They bomb your city, they kill all your original villains, now they make "your" Robin the gay one. It's almost like they don't like you. And your only crime is making them a lot of money.
Your response to the "Robin ruination" was the most measured and diplomatic one I've ever seen, Chuck. So, of course, the Woke-tivists will hang you for it. But I wanted you to know I was impressed, if nothing else. Good show!
It was one thing to change Northstar, he was a kind of meh character, a third tier almost unknown person. It was a dumb change, but at least it wasn't a particularly problematic because he was so minor. Robin? Really?
@@christophertaylor9100 Well, his creator, John Byrne, has said that Northstar was always gay. That he had that baked in from the start, he just wasn't blatant about it. So, he's not so much changed, as just revealing what was already there. But I agree this change to Tim is just wrong and disgusting. But then, those are the two words to best describe the current crop of "creators" in comics today.
@@SequentialTreasures Which is blatantly ridiculous since he was a total dawg and draped with hot women constantly. But retcon is easy to do. Just ask JK Rowling
Chuck is the only person I actually want to hear talk about the Tim Drake is gay thing. He has the authority to talk about the character he formed and shaped into the readers hearts.
@@michaelmaier7262 He is a teenager, so it makes more sense that he's still exploring his identity and sexuality. Damien is really too young to do much with, Dick has two popular het romances in his history.
It's weird how many Batman characters they've flipped. Bat-woman, Harley Quinn , Poison Ivy (a character whose entire concept was based on overwrought heterosexuality), Alfred (in a non-canon teen spinoff), The Cavalier, Captain Stingaree, Renee Montoya, probably a bunch I'm forgetting, and now Robin. Tim Drake's change in sexuality seems rather throwaway, inasmuch as he has been a character without a real purpose ever since Damian was introduced. Yes, he's "Robin" to some extent (enough to confuse the general public), but he's almost an ancillary and disposable character at this point. For the gay community, those that really know Tim Drake at least, this has to be little comfort. It really hearkens back to the days when Tasmanian Devil of the Global Guardians was revealed to be gay...a character who could be scrapped if that didn't go over well with the general public, and who had never mattered in the DCU at all up til then. It really WOULD be more meaningful if DC would just introduce a new character to be gay.
Funny, the original Batwoman was created for the comics code to show that Batman was NOT gay. And then she was in and out of print for decades. I actually like thr current version of Kate Caine that in the early days was a 'Batman who fought war profiteers, who was gay' over 'the gay Batwoman who is gay'.
Thanks for such a reasonable and professional response to the whole Robin fiasco, Mr Dixon. There are just hundreds of articles on this, even my local country paper covered this. And it's just going to be frustrating that Tim is only going to be referred to as the 'bi Robin' from now on and nothing else when theres so much rich history of him created by you and other talented writers. (On a happier note, I was able to secure 21 issues of you original Robin run for $60 and will enjoy reading them soon!)
That's what I worry about too. Especially when Tim is more than that, considering he helped Bruce when he was in a dark place after Jason's death when he became Robin, plus he's a computer expert, compared to Dick and his impressive acrobatics, Jason and his more vicious fighting style from growing up on the streets, Stephanie and her passion even with the doubt, and Damian with his intensity similar to Bruce. He also was one of the most normal given how he just believed in doing what was right
Tim prior the new 52 after sparing Captain Boomerang's life in last Red Robin issue: I know who I am and how I got here. New 52 Tim: Am I bi? Black? Do I lead the Teen Titans? Do I lead Young Justice? Am I Robin? Red Robin? Batman Beyond? Drake? Do I wanna fight crime or work in Star Labs? Who am I?
TIME STAMPS. 00:00 - intro in which Chuck doesn't say "let's get right into it" 😡 0:46 - Chuck's opinion on superheroes as gods and comics as mythology 3:04 - Chuck remembers the good ol' days when he wrote the "Doom: the Emperor Returns" limited series, expresses his opinion on character and tells which writer's portrayal of Victor he finds more convincing 7:31 - a little more info about Spawn/Batman crossover, but it's mostly retelling of what old time "Ask Chuck Dixon" watchers already know 11:05 - Jorge Zaffino rant: it's mostly the same as the previous ones 17:20 - What is Chuck Dixon's all-time favorite TV western show? 18:55 - How does Chuck find new artists to work with and does he work with the ones he collaborated with in the past? 23:29 - How Chuck stood up to Batman's worst enemy in the 90s 31:11 - Chuck goes into fact spitter mode and expresses his opinion on DC turning Tim Drake bisexual 39:25 - new Levon Cade novel promotion See you next week.
Two things: 1) I am so thankful that The Bat Books didn't do what the Superman and Spider-Man books did in the 90's. Because you are absolutely correct, each book had a very different tone to it. But speaking from a collector's perspective, and a collector who collects to read, this kind of format makes it incredibly frustrating collecting these stories 20 years later. I have a longbox that is nothing but Spider-Man and Superman comics that aren't read yet because I don't have all of the books they jump around to for the next part of the stories. 2) What has been done to Tim Drake is extremely disappointing to me. I grew up WITH Tim Drake. His Robin series was the first comic book series I ever completed and owned every issue of. Tim Drake is one of my favorite characters. But they really messed him up with the New (or as I call it Ew) 52. And he just hasn't been the same ever since. And now, with this move, to me, the character is dead. They'll never come back from that decision. And that just isn't Tim Drake. Tim's been added to my ever-growing list of characters that I can't buy new issues of. Because it just isn't the same character anymore. And it is such a shame because Tim was such a fantastic character. I dropped the majority of my DC Books because of that decision. And I'll most likely drop all of them soon enough, except for a couple of mini-series. When companies disrespect their characters, I think they are also disrespecting their fans as well. And for what? Some publicity. To gain the approval of people who will never buy your books. Honestly, it's not only shameful, but it's pathetic.
