Some bright spots in DCU darkest moment

[Earth 2 Chris]

BUG: So they are going to be…I’m not saying it’s like starting over completely, but how much of the history is going to be intact?

Jim Lee: All of the best stories are going to be…which is, I think, how people kind of handle continuity anyway. I mean, I don’t think any of us believe that 75 years worth of Superman and Batman stories actually occurred--it’d be impossible, right? We just tend to…while we read a lot of stories, we don’t read all of them, right? We like the ones best and those are the ones that become canon, honestly. There’s no book that’s written that says “this is canon, this is not canon.” It is kind of decided by fandom, the readership as they read it, and what’s popular and that’s generally what you build off of.

Not to continue on my pessimist train with this, but it seems like Lee is just trying to smooth things due to the backlash from this. The creators on most of these books have stated that most of the old continuity is gone. As for the good stuff remaining, they wiped out the Wolfman/Perez Titans. Now how can anyone argue with the quality of THAT?

Chris

[The Bat]

Yep, if its the three stooges running DC, then I have zero confidence.

That's your opinion.

[madmarva]

The best stories according to whom?

According to the writers on the books and the editor's controlling the properties, kind of like it's always been.

When Byrne restarted Superman after Crisis, he didn't change everything. He changed some things, tweaked other, updated even more and didn't touch the majority of the stories that had been printed.

One of my favorite Byrne stories was his updating of Lori Lemaris story. It was practically the same story just with Byrne art instead of Wayne Boring.

While I imagine DC is going to shake things up a bit more. From what I've read, Morrison's going to do more of a riff on the Golden-age Superman, which I think is interesting.

What they are going to produce is still going to be the essence of the characters as seen by editorial along with the writer and artists, which is what long-time fans have always gotten.

But really what Lee is eluding to is how fans form their own personal continuity by accepting the stories they like and forgetting the ones that didn't matter or that they didn't like.

I don't accept mullet-head Superman or electric blue Superman or Byrne's version of Supergirl or Waid's idea that Superman is a vegetarian. Those ideas/stories/aspects of the character don't really factor into my personal Superman continuity.

I do compartmentalize a Earth I, Earth II and a post-Crisis versions of the character and the continuities, and to me whatever Superman Morrison and Perez and Johns (in JLA) present will be the fourth or fifth or sixth parallel earth version the character.

I guess Schwartz's multiple earth theory of continuity spoiled me. But all versions of Superman including films, TV shows, cartoons,various novels inform my idea of what or who Superman is.

I like Byrne's conception of Krypton, but I also love so many of the Weisinger era Krypton stories that I don't just throw them out because they don't jibe with Byrne's. It's just a different version of Superman.

I really like how Superman the Animated Series tied Brianiac to Krypton. It worked so much better than the Byrne version, but I really prefer how Johns updated the Earth I version of the character a few years ago. Brianiac is still green, but he has the cool robotic/skull designed space ship that either Kane or Perez came up with in the 80s and he still goes around shrinking planets. To me that's the best version.

To me, I like Superboy being Superman when he was a boy. But I also like Byrne's conceit that his powers developed slowly but exponentially as he matured. The idea of being a solar cell works better for me than the earth's lighter gravity in combination with Kryptonian super senses being the sole root of his powers as it was explained in the golden age. I do find the old Superbaby stories fun, but there's no way a couple could raise a toddler who could move planets.

I really like the tension that Smallville injected in the relationship Clark had with his Pa Kent. It was a good relationship, but Clark didn't just smile and accept that he had to live apart from the world and never use his abilities as Clark. But I really didn't like how Krypton-centric Smallville became with Jor-el kind of being a villain.

Even though the various versions of Superman can't be squeezed into one continuity, all of that informs my idea of what and who Superman is.

And just because DC is launching a new version of the character doesn't demean any of the comics I've read in the past. And over the long haul, the new version isn't going to hurt or help the actual value of those old comics either.

Action No. 1 was retconned as soon as Superman 1 came out about a year later and every time since the Superman origin has been tweaked, and it's worth more now than it's ever been.

[thunderbolt]

Well, that IS the question isn't it?

Yep, if its the three stooges running DC, then I have zero confidence.

[boynightwing]

I'm glad Nightwing will be back. I'm curious about Barbara coming back as Batgirl. Probably will pick up Aquaman because I liked the 4 pages I read...that might be it. I'm not sure.

[The Bat]

The best stories according to whom?

Well, that IS the question isn't it?

[thunderbolt]

The best stories according to whom?

[The Bat]

Here's an interview from SDCC with Jim Lee where he's says that they're retaining most of DC's history with the re-boot.

BUG: So they are going to be…I’m not saying it’s like starting over completely, but how much of the history is going to be intact?

