As the old saying goes, the one constant in life is change. The sad thing is that, truly, nothing lasts forever, even in comics.
HAS IT BEEN THAT LONG SINCE THESE MOVES HAPPENED?
Sometimes, changes stick in my mind for a long, long time. For instance, has it really been so long since Steven Moffat was leaving Doctor Who? In my opinion, it was good that he exited when he did. The last two of his seasons (or series, as they say in the UK) weren’t all that good. I mean, the moon being an egg? The Doctor dying and being reborn over and over and over again? Sometimes I’ve found it hard to believe that this was the same guy who developed the Weeping Angels, one of the very best villains I’ve ever seen.
His replacement has been Chris Chibnall from the Broadchurch crime drama series. At first, it seemed that Peter Capaldi would stay on as The Doctor, but we all know now that Chibnall picked his own lead character, the first female Doctor. It was fascinating how that was explained on the show.
Of course, this has impacted the Who comics from Titan Publishing. They were slow to catch up, as they always are, but now we’ll have even more Doctors in ongoing comics or miniseries’.
As popular as this franchise is, I have to wonder if repeatedly making major changes in the show will cause some fans to wear out and move on. Matt Smith was my favorite Doctor, but I’m now back to watching it because it’s sci-fi/fantasy, which always deserves to be supported. It’s just not as appealing to me as it was when Mr. Smith was there, sadly.
I still remember when the news came out that Cartoon Network was going to debut Justice League Action, bringing back Kevin Conroy to voice Batman and Mark Hamill as the Joker. Like Teen Titans Go, the segments were 15 minutes long, but the focus was not so much on comedy as adventure.
Quick aside – Whenever Batman speaks, be it in comics or in TV or films, my mind hears Mr. Conroy speaking. He’ll always be the voice of Batman to me!
Did you catch this excellent cartoon while it was airing on Cartoon Network? I own the Blu-ray disc version of it, and it is still terrific! However, it wasn’t on the network very long, as previous DC-related animated shows showed. Anyone else remember Green Lantern: The Animated Series? By the way, I still adore Batman: The Animated Series. Did that show shine!
CHERISH QUALITY WHILE YOU CAN
I like to say that everything’s a fad, and that’s because creators want to move on after they’ve told the stories they want to tell. Hey, even CSi finally ended on TV!
Maintaining quality can be a tough thing because of deadlines and the lure of other franchises. You want it when? is always a joke among creators when deadlines loom.
I’m on a relentless pursuit of quality storytelling, and that means cherishing the good stuff I know about while searching for other engaging stories.
HOW I LOOK AT IT ALL
I remember when Elvis died. My sister was depressed for a week afterwards. I laughed, which she did NOT care for!
But that was a learning experience for me. I follow the great comics as well as the TV shows and movies. But now I don’t expect them to go on endlessly.
Currently I’m big on Scout Comics, which is producing excellent product. I hope they keep that up for a long, long time! But I’m also a DC Comics fan, so I’m used to change (and not always good change) as a result. I’m going to buy every comic James Haick and company create because they’re so worth the money to buy and read!
I mean, I grieved when Justice League Unlimited ended on Cartoon Network, although I loved that final sequence of the group’s various incarnations running down the stairs. I was also very sad when Mr. Snyder moved on from Batman.
My advice is to enjoy the quality material you love as long as it continues to come out. But don’t be too surprised when that period of excellence comes to an end. Also, keep looking for good product, be it on TV or in the comics. Be sure to make contact with people who may be exploring comics or shows you haven’t been enjoying, and see what they recommend. They may help you discover great stuff! That has worked for me very well and is something I’ll continue to make happen.
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