I bet this'll be one big, annoying thing that has no effect on main-line continuity whatsoever. Or they're just hiding their next big Crisis Crossover behind a "reboot." Like Onslaught back in the mid-90s for Marvel.
DC Comics Rebooting Entire Universe Back to #1
- Thread starter Tom Goldman
- Start date
Could be interesting, but they're effectively dumping all of their previous stories.
Marvel's Ultimates did well, as it was launched alongside the main continuity. However, DC and Marvel hate outright copying each other, despite how often they do it, and so DC is rejecting it's past. If people think I'm over reacting, ask yourself this: If someone grows up reading this storyline, what is their incentive to shift through all of the "Infinite" storylines, that have no relation to what they know and love?
Also, to folk who say they don't get behind comics because of the "80 year backlog", do me a favour, and stop using that worn out excuse. Between fan sites, the relatively accurate Wikipedia, the sheer quantity of trade publications, including retro ones, and bumper comics downloadables from sites that are legal in Sweden, that excuse just doesn't hold up. Even if it does, the big two release new titles every month pretty much, how hard is it to type in a characters name into your google search bar to find a profile and abridged history? Damn, even Marvel's main continuity is pretty easy to get into recently, so close to their Heroic Age thing.
Marvel's Ultimates did well, as it was launched alongside the main continuity. However, DC and Marvel hate outright copying each other, despite how often they do it, and so DC is rejecting it's past. If people think I'm over reacting, ask yourself this: If someone grows up reading this storyline, what is their incentive to shift through all of the "Infinite" storylines, that have no relation to what they know and love?
Also, to folk who say they don't get behind comics because of the "80 year backlog", do me a favour, and stop using that worn out excuse. Between fan sites, the relatively accurate Wikipedia, the sheer quantity of trade publications, including retro ones, and bumper comics downloadables from sites that are legal in Sweden, that excuse just doesn't hold up. Even if it does, the big two release new titles every month pretty much, how hard is it to type in a characters name into your google search bar to find a profile and abridged history? Damn, even Marvel's main continuity is pretty easy to get into recently, so close to their Heroic Age thing.
IDK. Batmanand Spawn was pretty badass Archie and Punisher was actually...G-g-goodDarthAcerbus said:
There I said it.
I love comics, and while I've never been a huge fan of DC, I do like Batman, Flash, and the Green Lantern.
I am so glad that DC is keeping up with Marvel in the, "How quickly can we reboot our characters" race.
I predict that in ten years time, both Marvel and DC will be introducing reboots, and then going back to the previous storyline, and then rebooting again, all within the same week, every week.
And then they'll both release press statements saying they have no idea why comic sales have gone down again.
I am so glad that DC is keeping up with Marvel in the, "How quickly can we reboot our characters" race.
I predict that in ten years time, both Marvel and DC will be introducing reboots, and then going back to the previous storyline, and then rebooting again, all within the same week, every week.
And then they'll both release press statements saying they have no idea why comic sales have gone down again.
Here are my two cents on it:
Well, with all those MANY continuities they or the writers came up with and how bad/stupid/unnecessary/ridiculous most of them are, again just to keep continuity with some BS that someone "thought" of and felt compelled to put to paper earlier on, I think it is the best thing they have done in the last 20 years.
I'm just afraid that "contemporary" character design will be too, well "emo".
They don't have to have mundane personal problems, a drug addiction, a broken home or any other "angry white kid" problem.
I can have that everyday in my life by just going outside and meeting people...
They are SUPER-HEROS.
They are supposed to be greater than the ordinary human/kid.
Treat them accordingly.
Besides, DC Comics(as a publishing label, not as company in the whole) was never really good at gritty or realistic stories.
Yes, there are exeptions, but they are very rare.
Leave that to other publishing labels.
Well, with all those MANY continuities they or the writers came up with and how bad/stupid/unnecessary/ridiculous most of them are, again just to keep continuity with some BS that someone "thought" of and felt compelled to put to paper earlier on, I think it is the best thing they have done in the last 20 years.
