Comics are Awesome III

[andersonh1]

Sparky, you beat me to it. Obviously, the history and continuity and legacy characters are a big part of why I like DC, so I'm cautiously optimistic. Geoff Johns should be able to pull this off if anyone can. It all depends on execution, and which characters are brought back, and what they do with them.

With "Rebirth," the mainline DC Universe titles will be renumbered with new #1s -- except for "Action Comics" and "Detective Comics," the two longest-running series in DC's lineup, which will return to their original numbering at #957 and #934, respectively. All DCU books will return to a $2.99 price point (currently their lineup is split between $3.99 and $2.99 single issues), and select core titles (details to come on exactly which) will shift to a twice-monthly schedule.

I am happy to see Action and Detective returning to their original numbering, and that prices are going down across the board, even if some books are doubling up. I'd like to see other long running books that started in the 40s go back to legacy numbering, such as Batman and Superman. But I'll take what I can get.

And I am a little cynical about all of this. It's more upheaval, but at least this time they're addressing some of the fundamental flaws of the whole New 52 universe since it began, so maybe I can start enjoying more DC again. We'll see.

[Dominic]

I am guessing that the new "Earth 2" series is going to be JSA focused, which means that "Earth 2: Society" (the thing I am reading) will be going away.

This bothers me for two reasons.

-there is not other book like the current "Earth 2: Society".

-DC put an a-lister like Abnett on the series.....just to cancel it? Looks like DC still has no plan. (Seriously, why the hell are they putting an a-lister on a book that is going to be cancelled almost immediately after?)

I am happy to see Action and Detective returning to their original numbering, and that prices are going down across the board, even if some books are doubling up. I'd like to see other long running books that started in the 40s go back to legacy numbering, such as Batman and Superman. But I'll take what I can get.

They are cheating though, adding the 4+ years of new 52 numbering to the legacy numbers. LIke it or not, they broke they streak in 2011. The legacy numbers will always have an asterisk next to them now.

And I am a little cynical about all of this. It's more upheaval, but at least this time they're addressing some of the fundamental flaws of the whole New 52 universe since it began, so maybe I can start enjoying more DC again. We'll see.

At this point, I am going to wait and see what the creative teams are. It would also be nice to know what the concepts of the differnet upcoming series will be.

And, even then, I am not sure I trust DC to not derail things again.



-edit:
King's run on "the Vision" will last 12 issues. That is about what I figured that series would run. So, King leaving Marvel is not that bad.

[andersonh1]

They are cheating though, adding the 4+ years of new 52 numbering to the legacy numbers. LIke it or not, they broke they streak in 2011. The legacy numbers will always have an asterisk next to them now.

Agreed. The messed it all up back in 2011, and it will never be quite the same. Still (assuming the books are actually good) I'll enjoy buying comics numbered in the 900s. That'll be a novel thing.

And, even then, I am not sure I trust DC to not derail things again.

I'm right there with you. They're still flailing around, trying anything they can. I'm not sure where they go from here if this fails. We may be watching DC in its death throes, except that the characters are too valuable to throw away.

[Sparky Prime]

I am guessing that the new "Earth 2" series is going to be JSA focused, which means that "Earth 2: Society" (the thing I am reading) will be going away.

This bothers me for two reasons.

-there is not other book like the current "Earth 2: Society".

-DC put an a-lister like Abnett on the series.....just to cancel it? Looks like DC still has no plan. (Seriously, why the hell are they putting an a-lister on a book that is going to be cancelled almost immediately after?)

The rumor posted on bleedingcool said that the JSA would be getting a new book though, with the members having been around on Earth 0 during WWII but had been forgotten by the world and transported to what is now the present day of that universe. If that's true, then the Earth 2 book should more or less be remaining what it is.

I'm right there with you. They're still flailing around, trying anything they can. I'm not sure where they go from here if this fails. We may be watching DC in its death throes, except that the characters are too valuable to throw away.

I wouldn't say that they're flailing around here... Geoff Johns did say in the announcement video that they've spent months planning this, looking at what worked and what didn't. If editorial backs off and let's the creative teams actually do their job this time, I'm cautiously optimistic about the direction this is going.

[Dominic]

Given what seemed to be the last minute change in direction with "Convergence", it is possible that DC has a legitimate plan (this time). But, skepticism is still warranted.

The rumor posted on bleedingcool said that the JSA would be getting a new book though, with the members having been around on Earth 0 during WWII but had been forgotten by the world and transported to what is now the present day of that universe. If that's true, then the Earth 2 book should more or less be remaining what it is.

Hard to be confident either way though. DC just announced a new wave of comics. But, how many have a creative team attached to them? How much has DC said (or even established) about tone and direction?

DC's efforts for the last 4.5 years do little to inspire confidence.

[Sparky Prime]

Given what seemed to be the last minute change in direction with "Convergence", it is possible that DC has a legitimate plan (this time). But, skepticism is still warranted.

True, Convergence seemed to have a last minute change of direction. But keep in mind, the follow-up to Convergence didn't hit shelves until 4 months after that storyline had ended. It's not like they did with "Flashpoint", where it seemed like a last minute decision to turn it into a company wide reboot which also immediately followed the release of that story. The creative teams had very little time to plan out anything, which became especially evident with all the editorial changes made during and after the release of the first couple of New 52 story arcs. Rebirth, where all the big changes will happen, is happening a whole year after Convergence. So it's not like the planning behind this was at the last minute, they've had months to plan and figure out what they want to do with it.

