DC Essentials with Dan Didio and Jim Lee

Last night I attended a really cool event at my local library. I follow artist/writer/publisher Jim Lee on Facebook and he posted about an event that he and DC Comics co-publisher Dan Didio would be attending on Wednesday and, lo and behold, it was at Buena Vista Library in Burbank, which is my local library. I wasn’t really sure what to expect at the event. The description of the event was pretty vague but as a longtime fan of Lee’s, I knew that it was an event that I could not miss.

I arrived at the library about 30 minutes before the event began (I would have been there earlier but L.A. traffic is soul crushing and unpredictable) and there was already a healthy crowd waiting outside of the room where the event was to take place. We waited another 20 minutes or so before we were let in. Everyone received a nice copy of the DC Entertainment Essential Graphics Novels guide for 2015.  I had never seen this before and it’s a really cool intro into the DC Universe. Even as a longtime comic book reader, I sometimes find world of comic books to be a daunting place. Many of these characters and worlds have existed for decades and it’s really hard to keep up to date with all of them and figuring out where to start can be intimidating. The DC Essentials guide is a really nice overview of some of the most iconic stories in the DC world and is a good resource for old and new comics fans alike.

(Sorry I know my pics are crap but I didn’t want to get up and block people to get a better pic).  Dan and Jim were joined by DC All Access host Tiffany Smith, who led the discussion. The Essential Guide, they said, was a way to simplify the world of comics in order to make them more inclusive and appealing to those who might be new to comics and weren’t sure where to start. They said that they had a really hard time picking out just 100 stories for the guide. When asked what makes a work “essential” they said that they were “great stories” that “stand the test of time.” They also spoke about the synergy between comics and other media platforms (movies, tv, video games) and how they influence and are influenced by one another.

When asked what some of their essential comics were (on the actual list or not), Didio named Swamp Thing and The Brave and the Bold series of books while Lee named The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen, and The Shadow.

Random tidbit learned during the night: Superman wears briefs and Batman wears boxers. :)

It was a really fun event. Didio and Lee are pretty hilarious and the audience was very excited. I wish I had taken more notes but I was too busy laughing to get it all down. The event was being recorded by DC All Access so I think it’ll be up sometime soon. I will update this post with a link when I see it become available.

I really hope that there are more events like this in the future. With DC headquarters now in Burbank, it would be great to see more comic book based events in the local area. Judging by the turnout last night, there are a lot of people who are willing and happy to come to these events. Thank you DC, Warner Bros. and Burbank Library for hosting a fantastic event!