He really cannot win.
This is similar to what happened with "Shattered Glass" in 2008. Fun Publications releases an April Fool's joke that people liked better than the actual comic. (This is probably more a reflection on the fan base than the quality of the comics. But that is another discussion.) Fun Publications then changed "Shattered Glass" around to make it more appealing to the group that liked it. (It did not result in better comics. But, again, that is another discussion.)
In this case, DC had a filler event that was supposed to be a "last look" at the old stuff, ending with a clear re-establishment of the relatively new (from 2011) stuff. But, it seems that the old stuff is selling, even as part of a filler event.
You were right to be skeptical. Check out Dan Didio's non-committal answers.
Didio really cannot win.
If he goes with his real/original plan, he annoys readers. But, he cannot just turn the whole company on a dime and adapt to what "Convergence" sales indicate would sell more books. (The solicitations that drop in August or September are the thing we should be looking to for DC's plans.)
...Wait what? Is he seriously suggesting there is another way to interpret it when the book clearly states they prevented the collapse of the multiverse in CoIE?
Yes?
Remember, the week that issue 8 dropped, Didio and King were out on the internet saying things to the effect of "despite what showed up on page in issue 8, what we really meant was...."
The art does not convey the idea that the old multiverse is back (despite what Didio and King were saying). The dialogue does not really correspond to the art (likely because of last minute changes).
I get the feeling that somebody at DC wants to just bring the old stuff back, and somebody else does not.
I always feel that we should always be looking forward. I feel very strongly about that. I think we have to be looking to the future. Instead of looking to the past of what we've done, I think we've got to embrace where we're heading, and what things might be coming in the future of our books and characters. Not to discount anything, but realistically, I'm more excited about where we can go than where we've been. This was a great chance to see everybody, but I think after a while, you want to start seeing where we can be going to, and what can be new and fresh.
In theory, I agree with Didio. In practice, looking forward requires a plan and more follow-through than DC has been able to muster. (Remember the Manhunter's anticipated heel-turn? That has not happened, and it is not likely to if early solicits for the upcoming book at to be taken seriously.)
I think what you'll see in the future are stories that will help bring some level of clarity to that.
I hope so.
But, I get the feeling that DC has yet to figure out what they are doing.
The end of "Convergence," continuity-wise, established that all of this stuff is kind of still out there.
Is that how you interpret it?
Not quite. Comments made my Didio and King implied that the stuff is out there. And, Didio don't seem too sure either way. The dialogue is not very helpful. And, the art clearly implies that the old is being "over-written" by the new.
Many of the tie-in books ended with at least one city clearly destroyed or named characters clearly dying, hardly the sort of resolutions that imply a return or continuation of something. Others ended more ambiguously. DC had not plan to bring the old (pre-2011) stuff back until after issue 4 or 5 shipped (at the earliest). Now, Didio and the company are probably trying to figure out what they can salvage from their plans while keeping some old stuff.
All the same, "Earth 2: Society" dropped today. It was auto-added to my pull-list, and I went back to pull the "Booster Gold" issue with the preview pages. They are currently sitting in my pull-file. I will get to them at some point, likely in August or so. (Still catching up on comics from last week and other reading.)
I plan to make decisions about my pull file in August or September. The plan is to have no more than 5 titles that I am committed to buying. Depending on how things look with Marvel after "Secret Wars", "Earth 2: Society" might have a chance.