DC Universe Rebooted and Renumbered - again

[Hoy Murphy]

Here's the story in USA Today:

 

I've been hanging onto the DC train for years waiting for a clear opportunity to jump off, and here it is. Anything they publish from that point on, I'll read the reviews and, if it seems like something I'll like, I'll buy in trade paperback. I've been waiting for the classic Justice League lineup to return, and that's happening, so I'll get that. My son has been a Green Lantern fan all his life, so I'll continue to get those titles for him. Unless Manhunter from Mars or Adam Strange get their own series, we'll just have to wait and see what else they do.

 

Hoy

 

 

 

[Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man]

Crap! Already I'm eating my words. Okay, I'll read this book and THIS book only. And this is the LAST time I will change my mind on this one.     :)

Doc Beechler (mod-MD) said:

Superman #1 by Grant Morrison is enough for me to see this as a positive move.

[The Baron]

Mmm....sandwiches...

[ClarkKent_DC]

Doc Beechler (mod-MD) said:

Well, rumors are that Batgirl (with a walking Babs) and Nightwing are two the new #1 books coming. 

*sigh*

I always wanted to see Babs walking again but NOT return to being Batgirl.

*sigh*

[Philip Portelli]

If DC is creating a new primary Earth, having their heroes start with Superman makes sense. That means dropping the Justice Society and all heroes from WWII, indeed any hero prior to the Man of Steel. So that means having ONE Flash, ONE Green Lantern, ONE Hawkman, etc. It would like the Silver Age Earth-One without any parallel Earths, no older heroes, everyone starting fresh. That's exciting! 

[The Baron]

What Philip says makes sense in alot of ways, but as a huge JSA fan, I'd hate to see the Golden Age and Golden Age-inspired characters fade out completely.

[Philip Portelli]

I love the Justice Society and the Golden Age but the only way these new interpretations can be considered innovative in their narrative context, they can't be the Second Age or Third Age of Heroes. They have to be the First, their own Golden Age!

But they can create a new Doctor Fate, Starman, Hourman, etc!

And as I said in the other thread, DC should have a Plan B to restore the heroes back if necessary!

[Figserello]

That Gail Simone tweet is very funny.  She's a class act.

 

The first time I read it though, I thought it was from a sarcasticly cynical old fanboy.

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

...I am perhaps liking this concept , at least as it is being hypothesized by people here , less and less .

  Batgirl's crippling just instantly reversed ?

  I suppose Superman " cool and single again " , again with no explanation , perhaps not even BND/OMIT-level ?

  BAH .

  The tendency to do dramatic things then quietly reverse them , with ( To my knowledge . ) no expanation at all is one of?? the worst things about modern comics !!!!!!!!!!!

  Flash Thompson made drunk and framed for drunk driving/made mentally believing that his now-healed body is that of a twentysomething jock - I suess he may have grown his legs back , too ?????????

  The Lizard bad , menacing his son , the Lizard worse , killing and ett-ing his song ? Never mind .

  This was , maybe , sort of charming in a dumb way back in the Bob Haney era , but...Pffooi !!!!!!!!!

  Ignoring continuity , in the sense I just decribed above , not in the " following every detail of a forty-five year-old story " sense...Bah . Bah !!!!!!!!!!!

[Lee Houston, Junior]

Okay. Met my deadline and turned in the manuscript for my first novel ON TIME!

Trying to play catchup with the boards now. There is another thread going concurrently with this one discussing basically the same thing, so with the exception of thanking Doc Bleecher for confirming the continuation of Birds of Prey (although I HATE the fact it will not have Gail Simone writing) and wondering if the aforementioned Grant Morrison Superman title will be the existing regular book that he's taking over or a new title created just for him, the following comment is pretty much verbatim from the other thread, adjusted to reflect the previous sentences you just read.

 

The main thing that concerns me most at the moment is we have a lot more conjecture than actual facts.

Of the 52 (there's THAT number again) titles that are supposed to be going forward come September, the only ones we know for sure at the moment are JLA, JSA, Green Lantern, and new attempts at Aquaman and Hawkman.

Granted there are bound to be a Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Legion title; and I'll be totally surprised if DC discontinues Action and Detective, although that doesn't necessarily mean that the big two will maintain their old homes as well as their own books.

A Titans title is a hopeful given, but Teen, the originals together again, or some combination of the two?

Doom Patrol, JSA All-Stars, and Outsiders were ended before Flashpoint started, so 40 remain unaccounted for at the moment. What of Adventure, Batman Beyond, Birds of Prey (already confirmed as continuing, but I may drop because of it not keeping Gail Simone), Green Arrow, Flash, Power Girl, Supergirl,and Zatanna?

All the titles I've listed in this post pretty much covers my existing (pre-Flashpoint) reading list at the moment, not counting the forthcoming Aquaman and Hawkman.

[Dave Blanchard]

Phillip Portelli wrote:

 

It would [be] like the Silver Age Earth-One without any parallel Earths, no older heroes, everyone starting fresh.

