ComicsAlliance Visits the DC Reboot Protest at Comic-Con That Mostly Didn't Happen [Video]

Here is inside info for everyone! I was the Harley Quinn in the wedding gown with the Joker in the Alex Ross style tux. This was my 14th year in a row going to SDCC and my 13th in a row dressing up on Saturday cause it's fun and people love the crap out of us. There were so many Jokers and Harleys because we're a communal bunch and were already going to be meeting up for a thing called Harleypalooza like we did last year 'cause, believe it or not, sometimes it's just fun to add to the Con experience with your own additional events. I know how fine and noble it is to merely slog through the halls in a non-contributing way - something I enjoy myself now and then as well - but there are other philosophies, and a lot of times you're glad for them when you relay what you got to do and see when you went to Con. How fun that zombie walk was, how hilarious that pirate vs ninja fight was, etc. We decided to add a protest about "new Harley" to our meet-up and to jump in on the bigger DC protest while we were at it in a bid to CHANGE DC COMICS FOREVER!!! Oh, wait. That totally wasn't it at all. It actually just sounded like fun and an ideal way to blow off some geek steam with some like-minded individuals as long as it would otherwise be the elephant in the room. Why not use Comic-Con as a place to add a little extra stank to all of our internet grumblings? Because some people might take us too seriously and say mean things or not get it? Mm, nope.

Speaking of, kind of amazing to hear how easily embarrassed some people feel about the idea of taking that extra step and holding up a sign that says "I AM UPSET ABOUT THIS THING", for a while. It seems like we might pursue life with different levels of adventurousness. Fortunately, none of us were that kind of easily ashamed type, and our spirits weren't dampened by the turn out. Maybe because everyone else had higher expectations than us? Whatever the case we had a blast! It was fun! We got on TV and teh internets some more! We blissfully and successfully went about the rest of our time at SDCC and loved it! We boozed it up later that night with industry folks and lawyers from DC! Enjoy feeling sorry for us if you must cause we sure don't feel sorry for ourselves.

And OF COURSE we're gonna protest with our dollars too. What, you can only pick one way??

By the way, we were all standing slightly to the right of Mr. Sims in that video watching him film it but enjoying our time too much to interject or care.

Tara Strand
www.gothampublicworks.com

Maybe another reason for the poor turnout was that as time has gone people are actually excited about the relaunch. I was not a fan of the idea but after seeing what is coming out I changed my mind. Plus, the great article CA did on other relaunches helped calm some feelings.
I also think way too many people took this video too seriously. That and the main gripe of the protest seems to be Harley Quinn is changing her costume.

Well, good to see my comment was taking off. Just because I said the best way to show your dislike of the 52 retcon is not buying it. Sorry if it hurt DC and some fans.

They did show up, but it was retconned

Why are regular readers of the site surprised that a piece by Chris Sims would be comedic bit and not a hard hitting series of interviews?
Anyway, this was funny, but needed the camera to start in tighter on Sims and pull out to a wide shot to better sell the joke.

I wonder if this reboot is not regarded as that big of a deal, except for three points:

1. What they are doing to Superman, which may or may not be connected with the lawsuit with the heirs of the original creators of Superman.
2. The renumbering of long-time running issues (i.e. Detective Comics, et al).
3. The change to Harley's costume.

As for #2, I think DC should not renumber any of the titles -- rebooting is fine, just state on the cover things have restarted, but don't renumver.

#3 is a fluid situation -- her costume can change (and probably will) over time, based on reader demand.

#1 is the biggest and most controversial issue that may not entirely be in the full control of DC comics.

The other possibility for lack of protest could be that, worse, maybe DC Comics overall readership has been falling over the years, so there is hardly enough readership left to care about what they are doing.

Dearest readers, a gentle reminder: If you want to troll, call people names, or generally make the comments section an abusive and unpleasant place for other people to be, you don't get to be part of the conversation here with who are discussing their opinions and disagreements respectfully. Nobody is required to agree with the things that are said in posts or other comments, but you do have to communicate with a basic amount of civility or you can say it somewhere else. Also, creating and posting under new accounts after being banned for this behavior does not give you license to continue it.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I love it! The reboot haters are all cowards hiding behind their internet. Only one...ONE woman stepped up to the plate at SDCC this weekend and she's now being hailed by moronic blogs such as dcwomenkickingass as a national hero, a "warrior". What next? Comparing her to Rosa Parks? What's of prime importance here isn't the overwhelming amount of boos that that ONE woman got for speaking up. Nor is it the humorous reaction to the woman by those on the panel, nor is it the womans actual comments. It's that it was ONLY ONE WOMAN! Where were all those angry Oracle Fans we've been hearing on the internet for so long? Where were all the angry girls who hate those new Catwoman covers? I'll tell you...NOWHERE! Bunch of phony, hypicritical, lying, cowards who don't have the balls to step up. I respect that one woman in the batgirl costume. But her actions speak more to the actual dwindling numbers of those few vocal female comic fans out there as well as reboot haters in general. And the yellow journalists (and I use the word "journalist" with the most maliciously intended sense of irony) of the internet such as "She Has No Head", "dcwomenkickingass", "whenfangirlsattack", "written world" and others have proven that they mean nothing, that they affect zero change, that they and their acolytes are perpetually and forever more been marginalized and debunked as any sort of legitimate voice for female comic fans on the internet. Dan DiDio, Jim Lee and Gail Simone are the real heroes.

I think the sentiment for the protest may be there but most know Didio Comics doesn't actually five a tin s**t. I'd say people need to speak loudly with the one thing that actually works:

their wallets.
I know people like getting their Wednesday fix and for many it's all they've ever known but seriously, if you don't like the direction your favorite characters or team books are being taken in then do not buy it.

Yes, you can still love these characters and not buy their books. When you like what they are doing with your favorite character then by all means drop cash on it. But when you don't then let them go. Don't just keep buying to "keep up" or because you "hope it will get better" or because you've been collecting every single month since issue 275 or part 1 of the Dark Clone Infinite Deathkill Saga.

You can post and protest all damn day at every con in america but it's not going to be real to them until they see the sales numbers.

Man, Chris, if you're going to cosplay as Mankind, you could at least where the sweatpants. I understand not wanting to wear the leather mask though, it's gotta be damn hot in the convention center.

I...I should probably just apologize now for the lame joke, huh?