Quote:
Captain Cranky said:
If DC has a hope in hell, they need to attract new readership, you know, kids. Kids who will continue to read comics as they grow up. Does anyone at DC think that impenetrably craptastic, convoluted storylines will attract new readers?
I don't know, but I do know that those who zealously cling to the notion of a rigid, inflexible continuity don't give two figs about bringing in new readers. They're convinced that they alone are the lifeblood of the industry, and they're dead-set against any fresh perspectives coming in. And I'm not just talking about MOTA here. There's a guy at the DC site called Shatterstorm who's been savagely vocal in his demands that DC dig their heels in and maintain the status quo and that "new readers be damned, I want the books to be written for me!" (Direct quotes from late 2002; his opinion hasn't changed over time.) He's opposed to DC shaking things up because he's afraid that bringing in new readers and fresh blood would mean that he wouldn't enjoy the books anymore. For a time, he was every bit the troll that MOTA is.
If any new blood is to come in (which it needs to), the continuity zealots are going to have to get out of the way. Otherwise the medium WILL die out. And sooner or later, DC is going to have to realize this, or else WB might just decide to shut them down and use the characters purely for licensing (as was alleged might happen to Marvel during the last few months of Jemas' reign). Something's got to give here.
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