Live Q&A w/ DC Publishing Staff of ROUND ROBIN, Tues 4/6 @12pm PT/3pm ET!

[Vroom]

@Applejack

Grab your nearest snack or beverage, and get ready for some Q&A’ing

I’ve got a few of today’s brand-new comics from DC at my side.

alternates between reading the Q&A and Suicide Squad #2

[gwynerso]

Oat milk latte here. Just got off work.

[Mae]

@gwynniepeg

Oat milk latte here

Ooh!

[Vroom]

Fun Fact @Reaganfan78: When someone asks me what’s for lunch or dinner and Arby’s is on my brain, I channel my inner David Puddy and say “Feels like an Arby’s night.”

I’d wear the 8-ball jacket, but I don’t have one, plus I like to retain my dignity, so there’s no way I’m wearing that thing anyway.

bites into a digital Arby’s roast beef sammich

Nummy!

[RoundRobin]

Hey everyone! DC Round Robin staff here- we’re all going to be using one account to respond, but we’ll add our initials to indicate who’s talking. Kinda like this:

AM: Hey hey, my name is Andrew Marino, and I’m an associate editor here at DC! I’m the editor on Robins, Blue Beetle: Graduation Day, Jesse Quick: Control, and Lobo/Animal Man: Scorched Earth. Outside of work, I love rock climbing and competing in ninja warrior competitions, and at work I’m the Bad Boy of Comics.

KK: YO! My name is Katie Kubert and I’m the editor in charge of DC’s Global Publishing Innovation group (we’ve brought you/will bring the wonders of DC’s Round Robin, Let them Live: Unpublished Tales of the DC Vault, Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point, Batman '89, Superman '78 and additional goodies). I’m the proud shepherd of The Brave and the Bug, Paws off the Justice League, Asteria: The Last Amazon, and Nightrunner: Love in Paris. I am a super nerd for dinosaurs and horror movies.

MMc: Hi, all! I’m Michael McCalister. I’m the editor for Green Lanterns: Underworld on Fire, Suicide Squad Seven, Son of The Creeper and JLQ! Outside of work I’m a big theatre nerd with a love for all things Aquaman!

LE: Liz is too cool for intros. Hey everybody! I’m Liz Erickson, associate editor. I’m the editor on Etta Candy, Holliday Hero Inc., Superman & Lois: Ignition, Swamp Thing: A House of Secrets, and Zatanna and the King of Nightmares.

I also love Broadway, and apparently everyone knows I have a lot of stories about bears.

---

Can’t wait to dive in!!

[RoundRobin]

@HubCityQuestion

Hey, DC Staff! First of all, I just want to say how much I love these ideas to get us involved in the creative process. Getting to name Nightwing’s dog was one thing, but this is a whole new level. I feel very encouraged about you coming to us for input about the future of the DC Universe.

There is one part of this selection process which has already stirred some controversy though, and I was hoping we could address it – and that’s the inclusion of Justice League Queer in this competition. While it’s regarded among us already as one of the most highly anticipated pitches, queer communities have been marginalized within these spaces for so long that it feels disheartening that they have to rally votes for their own representation – especially against the likes of ever-popular concepts such as the Batfamily in Robins, as they are in this first round. Asking us to vote on an ambitious, queer title such as this one can feel regressive, harkening back to the days not so long ago when queer rights were considered an issue to be left “to the voters” (and sadly, in many cases, still are). So why was it decided to pit Justice League Queer for survival against these 15 other titles?

AM & MM: We’re thrilled with the fan response, and thanks for voicing these important questions. We didn’t anticipate that some fans would see JLQ’s inclusion in DC Round Robin as controversial, nor was it our intention to ask fans to rally votes for queer representation in comics. DC currently publishes LGBTQIA+ characters and storylines In comics like BATMAN, HARLEY QUINN, SUICIDE SQUAD, FAR SECTOR, WONDER WOMAN, ACTION COMICS, and more. For JLQ specifically, the volume of votes and the personal notes that have been shared online all send a great message that fans want to see a pitch like JLQ succeed, so stay tuned for news about where you might see JLQ appear in the future! We’re listening! We’ll continue to keep pushing for positive representation across all of our projects.

KK: Andrew and Michael could not have said it better. I did want to mention how important representation is on the page as it is behind it – engaging LGBTQIA+ creators was a big goal for us as well across many of these pitches, and while can’t reveal the teams until next round, we’re excited to welcome talent both new and old to DC’s ROUND ROBIN.

