DC to REBOOT???

[Broccoli]

Bryan Miller got "laid off," didn't he? I don't remember him being one of the 48 or so writers.

It might be possible that he's being slotted for a second wave title.

Although that reminds me, and it's a total tangent question, but has any superhero(ine, by definition) ever actually had an abortion?

Well, Batman did have the film Batman & Robin...

Is there a source for the "Didio said the idea came up at a retreat last October" other than Newsarama's live blogging of his presentation at SDCC? Because in fact DC's big secret creative retreat including plans for a new Lee/Johns Justice League was reported in early November of 2009.

Thanks for bringing this up. I remember Johns in some interview saying they've been planning this quietly behind the scenes for about two years. I wouldn't be surprised if "October" was really October 2009. The time line of events would seem about right. Plus I find it hard to believe they would be able to pull off something like this in under a year.

 

[Admiral_Young]

@ Dennis I didn't see it mentioned anywhere but in the live blogs. It's possible CBR covered it in their write up of the panels. I can try looking for it if you guys want a source. I can't remember if I brought it up in the thread or not now lol. It is also very plausible that they were playing around with the wording.

Either way from the reaction of most of the writers who didn't know anything about the relaunch and were told only recently or found out about it thanks to Bleeding Cool deciding to jump the gun and ruin their official announcement (forcing DC to do some immediate and often humorous explaining before they really wanted to) it looks like this has only been in the works for a short time. It doesn't really matter though, it's just unfortunate that this seems to have come out of the blue for the people that work for the company.

I'm curious about something though, now that we have some more information on this relaunch along with books, characters, and art work, etc. Has anybody's opinion changed? Soured more? Is anyone actually excited about this? I know that my opinion has changed drastically since learning more about this and you don't have to go back in the thread to see that lol.

 

[Broccoli]

I'm actually more excited about it since I first heard the announcement.

@ Dennis I didn't see it mentioned anywhere but in the live blogs. It's possible CBR covered it in their write up of the panels. I can try looking for it if you guys want a source.

LINK OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111111111111!!!!!!!!!!!!!ONE!!!!!!!

 

[Admiral_Young]

I'm okay if it didn't happen

 

[Cmdr_Blop]

Fish-man wants to be badass:

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/07/27/preview-first-four-pages-of-aquaman-1/

Amazing how no criminal ever just aims for the head...

 

[Admiral_Young]

@Broccoli this website just quotes from the live panel blogs (feel free to still question it I know) best I could do. It's near the bottom of the panel after a bunch of cover art.

http://www.gothamknightsonline.com/?cat=321

 

[Broccoli]

@Broccoli this website just quotes from the live panel blogs (feel free to still question it I know) best I could do. It's near the bottom of the panel after a bunch of cover art.

http://www.gothamknightsonline.com/?cat=321

Meh, I'm somewhat indifferent overall. Dennis was asking for the link. I was just being a jackass, because, you know, it's what I do.

 

[Admiral_Young]

^ Nevertheless I attempt to oblige I'm surprised that I'm as disgruntled about this whole thing as I am. I really wanted to like the bulk of this relaunch, but I guess this proves that I even I can't like everything

 

[Broccoli]

They've been very dodgy on releasing info about what is going down in the books (story lines, direction, and such) in addition to how much of this is a "star over" in such how long these characters have "been around" (in addition to "what still 'counts'" in regards to different characters). Of course they mention the whole "five years", but is the entire line "five years in" besides the specific ones mentioned?

Of course, this being done to drum up interest and to get people to buy the books. I just like the idea of a solid jumping on point for the books that I am interested in (in addition to getting a nostalgic Post-Crisis vibe from George Perez's Superman).

 

[OsmiumJohnnycake]

I was around 12 when COIE happened and was just randomly buying DCs off racks in drug stores, so my memory isn't the best, but the post-COIE wasn't nearly as clean, was it? Obviously certain titles came a little later, like the Flash and Wonder Woman series, but what about the titles that didn't change numbering? IIRC, Batman Year One came a little after the Batman Legends crossover (which was post-COIE I think). And it wasn't until after Year One we got the new Jason Todd origin.

Basically what I'm asking, for those of you with a better memory or who have reread these issues recently, is what happened in the titles one month after COIE #12 came out? The changes sort of trickled in, right? Other than the major ones involving character deaths in COIE, of course.

 

[The Lensman]

I was around 12 when COIE happened and was just randomly buying DCs off racks in drug stores, so my memory isn't the best, but the post-COIE wasn't nearly as clean, was it? Obviously certain titles came a little later, like the Flash and Wonder Woman series, but what about the titles that didn't change numbering? IIRC, Batman Year One came a little after the Batman Legends crossover (which was post-COIE I think). And it wasn't until after Year One we got the new Jason Todd origin.

Basically what I'm asking, for those of you with a better memory or who have reread these issues recently, is what happened in the titles one month after COIE #12 came out? The changes sort of trickled in, right? Other than the major ones involving character deaths in COIE, of course.

Yes, the changes trickled in. While the new reboot will change everything at the same time, all the info I'm hearing sounds like it'll be the same clusterfuck of a mess in that if they were going to go the reboot route, they should've started all titles back at day one. (And really, they should've had the balls to go all Julius Schwartz too)

They should've brought all current storylines and books to a nice finale and restarted completely.

They have the same problem that they had in the 80's....they don't want to kick their best selling books in the nuts with a reboot. In the 80's, the Teen Titans was giving the X-Men a run for it's money. Reboot meant no Teen Titans for several years.

