By Atlee Greene
I have mixed feelings when the news broke about how DC Comics is rebooting their universe starting on August 31, 2011. On one hand I'm happy to get a fresh start with my favorite titles. This also gives me a chance to read some of the titles I never read before. The whole multi-universe story made everything too convoluted. I sometimes wondered if the writers at DC used this concept as a crutch to finish certain stories. 52 multi-verses gave me too many headaches. I could never get into the notion of Earth 3 Superman not being effected by Kryptonite while Earth 49 Green Lantern's power not working against wood instead of the color yellow. I know hardcore fans who love continuity are upset about this. I'm happy to see it go and please don't ever let it come back.
I don't like the idea of getting rid of the old universe. The plan is to wrap all story lines once and for all with Flashpoint in order to have a fresh start with DC 's 52 titles. Marvel made a similar move with their Ultimate reboot while keeping the old universe books. We will not have this option with DC. Warner Bros stated in a press release months ago that they are looking for ways to have their iconic characters become more relevant today. A reboot is a smart way to go about it.
My question is, are they in the for the short term or the long haul? Everyone is going to buy issue one of the books to see what the buzz is all about. Sales might decrease for a little bit. DC will have egg on their face if they bring back the old universe because sales start to decline. They need to do everything possible to make people realize these are what our heroes will look like from here on out.
The picture above was released by D.C. Comics. The changes are not drastic. De-aging characters and re-telling their origins comes with the reboot. Superman looks like Superboy, Aquaman looks like an Abercrombie & Fitch model and Wonder Woman looks like she is going to the club with a lasso. Erasing continuity and launching their titles in retail and digital markets on the same day has to be upsetting to a lot of retailers. Others say digital releases is where the comic book market is going. Overall, I'm excited about this and can't wait to start reading Flashpoint to see how this all unfolds.
Questions to ask with the reboot:
Are Lois and Clark still married?
Will Batman be fueled by something else instead of his parents death?
Do the Brightest Day and Blackest Night stories even matter anymore?
How many new characters will DC produce?
How many characters will they eliminate?
Will Flash be the only person who remembers the old universe after Flashpoint?
Will the Superman look in the picture be the look he will have in the Man of Steel movie?
No comments:
Post a Comment