I like the new Blue and Gold mini, but it's so good in contrast to New 52/Rebirth/Doomsday Clock etc. that it almost doesn't belong in the modern DCU. I love when Blue Beetle and Booster Gold find the Justice League and don't know who half the members even are! I suspect Blue/Gold will be the last mini I collect, so I feel ya, dog!
@@YouLousyKids I wanted to get that series, but I figured I would buy it later. I'm just so close to being to the point of not buying any new comics anymore that I didn't want to add it.
That's a beautiful comment and I agree 100% with you. I like the original Tim Drake, and I think that personal fantasies shouldn't be mixed with reality. Despite I personally ship him with another male character (I know it's weird, but let me explain 😅), I never, and I repeat, I NEVER wanted to see Tim turned gay in the actual comics. :/ It just doesn't make sense and it's a bad retcon that doesn't fit with the original writing of the character. I honestly am OK with the light romantic atmosphere that sometimes affects some friendships in comics, without anything specified. Also sexual orientation and romance aren't the same. They're just following a political agenda for publicity. It's so disrespectful, and the worst thing is that it's totally cutting off children by superheroes comics. It's so sad considering how much superheroes meant to me when I was younger. 😕 This lgbtqaisdtavsjndhk+ agenda is turning comics and movies industry in a big circus full of clowns.
Yes, that's true. But there is another reason. They alter icons, rather than make new characters, because if they did the latter, people would just ignore the new characters, because they'd see them for the hollow cyphers for the writer's socio-political views that they are. And these ego-centric narcissists, who dare call themselves "creators," can't stand for that to happen. They are like Glenn Close in "Fatal Attraction." They have no intention of being ignored. So, altering icons gives them the attention they crave and a platform with a reach their new creation would never give them.
These type of people actually want to destroy things. They are so filled with anger and hurt, they truly do want to burn things down. They 'create' or 'revamp' or 'alter' not to be creative and actually create, but to tamper, distress, and ultimately destroy. They often hide their intentions even from themselves, but once you see the pattern, you'll see their true colors.
Lazy writing 101 1. Death 2. Time travel 3. Character changes and reactions that don't fit protagonist history, but done because the story says it has to be done. Yeah, Avengers Endgame wasn't all that great to me. But, to be fair, I own the Infinity Gauntlet comic so my expectations were high going in.
Chuck, here's a writing question for you. Regarding the difference between romance and sexuality, I'm reminded of when Gail Simone took over Birds of Prey from you right around the time Dick and Barbara had started dating. You had put a lot of tension into their relationship, added a lot of "is this going to pay off and go anywhere?" complications. Shortly after Gail took over, she just showed Dick and Barbara in bed together, because, hey, they're dating. I remember a lot of your fans in the Dixonverse being irked by that (and not because they're all prudes, necessarily). Is this similar to the "kill Jack Drake" situation, where plot complications are the basis of story and you shouldn't just eliminate the obstacles?
Good question. Also, I really hate when writers think that the development of a relationship is not necessary and you can skip directly to the "sex part". Like if every people use to have sex every time they're vaguely interested in someone, without building a nice and loving relationship before. That's just so sad to me.
Tim Drake is my favorite Robin and my favorite superhero of all time. I followed him since the start of his monthly comic and I am a proud owner of the entire run. I have stopped reading comic books now. It's not because Tim is now homosexual, but as you said, Mr. Dixon, the writing of this very personal and important discovery for Tim was boring. Any fan could see it as a ploy from thousands of miles away and I agree with some of my peers that it was because they had no other ideas for him. He dumped Stephanie off-panel and suddenly wants to date a character that I found highly annoying when I first read about him. The writing was lazy and Tim, as a character that you helped develop so well as a hero in his own right, deserves better than that.
Your response on the Robin subject is really good. It’s disappointing that in this generation of writers, they use cheap tricks to change established characters to get more interest in the high ups of the industry. I really hope people dedicate their time on checking out ur talk and rethink about the whole: changing existing characters by using lazy writing for the appeal of diverse groups.
Yeah. It also feels like they do it to deconstruct the characters and sell themselves out there for other stuff, plus the fact they don't have what it takes to be able to do their own original stuff given how Hollywood can be when it comes to TV, and sometimes the comic industry and more.
I totally agree about robin .with regards to it being done for attention ,publicly and back pats.Same with iceman.As a bisexual i am begining to get very annoyed at these cynical marketing ploys disguised as wokeness.
Thank you Tommy Morris for asking the question regarding the Zaffino(s) and Chuck for answering the question in detail. It was a question that has been forming in my mind for quite some time.
Turning a comic character gay is literally a fate worse than death. In comics you can come back from death, but if this new gimmick doesn't work out, he's stuck with it forever.
