A Proposal by Carlton J Donaghe

This is a proposal for a line of giant, magazine-sized Super-Spectactulars, published for an all-ages, general market under the banner DC Superman National Comics.

This line doesn’t replace any imprint currently published by DC.  Instead, this self-contained set of 12 monthly titles will present a modernized version of the original DC Superman National Periodical Publications (with some later characters thrown in) packaged into an easily-accessible product designed for the general distribution market.  The depiction of DC’s most recognizable characters in their well-known original costumes and settings will both benefit from and promote the continued use of the classic comics in merchandise and licensing.

Format

Every title will contain four 20-page comics, each comic with its own interior cover page and introductory page, bringing the reader up to date using art from previous issues.  In addition, every issue will contain a set of features, called the Amazing World of DC Comics—all in a single format, pulling the entire line together, making every one of the twelve titles an individual part of a single, sprawling epic.

The front cover of each title will be a modernized version of the classic DC Comics style from that was prevalent the 1950’s up through the 1970's, drawn by a regular rotation of the interior artists, using dramtic methods to sell the comic and depict the stories inside.

The Approach to the Stories

Through the use of sub-plots to enhance the drama and the significance of historic aspects of the encounters with all appropriate super-villains, these encounters should be written as definitive events.  All the traditional and individual elements of the villain, their status in the Marvel Universe at that point, and their relationships to the other inhabitants of that world should be brought into play.  Even when there is an open-ended resolution to the encounter, the encounter itself should be momentous, tense and uncertain, intended to illustrate just why that villain is considered to be so deadly or meaningful to the hero.  At the same time, not all villains occupy the same rank in the hierarchy of antagonists, and should be portrayed as best suits the story and the long-term interests of the main character and the universe itself.  In between these life-and-death battles will be the human interaction between the stars and their casts, and these relationships are what makes all the super-level sacrifice worthwhile.  The quiet moments, the teeth-gritting suspense, happyness and the pain,  the joy and the sadness, the humor and the drama should all be woven together to produce a roller coaster with many periods of deceitful calm and false senses of security.
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