The New DCU: Who’s Missing?

Batman fans have not had enough of Jock's fantastic artwork.

With four more titles to unveil tomorrow, DC appears to have no place in their highly publicized September relaunch for a handful of their more talented writers and artists. The following names have so far been absent from any of the publishers recent announcements:

Jock: I am hopeful that Jock and his artwork, which is absolutely bursting with character, will be appearing on another Bat-book soon. Jock has alternated with Francesco Francavilla on Scott Snyder’s triumphant run on Detective Comics. In my opinion, DC has not totally embraced artists whose work goes against the grain in terms of standard comic book fare. This is one of the reasons Jock and Francavilla were so welcome on Detective; their styles are wildly different but they have churned out some of the most exciting pages this title has ever seen.

Bryan Q. Miller: While Miller has not scripted an enormous number of comic books, he is responsible for introducing readers to one of the most refreshing superhero titles of the last few years: Batgirl. With its bright, charming, self-deprecating heroine at its center, Miller’s Batgirl has remained the antithesis of its significantly darker Bat-family counterparts. Miller’s style is fun, exuberant, and sharp—seemingly the kind of bold style that DC would want to welcome as a part of its relaunch.



It's this two-page spread by Scott that got me back into Teen Titans.


Nicola Scott: After Teen Titans suffered from a creative slump after Geoff Johns left the title shortly after Infinite Crisis, J.T. Krul and Scott reinvigorated the book last year with fun stories and flat-out gorgeous artwork. Scott’s dynamic pages reminded me of a modern day George Perez, each panel was clean and clear and her teenagers looked like teenagers. Scott deserves to be on another superhero book immediately, even if it’s at another House.

Paul Dini: After a hugely successful writing career with Warner Bros. Animation on series such as Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, and Justice League, Dini worked with Alex Ross on some wonderful stories featuring DC’s icons. He moved onto Detective Comics in 2006 and has been writing a handful of series since. Dini launched Gotham City Sirens and has been working on the critically-acclaimed Zatanna and the recently cancelled Batman: Streets of Gotham.

Dustin Nguyen: After Lee Garbett left Batgirl last year, Nguyen had some big shoes to fill. And the artist did so admirably. While I have been a fan of his interiors, which always compliment Miller’s lively scripts, Nguyen delivers truly beautiful covers month in and month out. A highpoint for the artist was his striking work in Batgirl #18, in which Klarion the Witch Boy and Batgirl travel to Limbo Town—the entire sequence was painted and striking to say the least.

Nick Spencer: Well, there was little hope that T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents was going to make it much longer with its sales remaining low for months. Spencer announced that he had gone Marvel-exclusive earlier this year so, for the time being, his densely plotted superhero epic will be the last we see at DC from comicdom’s rising star. It’s unfortunate that this book could not find an audience because it is arguably the best of his superhero work.