In Which I Think Way Too Much About Narrative Devices Employed In Disappointing Superhero Comics
OK, so I got Countdown #1 because, hey, a big DCU book in which Darkseid and Jimmy Olsen play key parts? That's speaking right to me, or it should.
Sadly, I was sort of bored and vaguely lost during the whole thing and one of the key reasons is apparent right in the second scene, in which Duela and Red Hood fight. This bit of combat and its consequences meant nothing to me at all. They could have been two Valiant characters throwing each other around for all I know. Here's the first page of the scene, in which Duela appears and takes a teen pop idol hostage:
While her dialogue immediately (and without any flare) states that she's "The Joker's Daughter," I'm sort of flummoxed as a casual DC reader who's checking out this year's big universe-spanning epic. Who? What? Where did she come from? A few moments with Wikipedia later, however, I came up with a rough idea for a solution:
I think this works on for a few reasons. First, it's non-obtrusive. Instead of clumsy exposition, we've got the equivalent of a Tooltip. Secondly, it's a device that comics fans are used to and it works as an additional element of the story, be it part of the game played by Darkseid or (SPOILER!) as a representation of dossiers compiled by The Monitors. Finally, it's economical - we're told who this character is as well as who she claims she is (giving a window into her psychological status), get an explanation as to why she's not shooting lasers from her eyes while flying around, and get a glimpse at her past that may - and this is the best part - interest readers in other comics that feature the character, a.k.a. "What the hell you mean, this nutty nutjob was a member of the Titans?"
Throw in Red Hood, who I have exactly zero knowledge of other than it's supposed to be a formerly-dead Robin, Mary Marvel's current predicament (I read the first issue of Trials of Shazam, hated it), and two of Flash's rogues, and you've got a lot of balls in the air for a new reader to both identify and give a damn about in the space of 22 pages.
I understand that DC wants to sell DC Comics to DC Readers, but this editorial opacity makes hyped books like Countdown seem overly complicated for those of curious folk who weren't in the secret club for the last few years. I understand that a lot of comics storytelling techniques (thought bubbles, etc) are being eschewed for screenplay-style writing, but isn't necessarily a good thing, especially in a narrative universe featuring thousands of speaking parts. It's OK to throw in a caption or an editor's box; readers get them and, in fact, appreciate them a lot of the time.
"Event" books like Countdown, they're a chance to get more readers involved in more titles by giving them a touchstone. They're a loss leader that isn't a loss and serve as marketing for the DC Universe as a whole, as evidenced by the cover of this first issue. "Accessibility" and "sales" can go hand in hand - look at Civil War (or not - it's fairly crap, even if its logline is close to unassailable.) It seems odd that DC would rather serve a smaller, if more devout, audience with Countdown and its ilk instead of offering something that gives more readers a chance to find out what they're missing.
Sadly, I was sort of bored and vaguely lost during the whole thing and one of the key reasons is apparent right in the second scene, in which Duela and Red Hood fight. This bit of combat and its consequences meant nothing to me at all. They could have been two Valiant characters throwing each other around for all I know. Here's the first page of the scene, in which Duela appears and takes a teen pop idol hostage:
While her dialogue immediately (and without any flare) states that she's "The Joker's Daughter," I'm sort of flummoxed as a casual DC reader who's checking out this year's big universe-spanning epic. Who? What? Where did she come from? A few moments with Wikipedia later, however, I came up with a rough idea for a solution:
I think this works on for a few reasons. First, it's non-obtrusive. Instead of clumsy exposition, we've got the equivalent of a Tooltip. Secondly, it's a device that comics fans are used to and it works as an additional element of the story, be it part of the game played by Darkseid or (SPOILER!) as a representation of dossiers compiled by The Monitors. Finally, it's economical - we're told who this character is as well as who she claims she is (giving a window into her psychological status), get an explanation as to why she's not shooting lasers from her eyes while flying around, and get a glimpse at her past that may - and this is the best part - interest readers in other comics that feature the character, a.k.a. "What the hell you mean, this nutty nutjob was a member of the Titans?"
Throw in Red Hood, who I have exactly zero knowledge of other than it's supposed to be a formerly-dead Robin, Mary Marvel's current predicament (I read the first issue of Trials of Shazam, hated it), and two of Flash's rogues, and you've got a lot of balls in the air for a new reader to both identify and give a damn about in the space of 22 pages.
I understand that DC wants to sell DC Comics to DC Readers, but this editorial opacity makes hyped books like Countdown seem overly complicated for those of curious folk who weren't in the secret club for the last few years. I understand that a lot of comics storytelling techniques (thought bubbles, etc) are being eschewed for screenplay-style writing, but isn't necessarily a good thing, especially in a narrative universe featuring thousands of speaking parts. It's OK to throw in a caption or an editor's box; readers get them and, in fact, appreciate them a lot of the time.
"Event" books like Countdown, they're a chance to get more readers involved in more titles by giving them a touchstone. They're a loss leader that isn't a loss and serve as marketing for the DC Universe as a whole, as evidenced by the cover of this first issue. "Accessibility" and "sales" can go hand in hand - look at Civil War (or not - it's fairly crap, even if its logline is close to unassailable.) It seems odd that DC would rather serve a smaller, if more devout, audience with Countdown and its ilk instead of offering something that gives more readers a chance to find out what they're missing.
