The DC Universe has just become a bit smaller, and a lot less pulpy. DC Publisher Dan DiDio recently confirmed on his Facebook page that the company has let the rights to The Spirit, The Avenger and Doc Savage lapse…
“Sorry to say but none of these characters are still at DC but here’s hoping that another publisher gets them back in print soon.”
This is one of those “surprising at first, but not so surprising once you think about it” kind of things. Up until recently DC was pushing its pulp properties pretty hard. There was a high profile Spirit series, Frank Miller’s Spirit movie and even an attempt to establish an entire pulp universe with the First Wave books. Problem is, none of the comics sold, and the Spirit movie was embarrassingly bad, so I guess DC has, not shockingly, decided to cut bait.
Not a huge loss really. Aside from Darwyn Cooke’s brief but memorable run on The Spirit back in the mid-2000s, DC hasn’t done anything terribly memorable with the characters. Word is Dynamite might snap up the properties — hopefully they do something more interesting with them.
via Comics Alliance
Here’s to hoping McSweeney’s picks them up.
I think I’ve decided that Doc Savage just doesn’t work well in comic book form. Sure, I’ve read some good ones, but on the whole they just don’t capture what I love about the pulp stories. And it seems lately that any new adaptation has to trumpet how, “This ain’t your GRANDPA’S Doc Savage!” You know the hell what? “My grandpa’s” Doc Savage kicks ass over any adaptation in the last 40 years. Nothing has come close to the understated style that Lester Dent wrote in.
For a long time I thought that Doc Savage needed to be showcased – to show how many major comic and pop-culture characters owe a debt to the character. But, much like John Carter, no one will give a fuck and all you would hear is, “Fortress of Solitude? What a rip-off from Superman!”
Looks like I have my crotchety old man-pants on today, and they’re hiked up to just about my armpits it seems. Sorry for the rant.
GO TEAM VENTURE!
The Spirit Archives are still at DC for the time being.
To tell you the truth, I actually quite enjoyed The Spirit movie. Not as a Spirit adaptation, oh no, but as an exercise in extreme ridiculousness. If it was called Crazy City Man, I would have LOVED it. Sam Jackson probably never had as much fun playing Sam Jackson In Costumes in any other film.