Jim Lee: All of the best stories are going to be…which is, I think, how people kind of handle continuity anyway. I mean, I don’t think any of us believe that 75 years worth of Superman and Batman stories actually occurred--it’d be impossible, right? We just tend to…while we read a lot of stories, we don’t read all of them, right? We like the ones best and those are the ones that become canon, honestly. There’s no book that’s written that says “this is canon, this is not canon.” It is kind of decided by fandom, the readership as they read it, and what’s popular and that’s generally what you build off of.

[madmarva]

Hey J,

Like I said, I agree with you for the most part. Johns' Barry Allen Flash series was slowly making its way to Flashpoint for 12 issues, but it was a slooow build and much darker than a Flash series should be in my opinion, but it was because Reverse Flash was mucking with the timeline.

That being said it wasn't a fun series and certainly not a bright spot, in literal or figurative terms. The series was a flop to me. I was on the verge of dropping it and if the relaunched series doesn't hit the ground running, I'll drop it quick.

Flashpoint has been interesting and I want to see what happens in the fifth issue that sets up the relaunch, but it's not been a fun read. Interesting, for sure. Entertaining, to a degree but not really fun.

I think that's what is missing from a lot of DC and Marvel books today is fun. I'm not talking about camp or silliness, but fun. With events and general darkness driving the comics today, the books offer little fun, little hope and less and less entertainment, IMO

The real world is pretty dang dire right now. I wouldn't mind having some escapist-type entertainment that wasn't even more dire than the circumstances in the real world.

I'm hoping DC injects some fun and energy and excitement into super hero comics that has been missing for a while.

[BlackKnight]

Yo Wood ...
You know Man .., I too am digging FlashPoint .
However is it Because of Barry Allen ?
Not for Me ..., it's because of Everything Else.
With that Being Said..., I don't care if the Book is called Flashpoint, He's still Not a "bight Spot" With anything other than Supporting Cast or side Roles.

[madmarva]

Barry Allen has yet to still be a "bright spot" in the DCU since His return.

I agree for the most part, but Flashpoint is an interesting series, although thus far it's been about Batman and the crazy world as much as Flash.

The thing about the new Jonah Hex series that confounds me is that it's set in Gotham City, which is on the East Coast. So how is it a Western? Maybe Gotham is moved west in the DCnU, just like a lot of DC offices. I heard they would have moved the whole joint out west if not for the DC library being too huge to even think about moving.

I'm looking forward to Action, Justice League, Batman (Snyder is an excellent writer), Frankenstein and Aquaman. Justice League Dark and the book with the Demon set in Camelot, i'll give a try. Swamp Thing as well because because of Snyder. I'll be reading Green Lantern and will probably try the other three Gl-related titles. Milligan might do something interesting with Red Lantern.

Batgirl is a possibility as is Nightwing. I'll buy Superman and Detective, too, and I'll probably try Wonder Woman, Flash, JLI (Booster) and Hawkman. That's about a third of the 52 for me.

James Robinson and Nicola Scott are supposed to be doing a JSA or JSA-related book in November or December, which sounds good to me. I'd love it if it were set on Earth II, or that world that Power Girl visited in the late JSA series that was Earth II in everythign but name. Doubt that will happen though. but I would dearly love for GA Huntress, the GA Robin, Power Girl and the other 70s-era JSAers in a book.

I hate that they changed Superman's costume, but really since Crisis on Infinite Earths screwed up DC's continuity in 1985-86 — and without question the series did — continuity has been whatever DC said it was at the time. So, I don't care if they are starting over and changing some or most things up. If the stories are to my liking I'll read em. if not, I'll read something I do like.

What I really wish is that DC would find a way to get all of Superman and Batman's adventures loaded up digitally or printed soon enough that I can read all the stories that I haven't read before I die. Twenty or 25 years ago (or whenever the Archives began being published), I thought I'd have them in hardback by now through the Archives series, but no joy.

[The Toyroom]

I know a few folks here are Jonah Hex fans... are they picking All Star Western?
Is All-Star Western The Most Under-Ordered Title Of The New 52? Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movies and TV News and Rumors

Jonah Hex is one of the few ongoings I buy that I may continue with, status quo..Unless the whole Gotham City angle ends up becoming stupid....

[thunderbolt]

The only book I'm excited about is Action Comics.

I was sort of excited about it, till I realized that its eventually going to lead to goofy armored up Superman. More interested in Frankenstein and OMAC.

[samurainoir]

I know a few folks here are Jonah Hex fans... are they picking All Star Western?
Is All-Star Western The Most Under-Ordered Title Of The New 52? Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movies and TV News and Rumors

[aquatroy]

The only book I'm excited about is Action Comics.