The Four Color Media Monitor

Here's the analysis of monthly sales from The Beat that I'd wanted to look at earlier, and it tells that my favorite DC comics character, the Flash, has really suffered thanks to the steps they took that I never asked for:

Sales are still dropping like a stone. This is probably the most spectacular failure we’ve seen in the direct market in recent years, in terms of relaunches. DC seem to be terribly embarrassed by it; instead of following the handbook and trying to downplay and sugar-coat the book’s abysmal performance, they don’t even dare to mention it in their state-of-the-union interviews.

And I'm angry. When did I ever ask for Wally West to be replaced with a rendered-unrecognizable Bart Allen? I. did. not. And I wouldn't be surprised if plenty of other people didn't either, and were rightfully disappointed that Geoff Johns would not only end his run on it, but that the previous volume would end too, as if this had all of a sudden become one of those personal vanity series that exists only as a showcase for a specific writer.

So, belated as this may be, and it's not always easy to think of what to say, if I haven't said this before, then: I am against the tossing out of Wally West and Linda Park as protagonists, I am against the humiliation of Ralph and Sue Dibny, Ray Palmer and Jean Loring, I am against the replacing of Vic Sage with this Montoya character as The Question in 52, and I am also against the desecration of Blue Beetle. Is that so hard to make clear?

It's to be hoped that the free-falling sales to be seen in this list will start sending DC a message that people of my standing do not approve, not just of the exaggerated notion that we're willing to tolerate replacing generation after generation in contrast to Marvel, or the notion that we're willing to tolerate character assasination, but also of the alarmingly bad writing that's accompanied many of these One Year Later titles.

DC has gone so far out of their way to climb a high tree when they didn't have to. If they're smart, they'll start being honest and admit that they've really screwed up, tarnishing many of their legacy characters big and small, and start taking steps to fix things. Not to mention that this can't be a situation where "the show must go on." Because that doesn't solve anything, and only makes things worse, in perfect Emperor's New Clothes style.

Labels: dc comics, Flash, golden calf of death, moonbat writers, sales