DC reboots again... #1's for everyone!

[The Bat]

If Dick is Nightwing, and Babs is Batgirl, I'm betting Tim is Robin so that means...NO DAMIEN!!!

This may be a blessing after all.


Chris

I LIKE YOUR THINKING!!

[Earth 2 Chris]

You know, if this isn't the DCU back at square one, with Superman and Batman etc JUST making the scene, and is instead about several years in...this may not be so bad. I've often wondered if DC shouldn't just reset everything back to 1985, which is more or less the classic version of each character, with the advent of some more progressive writing and art.

This may NOT suck after all...

Chris

[The Toyroom]

Sounds like they're going to use the time-altering aspects of Flashpoint to cherry-pick which elements stick and which ones are thrown to the curb...If they can do so with somehow leaving a loophole (ala Hypertime) which will allow them to keep some portions of DCU history in play for future use without totally eradicating them then this could work.

But they've had the opportunity to do this at least 3 times since COIE and have squandered every effort...In fact they've only added to the confusion that those various Crisises were supposed to fix.

If we use Damien for example....If he does indeed "go away" from the mythos...Then what a waste of time the last several years have been, not to mention the $$$ people have spent reading stories that may no longer matter in a few months. Of course I'm more than happy if they permanently get rid of the creepy kid.

I think that's one of the problems of the DCU....they've felt the need to have the characters grow older because of the on-going saga aspect and how the DCU is so heavy in continuity. But when Batman's "boy wonder" sidekick becomes a "teen wonder" and then gets his own identity and THEN becomes an actual replacement for his mentor and an actual contemporary that's where problems begin. And when you add a love-child in the mix that's about what 10 or 12 years old it gets even worse.

I think things were best when Superman was eternally 29 years old and it was up to the reader to figure out where some stories fit or didn't fit instead of having a company (DC) lay everything out for us like some Continuity Manifesto.

I mean it never bothered me when I read Batman in "Brave and the Bold" or Superman in "DC Comics Presents" and wasn't explicitly told exactly how those adventures fit in relation to those in their own individual titles or "Detective" or "Action". It was easier to suspend disbelief rather than have something like Marvel for example where everything is in continuity and we're supposed to believe that someone like Wolverine has time to have his own individual adventures in 2 or 3 series PLUS occassional mini-series PLUS serve on The X-Men PLUS serve with X-Force PLUS serve with The Avengers in no less than 2 Avengers titles.

[boynightwing]

I mean it never bothered me when I read Batman in "Brave and the Bold" or Superman in "DC Comics Presents" and wasn't explicitly told exactly how those adventures fit in relation to those in their own individual titles or "Detective" or "Action".

Totally agree. Series like JLA and Teen Titans (and just Titans)...well any group book really can suffer from this problem. You can't have the JLA team everyone wants because of all the baggage and drama in a characters own title. No Batman in JLA because Bruce Wayne is dead for example. Or Nightwing can't be in Titans because he's too busy being Batman. If the team up books just happen without worrying about where they fit in with continuity then it will be easier to focus on good story telling for said team. Otherwise I just have to watch episodes of Justice League and not buy the books.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I had an interesting conversation recently about this... I actually blamed Roy Thomas and his generation of Fan-turned Pro. They were the first to needlessly bridge all those continuity gaps that no one previously cared about because of the generational turnover of the primary kid audience... ie) the 50's Captain America.

Thomas actually turned that into his career at DC with the Golden Age characters, only to find himself pretty much out of the job when Crisis happened. Not that these things can't be fun, but when it becomes your Raison D'etre then the problems creep in. After Crisis it seemed like Thomas' main job was to try and patch up continuity holes as quickly as Wolfman, Byrne, Perez, Miller and Co were busy sinking the Titanic of past baggage on Multiple Earths.

I think his post Crisis Shazam series is the perfect example of that... as well as stuff like his Secret Origins, Infinity Inc and Young All Stars.

While I love much of Roy Thomas' work, continuity seems to be his paramount objective in the vast majority of his comic output. Even his Conan comics weaved in and out of Howard's work. Of course, A-SS (snicker) was meant to be his rompus room for playing with established DC continuity and real-world facts, but he kind of did that wherever he went.

He probably was the first to feel the need to connect the dots. Another person would be E. Nelson Bridwell, who through years as assistant editor to Mort Weisinger and then Julie Schwartz, crafted tales building on previous Superman stories and the over-developed Kryptonian mythology that sprang from them.

