DC Reboot

[MacNimon]

I'm sure that any of you who've got even a vague interest in comics is aware of at least something about the big comic news of the year, ie DC Comics big reboot of their entire line in September. It has made the pages of British newspaper columns over the last few months, and has been debated/reported on endless sites around the net...

What are your thoughts on this? This is not a case of streamlining, or the modernisation of a character or two. As far as I can tell, it's a full-scale reboot of the entire line of comics...to the best of my knowledge this means no backstory for any of the characters prior to what we'll see in their debut issues in September; all previous storyline are being rendered null and void, and everything is starting from scratch. Details are slowly leaking out, such as Clark Kent & Lois Lane no longer being married; but every single title in their range is being restarted with a new Issue 1 (sadly jettisoning a lot of history in the case of Action and Detective Comics...wouldn't it have been great to see these reaching their 1000th issue?) A few images have been leaked to the newspapers and on the web, such as Superman wearing half a costume along with jeans, etc. Are the company taking the right approach by modernising their entire line in this fashion, effectively saying that their entire history never even happened?

I haven't read much in the way of modern comics recently (I'm more of the nostalgic type, enjoying the great comics of the past) so I'm out of the loop somewhat, but how are DC leading up to this big event? Is there a big Crisis On Infinite Earths - type storyline going on (such as happened in 1985) which will end in this reboot, or will all existing storylines just naturally draw to a close in August, then come September it will be as if they never happened? If that's the case, is there any point in anyone even buying them because whatever happens is just about to be scrapped/wiped from history?

I may be looking at things in a rather simplistic manner, being something of an outsider (at least in the context of being a regular reader of modern comics, and being directly affected in my enjoyment in any way by these changes) - as I said, whenever I read comics it's usually old ones because quite simply too much time has passed since I stopped reading them regularly, and too much has happened to ever successfully try to catch up with it all. So I tend to stick to 80s/90s stuff for the most part, with the odd modern thing or two thrown in.

Anyway, it's not as if there hasn't already been a precedent set for this...no, I'm not talking about the 1985 Crisis reboot, but rather look back a further 25 years or so...I'm not sure exactly what year, around 1959/60-ish, I think...but that was DC's first attempt at rebooting, the original. To save too many questions being asked about why Batman wasn't aging etc, at this time DC decided to do something which sounds pretty similar to what's going on today...they basically 'retired' their heroes - most of whom had been around since the early 40s - and simply said that they all existed in a different dimension, and started from scratch again with new, more modern versions of their heroes. One set lived on Earth-One, the other lived on Earth-Two (I forget which was which). Of course over the course of the next 25 years or so, this gradually opened up a whole new set of problems which they eliminated with the 1985 reboot...

It'll be interesting to see what happens, and if history repeats itself, once the dust settles...

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Hmm - interesting indeed. Despite the clean slate the DC world soon seemed to get messy again, and it does mean a lot of resetting of their universe and retelling the same stories, but it is exciting as things get a new go.

[Alex]

I'm really really unimpressed by this idea, I love that each character has such a huge backstory, and that they're doing this reboot makes no sense to me. At least story wise, I'm sure financially it'll be a success, at least initially.

Apparently it revolves around the Flashpoint 'event' - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashpoint_(comics) - but I can't be arsed with these big events anymore so won't bother reading it.

I know I should withhold judgement until they come out, and to be honest I only read a few mainstream DC comics these days (Booster Gold, Paul Cornell's recent run on Action Comics, and Grant Morrison's Batman and Robin being the best of those) but this isn't really going to get me to check out others unless the reviews are really good.

Oh, and Superman in jeans looks just wrong.

[Stuart Wallis]

Not sure about the Superman costume either. The last change of costume didn't last very long, and while this is closer to the original...

[WhiteCrowNZ]

I think one of the reasons for the reboot - the backstory can get terribly complicated sometimes. I hate issues where you'd have to buy 3 different other comics to continue the story.

I'm guessing this is a gambit to try and lure in a lot of new readers. I have to admit even I am intrigued enough to probably swing by my local comic shop.

Yeah and Superman in jeans just looks so very wrong.

[MacNimon]

I'm not particularly keen on this image of Superman either...



Like Alex says, Superman in jeans just doesn't look right, does it? However, these are apparently taken from the Action Comics series, which is set 5 years in Superman's past, when he can't even fly.

I don't know whats happened to Superboy, either...

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Hmmm - it does look like Superman's gone all Mod - it'd be brilliant for a UK version.

I guess one of the problems they've got is trying to make him look like Superman but also get away from "silly guy in a cape". In the films for X-men and Batman they've made you accept they wear more uniforms/bodyarmour than "cape and tights", and I guess they're trying to follow through with that in the comics.

[Rob McCow]

The artwork up there is nice, but I agree that the jeans business doesn't seem to work. I like the evil-looking pic where he's lifting up the rock though.

[Alex]

I'm not particularly keen on this image of
Like Alex says, Superman in jeans just doesn't look right, does it? However, these are apparently taken from the Action Comics series, which is set 5 years in Superman's past, when he can't even fly.

