Now that we're five months into DC Comics' Post-Flashpoint "The New 52" relaunch of the DC Universe, we have a far better grasp of how comics retailers and buyers are responding to the initial offering of 52 titles. As you can tell by the Top 300 sales chart from December 2011, some are still doing exceedingly well and others not so much. That's to be expected, of course, so according to recent comments from DC, some of "The New 52" probably won't survive past their twelfth issues.
With this in mind, I thought I'd share my personal wish list of ten titles I'd like to see replace the cancelled books come September 2012. For the record, this isn't any super-duper top secret information I've learned from my strategically-placed insider minions, just a list of the characters I'd like to see get some ongoing series love from DC Comics.
1. Cyborg -- The only member of the new "Big 7" Justice League currently without his own series. I've gone on about this before in a previous post, so here's why I feel Cyborg deserves an ongoing.
2. Jesse Quick -- The Flash still places in the Top 10 four months in, but only has one title while Green Lantern currently has four. A solo Jesse Quick book could be a good way to broaden the Flash universe while keeping the current "One Flash Only" status quo.
3. Raven -- Currently missing Post-Flashpoint, Raven offers the potential for dark supernatural stories that could appeal to female readers and fans of the seemingly-erased New Teen Titans. Also, there was talk of a possible Raven TV series back in 2010, so perhaps it's time to give the character a full creative push.
4. Text H for Hero -- Yeah, you heard me. With all the recent advances in smartphone technology, maybe it's time to update the old "Dial H for Hero" concept for the 21st century.
5. Blue Devil -- One of my favorite characters from the '80s, Blue Devil got some run in Justice League America and Shadowpact for a while but never really brought the character back to his initial appeal. As far as I'm concerned, a movie special effects wizard/stuntman supernaturally trapped inside a high-tech Blue Devil suit is a pretty fun idea worth bringing back.
6. Chronos -- I know time-travel is pretty much verboten these days, but I really enjoyed reading about the adventures of the second Chronos, Walker Gabriel. This series could help flesh out the new DC universe continuity and potentially correct any creative missteps that need some quick fixing.
7. Checkmate -- The fairly-recent Greg Rucka series came the closest to finally giving DC a considerable espionage presence comparable to Marvel's SHIELD. The concept still needs a little fine-tuning, but firmly believe there's considerable potential here.
8. Vigilante -- Apart from the original cowboy Vigilante, Greg Sanders, the only version of this character I liked was the Punisheresque Adrian Chase. The basic concept of an attorney that goes after criminals in his off hours has always worked well for Daredevil, so I'm surprised DC hasn't developed this premise further.
9. The Spectre -- Another DC character with a possible TV series in development. Either Jim Corrigan or Crispus Allen could work here, but Corrigan seems to be the one favored in recent animation. Keep the character's powers limited to original levels of supernatural vengeance against criminals and you could have an edgy little series here.
10. Secret Society -- A modern updating of the original Secret Society of Super-Villains series, which is in the process of being collected in hardcover volumes. With so many major villains with goals of power and domination populating the DC Universe, you would think they'd be at odds with one another from time to time. So go ahead and pit them against one another in a ruthless, underground "society" where alliances and loyalities shift daily.