[RoundRobin]

@Jay_Kay

First, I want to say thanks for not only coming here to talk to us, but for trying this unique opportunity to bring out something new into the DC Universe.

To be clear, are these titles we’re voting for all meant to be on-going series, or are they mini-series? If they’re mini-series, are they all the standard six-issue minis or will there be a variance in the amount of issues?

AM: Happy to be here! The winning Round Robin title will become a standard six-issue miniseries.

KK: YAY!! We in the Global Publishing Innovation group are all about trying new things and really experimenting with new ways to get fans engaged with our content. So glad you’re digging this idea!

[RoundRobin]

@TheQuestion101

I just want to say thank you for opening the decision making process up to the fans.

MMc: Thanks! Hope you are having a blast voting for your favorites!

LE: Hey, TheQuestion! That’s not a question. Irony! I love it, also, you’re welcome.

[RoundRobin]

@D4RK5TARZ

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions and an even bigger thank you for taking a HUGE chance with letting the fans decide what book will be made.

Was there ever any title that you have regretted not greenlighting? Regarding Justice League: The Totality, how much coordination went into this series with the other Justice League books coming out at that time?

AM: I think for, there have always been titles I’ve wanted to do. What Round Robin has allowed me on an editorial side, is go out and get pitches for projects and characters I’ve always wanted to do create. There’s so many incredible characters in our stable with great stories still to be told. and I want to help show them off to the world! Man, there was a lot of coordination on the JL: Totality books.

Thankfully, all of the JL books were within my group at the time with our incredible boss, Marie Javins, as the group editor at the time. Our writers on those books planned a lot of the coordination across the titles with us, so after a number of emails and phone calls, we all had our stories planned out. So then it was a matter of telling those stories. We always stayed in constant contact though on the editorial side, and made sure we all knew what was going on with the books at all times. It helps when you have morning meetings all together haha!

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LE: Absolutely! Marie Javins once accidentally pitched an excellent series called BOOSTER GOLD’S GARAGE SALE. It never went anywhere because it was a joke, had no plot, and I was the only one who wanted to read it, and I think about it daily.

---

KK: Oh man, I think you’d be hard pressed to find an editor who doesn’t have their WHITE WHALE…their passion project that’s been simmering in the back of their skull for the last x number of years that will SOME HOW, SOME WAY see the light of day (this is how LET THEM LIVE: UNPUBLISHED TALES FROM THE DC VAULT came about!). Luckily we’re a pretty passionate group of people who don’t let go of things very easily, so I will get my [REDACTED: SEE JULY '21 SOLICITS] someday.

[RoundRobin]

@RexRebel

As to actual questions on the pitches.
1.Just out of curiosity why include the Big 3 in the choices as votes for them, I assume will take away from some of the lesser known heroes?

KK: One of the trickiest parts of crafting the pitches for this series was taking into consideration the things that were in development in the main DCU line but have just not been announced yet. So all those Harley/Ivy stans, just be patient (and look to the Bat group!!).

AM: We tried to cast all of the pitches to touch on every corner of the DCU. Leaving out someone from the Super-Family, Bat-Family, or Wonder-Family would’ve left off some incredible characters, so we tried to give you characters adjacent to the Big 3 or tell stories with pairings you haven’t seen before! There’s a variety of pitches here, many of which were created with this competition in mind. But my Blue Beetle pitch is with a team I’ve wanted to tell this specific story with for a long time. Blue Beetle rules!

@RexRebel

2. Were these actual pitches for regular stories for the supporting characters and main characters in their respective lines, or were these specially created for this competition?

KK: Most of the pitches were created specifically for this competition as a way for us to highlight characters we as editors just really plain loved. Or wanted to see more of. Or wanted to see a specific creator’s take on. Some had been percolating in an editor’s brain for a bit. Some we thought would honestly just be awesome.

@RexRebel

3. What happens to the losing pitches, do they go to the Vault for future Tales from Ambush Bug, I hope.

KK: We’ve got so many good ideas with what to do with the pitches that don’t advance rounds…these were all labors of love from both the editors and, more importantly, from the creators…and so we’re working to figure out the best way to showcase all the hard work everyone did to create this competition, and how best to give the fans what they want!

LE: We really wanted to make sure there was something for everybody–new twists on stories with familiar characters, and spotlighting characters we think are AMAZING and deserving of more attention. And we should totally do Ambush Bug presents Ambush Bug! We could see how meta Elliott Kalan can get before our brains explode.

