Posts
It's been 5 years since I last posted on this blog. So, it took something big to bring me out of "retirement."
DC is doing something big. Come September, they are restarting all of their books at number 1. Equally interesting is that they are now going to be doing day-and-date release of digital comics. You will be able to get the digital versions of these books on their website or on your mobile device of choice at the same time.
On the day of release, and for the next 4 weeks (i.e., until the books would be moved from the “new releases” shelf to the “recent issues” shelf at many comic shops), the price will be same online as for a print copy (“Holding the line at $2.99” –unless you live outside of the US, or for larger “special” editions) and then after that, it will drop by $1. Expect a future post on the implications of this sales model from multiple perspectives.
I like the idea, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the 52 comics that are going to be released will be.
One of the things that DC has going for it is that their characters are some of the most recognizable in the world. Superman and Batman may be the two most iconic heroes on earth. Marvel has Spider-man and the Hulk, but they don’t quite touch the level of DC’s big 2. Then there’s the next tier of DC heroes - Wonder Woman, Flash and Green Lantern. Again, these characters are incredibly well known. But there is a problem that comes with this. These characters are well known in their most iconic forms (at least the big 2).
Superman is Clark Kent, is strong, has vision powers and can fly. Anyone can tell you that. Batman is Bruce Wayne. He is a bad ass. Again, anyone can tell you that. But lately, in comics, Batman hasn’t been Bruce Wayne. I love Dick Grayson. The Nightwing series, when it was done well, was my favorite comic at the time. But it makes it hard to get new readers if what they “know” about a character is not right. Wonder Woman has a little of that problem as well – from her 70’s TV show. Green Lantern might have a similar problem if the movie is as good as it looks.
This reboot (or, as Bob Wayne, Sr. VP of Sales for DC said in a letter to retailers, “…this is the launch of the New DCU. It is not a ‘reboot.’ I think you will soon discover why that is,”) is a powerful opportunity to tie these characters back to what has made them iconic, and yet update them for a modern audience.
There will be some loss. I dread to find out what is going to happen to my beloved Justice Society of America, with their origins so tied to WWII. One of the things about DC that has always been great is the rich history it has to draw on. Some of that could be lost with a “launch of the New DCU.”
But there are also so many positive possibilities. I have to admit, I like the idea of characters with a little more diversity having the opportunity to shine. From all reports, Cyborg, a black character who doesn’t have “Black” in his name, which is nice, will be one of the A-listers in the JLA.
The quote from Mr. Wayne above does make me wonder, though. “New DCU.” “Discover why that is.” I think the fact they are launching 52 issues – the same number as the number of universes in DC is also significant. I suspect that the “New DCU” may be a lot like Marvel’s Ultimate line. A jumping-on point that develops parallel to the “standard” DCU. Stories set on another of DC’s earths. And honestly, I am okay with that. I am fine with keeping the current world in amber, so to speak. I just hope that if that is the case, they are not too quick to jump back at initial outcry from fans. Even if this is only just a grand experiment with the characters I grew up on, I feel like it is an experiment worth completing.
3 comments:
while not a huge DC fan, this is something that interests me as well. Having grown up on the Superman movies, Superfriends on TV, Lois & Clark, Smallville, Superman returns, Justice League cartoon, etc, I've always found it interesting how they kept retelling the Superman story while always finding a new way to do so. So this may finally mark the era where I start reading DC comics regularly, as you say, a jumping on point.
It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out. For better or worse, my finances prevent me from reading comics these days, so by the time I'm in any better shape to do so again, hopefully any of the fallout from the launching will've been dealt with, and I'll have enough information to sort through to find what is and isn't worth my time and money.
I don't have much interest in the digital versions of the releases -- it's a dichotomy: as always, new technology is of interest to me and has a lot of potential, but on the flip side, for me there's something much more satisfying about physical novels and comics -- but that aspect of the publishing industry is clearly becoming a big (nay, HUGE) deal, so I think this a really good move on their part.
As for the new look of (some of?) the characters: it'll be interesting to see what changes are made across the board. Having said that, I'm curious about how the relaunches will be handled, but in particular will be wanting to check out Batman and Green Arrow. As for groups, let me (us?) know how the JSA is handled. As it stands, I tried to jump on board with them once or twice and it invariably ended up skewing off into some adventure or involving a character that was connected to something that happened 40 years ago, or whatever. So I dropped it again (and perhaps again). For situations like that (and with all characters), it'll be interesting how they'll strive to keep older fans happy while resetting things enough to be a good starting point for new readers.
Rob - I think that your comment is exactly why they are doing this.
Reay - I'm looking forward to all of this. I'll definitely be doing updates here. I'll probably grab all 52 issues as they are released. Like you, I still have an affection for holding the physical artifact in my hands. However, I wonder if maybe I could see my way clear to having a "collectible" pile and a "reading" pile, and do reading-only electronically. That almost feels right.
Post a Comment