I grow up with 90's comics and I miss your writting so much in nowadays.And like you I prefer street level super-heroes like Spider-man,Batman,Daredevil and Moon Knight much more than god like super heroes like Thor for example,but I love Superman and original Captain MArvel(Shazam)too. Thank you for created Bane. One of my favorites Batman villains ever.
THIS HAPPENED YEARS AGO WHEN LIGHTNING MAN SHOWED UP IN ACTION COMIC AND ADVENTURE COMICS KILLED LIGHTNING LAD . THANK GOD FOR JULIUS SCHWARTZ AND A WOODCHUCK CAME UP WITH A PLAN TO BRING BACK LIGHTNING LAD ALIVE.
Looking at back issues I always thought it was weird that Superman and even the Legion of superheroes shared continuity between books but Batman never did. Glad I finally know why!
Tim's coming out its disapointing but not surprising. DC didnt knew what to do to him for a while now, ever since Damian came in. This makes him an easy prey for writers to twist and turn. Good point about writing romance but never really diggin in to characters being sexually active. I think if writers dont have a real purpose in doing this, then they should just leave it blank. Tim already had a girlfriend in Steph, so there's no use on furthering that with anything else. Btw your run on Robin always stood out to me from stories like Reborn and Prodigal. Tim is my fav Robin mostly thanks to your writing.
Seems to be an issue with the entire entertainment industry. Its no longer about "what do our consumers/fans want" its now "what do the creators want" and that just doesn't work. I personally blame the award show culture and celebrity worship for it. We've been putting these people on pedestals for so long, why wouldn't they think they know better?
I've just gotten into him recently too. I definitely recommend WinterWorld and Seven Block. I haven't had any luck finding any of the Conan stuff. If you find anything else of his worth checking out, I'd love to hear about it.
Nice to hear a real writer talk about this, your Robin series was my absolute favorite as a kid and Tim Drake has always been my favorite super hero period which is why I’m so annoyed that they just retconned so much about him, it’s a shame that they don’t even have the slightest bit of care about such a meaningful character to me.
Surprised you made no comment about Stephanie as you created her and they kida just " oh you don't fit this story we are breaking you up out of nowhere ". I'm angrier they treated her so poorly as she was in the way of what they wanted to do, when they were one of DC's longer-standing couples.
I think you were right to nix that crossover idea Chuck, I used to buy all those Batman titles precisely because they were different approaches to the character, all having their own charm - not because I was being forced to buy all of them to get the full story. In fact, the big empty nothingburger crossovers from Marvel in subsequent years were what turned me off of monthlies. Management likes the crossover events because it juices sales, but they don't realize it leaves kids holding the bag, with a pile of weak comics that they don't want to read again, which then leads to them giving up on comics.
I'm assuming Tom Taylor has plans to take digs at the nightwing run as well. If your a middle aged man with shipping fantasies over teenage boys you deserve to get what happened to gerard jones
That's an unfair comparison. Gerard Jones wrote some great stories. (I'm torn. By all the rules of comedy, I should end it there...but in these cancel culture days I really need a disclaimer that I know Jones is a horrible person.)
Honestly, I feel that way about the straight fantasies that Fabian Nicieza put in the Red Robin run at the end, where Tim was constantly getting in sexy fantastical situations where he's prey of more powerful and experienced women. It just feels pretty creepy there. As for Taylor, he's very blatantly named all previous Nightwing writers as street or boat names except for Dixon, so it's not at all subtle.
@@millernumber1 huh now that you mentioned it, there were quite a number of those sexy fantastical scenarios in Red Robin (the most stand out one is some assassin girl forcing herself onto him to get her pregnant for an heir). But they really didn't take out the flow of the story for me, just seemed to be rather awkward and comical for Tim to be getting into these situations when he's supposed to be on life threatening missions. Still there is a limit that one can cross but I don't think Fabian Nicieza crossed it.
@@YouLousyKids I read Jones green lantern and most of it was boring..that first story line with the mad guardian went on for too long and a lot of it was referencing 1970s stories which was before my time. I can get why they needed to sweep it all aside. He was also the writer on justice league and noone cared about that for years until Grant Morrison showed up.
@@millernumber1 hey I liked all that Fabian Niceza stuff. I'd rather read that any day. Most people would. Tom Taylor is a reserve member of the pizza league of Portland.
Chuck Connors is fantastic. There’s a superb Italian version of The Sea Wolf from the 1970s starring Connors, watch it if you can find it. Connors nails the Wolf Larsen character.
I have been a Batman fanatic since the ‘66 tv series and have collected all the Batman titles for decades including almost everything you wrote on the characters. For the first time I am losing interest and will be dropping books. I have no problem with gay or bi characters in the Batman universe like Batwoman, Midnighter, Renee Montoya, etc. but the Tim Drake issue bothers me because it is an unneeded retcon of a character who has never been bi despite many claiming now that there was “queer coding” going on with the character. As you said it is lazy writing and it is designed to get Twitter likes but not actual sales. The only time I was more frustrated was when the IDW Gi Joe title you wrote was destroyed by IDW by giving that title to a writer who wanted to use it as a vehicle for his political views. Thanks for all the tales you told especially the iconic Tim Drake ones.
@@raam726 Definitely better during blizzards and ice storms. Land lines are line-powered via the copper cable, so if the electricity is out for a week, the phone still works.
