I didn't think I would need to openly address this, but here we are. I've been getting a lot of criticism, and their complaints fall into one of two camps.
1. Dante is too weak. That was a deliberate choice on my part. I've always liked protagonists who've been forged in the fires of adversity and came out of battles stronger, smarter, and better.
That's the kind of progression I wanted Dante to have. While yes, he starts off weak because this version of Dante is canonically the weakest, he arguably has the greatest potential because he's half demon and half angel. Think about all of the potential combinations, weapons, and abilities he could have.
And don't get me started on the Classes I have planned.
2. Dante goes from one bad situation to the next: Without major spoilers, this stops happening after this arc. The first arc was to set up how realistically bad and complicated things can get when you screw up in this universe.
When Old Dante kills somebody important and doesn't cover his tracks, Shield starts looking for his ass. When our Dante tries to rob a gang house, he nearly dies because, shocker, charging into a drug den is a bad idea, even if you're superhuman and have mastery over multiple weapons.
The current arc with the Mutant Brotherhood and the X-men is set up for a slower-paced Arc where Dante gets to breathe, strategize, and grow strong.
In case you didn't notice the tag, It's a weak-to-strong story, so that means Dante won't realistically come out on top of every fight he's in.
For example, the situation with Silver Surfer. He could not realistically win that fight, so he switched gears and tried to negotiate. That failed because Dante wasn't a talk-no-jutsu master.
The point I'm trying to make is that, while I admit my writing could improve, everything that has happened so far has happened for a reason.
I don't think I have it in me to write a wish-fulfillment book where the character faces no real challenge because life is not really like that. Even the richest, most privileged people in the world go through shit, and it's important to reflect that in fiction.
I know I might lose readers because some people can't stand to see the main characters lose, but I think that's better for the story in the long run.
Regardless of whether you decide to stay or go, know that I really appreciate the support and attention up until now. A writer's biggest dream is to have fans who adore and love their work enough to keep reading.