DC to REBOOT???

[Leroy]

Is there an article that explains what this "reboot" is exactly? I see they want to lure in new fans however I don't see how introducing yet another brand new universe with it's own history and continuity is supposed to help matters. The thing I like about DC is that it has such a rich history it'd be a shame to throw it all away.

The only new title I'm excited about is the new Swamp Thing ongoing.

 

[Admiral_Young]

It's still unclear as far as I know about the exact nature of the relaunch. Geoff Johns is appearing at the Hero Complex Festival on the weekend where all of this was supposed to be originally announced so one can assume that this is where he will be taking questions and hopefully explaining things. Basically just the announcement of the books themselves have been made to my knowledge. No explanation yet. Someone can correct me if they like.

 

[shivkala]

Honestly, after reading and re-reading both the solicitation for Action Comics and Superman, I'm not sure the Superman in both books is the same character. While the one in Action Comics is being billed as the first superhero, the one in Superman is being billed as "The Man of Tomorrow." The Action Comics one has a very retro "costume," while the one in Superman has a futuristic looking costume (or, at the very least, a modern one).

I could be wrong, but I get the sense the Action Comics Superman is more like the Earth-2 Superman and the one in Superman is more like the Earth-1 Superman. Maybe they take place on the same Earth, at the same time, but my reading of this is that either they are from separate Earths or separate times. If my guess is true, we might see the JSA in Action Comics.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

The best creative revamp DC ever had was to ditch the pre-crisis multiverse.

QFT - the multiverse was a gimmick conceived for the sake of a few very cool stories in the early 1960s. It grew like topsy until it was a confusing, pointless mess. Either one continuity for all characters or no continuity at all between titles both work, but they need to choose one of those two. The former is by far the more popular approach now.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I find it interesting that Superman has three different looks in this relaunch. Supergirl not having an affection for humans is interesting.

It's a rather writerly notion, isn't it? Superman is Clark (if he still is Clark) who considers himself just one of us because he was raised in Kansas as one of us. Supergirl perhaps arrives here as an adolescent raised in an alien culture and sees us as unlike herself.

 

[Admiral_Young]

^ Indeed. I'm a little concerned still about the Superman books. There are still a lot of rumors swirling about Lois and Clark, about Clark's age, about multiple Supermen even. Superboy seems like an entirely new character...Superboy 2.0 even. Kara I feel like is a combination of both Karen and Kara like I mentioned before.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I'm actually most excited about the Superman revamp, and more interested than I'd expect in the Supergirl and Batgirl comics. The new Justice League looks cool too.

Superman needs a lot of rethinking at this point - the last solid revision was Byrne's over twenty years ago. Since then they've futzed with the details of his origin and added a lot of nonsense back in, and that's about it. Birthright was timid and fizzled.

 

[sojourner]

The Action Comics one has a very retro "costume,"

Actually, on that cover it looks to me like he only has the top half of "the costume" on with jeans and workboots. Maybe he is doing some work on the farm there?

 

[Admiral_Young]

I have a theory that is just a hook cover and not the actual costume we'll be seeing in the book. It will be interesting to see when the creators start talking about this book. Like I said earlier in the thread...comic con is going to be insane this year.

 

[Hound of UIster]

Action Comics is Grant Morrison doing his version of Superman Year One that he had planned for a ASS spinoff which explains why the costume is different. Supposedly he is taking Superman back to his socialist roots.

Superman I guess is more modern day storytelling.

 

[JoeZhang]

Honestly, after reading and re-reading both the solicitation for Action Comics and Superman, I'm not sure the Superman in both books is the same character. While the one in Action Comics is being billed as the first superhero, the one in Superman is being billed as "The Man of Tomorrow." The Action Comics one has a very retro "costume," while the one in Superman has a futuristic looking costume (or, at the very least, a modern one).

I could be wrong, but I get the sense the Action Comics Superman is more like the Earth-2 Superman and the one in Superman is more like the Earth-1 Superman. Maybe they take place on the same Earth, at the same time, but my reading of this is that either they are from separate Earths or separate times. If my guess is true, we might see the JSA in Action Comics.

That doesn't really make any sense in the context of revamp the characters with the specific reason of providing a simple jumping-on point for new readers. Two different Supermen running around is not that - I think it's more that people are reading too much into that single cover.

That's not to say that multiple versions might have not appear in the future but it would be a very strange decision to start a revamp in that way when they are trying to reposition for a digital audience (which is the key driver here).

