Jumping in Headfirst

What Happened: This replaces Phantom Stranger. What I'd Change: Hit the ground running.  The Grifter and Voodoo comics made it fairly obvious the Daemonites were invading.   The WildC.A.T.s would be the only superhero team on Earth who knew about them, and the only ones capable of fighting them without being taken over in some way, shape or form.  Start with the full team and have them kicking ass out the gate, and doing their best not to alert Earth that MORE aliens have come to Earth. Why:  Because some characters are team characters, and Grifter and Voodoo are some of those kind of characters.  You've got Helspont fighting Superman?  Who was asking for that?   Nobody.  Stop that.  Let's get the Kherubim and half-Kherubim soldiers out there on the field, WildStorm's premiere superteam (to me at least) should have been one of the first to get a comic, not freaking Stormwatch.

What Happened: Believe it or not, DCs currently publishing 51 comics.  Here's your 52nd, even though I don't have to do it. What I'd Change: This time I'd probably start out with Jaime having to find his way back from space after the Reach is defeated in an interplanetary battle he was teleported out to, but had no part in. Why: Because Jaime usually spends his time on Earth, trying to deal with his beetle and the fact that he can't control his powers, while also living a normal life with his family and friends.  Problem is, we've been there and done that.  Jaime's only seven or eight years old as a character, and he's already on like Volume 2?  3?  And the last volume went over a lot of the same material the first one had.   Cut that out.  

What Happened: Replacing Deathstroke here. What I'd Change:There's nowhere near enough intrigue in the DC Universe.  Under my TN52C series, things have changed a bit, but there's still not enough.  What's the inter-organization politics look like when they have to deal with the D.E.O. or other organizations we don't know about?  How would they deal with N.O.W.H.E.R.E.?   These guys need to be on the board, and five years into DC's timeline makes as much sense as any other time.  Why: No, seriously, Checkmate was an absolutely BRILLIANT idea that had no business being shelved, ever.  Get Greg Rucka and Eric Trautmann back, and offer them as much freedom as they need to tell the stories they want.   Superhero spy stories was a brilliant idea and I loved reading Checkmate every month.  

What Happened: This title replaces Justice League Dark. What I'd Change: I'd be lying if I said I knew what JLD was truly about.  And that's the problem.  I don't know what's going on, and I don't much care. DC hasn't made a huge attempt to make the book matter yet.  And instead of shoving characters people barely know into a book and labeling it Justice League, I'd rather go with a more established team name for DC's magic users and use both some of the most well-known DC magic heroes like Doctor Fate, Zatanna, Phantom Stranger and Shazam, team veterans like Raggedy Man, Blue Devil, Black Alice and Enchantress, and maybe even some new characters you can build up over time.  I'd also pit them against higher-level threats, maybe even have them go after Pandora because someone noticed the universe changing. Why: Because DC is not Marvel, and the Justice League is not Avengers.  Don't just label things "Justice League" becaus...

What Happened: A lot of women (and some guys) got pissed off, Selina slept with Batman and they kept the masks on. What I'd Change: I liked Judd's idea.  I did.  Make Selina a lady addicted to bad behavior.  It's why she steals.  It's why she gets involved with an emotionally unavailable freak who's never going to love her properly.  It's how she gets into so many dangerous situations.   She loves the adrenaline rush.   ....Unfortunately, I like the idea for someone ELSE.  For Selina, it doesn't fit to me.  She can do better than that.  As for what I'd do?  Ever seen the show Hustle?  It's about a group of grifters who play long cons, involved operations that take longer than your typical, simplistic con, but results in a much bigger haul from the deal.   I like the idea of Catwoman being the leader of a grifting group, performing cons on all sorts of people in the DC Universe, using her...unique tal...

What Happened: Replacing Red Hood and the Outlaws. What I'd Change: There's no Protectors book, that I know of.  And frankly, the name is garbage so I'd probably get someone to change that.  But I think it'd be neat to have a Guardians of the Galaxy-type team in the DCU composed of some of their well-known superheroes in space (Adam Strange, Captain Comet, Starman) along with some less well-known people (Ultraa the Multi-Alien, Jemm the Son of Saturn) and maybe even an unexpected guest, newly introduced to the DC Universe (Spaaaaace Ghooooost).   They come together to battle against all the intergalactic conquerors that seem to plague the DCU. Why: Because DC has more than just superhero characters, and they should use them.  Plus Red Hood and the Outlaws was not terribly well-received anyway. 

What Happened: This is replacing Suicide Squad. What I'd Change: Let's be serious, for a second.  Secret Six sold decently and was a critical darling with an immense, hugely devoted fanbase.   I'm not one of them, but I do know you don't let go of something awesome to put out something that sells about the same but is "just another comic".   Bring Gail back, give her another artist (Nicola Scott's on Earth 2, which I like more so sorry Six fans.) and let her work her magic. Why: DC needs the goodwill, to be honest.