I'm just afraid that "contemporary" character design will be too, well "emo".
They don't have to have mundane personal problems, a drug addiction, a broken home or any other "angry white kid" problem.
I can have that everyday in my life by just going outside and meeting people...
They are SUPER-HEROS.
They are supposed to be greater than the ordinary human/kid.
Treat them accordingly.
Besides, DC Comics(as a publishing label, not as company in the whole) was never really good at gritty or realistic stories.
Yes, there are exeptions, but they are very rare.
Leave that to other publishing labels.
Yeah, they are done. If DC is going to make younger versions of old characters, then their legacy sucessors are gone. For example, if Barry Alen didn't died. Wally West had no reason to become Flash. Poof ! 20 years of best Flash stories erased from existence. New Superman looks younger than Connor Kent, so there is also no need for him.Dr. wonderful said:
But you know, what the hell. I'm f****ing off DC comics, if this is indeed a "hard reset". After 20 years of investing in stories, im tired of Countdowns, Final Crisises, editorial mandates screwing up everything, and shock deaths created for media attention. This is just a last straw. And for all of you who plans to go with this new #1 marketing ploy, i sincerly hope that two years from now you will not find half of your pull list cancelled. I really hope that two years from now, you will not be confused by 52 NEW TITLES THAT WILL BE INTERCONNECTED BECAUSE THIS IS HOW COMICS WORK. Not like this happened last time around.
Also in the news : people who sell comic books for living, are very concerned...
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/dc-retailers-number-ones-110601.html
I'm actually okay with this as a comic book reader, though I don't read much DC. Whenever I try to start, even with major events, I'm always a little lost with the back story. This gives me a chance to get into some more DC titles. I'm just one case though, and I imagine many of my DC reading friends will be very unhappy about this.
Not a huge DC fan, but it seems like the idea is to kick the hornet's nest in order to get attention.
To be honest if they ever do a major comics universe reboot like this and keep it as the main continuity, that's pretty much a guarantee they will lose me even as the casual reader that I am.
To be honest, it's not difficult to get into comics, you don't need to understand 60 years worth of continuity or anything, if you stick with any title from the beginning of a specific story arc, it's hardly deep enough where your going to have a problem, and they spell out the backstory with enough frequency that there isn't usually a problem there either.
DC has simply realized that these univeral reboots get attention and sell comics, which is what they want, they then realize that by restoring the old continuity they can sell even more comics. It's a marketing ploy more than anything, and they do it more and more frequently to make money. It's at the point where my intial reaction on reading this is to say "so?".
To be honest if they ever do a major comics universe reboot like this and keep it as the main continuity, that's pretty much a guarantee they will lose me even as the casual reader that I am.
To be honest, it's not difficult to get into comics, you don't need to understand 60 years worth of continuity or anything, if you stick with any title from the beginning of a specific story arc, it's hardly deep enough where your going to have a problem, and they spell out the backstory with enough frequency that there isn't usually a problem there either.
DC has simply realized that these univeral reboots get attention and sell comics, which is what they want, they then realize that by restoring the old continuity they can sell even more comics. It's a marketing ploy more than anything, and they do it more and more frequently to make money. It's at the point where my intial reaction on reading this is to say "so?".
This is most hilarious thing i've read this week.Jack the Potato said:
But wait, maybe you're right.....Surely those great minds who gave us such timeless classics like "Countdown", "Final Crisis", and "Cry for Justice", lead by a man who didn't wrote a single story that wasn't based around years of this convoluted continuity, will give us fresh interesting stories. I'm sure DC editors will abide to a challenge of putting 52 new titles in duration of one month, without further convoluting things. I can guarantee that this isn't another atempt of branding their characters, and it's all about telling great and memorable stories. Because it isn't like those wonderfull DC editors, who never made any mistake, or forced writers to anything, are now trying to make money by correcting years of their own mistakes ?