It's funny that the Bat-books would eventually do the Superman-style publication tactic for a year with No Man's Land. Haha. Denny said "Finally! Chuck is gone and we can do it now!"
I can only think of a few reasons for why they did what they did. One was that Tim seemed like kind of a conservative character that was at his most popular during Chucks run, so they figured it would be a nice middle finger to their political enemies. Whether its Luke Skywalker or Indiana Jones, or James Bond or any number of properties, they never pass up the opportunity destroy something that the people that they hate , ever cared about. Two, the people who were given Robin to write have spent so much of the last decade with their brains marinating in Tim Drake/Conner Kent slash fiction and Tumblr pron, that they legitimately see everything Tim ever did as gay coded. "Remember that time he was like 14 and didn't have sex with Lady Shiva? Case Closed. " Three, they are terrible writers. They aren't capable of creating good gay characters themselves. When they try, they come up with garbage stereotypes like Safespace and Bunker. All they can do is move like locust from fertile field to fertile field that good writers have created , consuming each character until there's nothing left, and there isn't anyone left who cares enough to buy the characters book, then they cancel the book and move on to the next one.
I totally agree! The street-level, more grounded characters have always appealed to me than characters like the Eternals, who I genuinely could not be more disinterested in
My favorite Doom stories are the ones that show he has just enough honor and nobility inside him to make it hurt even worse when his darker aspects, like pettiness and wild ambition, lead him in the other direction. When he's on his best behavior, he's just a couple of steps away from being an anti-hero, and at his worst, he can be the worst person you'll ever want to meet. That complexity is what makes him fascinating.
Well honestly just cuz “sexual” is in the name doesn’t mean they are having sexual intercourse. It’s more of just a romance. We haven’t even seen the pair kiss.
The way you described Doom is the way I describe Biden -- except the obvious vast difference in intelligence level. But otherwise... "petty, vindictive, full of himself, believes he is doing right..."
I’m sorry DC did this to Tim, Mr Dixon! Your Run on Tim Drake made him my favorite Robin and since then he’s one of my favorite DC Characters full stop!
Classic myths may have begun to explain natural phenomena, but once someone had created these "origin stories", they also became legitimate characters that, over time, others would use in additional stories, and probably in ways the original creator never anticipated. That's why Hercules has twelve labors instead of just one or two. And why someone collected groups of these characters into "The Argonauts", effectively the Justice League of their day. That part sounds a whole lot like comics.
@@Dixonverse thanks for letting us know what you think about it. im a lot more mad about it then you but i get you cant let it look like it hurts you smh they are waiting on what you say lol
lmaoooo never had being gay be compared to cannibalism before. I guess the modern equivalent of never meet your heroes is never watch your hero's youtube rants about how a teenage boy asking someone on a date is somehow fetishistic 😂
@@Aqua4044 there's a whole laundry list of homophobic tropes he managed to squeeze into a five minute answer, I'm sorry you're too ignorant to recognize them
@@ljmmm666 I’m more sorry you’re so up your own ass you missed what was clearly stated. How embarrassing. If you have to walk a mile around someone’s point because you’re too afraid to confront what was actually said, it’s better to stay quiet.
DID I compare being gay to being a cannibal? Or did I use that as an example of radical departure for an established character? Should I apologize for potentally offending same-species consumers?
They bomb your city, they kill all your original villains, now they make "your" Robin the gay one. It's almost like they don't like you. And your only crime is making them a lot of money.
As Larry Hama said, "Your characters are likeable. Your stories make sense. You turn your work in on time. And they'll never forgve you for it."
@@Dixonverse, petty people gonna be petty.
It's great to see a comic book pro not spitting in fans faces whenever an issue like this pops up, thank you mister Dixon.
Your run on Robin was spectacular. Thank you Chuck Dixon.
Glad you enjoyed it
Your response to the "Robin ruination" was the most measured and diplomatic one I've ever seen, Chuck. So, of course, the Woke-tivists will hang you for it. But I wanted you to know I was impressed, if nothing else. Good show!
It was one thing to change Northstar, he was a kind of meh character, a third tier almost unknown person. It was a dumb change, but at least it wasn't a particularly problematic because he was so minor. Robin? Really?
@@christophertaylor9100 Well, his creator, John Byrne, has said that Northstar was always gay. That he had that baked in from the start, he just wasn't blatant about it. So, he's not so much changed, as just revealing what was already there. But I agree this change to Tim is just wrong and disgusting. But then, those are the two words to best describe the current crop of "creators" in comics today.
@@SequentialTreasures Which is blatantly ridiculous since he was a total dawg and draped with hot women constantly. But retcon is easy to do. Just ask JK Rowling
Chuck is the only person I actually want to hear talk about the Tim Drake is gay thing. He has the authority to talk about the character he formed and shaped into the readers hearts.
So did Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle (RIP)
Heck, I suspect they picked Tim Drake just as a middle finger to Chuck.
@@michaelmaier7262 He is a teenager, so it makes more sense that he's still exploring his identity and sexuality. Damien is really too young to do much with, Dick has two popular het romances in his history.
@@xdarkbrianx No. You're wrong and it's sick.
@@xdarkbrianx yikes. This a thing with you and young characters ??
