To say this is a risky move is an understatement. On the upside, it might get me reading comics again because of a more solid move to digital distribution.USA Today wrote:DC Comics ready for
a risky yet relevant publishing change
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAYPosted 19h 33m ago | 36 | 10
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As excited as Dan DiDio is about DC Comics' newest initiative, the company's co-publisher knows he can walk the hallways of the DC Comics offices in Manhattan and pick up the same vibe from his co-workers.
"If we can convince the people here we're doing something brand-new and fresh, we have a good chance to really get the people outside on board," DiDio says.
DC will re-number its entire line of superhero titles, beginning with all-new No. 1 issues starting Aug. 31 — 52 in all, including a new Justice League No. 1. Fittingly, the publisher put its creative superteam on its trademark superhero superteam.
Guided by writer Geoff Johns and artist Jim Lee, Justice League will begin its first year with an updated secret origin reflecting DC's new initiative, giving the group a reason for coming together that it lacked when the league first appeared in 1960. And while it will ultimately boast 14 members, at its core will be DC's A-list do-gooders: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern and Aquaman.
MORE:DC Comics unleashes a new universe of superheroes
"The approach is very much about who they are behind the masks and how they interact together and how these personalities mix," explains Johns, DC Entertainment's chief creative officer. "With the world's greatest superheroes, how does that team actually work? Do they all get along? Being able to pull together and see how that relationship is forged and continues to grow has to be at the heart of that book."
For Lee, working on a team book is a different experience than a Superman or Batman, both of which he illustrated in recent years.
"When you have a Green Lantern mixing with a foil like Batman, you get scenes that are comic-book history. There's the epicness of it all. You're dealing with iconic characters and you want to give them all equal grandeur and weight."
In the rollout of the revamped DC Universe, some titles will return, a lot of titles won't, and DC will have a wider range of books starting in September, DiDio says. In addition, three-quarters of the creative teams will be shuffled around — series that are successful and writer/artist combinations that work well together won't be tweaked too much, he says.
"We've got a new set of creators coming in with new voices in the DC Universe," DiDio says. "We really want to bring a new energy and excitement to our books."
The characters also are getting a makeover. While most of the specifics are still top secret, Lee says he worked with both staff and freelance artists to redesign costumes in a contemporary way as well as alter the physicality of many heroes and villains to modernize the DC Universe.
"You're trying to have your cake and eat it, too," Lee says. "You're trying to keep the iconic elements there, but at the same time freshen up the look so that people are intrigued by what they're seeing and hopefully come and sample the wares."
The recent emphasis on diverse characters such as lesbian superheroine Batwoman, Hispanic hero Blue Beetle and African-American adventurer Cyborg (who will be a core member of Johns and Lee's new Justice League) also will continue.
"He's a character I really see as the modern-day, 21st-century superhero," Johns says of Cyborg. "He represents all of us in a lot of ways. If we have a cellphone and we're texting on it, we are a cyborg — that's what a cyborg is, using technology as an extension of ourselves."
There will also be a lot of diversity in the products as well, DiDio promises. "It's not just about straight superhero characters and stories. We're going to use war comics, we have stories set in mystery and horror, we've got Westerns."
While Lee allows that this kind of wholesale change is risky for DC, it's far more perilous to play it safe and not periodically examine these characters and how they relate to the readership.
"It's part of our jobs to make sure that these characters stay dynamic and relevant," Lee says. "And that's what drove us on a creative level to make these kinds of changes."
But let's face it, comics in general, and DC especially, have some really spotty records. It's a dangerous balancing act, trying to keep your existing fanbase happy while appealing to new customers. Marvel's been beating DC left, right, and center in the movies, but in the books, I have no idea. Both companies seem to be prone to stupid moves that alienate the fanbase. One More Day, Countdown, Ultimatum, etc. That said, there are still good books and stories coming out of both companies, but where to start? Marvel has over forty years of continuity, and DC has, arguably, over sixty! Getting a fresh start isn't a bad idea, it did wonders for the DCAU.
But...DC has disappointed a lot lately. Killing off heroes to bring back cheesy silver age versions that the fans aren't fond of (but the editors are), doing character assassinations on much beloved characters, and so forth.
And all the stories that have been building up in the current DCU? Gone. Just gone. Batman Inc? Goodbye. Web 2.0? Later. Secret Six? Ooooh man.
That alone is going to put off a lot of existing fans, never mind the costume changes to Superman (and would it KILL them to make a Wonder Woman costume that doesn't require double-sided tape of the gods for her to walk around in? Really? They've done it before and made it look awesome.) Never mind that they way they're ushering it in is by a big crossover event where the Flash is the only one that knows that history is wrong, Wonder Woman has conquered most of the world, and is battling Aquaman for domination of the sea, while dealing with pesky revolutionaries.
But, hey, they're keeping Jaime.
That's something, at least.
Ugh, honestly, there's a part of me that's just thinking this is just going to be a multi-year experiment before reverting back to the old timeline and saying "fuck it". The guys in charge these days don't seem to have the dedication and drive to stick to a massive, earth-shattering change like Crisis on Infinite Earths. Something that's shown by them trying to bring the DCU back to pre-crisis days.
I'm interested in how this all plays out, but I really wish that they had done something like the Ultimates instead, give a creative team a new universe to play with, let them do their thing alongside the usual nonsense, and go from there, but that's crazy talk, I know.
Well, get ready folks. Lots of bloody, pointless deaths coming up, I'm sure.