Guys like Marv Wolfman and Len Wein would use past stories as springboards, but didn't seem as slavish to it. Hence their advocating the reboot of Crisis.

Chris

[wyatterb]

The new JLI.
A team of internationally-drafted superheroes fight each other and their bureaucratic supervisors as much as they do global crime in JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #1 from writer Dan Jurgens and artist Aaron Lopresti. The cover to issue #1 is by Aaron Lopresti.




I'm not so sure about Firestorm.
Welcome to a major new vision of the Nuclear Man as writers Ethan Van Sciver and Gail Simone team up with artist Yildiray Cinar to deliver THE FURY OF FIRESTORM #1. Jason Rusch and Ronnie Raymond are two high school students, worlds apart – and now they’re drawn into a conspiracy of super science that bonds them forever in a way they can’t explain or control. The cover to issue #1 is by Ethan Van Sciver.




Here's the link to some other covers.
http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/02/the-new-justice

[samurainoir]

Guys like Marv Wolfman and Len Wein would use past stories as springboards, but didn't seem as slavish to it. Hence their advocating the reboot of Crisis.

What impressed me most about Len Wein was the fact that he wasn't so precious about even his own creation, The Swamp Thing.

As editor, he actively sought out Alan Moore (based on his Miracleman/Marvelman(/Shazam revamp) and allowed him to turn it into something completely different and original from his own original premise.

His Swamp Thing run with Wrightson still stands the tests of time, even if the legendary status of Moore's seems to have eclipsed the original in the cultural consciousness.

[ctc]

>I think things were best when Superman was eternally 29 years old and it was up to the reader to figure out where some stories fit

That works fine if your fans move on every 3 years; OR don't get all retentive about things. That ties into my earlier point; and my tirade a while back about why I think the "educated" fan ruined superhero comics.

Don C.

[samurainoir]

Some very unexpected choices.

I truly honestly think that Brian Azzerello is the wrong choice for Wonder Woman, as much as I love his gritty crime noir stuff. Interestingly enough though, his wife drew Wonder Woman post-Perez (I think Perez was still scripting).

I'm also not to sure about their huge push for writer/artists. Geoff Johns leaving Flash in the hands of his artist doesn't seem to bode well for the future of this title given how many felt like it hadn't really delivered to (admittedly unrealistic) expectations.

James Robinson's not on Hawkman as everyone expected. Again, a writer primarily know for his art, Tony Daniel is given the job. How was his writing tenure on Batman?


and Paul Jenkins returns to DC after close to a decade at Marvel. Interesting to note that DC seems to be cherry picking the lower hanging branches at Marvel (just like Marvel did with DC a while ago). I noticed Kelly Sue DeConnick (Matt Fraction's wife who recently wrote the Norman Osborn in jail mini) and Tom Defalco were solicited in DC comics last month. Defalco must be finally out of the "golden handcuffs" at Marvel.

[boynightwing]

James Robinson's not on Hawkman as everyone expected. Again, a writer primarily know for his art, Tony Daniel is given the job. How was his writing tenure on Batman?

It wasn't good. Battle for the Cowl made very little sense and I was glad when it ended. I did get the first few issues of Batman he did right after and I feel he's better left as an artist. In fact, his art suffered a lot because he wasn't giving it his complete attention.

[The Toyroom]

Couple quick points...

1) Nice to see Dan Jurgens getting more work, as both writer and artist

2) Sounds like a top-notch team on Firestorm

3) Batman is the new Wolverine....I have the feeling he's going to be on EVERY JLA team

[The Bat]

I think that's one of the problems of the DCU....they've felt the need to have the characters grow older because of the on-going saga aspect and how the DCU is so heavy in continuity. But when Batman's "boy wonder" sidekick becomes a "teen wonder" and then gets his own identity and THEN becomes an actual replacement for his mentor and an actual contemporary that's where problems begin. And when you add a love-child in the mix that's about what 10 or 12 years old it gets even worse.

I think things were best when Superman was eternally 29 years old and it was up to the reader to figure out where some stories fit or didn't fit instead of having a company (DC) lay everything out for us like some Continuity Manifesto.

BINGO!! You just hit the nail on head Anthony!!

[thunderbolt]

Mr. Terrific? I pick this as the first of the cancellations.

[The Toyroom]

^ Yeah has anyone been asking for a Mr. Terrific series?

[kingdom warrior]

So is Captain Atom the new Dr. Manhattan? he gives off that vibe in that cover.....


http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/files/2.../catom_cv1.jpg