It's weird how many Batman characters they've flipped. Bat-woman, Harley Quinn , Poison Ivy (a character whose entire concept was based on overwrought heterosexuality), Alfred (in a non-canon teen spinoff), The Cavalier, Captain Stingaree, Renee Montoya, probably a bunch I'm forgetting, and now Robin.
Tim Drake's change in sexuality seems rather throwaway, inasmuch as he has been a character without a real purpose ever since Damian was introduced. Yes, he's "Robin" to some extent (enough to confuse the general public), but he's almost an ancillary and disposable character at this point. For the gay community, those that really know Tim Drake at least, this has to be little comfort. It really hearkens back to the days when Tasmanian Devil of the Global Guardians was revealed to be gay...a character who could be scrapped if that didn't go over well with the general public, and who had never mattered in the DCU at all up til then. It really WOULD be more meaningful if DC would just introduce a new character to be gay.
Hence my reference to all these uncalled for changes being cynical.
That's right, they think Tim Drake is irrelevant and that nobody will complain, but he's the favorite Robin to a lot of people.
Funny, the original Batwoman was created for the comics code to show that Batman was NOT gay. And then she was in and out of print for decades. I actually like thr current version of Kate Caine that in the early days was a 'Batman who fought war profiteers, who was gay' over 'the gay Batwoman who is gay'.
Your opinion is refreshing. So tired of the lazy writing for high fives from the writers room while fans are just left wondering why.
Thanks for such a reasonable and professional response to the whole Robin fiasco, Mr Dixon. There are just hundreds of articles on this, even my local country paper covered this. And it's just going to be frustrating that Tim is only going to be referred to as the 'bi Robin' from now on and nothing else when theres so much rich history of him created by you and other talented writers.
(On a happier note, I was able to secure 21 issues of you original Robin run for $60 and will enjoy reading them soon!)
Thanks for the kind words.
That's what I worry about too. Especially when Tim is more than that, considering he helped Bruce when he was in a dark place after Jason's death when he became Robin, plus he's a computer expert, compared to Dick and his impressive acrobatics, Jason and his more vicious fighting style from growing up on the streets, Stephanie and her passion even with the doubt, and Damian with his intensity similar to Bruce. He also was one of the most normal given how he just believed in doing what was right
Tim prior the new 52 after sparing Captain Boomerang's life in last Red Robin issue: I know who I am and how I got here.
New 52 Tim: Am I bi? Black? Do I lead the Teen Titans? Do I lead Young Justice? Am I Robin? Red Robin? Batman Beyond? Drake? Do I wanna fight crime or work in Star Labs? Who am I?
TIME STAMPS.
00:00 - intro in which Chuck doesn't say "let's get right into it" 😡
0:46 - Chuck's opinion on superheroes as gods and comics as mythology
3:04 - Chuck remembers the good ol' days when he wrote the "Doom: the Emperor Returns" limited series, expresses his opinion on character and tells which writer's portrayal of Victor he finds more convincing
7:31 - a little more info about Spawn/Batman crossover, but it's mostly retelling of what old time "Ask Chuck Dixon" watchers already know
11:05 - Jorge Zaffino rant: it's mostly the same as the previous ones
17:20 - What is Chuck Dixon's all-time favorite TV western show?
18:55 - How does Chuck find new artists to work with and does he work with the ones he collaborated with in the past?
23:29 - How Chuck stood up to Batman's worst enemy in the 90s
31:11 - Chuck goes into fact spitter mode and expresses his opinion on DC turning Tim Drake bisexual
39:25 - new Levon Cade novel promotion
See you next week.
THIS MIGHT HAVE COME UP WITH AN INTERVIEW WITH JACK. KIRBY.
@Eevee* you are welcome, see you tomorrow.
AGAIN MANY THANKS FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR THOUGHTS IN A WORLD OF FLAT WORLD VIEWS. KEEP ON TRUCKING FROM A WOODCHUCK.
Thank you, I will
What?!! I didn't know Mr. Dixon had a YT channel??!!! Just found out from his collabo with Eric July. This is awesome!
Welcome aboard!
Two things:
1) I am so thankful that The Bat Books didn't do what the Superman and Spider-Man books did in the 90's. Because you are absolutely correct, each book had a very different tone to it. But speaking from a collector's perspective, and a collector who collects to read, this kind of format makes it incredibly frustrating collecting these stories 20 years later. I have a longbox that is nothing but Spider-Man and Superman comics that aren't read yet because I don't have all of the books they jump around to for the next part of the stories.
2) What has been done to Tim Drake is extremely disappointing to me. I grew up WITH Tim Drake. His Robin series was the first comic book series I ever completed and owned every issue of. Tim Drake is one of my favorite characters. But they really messed him up with the New (or as I call it Ew) 52. And he just hasn't been the same ever since. And now, with this move, to me, the character is dead. They'll never come back from that decision. And that just isn't Tim Drake. Tim's been added to my ever-growing list of characters that I can't buy new issues of. Because it just isn't the same character anymore. And it is such a shame because Tim was such a fantastic character. I dropped the majority of my DC Books because of that decision. And I'll most likely drop all of them soon enough, except for a couple of mini-series. When companies disrespect their characters, I think they are also disrespecting their fans as well. And for what? Some publicity. To gain the approval of people who will never buy your books. Honestly, it's not only shameful, but it's pathetic.
Let's not forget cynical.