Yes, i can see now that this change is necessary. I tried to read a Superman comic once, but this characters concept is beyond me. Who is he ? Why does he fly ? I don't understand. But now everything will be explained to me, and i don't have to read those dreadfull wikisomething pages when i'll want to know something. But i hope, they will turn the clock back again next year, because im afraid i might get confused again after reading all those stories with new characters. Oh my...
I would've though it stood for Disfunctional Continuity, but I guess 'defective' works too. Actually, it could be Deranged, Disembowled, Dimembered, and a few dozen other "D" words.HankMan said:
Again?
They should just call this one "Mid-life Crisis" and be done with it.
Ah well, at least there'll always be Vertigo, which now exclusively acts like a real grown up publishing company, publishing only creator owned works where this kind of bollocks is out the window.
They should just call this one "Mid-life Crisis" and be done with it.
Ah well, at least there'll always be Vertigo, which now exclusively acts like a real grown up publishing company, publishing only creator owned works where this kind of bollocks is out the window.
Nobody is reading everything. You dont need to read 70 years of comic books to know what is going on right now. All those stories you are afraid of, are irrelevant for decades now. For crying out loud. There are four. F O U R comic books in DC right now that have hundreds of issues. Action Comics, Detective Comics, Batman and Superman. And you don't have to start reading with #1, because every new writer hired to write them, tells new story. You can for example read Batman 608-619 ("Hush" storyline) and you'll get self-contained story, that requires from you only basic knowledge about Batman. Who he is, and why he is fighting crime, and that orgin is always the same.Echo136 said:
It is like this for years now. Most of this titles that weil get cancelled in september didn't even reached a 20 issue mark. Most "advanced" of them are beyond 60. They all have been renumbered and made "accesible for new readers" months ago.
I think that people blown out of proportion this "years of continuity" thing. You can't have comics without that, because big companies like DC or Marvel are in love with big events or crossovers. They just need to write more good self-contained stories, not erasing everything once in a few years.
On one hand DC has had no real problem Crisis-ing the hell out of continuity. So that's cool. On the other, the renumbering isn't gonna stick when they end up putting out issue 800 specials or whatever. And we can only hope the costume changes will stick ( I'm looking at you Wonder Woman (It won't)).
Ugh. You'd think by now DC'd know this sort of thing never works out the way they want it to. Even the ONE that succeeded to any appreciable measure, Crisis on Infinite Earth, left gaping plot holes that screwed writers and readers over for years. See, the issue is, new readers don't want to be treated like idiots. They want jumping on points, but they also want something big, expansive, impressive. Mass reboots kill what came before, and negate that. As a result, they become more or less on par with any other 'new' comic. And the older fans? They'll be pissed, and some will walk away.
Now, CAN this work? Yes, absolutely. Look at the Ultimates line in Marvel; that went amazingly well. Post-Crisis, a lot of DC books were VASTLY better off for the streamlining. But the issue I see is, one was a totally seperate continuity that NEVER crosses into the main line, and as such, never interferes or is beholden to it. It's a GOOD way to get new people onboard. Or, er, was, before it developed its own continuity madness.
Of course, they can't be idiots. They have to know there's a chance this'll go sour, and in the event of that, likely already have a backup plan. But then, this IS the company that brought us Armageddon 2001, Countdown, Superman Red/Blue, Amazons Attack...
Now, CAN this work? Yes, absolutely. Look at the Ultimates line in Marvel; that went amazingly well. Post-Crisis, a lot of DC books were VASTLY better off for the streamlining. But the issue I see is, one was a totally seperate continuity that NEVER crosses into the main line, and as such, never interferes or is beholden to it. It's a GOOD way to get new people onboard. Or, er, was, before it developed its own continuity madness.
Of course, they can't be idiots. They have to know there's a chance this'll go sour, and in the event of that, likely already have a backup plan. But then, this IS the company that brought us Armageddon 2001, Countdown, Superman Red/Blue, Amazons Attack...