multiverse once Morrison’s Multiversity comes out, and so they are holding back on such characters until then. Thus I am not recommending Power Girl or Mary Marvel or Big Barda, though I would totally love a Big Barda book. I’m also not recommending a Lori Lemaris book because I think I’m the only person who would buy it, but it would be fantastic. Here are my picks:
LOIS LANE
I can’t believe that they didn’t do a Lois Lane book. People seem to be clamouring for one, and it could be awesome. Lois Lane is an intrepid reporter who would do anything and go anywhere for a story. The plot possibilities for a Lois Lane book are endless… she could be embedded in a war zone, or undercover at some nefarious business, or exposing corruption in Metropolis. Plus, Lois Lane allows DC to build the world of Metropolis… too often in Superman books, Metropolis is the generic city Superman buzzes through on his way to save the world, but with Lois you can get a street level view of the city. The staff of the Daily Planet could be fleshed out, as well as major players in Metropolis politics and business. It could be like Gotham Central, but with Metropolis, especially if you kept the capes more in the background and kept the focus on Lois and the Daily Planet.
Also, Lois Lane would be the perfect gateway comic for new readers, particularly female readers. Everybody knows who Lois Lane is, so you don’t have to sell them on a whole new character, and she provides a stepping stone to the rest of the DC universe. A Lois Lane book would be the book female comic fans gave to their female non-comic fan friends. For example:
Female Non-Comic Fan: Yeah, comics look cool, but I’m not really into superheroes.
Female Comic Fan: You should check out Lois Lane… it’s all about her reporting on crazy stories and bringing down bad guys. Superman’s totally in the background.
Female Non-Comic Fan: I’ll do it!!
See? And then once they’re reading Lois Lane, they’ll see the ads for other book and BAM you’ve got them hooked. Get on it, DC.
THE QUESTION
Renee Montoya was one of the coolest characters in the DC universe for years, and then they went and made her even cooler when she became the Question. I know she’s Rucka’s baby and he’s not working at DC right now, but the Question would make for a fantastic book. The character’s already got a weird mythology with the Crime Bible, so you could set it up sort of like Fringe where there’s this big overarching story told in individual adventures that allow certain pieces to fall into place. The Question could be a globe-trotting ass kicker, busting up villains all over the planet, but on each trip she learns more about the bigger picture of what’s going on, leading of course to an epic confrontation once it all comes together (and then you could pull a “nothing is as it seems” move, where the clues she’s found don’t lead to the end but rather to the first clue of the NEW overarching plot). I think you could get some fantastic stories out of the Question AND add some much needed diversity to the DC universe. Montoya is Hispanic and a lesbian, two characteristics in very short supply at DC right now.
CAROL FERRIS
With the Green Lantern movie in theatres this summer, it makes sense to do something with the only major female character in the film. Lately, the Green Lantern books have focused on the various new corps and them battling each other, and not so much on fighting non-ringed bad guys. Carol’s been in the mix of that as Star Sapphire, popping up here and there, but I think she is a good way to offer an alternative to the multi-coloured ring-centric Green Lantern books. You base Carol on Earth, and have part of the book be about her as a business executive at Ferris and part of it be about her turning into Star Sapphire to go fight bad guys somewhere. You could build cool casts on Earth and on Zamaron, and basically have a classic-style superhero book, but instead of a dude have a smart businesswoman turn into a superhero and fly off to save the day. The costume would probably need to be tweaked (ie. less skin… it’s sort of ridiculous), but I think someone could develop a really fun book that ties into DC’s big summer movie.
MERCY GRAVES
Series from the perspective of a villain can be a good time, and Mercy Graves back in her role as Lex Luthor’s bodyguard/assistant would make for a great comic. Paul Cornell’s recent run on Action Comics proved that Lex Luthor can carry a book, and by focusing on Mercy you could have Lex in the mix while Mercy goes off to do his dirty work. It would be a cool way to explore the villainous underbelly of the DC universe. You’d have Lex’s big, evil plots, but the focus would be on Mercy taking care of the really dangerous jobs and making sure everything was in place… sort of like Alias, but if Jennifer Garner was evil and totally onboard for Sloane’s fiendish plans and dressed like a chauffeur most of the time. I think it would be a fun way to look at the darker side of DC, and that Mercy could be a really interesting character to develop more.
CASSANDRA CAIN
She’s basically a ninja… I don’t think I need to say anything more than that. But I will. There is no one more bad ass in the DC universe than Cassandra Cain. You could make this book wall to wall action… it would be so much fun!! Plus there’s a lot to explore with her… having been raised as an assassin, trained to kill instead of to read and write and socialize, Cassandra is in no way a typical teenager. She’s adapted somewhat, but there’s still a lot to pull out of that aspect of her character. With Oracle seemingly gone, that relationship might be off the table, but there are all sorts of characters that could play a mentor role for her. Plus, NINJA. You could do such a killer action book with her. And here’s an idea: crossover with the Question book!! I’d be all over that. I know Barbara Gordon is Batgirl now, but a Cassandra Cain book would be such a good time, whatever you called her.
What do you think? Who would you like to see headlining a book?
Tags: Carol Ferris, Cassandra Cain, DC Relaunch, Lois Lane, Mercy Graves, Renee Montoya, Star Sapphire, The Question