I like the new Blue and Gold mini, but it's so good in contrast to New 52/Rebirth/Doomsday Clock etc. that it almost doesn't belong in the modern DCU. I love when Blue Beetle and Booster Gold find the Justice League and don't know who half the members even are! I suspect Blue/Gold will be the last mini I collect, so I feel ya, dog!
@@YouLousyKids I wanted to get that series, but I figured I would buy it later. I'm just so close to being to the point of not buying any new comics anymore that I didn't want to add it.
That's a beautiful comment and I agree 100% with you.
I like the original Tim Drake, and I think that personal fantasies shouldn't be mixed with reality. Despite I personally ship him with another male character (I know it's weird, but let me explain 😅), I never, and I repeat, I NEVER wanted to see Tim turned gay in the actual comics. :/ It just doesn't make sense and it's a bad retcon that doesn't fit with the original writing of the character. I honestly am OK with the light romantic atmosphere that sometimes affects some friendships in comics, without anything specified. Also sexual orientation and romance aren't the same. They're just following a political agenda for publicity. It's so disrespectful, and the worst thing is that it's totally cutting off children by superheroes comics. It's so sad considering how much superheroes meant to me when I was younger. 😕 This lgbtqaisdtavsjndhk+ agenda is turning comics and movies industry in a big circus full of clowns.
“Every villain is the hero, of his own story.”
I keep referring people to your channel Chuck. Really enjoy hearing your experiences and your insights! Thanks
I appreciate that! Thanks!
I didn't know Chuck write a Doom story....will have to hunt that down.
The reason they don't create new characters is because they can't. They are not creative people. All they can do is destroy.
Yes, that's true. But there is another reason. They alter icons, rather than make new characters, because if they did the latter, people would just ignore the new characters, because they'd see them for the hollow cyphers for the writer's socio-political views that they are. And these ego-centric narcissists, who dare call themselves "creators," can't stand for that to happen. They are like Glenn Close in "Fatal Attraction." They have no intention of being ignored. So, altering icons gives them the attention they crave and a platform with a reach their new creation would never give them.
These type of people actually want to destroy things. They are so filled with anger and hurt, they truly do want to burn things down. They 'create' or 'revamp' or 'alter' not to be creative and actually create, but to tamper, distress, and ultimately destroy. They often hide their intentions even from themselves, but once you see the pattern, you'll see their true colors.
Marvel needs to be held accountable as well bc they do the same BS 💯
Lazy writing 101
1. Death
2. Time travel
3. Character changes and reactions that don't fit protagonist history, but done because the story says it has to be done.
Yeah, Avengers Endgame wasn't all that great to me. But, to be fair, I own the Infinity Gauntlet comic so my expectations were high going in.
Chuck, here's a writing question for you. Regarding the difference between romance and sexuality, I'm reminded of when Gail Simone took over Birds of Prey from you right around the time Dick and Barbara had started dating. You had put a lot of tension into their relationship, added a lot of "is this going to pay off and go anywhere?" complications. Shortly after Gail took over, she just showed Dick and Barbara in bed together, because, hey, they're dating. I remember a lot of your fans in the Dixonverse being irked by that (and not because they're all prudes, necessarily). Is this similar to the "kill Jack Drake" situation, where plot complications are the basis of story and you shouldn't just eliminate the obstacles?
Good question. Also, I really hate when writers think that the development of a relationship is not necessary and you can skip directly to the "sex part". Like if every people use to have sex every time they're vaguely interested in someone, without building a nice and loving relationship before. That's just so sad to me.
Tim Drake is my favorite Robin and my favorite superhero of all time. I followed him since the start of his monthly comic and I am a proud owner of the entire run. I have stopped reading comic books now. It's not because Tim is now homosexual, but as you said, Mr. Dixon, the writing of this very personal and important discovery for Tim was boring. Any fan could see it as a ploy from thousands of miles away and I agree with some of my peers that it was because they had no other ideas for him. He dumped Stephanie off-panel and suddenly wants to date a character that I found highly annoying when I first read about him. The writing was lazy and Tim, as a character that you helped develop so well as a hero in his own right, deserves better than that.
Your response on the Robin subject is really good.
It’s disappointing that in this generation of writers, they use cheap tricks to change established characters to get more interest in the high ups of the industry. I really hope people dedicate their time on checking out ur talk and rethink about the whole: changing existing characters by using lazy writing for the appeal of diverse groups.
Yeah. It also feels like they do it to deconstruct the characters and sell themselves out there for other stuff, plus the fact they don't have what it takes to be able to do their own original stuff given how Hollywood can be when it comes to TV, and sometimes the comic industry and more.
Thanks for another great episode, Chuck! Keep 'em coming!
I was wondering what your reaction on Tim drake robin retcon :)
I totally agree about robin .with regards to it being done for attention ,publicly and back pats.Same with iceman.As a bisexual i am begining to get very annoyed at these cynical marketing ploys disguised as wokeness.
In practice, it seems like doing this to a character means that's the only thing their stories can revolve around from now on. It gets dull quickly.
These are gold. Thanks for uploading.
Thank you Tommy Morris for asking the question regarding the Zaffino(s) and Chuck for answering the question in detail. It was a question that has been forming in my mind for quite some time.
Turning a comic character gay is literally a fate worse than death. In comics you can come back from death, but if this new gimmick doesn't work out, he's stuck with it forever.
Words of iron.
