I'm taking a short break from the Aquaman show review to extrapolate on something we discussed on our podcast, "How I Got My Wife to Read Comics".
DC Comics, as you probably know, had a company-wide reboot last September. When you restart 52 comics at the same time, you will only have so many hits, and you only have so much money for marketing, etc. This means some of the titles will need to be cancelled. DC recently announced that 6 of the 52 titles would end at issue #8 (they just finished out #5), and that 6 new titles would replace them. Based on what I've heard about them, my opinion is that 3 will probably do well, one is questionable, and two are DOA.
This post isn't about the specifics of those titles--it's about how DC can go about replacing titles without rolling the dice on a bunch of brand new ongoing series. Basically, my suggestion is that they bring back the Showcase title. Showcase was started in 1956 to revive DC's superheroes. Wertham's crusade, and the resulting Senate hearing and the creation of the Comics Code Authority, effectively killed off most of the DC superhero line by this point. DC's management wanted to bring them back, but more in line with the modern era. Creative teams were given a total of (usually) 3 issues to introduce a new character, and get enough sales to justify a move to their own title or team. For all intensive intents and purposes, Showcase kickstarted the Silver Age at DC--the Barry Allen Flash, the Hal Jordan Green Lantern, The Ray Palmer Atom, Adam Strange, the Metal Men, the Creeper, Hawk and Dove, the Challengers of the Unknown, and Rip Hunter were all introduced in the pages of Showcase.
DC has a huge line of characters that have effectively fallen off the map, especially due to the recent reboot. At some point, those character names will need to be used to exercise their copyright. A new Showcase series would be a great way to try out new or updated characters--a "pilot" process for filling in the New 52. It's less of a risk than starting a whole new ongoing series. It would also give DC the opportunity to bring in new creatives--a tryout process for them as well as the characters. I wouldn't want to see established creatives used, especially those already working at DC--they have enough to do keeping the 52 titles running on time.
The really great thing about this idea is that DC wouldn't have to depend on just sales and old schools "letters to the editor". Facebook, Twitter, Google + sites are already in place or could be set up easily to track interest. Just see how many "likes", "retweets", or "plus ones" you get about a particular new character run.
Consider that one of the most talked about events in DC history was when they gave the readers the ability to vote via a 900 number on whether the Jason Todd Robin would die. This would be even more interactive--and an ongoing process that can spawn more marketing.
A possible downside is that DC is already using the Showcase name for a series of reprint volumes. Either that could be changed, or the existing DC Universe Presents title could be refashioned for this use.
The reboot generated a huge buzz for DC, but that won't last forever--the numbers are already dropping. Resurrecting Showcase would give DC an ongoing flow of new characters and concepts, as well as a way to discover new creating talent.
What do you think, Didio and Lee? Just a thought from an old comic collector...