 

That doesn't sound anything at all like the Silver Age, though. The very first Silver Age comic book, SHOWCASE # 4, referenced Earth-Two (not by name), and acknowledged a predecessor to the Barry Allen Flash. Everything about the Silver Age was about a new generation replacing the previous one, not completely ignoring them. "Flash of Two Worlds" had already appeared before FANTASTIC FOUR # 1 appeared, a comic book that starred a new version of GA hero the Human Torch, and would soon bring back the Sub-Mariner, another GA hero. And of course, THE AVENGERS completed the trifecta with the revival of Captain America.

 

I contend that the "silver" in Silver Age refers to the gray hairs in Jay Garrick's head, as symbolic of the spirit of the 1960s superhero comics that revived the old heroes almost as quickly as they created new versions of them.

[Doc Beechler (mod-MD)]

From DC today:

 

 http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/02/the-new-justice/

On Tuesday, we made the announcement in USA Today that DC was undertaking a historic renumbering of 52 superhero titles across the line, starting with JUSTICE LEAGUE #1 by our superstar creators Geoff Johns and Jim Lee. The cover to issue #1 is by Jim Lee and Scott Williams.

We’re announcing today that several of DC’s most iconic heroes will receive historic new first issues spinning out of the pages of Geoff Johns and Jim Lee’s JUSTICE LEAGUE:

New York Times bestselling writer Brian Azzarello, author of The Joker and 100 Bullets, teams up with the immensely talented artist Cliff Chiang (Neil Young’s Greendale) for WONDER WOMAN #1, an exciting new series starring the DC Universe’s greatest superheroine. The cover to issue #1 is by Cliff Chiang.

Geoff Johns, one of comics’ greatest storytellers, reunites with GREEN LANTERN and BRIGHTEST DAY collaborator Ivan Reis to bring you a thrilling new take on the fan-favorite hero of the sea in AQUAMAN #1. The cover to issue #1 is by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado.

Rising superstar Francis Manapul, fresh off his acclaimed run on THE FLASH with Geoff Johns, makes his comics writing debut in THE FLASH #1, sharing both scripting and art duties with Brian Buccellato. The Flash knows he can’t be everywhere at once, but what happens when he faces an all-new villain who can? The cover to issue #1 is by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato.

BRIGHTER DAYS


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.

Batman writer Tony Daniel will team up with artist Philip Tan (GREEN LANTERN: AGENT ORANGE, THE OUTSIDERS) for THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #1. Carter Hall’s skill at deciphering lost languages has led him to a job with an archeologist who specializes in alien ruins – but will the doctor’s latest discovery spread an alien plague through New York City? No matter the personal cost, Carter Hall must don his cowl and wings and become the new, savage Hawkman to survive. The cover to issue #1 is by Philip Tan.

Oliver Queen is an orphan who grew up to fight crime as the Green Arrow, a billionaire playboy who uses his fortune to become a superhero – able to fight the most powerful super-villains in the universe with nothing but a bow and arrow. JT Krul will write GREEN ARROW #1 with art by superstar artist Dan Jurgens. The cover to issue #1 is by Brett Booth.

GLOBAL JUSTICE


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.

The world’s third-smartest man – and one of its most eligible bachelors – uses his brains and fists against science gone mad in MISTER TERRIFIC #1, the new series from writer Eric Wallace and artist Roger Robinson. The cover to issue #1 is by J.G. Jones.

Captain Atom has all the power in the world, but no hope of saving himself. Charged by nuclear energy, possessing vast molecular powers, he has the potential to be a god among men – a hero without limits. But the question is this: Will he lose himself in the process? JT Krul and artist Freddie Williams II take the character in a bold new direction in CAPTAIN ATOM #1. The cover to issue #1 is by Stanley “Artgem” Lau.

BRAVER AND BOLDER


The anthology series gets a new look in DC Universe Presents, a new series that will focus on multi-issue story arcs each featuring a different superhero from the DC Universe’s rich cast of characters, told by some of comics’ most exciting writers and artitsts. DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #1 kicks off the first arc of the series: a Deadman story by Paul Jenkins and Bernard Chang. The cover to issue #1 is by Ryan Sook.

[Travis Herrick (Modular Mod)]

My quick thoughts on these new series:

 

Justice League: interested, can Jim Lee keep this up monthly? How long will he on the title? I'm guessing the first arc only.

Wonder Woman: I love Azzarello and Chiang, but I just don't give a rip about reading Diana's solo adventures.

Aquaman: No interest.

The Flash: It depends on which Flash we get here, so this is a maybe.

The Fury of Firestorm: So Ronnie is in high school again? Eh, maybe

The Savage Hawkman & Green Arrow: No interest.

Justice League International: So Dan Jurgens is drawing one comic, and writing another? Curious. This looks intriguing though.

Mister Terrific: No interest.

Captain Atom: Two creators whose work I don't care for with a character I don't care for. You would have to pay me to read it.

DC Universe Presents: I'm interested in this first arc at least. I love Bernard Chang's art.