Opinion Matters: Is DC Comics Cancelling Series Without A Chance To Thrive

This week DC Comics solicitations finally put rumors to rest, as it was revealed that Batwoman would be canceled ending with issue #18 in August. I'm both horrified, and heartbroken. As a queer woman, Batwoman was one of the first characters I was able to identify with in regards to my sexuality. She taught me to love and accept myself, even if those around me wouldn't. It sounds cliche but it's the truth.

 Seeing once again that Batwoman is being canceled is like a knife to my gut. Between multiple cancelations on both her New 52 and Rebirth series, as well as the immediate halt on her and Maggie Sawyer's engagement during the previous run of Batwoman,  it's clear that DC's heart and motives for the characters aren't in the right place.  It's hard seeing no love for this character from DC, considering the love she has from her fans. In regards to queer characters, DC Marvel or otherwise I consider Batwoman at the forefront for queer representation in comics.

 Now I'm not trying to say Marguerite Bennett is a bad writer. In fact, with Batwoman that's not the case at all, as Bennett writes the character almost seamlessly. She came up with some really great arcs for the character including the Neo Future Kate Kate and her rise against the Batman in a Marshal Law ran Gotham. We're even starting to see the return of fan favorite Renee Montoya towards the end of the series. However, if DC noticed a decline in sales they should have made a switch in creative teams even if only temporarily. This is the only way you're going to get a possible boost of sales, as well a clear picture of what's working and what doesn't. That being said this isn't just a crusade for the cancelation of Batwoman. That's something I could go on about all day long. There's something larger at hand we should focus on.

This month also marked the final issue of Batgirl & the Birds of Prey, the series ending at just issue #22. Now Birds of Prey, in particular, is famously known for its predecessor,  a long-running series by Gail Simone, with it's it's almost constant rotating cast. During the Rebirth run, a change in characters is something we only saw a few times, for a total of two whole arcs. Both times not leaving enough lasting impression to really stick. It's a shame because I was really hoping to finally see the return of Zinda Blake. Maybe even some fan-favorite veterans like Misfit and Big Barda would make a return or casual appearance as well. The Benson sisters wrote this book for all twenty-two issues, start to finish. I'll be honest by the second arc the writing felt a little stale and was in dire need of a switch up. But it never happened, which is potentially one of the reasons the sales suffered the way they did.

August's solicitations also marked the end of Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corp. While I won't consider this as a much of a victim, as Birds of Prey and Batwoman, simply due to the longevity of the series with fifty issues under its belt, it still shares a similar trait between the aforementioned two. A lack of change with the creative team.

Now while the art passes through hands, quite frequently, often time changing artists from arc to arc, the writers for both Birds of Prey and Hal Jordan Green Lantern Corp, have been the same since issue one, with Batwoman only taking a brief change in writers with issue eleven. Now I don't know about you but one issue isn't enough to get used to a new creative team, let alone see a dramatic boost in sales.

It feels like DC isn't giving these series enough time to grow and flourish, before sending them to the chopping block. Rather they're keeping a lot of their titles stale and uninviting without making the switch.  I've almost noticed a trend with DC Rebirth in particular where creative teams either stay on since the beginning of time or only make that switch more than midway through the ongoing series.

It's a shame because now it feels that characters like Huntress, Batwoman and even some of the main Green Lantern corp are now lost between the pages, without a series to call their own. Part of me is hoping that maybe some of these characters will be spread out amongst other series or even the series as a whole will be rebranded into something new. As much as I hate to say it maybe these are even coinciding with this soft reboot DC seems to be doing this summer. I just hope we don't see many more books canceled without giving them a chance or putting forth the effort for change.