Imagine, Dr Doom and Lex Luthor teaming up?
I grow up with 90's comics and I miss your writting so much in nowadays.And like you I prefer street level super-heroes like Spider-man,Batman,Daredevil and Moon Knight much more than god like super heroes like Thor for example,but I love Superman and original Captain MArvel(Shazam)too. Thank you for created Bane. One of my favorites Batman villains ever.
THIS HAPPENED YEARS AGO WHEN LIGHTNING MAN SHOWED UP IN ACTION COMIC AND ADVENTURE COMICS KILLED LIGHTNING LAD . THANK GOD FOR JULIUS SCHWARTZ AND A WOODCHUCK CAME UP WITH A PLAN TO BRING BACK LIGHTNING LAD ALIVE.
Looking at back issues I always thought it was weird that Superman and even the Legion of superheroes shared continuity between books but Batman never did. Glad I finally know why!
Tim's coming out its disapointing but not surprising. DC didnt knew what to do to him for a while now, ever since Damian came in. This makes him an easy prey for writers to twist and turn. Good point about writing romance but never really diggin in to characters being sexually active. I think if writers dont have a real purpose in doing this, then they should just leave it blank. Tim already had a girlfriend in Steph, so there's no use on furthering that with anything else. Btw your run on Robin always stood out to me from stories like Reborn and Prodigal. Tim is my fav Robin mostly thanks to your writing.
Fine show again. I need to check out the Levon books.
you do. They're great.
Seems to be an issue with the entire entertainment industry. Its no longer about "what do our consumers/fans want" its now "what do the creators want" and that just doesn't work. I personally blame the award show culture and celebrity worship for it. We've been putting these people on pedestals for so long, why wouldn't they think they know better?
I learn a lot from this show. I’ll have to track down Zaffino’s work.
I've just gotten into him recently too. I definitely recommend WinterWorld and Seven Block. I haven't had any luck finding any of the Conan stuff. If you find anything else of his worth checking out, I'd love to hear about it.
Zaffino was a genius. One of my favorites
Nice to hear a real writer talk about this, your Robin series was my absolute favorite as a kid and Tim Drake has always been my favorite super hero period which is why I’m so annoyed that they just retconned so much about him, it’s a shame that they don’t even have the slightest bit of care about such a meaningful character to me.
I'm reading WinterWorld right now and loving it. Seven Block was great too. I haven't had luck find the Conan stuff though.
Surprised you made no comment about Stephanie as you created her and they kida just " oh you don't fit this story we are breaking you up out of nowhere ". I'm angrier they treated her so poorly as she was in the way of what they wanted to do, when they were one of DC's longer-standing couples.
After they tortured Steph to death I am incapabe of being shocked by anything DC does.
@@Dixonverse i understand man :)
@@Dixonverse, but she better, didn't you hear? That makes it alllllll better, right?
I think you were right to nix that crossover idea Chuck, I used to buy all those Batman titles precisely because they were different approaches to the character, all having their own charm - not because I was being forced to buy all of them to get the full story. In fact, the big empty nothingburger crossovers from Marvel in subsequent years were what turned me off of monthlies. Management likes the crossover events because it juices sales, but they don't realize it leaves kids holding the bag, with a pile of weak comics that they don't want to read again, which then leads to them giving up on comics.
I'm assuming Tom Taylor has plans to take digs at the nightwing run as well. If your a middle aged man with shipping fantasies over teenage boys you deserve to get what happened to gerard jones
That's an unfair comparison. Gerard Jones wrote some great stories.
(I'm torn. By all the rules of comedy, I should end it there...but in these cancel culture days I really need a disclaimer that I know Jones is a horrible person.)
Honestly, I feel that way about the straight fantasies that Fabian Nicieza put in the Red Robin run at the end, where Tim was constantly getting in sexy fantastical situations where he's prey of more powerful and experienced women. It just feels pretty creepy there.
As for Taylor, he's very blatantly named all previous Nightwing writers as street or boat names except for Dixon, so it's not at all subtle.
@@millernumber1 huh now that you mentioned it, there were quite a number of those sexy fantastical scenarios in Red Robin (the most stand out one is some assassin girl forcing herself onto him to get her pregnant for an heir). But they really didn't take out the flow of the story for me, just seemed to be rather awkward and comical for Tim to be getting into these situations when he's supposed to be on life threatening missions. Still there is a limit that one can cross but I don't think Fabian Nicieza crossed it.
@@YouLousyKids I read Jones green lantern and most of it was boring..that first story line with the mad guardian went on for too long and a lot of it was referencing 1970s stories which was before my time. I can get why they needed to sweep it all aside. He was also the writer on justice league and noone cared about that for years until Grant Morrison showed up.
@@millernumber1 hey I liked all that Fabian Niceza stuff. I'd rather read that any day. Most people would. Tom Taylor is a reserve member of the pizza league of Portland.
Chuck Connors is fantastic. There’s a superb Italian version of The Sea Wolf from the 1970s starring Connors, watch it if you can find it. Connors nails the Wolf Larsen character.
