DC characters that need a second series

So pre-NYCC we got the announcement from DC that another Batman series will be making its way to the New 52. All we know so far is that it’s a weekly series and it’s called Batman Eternal.

For crying out loud!

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good Batman story, and there’s no doubt that he’s DC’s strongest-going franchise, and there are plenty of interesting stories to tell about the man. But in the New 52, Batman has already had no less than five different series: Batman, Batman Detective Comics, Batman and Robin, Batman: The Dark Knight and Batman Incorporated. And that’s just the New 52 canon titles. We also have the adorable Lil’ Gotham and the nostalgic Batman ’66.

Does DC really need another title starring Bruce Wayne?

It’s not that there are so many Batman books that bother me, it’s more that there are plenty of characters that could really benefit from a second series that takes a different view on the title character. Batman’s great, but he’s clearly overblown.

So without further ado, here’s a list of five different characters who could actually benefit from a second series in the New 52.



 

5. The Teen Titans

Okay, so it’s not really one character, per se, but have a quick think about it; we have the Justice League, the Justice League Dark, the Justice League of America and we used to have the Justice League International. It makes sense to have another set of Teen Titans- maybe a government sanctioned one?

There are plenty of good characters to use there, but I’d like to see one lead by Static. The New 52’s Static Shock wasn’t a good book, but the character was still very impressive. Maybe Static could lead a few of the Legion of Super Heroes (also in cancelled books) as the new Titans team. Hey, we live in a world where Vibe gets his own book, so stranger things could happen.

 

4. Green Arrow

With the success of Arrow on television, it would seem silly not to capitalise on the Oliver Queen’s success. Another Green Arrow book within the New 52 could give us just the push he needs to finally be considered a major player in the new DC universe (and before we go further, I don’t think the comic based on Arrow really counts).

Marvel recently released a Hawkeye ongoing series that focused on the Avenger taking on smaller-stakes incidents. It doesn’t seem stupid to try a similar thing with Oliver. The character is grounded enough to have him take on lower-level threats. Maybe even a book that sees Green Arrow travelling around the world, taking on international threats while using his job at QTech as a cover? It’s not a totally ridiculous idea.

3. Cyborg

 

Okay, technically, Cyborg’s flagship title is the New 52’s Justice League, but If Geoff Johns is so intent on taking theTeen Titan to adult leaguer, the dude needs to be shown getting out there on his own. What does he do while Superman’s battle Lex Luthor, when Batman’s struggling the court of owls and when the Flash is taking on Mob Rule? There are plenty of possibilities.

One of the most praised strengths of the New 52 is how often DC have tried to cement diverse heroes in the mainstream continuity. Unfortunately, the sales figures haven’t been able to support the continuation of most non-white characters, and almost every character of colour has seen their series cancelled. Along with Batwing, Cyborg is one of the few black characters to actually survive the New 52 reboot, so giving him a title would possibly be more successful than the likes of, say, Mr Terrific or Static, who we haven’t really seen again since their first collected editions.

2. The Flash

Barry Allen seems to be more of a background character of late. His “flagship title” is incredible, but there could be more stories told about the man for whom we can blame the New 52 universe. Maybe a spin-off story involving the more popular Wally West is in order, maybe a book investigating the Flash’s five years before the New 52, as seen in Superman Action Comics.

The New 52 has well and truly proven that there is more to the Flash than just running fast.

 

1. Wonder Woman

DC keep trying to assure us that Wonder Woman is a major player in the DC universe, but honestly, I don’t see it happening. When one of DC’s “big three” only has one series while the Green Lanterns have three, it seems laughable to treat the Amazon Princess like she’s one of the big guns in the universe.

A second series would show us that DC is actually taking Wonder Woman seriously. It may even help the push for a Hollywood film based on the character.

So there it is. What are your thoughts? Are there characters I missed that you think need a second title? Leave a comment below.