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I've spent a considerable amount of column inches bashing the so-called House of Ideas for things I feel are just plain lazy. Guess who catches the hammer this week?
 Over on Usenet's rec.arts.comics.dc.vertigo newsgroup, I had a very long conversation (mostly with George F. Grattan and Johanna Draper Carlson, whose Comics Worth Reading site is at www.comicsworthreading.com) about the state of the industry and possible roles for Vertigo. It was my thesis that, as a publishing workshop with a reputation for ignoring and rewriting the rules of comics today (and one with deep AOL Time Warner pockets), that Vertigo has a responsibility to blaze trails and set new standards for behavior and activity in the industry, as it did when it turned the likes of Neil Gaiman, Warren Ellis and Garth Ennis loose on the world with their long-form madness.
I was talked down off the ledge on this, somewhat. Johanna, who has a very thorough knowledge of DC from years of association, posited that the people I want more output from may be happy dropping a gem here and there (Kyle Baker was one of the names we batted around). Some people pointed out that, for a fifth of the amount of work, writers and artists were making far more than the greats of yesteryear, so why buck the system by turning things in on time?
So, I'm back out on the ledge now.
It's my understanding that one or two editors from the "Big Two" actually read my little column, so I'll say this directly: Karen Berger, I am not calling you out. Not you either, Shelly Bond, not even Paul Levitz (who, from all accounts, is one of the most fascinating people in comics to sit and chat with). This is a challenge and an encouragement to an entire imprint that has a unique opportunity to show off, look good, make money and spotlight how much more impressive you can be. I do it in a spirit of love for the medium, as one of my dear friends did for me when we first met, years ago, at a dimly lit poetry workshop in Leimert Park. It made me reach for more than I knew how to reach for at the time, so maybe it'll do the same for Vertigo.
 1. Find new voices.
Vertigo ran an interesting piece in their "Subculture" splash ("a fact-packed semiregular supplement to our regular On The Ledge") about the eastern European artists working on Outlaw Nation. It discussed how they were "discovered" and talked about their art, which I found fascinating. I was already reading Outlaw Nation, but that piece gave me a better appreciation for the crisp, clear artwork held therein.
However, I believe Vertigo can still reach outÑat cons, at colleges, online, even in ads such as those Dark Horse is running for visual artistsÑnot just for artists, but for writers. New voices to go with the new visuals. Not just the usual suspects, not even just names culled from television and movies, but people scaring their creative writing course classmates with how good they are, people writing fan fiction that's better than derivative crap, people with passion and energy and talent and no way in through the traditional routes of "it's who you know," as usenet's Elayne Riggs noted. Working from a "it's who you know" network can only be cannibalistic and can only create so much. It's time for new energy, new blood, new ideas, new experiences and new voices. I feel Vertigo is in a perfect position to do the legwork, the recruiting and the development required to discover that kind of talent.
 2. Teach old dogs new tricks.
I am fascinated with the new spins put on old characters like Swamp Thing, Uncle Sam, The Human Target and John Constantine, characters that were revived in a slightly different context than their original incarnation who have been at the center of some new and wonderful storylines. Angel and the Ape are receiving similar treatment and god help us all, it could even be entertaining. I encourage Vertigo to dig deep in DC's vaults and loot it like it was April 1992. I'll toss out some freebies: Jonni Thunder, the thin-tie wearing LA private detective and scion of a metahuman legacy. She's so perfect for an out-of-continuity (or even fringe continuity, like Hitman was) story, with dry wit and plenty of room for action. Lady Quark, considering her strong sense of loss (one of the axes of the noble Crisis maxiseries), her incredible extradimensional experiences and her high power levels, could show The Monarchy how to whup some ass and fade into shadows that aren't there. The entire Gemworld/Amethyst subsection of DC (being mined to some degree in the current Hunter: The Age of Magic series...), or Warlord's Skataris could reinvigorate Vertigo's magical underpinnings.
 All that just from walking into my office, picking up three issues of Who's Who in the DC Universe and glancing at the covers. Imagine what some thorough investigative minds with an assignment could come up with. Don't be scared of it: Books like Uncle Sam will find life as literature and produce income to keep the suits happy. Give in to your inner Fabian Nicieza: Mine those back issues for all they're worth!
3. Cross promote.
Vertigo should make it a mission to conquer every college bookstore it can find, which, as my editor Eric Stephenson has pointed out to me, contains the demographic most open to Vertigo's unique experience. Coffeehouses served by Max Racks (little stands that have product-placement postcards) should be second on Vertigo's agenda for world domination. Cut deals with local libraries for giveaways of overprints, get Warren Ellis on Larry King and so forth. I love the Direct Market, I do (despite my issues with it), but you've gotta reach out. Do these three things (and anything else you like from Reinventing Comics, I'm not gonna front like it didn't influence some of these ideas) and things will change for the better.
Oh, on a completely different subject -- I forgot to say last week: Get Burt Bacharach to write an album for Nate Dogg, and Nate Dogg will rule the world. Right. Carry on.
Hannibal Tabu, the Operative, is a professional Web designer, published poet and journalist and aspiring comic book writer. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and his toy collection, documenting his world wide madness at www.operative.net.
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