Now we have "five years ago" time from DC, but they don't want to alienate the 90's fans.....so now we have a Hal Jordan who's only been GL for five years.....and a Kyle Raynor, who, in less time than that, moved up to Honor Guard and who now leads a group of people at near "Guardian" level of power.

A Batman who's had a Robin, every year for the last five years (and if he was running around six years ago, then Supers isn't first superhero).

And other compressed time nonsense that someone here showed the idiocy of not too long ago.

 

[Admiral_Young]

The relaunched continuity is really a big mess and doesn't make sense at all. Batman is supposed to be meeting Superman for the "first time" in Justice League #1 or #2 and I think he has interacted with Hal a bit before as the preview issues for one indicated.

How he can have a Robin for the last five years when all of them are older than five years makes no sense unless we are all looking at this new five year timeline literally (but then that is how it has been presented to us). It's really a big mess. They would have been better off pissing off everyone in general and starting off from scratch. Or better yet, start an entirely new line while keeping the original intact (like the Ultimate Universe).

The discussion of continuity almost makes me wish EJA was still around to see what he would have made of this. I bet his mind would have blown!

 

[The Lensman]

The relaunched continuity is really a big mess and doesn't make sense at all. Batman is supposed to be meeting Superman for the "first time" in Justice League #1 or #2 and I think he has interacted with Hal a bit before as the preview issues for one indicated.

How he can have a Robin for the last five years when all of them are older than five years makes no sense unless we are all looking at this new five year timeline literally (but then that is how it has been presented to us). It's really a big mess. They would have been better off pissing off everyone in general and starting off from scratch. Or better yet, start an entirely new line while keeping the original intact (like the Ultimate Universe).

The discussion of continuity almost makes me wish EJA was still around to see what he would have made of this. I bet his mind would have blown!

I agree that they should've just started a new "Ultimates" type line of books and damn the screaming about "ripping off Marvel".

They could've pulled a Julius Schwartz and brought a fresh new vibe to this universe. More racial and gender diversity, new characters and fresh spin's on things.

Hell, years ago I recall thinking "You know, it'd be cool if they brought back the multiverse, and actually created line's of comics based on some of those worlds."

I still think that's be a cool idea. A few books on Earth-Two, a few on Earth-S, etc.

Especially since Captain Marvel, outside of the Power Of Shazam! series hasn't been worth a shit. Time to shunt him and a group of characters (doesn't need to be exclusively Fawcett characters....send Wally West to that world to be the Flash there!) to an Earth where *they* can shine! I miss the days when Cap was the premiere superhero of his world.

 

[Mr Light]

I was initially apprehensive but interested at the reboot, but the more I learn, the less interested I become. Of the "re-imagined" books I'm basically looking forward to Justice League and Morrison's Superman just because of the people involved. I'm just glad they're not going to mess up Green Lantern and Batman too much (aside from the Robin Internship Program).

Have they explained how Batman has a ?twelve? year old son with his enemy yet?

 

[Icemizer]

That one is easy Mr. Light. Back when Bruce was roaming the world he trained for a time under Ras and had some fun time with his daughter. This could even be used as the basis of the Ras/Batman story going forward.

 

[Myasishchev]

I have to get something off of my chest: I am the reason for DC cancelling Bryan Q. Miller's Batgirl. You see, several months ago, based on word of mouth (as with Myasishchev, I had not heard anything bad about the book), I picked up a few issues and then made the decision to start collecting the title monthly. I forgot, I am cursed.

It's my fault Secret Six got canned, because I forgot to pick up an issue here or there.

The sad thing about comics is this might even be true.

Well, Batman did have the film Batman & Robin...

I guess it might be a function of fewer female comic book characters, and so few of them actually getting pregnant in the first place...

Oh wait! Wait! I know one! It sort of counts--Mary Jane Watson got an abortion once. Through the power of Satan!


The Aquaman preview pages look pretty, although superhero vs. generic men with guns only really works, and then only barely, with Batman. Even so, not bad, and the last line is funny, although personally I'd have played that subtler, and just had a cop bringing Aquaman a glass of water, because being nice is nice, and he'd have surely accepted with gusto.

At the same time, I always thought Aquaman was super-dense and bulletproof. If he's not bulletproof, is he instead immune to the common sense proposition that men vulnerable to bullets not directly and slowly approach a man with a firearm?

 

[Broccoli]

And its my fault that Rob Liefeld keeps getting work (well, me and a pact with the devil he made).

Now, who's the bigger sinner on the comics world?

 

[Myasishchev]

I have nothing specifically against Rob Liefeld. Oh, except he destroyed Valiant Comics. That wasn't cool.

 

[Captain Craig]

^^^
How was Liefeld tied into that?
Acclaim bought Valiant then did a reboot. Which totally wrecked some of their cooler characters like Ninjak and Shadowman.
What did Rob have to do with that? Was he tied into Acclaim someway?

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Batgirl #24.

As a finale, it was lovely.

As a story in itself, it was merely adequate. Stephanie's confrontation with her father, which after issue #23 feels like it should be big, is not big at all. But it sets the stage for a number of emotional resolutions to the series that, as I said, are lovely, especially during a J.H. Williams III-esque sequence.

And

Spoiler: Spoiler!

Stephanie as a Blue Lantern is entirely appropriate

. It would be a logical outgrowth of the character's personality as Bryan Miller wrote her.

What I liked is that it didn't end Stephanie as Batgirl. It gave us closure, but Stephanie's adventures go on.

I hope she turns up in the DCnU.