@RexRebel

4. Being a bit older than most of the folks here, I do remember a time when queer was used as a derogatory term(And still is by some), was any thought given to using another term instead, like Pride or something else which is descriptive of the community you are trying to depict?

MMc: Rex, I also remember a time when the word queer was seen as a derogatory term. Fortunately in the past two decades this has turned around to be something more positive in our community. It is a great example of taking ownership and spinning it in a positive fashion.

[Mae]

@RoundRobin

For JLQ specifically, the volume of votes and the personal notes that have been shared online all send a great message that fans want to see a pitch like JLQ succeed, so stay tuned for news about where you might see JLQ appear in the future! We’re listening! We’ll continue to keep pushing for positive representation across all of our projects.

This is great to hear! Thank you!

[Jay_Kay]

@RoundRobin

BOOSTER GOLD’S GARAGE SALE.

Can I just say I’d also read this story? I imagine Booster would have a lot of weird stuff to sell, and I’m sure his reasonings for selling said items would be sadly hilarious.

[RoundRobin]

@NYJt3

Hello and welcome.

First I’d say thanks for doing this. It’s very cool to be a part of it.

My question is why did you decide to do a fan bracket battle for new release? What lead to this idea?

LE: It’s very cool to be making it! We loved having the chance to make more off-the-wall ideas with some of our favorite creators, and we were excited to see what made the internet excited as well!

[RoundRobin]

@NYJt3

Hello and welcome.

First I’d say thanks for doing this. It’s very cool to be a part of it.

My question is why did you decide to do a fan bracket battle for new release? What lead to this idea?

MMc: Part of the fun of our bracket has been pitting ourselves against each other. There’s nothing like some friendly competition to spark some heated debates in our staff meetings!

[RoundRobin]

@NYJt3

Hello and welcome.

First I’d say thanks for doing this. It’s very cool to be a part of it.

My question is why did you decide to do a fan bracket battle for new release? What lead to this idea?

AM: It’s been an absolute blast getting to put this together. I’m really looking forward to holding it over Katie, Michael, and Liz’s heads when one of my pitches wins!

[Vroom]

@RoundRobin

LE: Marie Javins once accidentally pitched an excellent series called BOOSTER GOLD’S GARAGE SALE. It never went anywhere because it was a joke, had no plot, and I was the only one who wanted to read it, and I think about it daily.

As an ardent Booster Gold fan, I would LOVE to read that!

I created a character named Marshmallow Pete and “Booster Gold’s Garage Sale” is just the kind of tale he’d fit right into!

Maybe Booster Gold’s Garage Sale could be in Round Robin volume 2? Pretty please, with Skeets on top?

[RoundRobin]

@RoundRobin

@NYJt3

Hello and welcome.

First I’d say thanks for doing this. It’s very cool to be a part of it.

My question is why did you decide to do a fan bracket battle for new release? What lead to this idea?

AM: It’s been an absolute blast getting to put this together. I’m really looking forward to holding it over Katie, Michael, and Liz’s heads when one of my pitches wins!

LE: Is this a short joke, Andrew Marino? Let it be known that the self-styled Bad Boy of Comics hates short people.

[RoundRobin]

@NYJt3

Hello and welcome.

First I’d say thanks for doing this. It’s very cool to be a part of it.

My question is why did you decide to do a fan bracket battle for new release? What lead to this idea?

KK: Honestly, this was something that originally came out of Marie Javins’ brain, then Jim Lee added the bracket component, and Team GPI built it into what you see today. I wish I could have stacked the deck so ALL OF THEIR PITCHES LOSE, but hey, I’m a benevolent and fair leader.

[RoundRobin]

@RoundRobin

@RoundRobin

@NYJt3

Hello and welcome.

First I’d say thanks for doing this. It’s very cool to be a part of it.

My question is why did you decide to do a fan bracket battle for new release? What lead to this idea?

AM: It’s been an absolute blast getting to put this together. I’m really looking forward to holding it over Katie, Michael, and Liz’s heads when one of my pitches wins!

LE: Is this a short joke, Andrew Marino? Let it be known that the self-styled Bad Boy of Comics hates short people.

AM: I don’t hate anyone, Liz! Loving and respecting people is the baddest thing you can do and that’s what makes me the Bad Boy of Comics.

[keath]

@RoundRobin

…and so we’re working to figure out the best way to showcase all the hard work everyone did to create this competition, and how best to give the fans what they want!

Thank you thank you thank you so much for this. I think “all of them” has been a very common theme since this idea was first revealed.