 

[Admiral_Young]

I'm still more intrigued by this whole thing than any other emotion. I can't say that I'm excited for anything. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this concept in the first place. I really do hope we get some kind of extensive explanation from DC. I know they've touted the expected company line about attracting "new" readers with this strategy and I read something from DiDio where he stated they wanted to "move the company into the future" or some such nonsense. I'm more interested in how long they'e been planning this. It seems several months at least, and the reaction from some creators is interesting. I wonder who knew and who didn't.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Xombi is another current title missing from the re-launch. I missed that one when I listed the titles earlier.

In fairness, DC did say they are only relaunching their superhero titles. For example, Hellblazer isn't getting canceled nor renumbered (as far as I know).

They're relaunching their DCU titles, and Xombi is DCU. Hellblazer is a Vertigo title and therefore not being relaunched.

 

[StarTrek1701]

Hope they don't make the Relaunched heroes any emo angsty filled piece of shits.

 

[Mr Light]

How much you wanna bet the amount of character revision is in direct relation to how well their books were selling before this happened.

I expect practically no changes to Green Lantern. Any changes to the Bat-books I expect to be in the current continuity (changing costumes/names, Oracle getting a cyber suit to move in). The other, less well selling books, are where I expect the real changes.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I'm more interested in how long they'e been planning this. It seems several months at least, and the reaction from some creators is interesting. I wonder who knew and who didn't.

According to several interviews in the past week, Didio wanted to do this (or something similar) after Infinite Crisis, and he was overruled. A Jim Lee interview said that this has been in the works for two years, which would be about the time that Diane Nelson took over DC Entertainment. I know, from interviewing Lee myself a year ago, that the digital plans were well underway. It's not an overnight decision, they've been working on this for a long time.

 

[shivkala]

Official word, via Dan Didio's Facebook page regarding the JSA:

"AS for JSA, we have decided to rest this concept while we devote our attention on the launch of the three new Justice League series. As for other characters and series not part of the initial 52, there are plenty of stories to be told, and we're just getting started. best, DD"

 

[TemporalFlux]

Honestly, after reading and re-reading both the solicitation for Action Comics and Superman, I'm not sure the Superman in both books is the same character. While the one in Action Comics is being billed as the first superhero, the one in Superman is being billed as "The Man of Tomorrow." The Action Comics one has a very retro "costume," while the one in Superman has a futuristic looking costume (or, at the very least, a modern one).

I could be wrong, but I get the sense the Action Comics Superman is more like the Earth-2 Superman and the one in Superman is more like the Earth-1 Superman.

I have a slightly different interpretation. Reading the solicitations, I have the feeling that Action Comics #1 is a bridge book touching on how we get from pre-Flashpoint continuity to this relaunch (possibly through some Grant Morrison tour of the Multiverse). The phrases that leap out to me are "cornerstone of the entire DC Universe" for Action #1 and the clear note that Superman #1 (for sale several weeks after Action #1) is the actual beginning of Superman's new adventures.

ACTION COMICS #1

Written by GRANT MORRISON
Art by RAGS MORALES and RICK BRYANT
Cover by RAGS MORALES
Variant cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
On sale SEPTEMBER 7 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T

Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.

The one and only Grant Morrison (ALL-STAR SUPERMAN) returns to Superman, joined by sensational artist Rags Morales (IDENTITY CRISIS), to bring you tales of The Man of Steel unlike any you’ve ever read! This extra-sized debut issue is the cornerstone of the entire DC Universe!

SUPERMAN #1

Written by GEORGE PEREZ
Breakdowns and cover by GEORGE PEREZ
Art by JESUS MERINO
On sale SEPTEMBER 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

The new adventures of Superman begin here! What is The Man of Steel’s startling new status quo? How does it affect Lois Lane and The Daily Planet? There’s no time for answers now, because Superman must stop a monstrous threat to Metropolis – one that he somehow is the cause of!

 

[TemporalFlux]

According to several interviews in the past week, Didio wanted to do this (or something similar) after Infinite Crisis, and he was overruled. A Jim Lee interview said that this has been in the works for two years, which would be about the time that Diane Nelson took over DC Entertainment.

Yep; I think it's a pretty safe bet it started in earnest around the time Paul Levitz was removed as Publisher in September 2009. Levitz was the one overruling the idea, and he was taken out of the way so that the changes could be implemented without further opposition.

 

[Broccoli]

Xombi is another current title missing from the re-launch. I missed that one when I listed the titles earlier.

In fairness, DC did say they are only relaunching their superhero titles. For example, Hellblazer isn't getting canceled nor renumbered (as far as I know).

They're relaunching their DCU titles, and Xombi is DCU. Hellblazer is a Vertigo title and therefore not being relaunched.

It is worth noting that Hellblazer, regardless of who publishes it (and, lets face it, it's all DC), takes place within the DCU (especially since John is apparently a character in one of the Justice League books).