[Dominic]

Meanwhile, Marvel seems to have issues with in-house communication and planning.

Both "Web Warriors" and "Standoff" (the latter being a big event) are chugging along, ignoring things established at the end of "Secret Wars" (that were picked up in other titles. Both "Web Warriors" and "Standoff" specifically mention the incursions, which should be off the table (as per "Secret Wars" #9 and various other comics).

It is not enough to ruin any single book. But, it show a real lack of planning at Marvel.

[andersonh1]

It has to be difficult to manage a massive interconnected fictional universe like the ones Marvel and DC publish. I agree with you, I don't mind a few little things slipping through the cracks. That's going to happen. But things like that should be minimized.

If anyone can pull of "Rebirth" for DC, Geoff Johns can. Apart from his penchant for excessive bloody violence in his stories, he's a good writer with a good grasp of DC history. And he has a knack for taking old concepts and doing something new with them. His run on JSA/Justice Society used this technique, and he took the idea of Parallax and multiple Lantern Corps and ran with them for 9 years on Green Lantern. We have the Sinestro we have today thanks to his work on the character. His writing has been more hit and miss since the New 52 began, but I'm hoping for the old Geoff Johns when it comes to Rebirth.

The question for me is this: will the "legacy" that's re-instilled in the DC universe be genuine past history with some retcons to make it fit the new universe (as they did Post-Crisis), or will it be all new history that resembles what's come before? I guess I'm wondering how genuine it will "feel", if you get where I'm coming from. Titans Hunt might be a good example: it has a superficial resemblance to the old Titans history that was thrown out after Flashpoint, but it's not really the same at all. It's better than nothing, but it's still not quite the real deal.

[andersonh1]

Superman: Lois and Clark #5
There is a lot of plot packed into this book, though I note with disappointment that Lee Weeks is not the artist this month, and the replacement just isn't as good.
- Superman defeats Blanque and locks him back in his cell, with the help of Hank Henshaw and an alien ship in Superman's fortress, though that's not quite all there is to it.
- Superman can't figure out how Blanque was able to manipulate Henshaw when his cell should dampen his mental abilities
- The scene from the cover of issue #1 with Jonathan finding Superman's costume in the trunk actually takes place at the end of this issue, along with another subtle hint that he may be inheriting some of this father's superpowers.
- Lois fills Clark in on the events of last issue, including running into Bruno Manheim and Intergang.
- It's revealed that Henshaw has the Oblivion Stone, which the alien queen (again appearing on the final page) has been looking for since issue 1. She's arrived on Earth at last. He used the stone somehow to attack Blanque and allow Superman to imprison him again. I'm still not sure if this version of Henshaw is trustworthy or not. It's hard to tell.
- Lois and Clark discuss telling their son the truth, something they decided it wasn't time to do in the flashback at the beginning of the issue. Since he's found the costume, that may force their hand.
- The new villain, a man who has just left prison and is approached to be the star of a violent reality tv show, doesn't look all the promising.

Apart from the less capable artist, this remains a really strong series. I'm wondering what DC will do with the characters when Rebirth hits in a few months. We've got post-Crisis Superman and Lois, and Parallax for that matter, existing in the New 52 universe, and I can't imagine they won't play a part in the changes.

Superman: The Coming of the Supermen #1
The Neal Adams-written and drawn miniseries has began this week. Adams is not quiet the artist that he was, though when I think of his art I'm thinking of his heyday from the 1970s on Batman and GL/GA, which was 40 years ago. So it's unreasonable not to expect some changes since that time. It's still recognizably his art. The story features a very classic Superman, and the tone of the book feels somewhat Bronze Age, though Luthor is the post-Crisis industrialist version rather than the mad scientist, so it's a bit of a hybrid continuity. The story involves three men arriving on Earth, all dressed like Superman and having his powers. The men arrive just in time to fight an incursion into Metropolis by Kalibak and some Parademons. The genuine Superman is in the middle east helping some refugees, when he is confronted by a strange winged creature/alien who says some cryptic things and leaves. After Superman returns to Metropolis with an orphan of the attacks in tow, he quickly turns back the attack, and then is again approached by the creature and taken back in time, where Darkseid's father is ruling Ancient Egypt...

It's a very retro story and art, full of the craziness inherent in older comics. The three Supermen could have come right from a Silver Age comic book. It's good to see Superman in his classic costume. This is the first time in years that DC has published a book that feels remotely like the classic Superman setup. Even in the current N52 books, we haven't really seen the classic Daily Planet setup very often.

[Dominic]

It has to be difficult to manage a massive interconnected fictional universe like the ones Marvel and DC publish. I agree with you, I don't mind a few little things slipping through the cracks. That's going to happen. But things like that should be minimized.

The problem in this case, at both Marvel and DC, is that the lack of direction and communication is apparently systemic. Human error happens from time to time. But, there is a difference between isolated incidents, coincidents and patterns. With Marvel and DC, it is a pattern.

It is not a fatal problem. But, the underlying problems that it is a sympton of could get worse over time.