The exodus from DC Comics continues. Both W. Haden Blackman and J.H. Williams III are walking away from Batwoman as of issue #26. They say it is due to last minute changes which come down the pipes which have caused them to alter stories at the last minute. These changes, according to their posting today (see it here), cause them to not be able to tell the best story they possibly can within the pages of Batwoman.
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n their post, Blackman and Williams stated that they had plans to tell the origin of Killer Croc – but this was scrapped. Also, the changes would cause for the marriage between Kate and Maggie to not be seen within the pages of the comic. All of these changes apparently happened at the last possible moment and have caused for a negation of their ability to deliver the best story to fans.
This is not the first time we have heard about issues between the brass, editorial staff, and creators at DC Comics. We have seen an exodus from DC Comic this year for irreconcilable differences between creators, editors, and brass. How many problems do we have to go over right now (Villain Month allocation anyone)) to prove that DC Comics is falling apart from the inside.
Yes, DC Comics has been making major strides in market share. Taking over market share for a month is a short-term goal. Why isn’t the company dealing with long-term goals? Keeping staff, and keeping staff happy is an important aspect if you want to achieve long-term success. Granted, they have had long-term success (the company did not just show up on the scene), but they need to worry about long-term success from here on out.
Comic book readers, collectors, and comic book store owners are mad at DC Comics right now because of all of the problems. Obviously, many of the creators who have worked with the company recently have been angry as well. All of this anger and madness points to a larger issue at DC Comics – control.
It appears that the root problem at DC Comics right now is control. They fight their own creators for control of the characters while not being able to control the launch of their biggest event of the year. Mind the fact that the company can’t even control the media leaks which happen. Every few days, something new appears to leak out of the DC Comics offices and into the press.
Someone needs to take control of the company before it completely falls apart. Maybe that person is someone on the staff. Maybe someone from outside the company should be brought in to reevlauate all of the processes and those who make the processes. They need to learn when control should be taken, and when it should be delegated. These are not mistakes a seasoned company like DC Comics should be making, but it is something that needs to end.