I have been a Batman fanatic since the ‘66 tv series and have collected all the Batman titles for decades including almost everything you wrote on the characters. For the first time I am losing interest and will be dropping books. I have no problem with gay or bi characters in the Batman universe like Batwoman, Midnighter, Renee Montoya, etc. but the Tim Drake issue bothers me because it is an unneeded retcon of a character who has never been bi despite many claiming now that there was “queer coding” going on with the character. As you said it is lazy writing and it is designed to get Twitter likes but not actual sales. The only time I was more frustrated was when the IDW Gi Joe title you wrote was destroyed by IDW by giving that title to a writer who wanted to use it as a vehicle for his political views. Thanks for all the tales you told especially the iconic Tim Drake ones.
Here's a question I would love to hear you discuss.
When you created Bane, was he designed to be Bruce's brother?
Chuck has a land line. Boomer confirmed.
While true, he gets faxes, so kinda needs one
Isn't landline better during storms or something.
@@raam726 Definitely better during blizzards and ice storms. Land lines are line-powered via the copper cable, so if the electricity is out for a week, the phone still works.
Batman Urban Legends #6 did got a second printing, so maybe it did help the sales?
What are your favorite decades for the Batman character?
It's funny that the Bat-books would eventually do the Superman-style publication tactic for a year with No Man's Land. Haha. Denny said "Finally! Chuck is gone and we can do it now!"
More of the Miltia series please.
I can only think of a few reasons for why they did what they did. One was that Tim seemed like kind of a conservative character that was at his most popular during Chucks run, so they figured it would be a nice middle finger to their political enemies. Whether its Luke Skywalker or Indiana Jones, or James Bond or any number of properties, they never pass up the opportunity destroy something that the people that they hate , ever cared about.
Two, the people who were given Robin to write have spent so much of the last decade with their brains marinating in Tim Drake/Conner Kent slash fiction and Tumblr pron, that they legitimately see everything Tim ever did as gay coded. "Remember that time he was like 14 and didn't have sex with Lady Shiva? Case Closed. "
Three, they are terrible writers. They aren't capable of creating good gay characters themselves. When they try, they come up with garbage stereotypes like Safespace and Bunker. All they can do is move like locust from fertile field to fertile field that good writers have created , consuming each character until there's nothing left, and there isn't anyone left who cares enough to buy the characters book, then they cancel the book and move on to the next one.
I totally agree! The street-level, more grounded characters have always appealed to me than characters like the Eternals, who I genuinely could not be more disinterested in
I am in the Doom is a tragic and foolish irredeemable character
My favorite Doom stories are the ones that show he has just enough honor and nobility inside him to make it hurt even worse when his darker aspects, like pettiness and wild ambition, lead him in the other direction. When he's on his best behavior, he's just a couple of steps away from being an anti-hero, and at his worst, he can be the worst person you'll ever want to meet. That complexity is what makes him fascinating.
Byrne was a genius with that, he did such a good job making Doom likable and honorable but still awful
Well honestly just cuz “sexual” is in the name doesn’t mean they are having sexual intercourse. It’s more of just a romance. We haven’t even seen the pair kiss.
I wonder what Joel schummaer would think
The way you described Doom is the way I describe Biden -- except the obvious vast difference in intelligence level. But otherwise... "petty, vindictive, full of himself, believes he is doing right..."
36:50 to 36:52 - Nailed it with that graphic! Lazy writing indeed!
I’m sorry DC did this to Tim, Mr Dixon! Your Run on Tim Drake made him my favorite Robin and since then he’s one of my favorite DC Characters full stop!
Honestly I feel like comics are too a certain degree are the new mythology of are time
Classic myths may have begun to explain natural phenomena, but once someone had created these "origin stories", they also became legitimate characters that, over time, others would use in additional stories, and probably in ways the original creator never anticipated. That's why Hercules has twelve labors instead of just one or two. And why someone collected groups of these characters into "The Argonauts", effectively the Justice League of their day. That part sounds a whole lot like comics.
They USED to be.
“ Mark Waid depiction of doom unspeakable “. Is that a story line ?
i hope tim drake dates connor kent next
When is thr Gundam episode comes out.....?
TO BAD YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN A BLAST GUEST AT THE 1964 COMICON WITH MR. GILL I THINK EVEN MR. DITKO WOULD TALK TO YOU.
First comment! First to watch! First to like!
Legend!
@@Dixonverse I hope everyone watches, comments and likes. I'm just there to set the good example.
@@Dixonverse thanks for letting us know what you think about it. im a lot more mad about it then you but i get you cant let it look like it hurts you smh they are waiting on what you say lol
Damn dawg this is 40 mins.
Too long? Too short?
No not too long just thought yobwere gonna talk bout the tim drake gay thing for 40 minutes.
Wld love a tim drake video just started reading your run.
lmaoooo never had being gay be compared to cannibalism before. I guess the modern equivalent of never meet your heroes is never watch your hero's youtube rants about how a teenage boy asking someone on a date is somehow fetishistic 😂
What an obtuse comment this is.
@@Aqua4044 nah lmao
@@Aqua4044 there's a whole laundry list of homophobic tropes he managed to squeeze into a five minute answer, I'm sorry you're too ignorant to recognize them
@@ljmmm666 I’m more sorry you’re so up your own ass you missed what was clearly stated. How embarrassing.
If you have to walk a mile around someone’s point because you’re too afraid to confront what was actually said, it’s better to stay quiet.
DID I compare being gay to being a cannibal? Or did I use that as an example of radical departure for an established character? Should I apologize for potentally offending same-species consumers?