Posted By Dan Greenfield on Nov 7, 2017 | 3 comments

Bendis at DC? The mind reels.

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In case you missed the news earlier, Brian Michael Bendis is leaving for Marvel for DC. (Click here.) This is, shall we say, a big deal.

I’ve often wondered how, had it existed at the time, the internet would have reacted when John Byrne made a similar move 30 years or so ago. We’re finding out now.

Of course, we don’t know yet what Bendis will be writing as part of his “multi-year, multi-faceted deal,” as DC called it.

But we have some suggestions.

Bendis has a gift for plotting and dialogue and humanizes his characters in ways that many writers can’t. So I’ve come up with a list of 13 titles I’d like to see Bendis take a crack at. (I mean, really, “anything” is the answer, but you get the gist.)

Keep in mind, this isn’t a knock against any writer currently on these books. Some of these are my favorites. This is just a wish list of titles and characters I’d like to see Bendis tackle:

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UPDATED: There’s already buzz that Zatanna could be in the mix, so stay tuned…

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1. Superman. I’m very happy with the Superbooks but you can’t have someone like Bendis come into the fold and not consider how he’d do with DC’s flagship hero — and the industry’s first. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if Bendis got his own All-Star Superman title with a series of superstar artists — starting with John Romita Jr.

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2. Teen Titans. I dig the Titans books too but I think Bendis would have a field day with all the interpersonal relationships these kids have to offer.

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3. The Creeper. I want a curve ball or three in there and Ditko’s creation is one of those characters sitting on a shelf right now, begging for a fresh look.

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4. Detective Comics. Tom King is building something special on Batman right now, so I wouldn’t touch a thing there. But I think Bendis on DC’s longest-published comic would be terrific. Sure, he could have an All-Star Batman title but I think it’d be cooler if he were on one of the central books.

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5. Justice League. You don’t bring Bendis aboard without handing him the keys to the premier team at some point.

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6. Hawkman. DC’s been laying the groundwork for a Hawkman ongoing through Metal. If you’re looking to turn a secondary hero into an A-Lister, this is the way to do it. (See: Geoff Johns on Aquaman, circa 2011.)

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7. Hawk and Dove. See #3.

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8. Flamebird. Seriously, let’s do this. Let’s take a character from DC’s vast library that’s pretty much a blank slate and let Bendis go to town.

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9. Some Character He Gets to Invent. DC’s on the verge of creating a whole bunch of new characters and setting them loose upon the DCU. Some will stick over the long term. Some inevitably won’t. I cannot imagine that Bendis won’t be in the creative mix here.

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10. Green Arrow. Gritty hero with a big mouth. Yup.

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11. Legion of Super-Heroes. Actually, I can’t see this at all but if you’re looking to bring back one of DC’s most storied franchises, attaching Bendis to it would go a long way toward attracting readers.

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12. Jason Bard. See #8. This is where Bendis can do his street-level thing without any capes.

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13. Spider-Man of Earth-0. Kidding.