Darknite39

OK, so I'm a grad student with little time to read for fun, so I'm like 3 years behind or something ridiculous like that, and I only buy the Bat titles at this point (other than the Ultimate Spidey Hardcovers), so I don't claim to be in the know regarding comics like I used to be, but when I opened up my comics from NewForce today (I get them via mail), I was floored to see the "Final Issue" notice on several books.

Are you fucking kidding me? I remember buying the first issue of Robin, and I got into Nightwing and Birds of Prey later on via trades.

First they shitcan Chuck Dixon and now they cancel the books altogether? Ugh.

/rant

At least now I have a new number 1 to look for at some point, I suppose. That'll make it all better...


Anyway, as an aside, I'm hoping to catch up on my reading this summer, after my qualifying exams are done; are there good sites that list the DC crossovers--like, the issues I need to read the whole stories and the proper order for those issues? I've found some sparse info in a variety of places, but I'm assuming there's a depository somewhere on the 'net.

Cathepsin

I wasn't reading Robin or Nightwing regularly, but they didn't cancel Birds of Prey - they just put it out of its misery. It was an act of mercy. The book went downhill really fast after Gail Simone and Nicola Scott left to do Secret Six. It wasn't really the same after Black Canary left the cast.

Nightwing, Robin and Birds of Prey are being replaced as Batman satellite books by Red Robin, Batman and Robin, Gotham City Sirens and Streets of Gotham in June. Rucka and Williams on Detective just looks beautiful.

What DC crossovers are you interested in reading? Of the recent crossovers, the only one where the reading order is a little persnickety is Final Crisis, where you really need to read the Superman Beyond books.

Darknite39

June. OK. That gives me some time to prepare. Thanks for the info! I love Rucka's stuff, so that's good to hear, too, providing I get to it before next year.

I'm mostly interested in Bat crossovers from the past couple of years. I'm sure that I've missed some issues, so I'd like to get ahold of them before I start reading b/c I tend to go through issues pretty quickly. I'm esp. interested in Batman: RIP and whatever aftermath stuff is out there. I honestly don't know anything about the storyline, but it sounds somewhat interesting, so I want to be sure I've got my bases covered for when I catch up to that point.

Thanks for the reply!

BTW, is there any site you might recommend aside from wikipedia that would let me catch up on the major storylines and crossovers from DC? Just so that when I start reading I have some kind of frame of reference (like, "HUH? They killed off X?" or "Who the Hell is that in that costume--OHHH")? That would be helpful, too.

davidh777

Yeah, I really got into the first few BOP trades but they went downhill pretty quickly and I was wondering if it was me. Fortunately someone on this board was well-versed in the series and agreed on the deterioration.

reverie

Nightwing has been going downhill for years for me. I have every issue, and it seems to me that they just didn't know what they wanted to do with him as time went on. I think they were trying too hard to make him fit rather than letting him live his own comic life.

Ah well, that was the last superhero book I was buying, so that's it for Marvel & DC for me (minus trades of course).

madcougar

I stopped reading comic books after 20 years about six months ago and boy this is news to me! I sometimes miss them, but honestly it had become a chore to follow all of these crossovers. I may back collect the last few issues of Nightwing and Robin just to have a complete set of the entire run.

reverie

That "collectors mentality" is a bitch, isn't it? I so wanted to drop Batgirl, but knew she was on the chopping block, so I kept up until the end. With Nightwing, I had been with it from the get-go, and just couldn't bring myself to drop the title. Thank you, DC, for helping me quit!

Darknite39

Hm. Well, I guess it's a good thing I didn't end up buying most of the later BOP issues. I'm still going to read all of Nightwing, though, despite the possible drop in quality.

I was checking out some websites last night after I posted this, and it seems like DC's really cranked up the bullshit with all of the crossovers and EVENTS! over the past few years. Old school "me" would have picked that shit up without a second thought, but I don't know if I'm up to the task now. At least there seem to be collected editions of a lot of the material...

gmerreighnjr

the Battle For The Cowl books have been pretty decent so far

stingermck

Im just waiting for Barbara as Batgirl, after The Cure.

Cathepsin

Good Batman-related comics DC's put out since 2006, in my opinion:

Batman by Grant Morrison (pity about the art)
Detective Comics by Paul Dini (quality standalones)
Catwoman by Pfeiffer and Lopez (not quite as good as Brubaker's run, but what is?)
Birds of Prey (up until the end of Simone's run - McKeever and Bedard weren't too impressive filling her shoes)
Batman: The Cat and the Bat, a story from Batman Confidential. Kevin Maguire art! Barbara Gordon Batgirl vs. Catwoman in a nudist club!

madcougar

Dude, like you wouldn't believe. Over the years, I've started collecting so much nonsense (DVDs included!) that it hurts when I come to my senses and I have thousands of whatever (CDs, comic books, post cards, toys, old school video games, and on and on...).

fujishig

Please tell me this isn't really happening.

Superboy

...It is! DC decided that the only way to turn around their pitifully low-selling comics that weren't making any money was to pretend that the last, oh, 25 years of stories JUST DIDN'T HAPPEN! Little do they realize how much fans adored those stories, it was just everything that came afterwards that drove people away. Hm, reminds me of X-men.

stingermck

Just read my Sig, it was in response to The Cure series

madcougar

Oh, dear god. I got off the bus at exactly the right time then.

fujishig

Ah, I didn't know that was what he was referring to. However, as much as I loved Barbara Gordon's Batgirl, is there really a pressing need, or some incredible story that begs to be told, regarding her recovering from being crippled? I'd think the people who really, really wanted that stopped long ago, especially with the effectiveness that she's had in her position as Oracle. I feel the same way about bringing Barry back, were there really that many people clamoring for Wally to go away? (I'll say it again, though, I give Johns the benefit of the doubt).

I may be jaded, because for a long time I wished for Supergirl to come back, and when I finally accepted that "Matrix" was here to stay they brought her back... but in a modernized, slutty persona. Great.

I'm also probably a hypocrite, because I loved when Ordway revamped Captain Marvel to go back to his roots, hated when they changed Mary and Billy recently, then cheered when they recently reverted back in JSA. I've also wanted a return to the "real" Legion of Superheroes for some time. In both cases, however, the characters were not really major players in the DC universe at the time.

stingermck

To me I just want to see some modern stories told for Batgirl. The flashbacks are great here and there, but it would be nice to see the her interact with current characters, under current creators, writing, drawing, etc, instead of permanently stuck in the 60's and 70's.

Also from a storyline standpoint, we've had Zero Hour, Infinite Crisis, and Final Crisis. Jordan restarted, Superboy punched, and 52 Earths later everyone has been healed or revived except for Barbara. It just doesn't make sense.

fujishig

I agree with you, except for the part where you think the solution is allowing Barbara to fall in with the other continuity messes...

Let's just replace all the heroes with the golden age versions and be done with it already...

stingermck

Maybe I should have added that a huge Batgirl nerd. Even have my own site....ahem. But anyway, Jordan fans, Barry, Oliver, Kara, etc have gotten there wish. Its my turn!

fujishig

Kara fans didn't get their wish. Unless you're talking Powergirl instead of Supergirl...
Ah well, I'll see how it works out, sorry to sidetrack the thread.