Yeah, the whole "He can only leap buildings right now" thing is a bit bizarre, though apparently he'll learn how to fly at some point...Action Comics is at least due to be written by Grant Morrison so I do have some interest in it, but then you never know if you're going to get something fantastic or a real stinker from him...

[WhiteCrowNZ]

I don't think in the original Action comics Superman could fly, he got everywhere using superleaps.

One of the problems was as the character got popular, they kept upping his strength and adding all kind of superpowers, until he pretty much had every one. It's one of the things which bored me about Superman, he pretty much can't die, can do anything, and is an almost one-note good guy.

Batman though is a much more complicated mess if done right. What do you mean his parents are still alive?

[Alex]

I don't think in the original Action comics Superman could fly, he got everywhere using superleaps.

Oh that's absolutely true, but it just feels wrong to me given how long he has been flying about.

One of the problems was as the character got popular, they kept upping his strength and adding all kind of superpowers, until he pretty much had every one. It's one of the things which bored me about Superman, he pretty much can't die, can do anything, and is an almost one-note good guy.

Well when they need too they always find a way, with some new colour of kryptonite that'd mess him up, and of course Doomsday killed him for a fair old time.... But then it applies to most superheroes really, only a few have ever been killed off for good, and long dead ones often resurrected for reasonably poor reasons (which always annoys as well). With Superman being all powerful (and not wanting to take human lives) has allowed them to explore some really interesting avenues too, and Lex Luthor is the perfect villain for him in that sense.

Batman though is a much more complicated mess if done right. What do you mean his parents are still alive?

I do prefer Bats though, perhaps because he has such a great collection of villains, but one of the things I was really enjoying was seeing the gradual ageing of the character, and his relationship with his son. So I hope that's not affected too much in the new universe.

[Lissa]

I know little of comics but have been reading about DC reboots on Wikipedia. They sound like what Moffat should've done at the end of last season but didn't have the courage too. I am tempted to try the audio adaptation of "Crisis on Infinite Earths". It'll probably fry my brain with 50 years of highly concentrated detail but thems the risks.

[MacNimon]

I do prefer Bats though, perhaps because he has such a great collection of villains, but one of the things I was really enjoying was seeing the gradual ageing of the character, and his relationship with his son. So I hope that's not affected too much in the new universe.

It's stuff like this which puts me off reading modern comics. Not that I've got anything against the concept, on the contrary I think it's great to see stuff like this as a pay-off to those who've loyally followed a series for years and years. But for the likes of myself, who last read comics regularly in the mid-80s and have only occasionally dipped into them in the intervening years, there's simply just too much continuity to try to catch up with. Batman is my favourite DC character, but I haven't read anything major with the character since Hush was reprinted in Batman Legends. I've dipped into stuff now and again but simply feel as if I'm in the dark not knowing all of the back-story, there has just been so much has changed since my time. This may be a good time for me to get back onboard, though. As things stood though, no matter how good it was, I really had no chance of catching up with everything hat's happened in the last 25 years or so. In fact, I've got a notion of making a start on No Man's Land now...that and Knightfall are two of the major classic storylines I haven't even read yet...

[Alex]

Well Flashpoint has ended and it turned out to be a right load of nonsense. Basically set on a future Earth which is in the midst of a superhero war (though mostly Aquaman vs Wonder Woman for quite annoying reasons) that is destroying the planet, the Flash potters about for four issues wondering what the hell is going on, before The Reverse Flash turns up to tell him that it's all because The Flash recently went back in time to save his Mother from dying and that's ****ed up the timeline. So he has to go back in time to stop himself doing that, but whilst doing so he comes in to contact with his other self, and creates some sort of a cosmic explosion that creates this new Universe.

It felt rushed and a bit embarrassing, especially the sudden introduction of some supernatural woman we've never seen before, and hardly a story befitting the death of a much loved Universe.

The first new title that's been released is Justice League America 1, and it flashbacks immediately to five years ago, when superheroes were first emerging in to the world (though no one seems quite sure why they happen to be all popping up at the same time) and Bats, Superman and Green Lantern meet each other for the first time. It's a fairly dull story, and quite annoying in a lot of ways (with Bats disliking Superman before he even meets him) and the characters felt thin and lacking in, well, character.

I'm going to give certain other titles a go and some do interest me - Justice League Dark, Animal Man and Grant Morrison's run on Action Comics especially - but it's all been a bit of a messy start so far, and hasn't convinced me that it should have happened at all just yet.

[Alex]

Following on from the above, I've now read Action Comics 1 and Animal Man 1, the former of which was a massive disappointment. It's set in a time when the police / army are against Superman (who's only recently turned up on the scene) despite him going around saving the day all the time. Supes is cocky and a tad annoying, whilst a young Lex Luthor dull and predictable. I was expecting so much more from Morrison, but this is seen it all before kind of stuff (perhaps not with Superman, but definitely with many another comics series) and it just didn't 'feel' like Superman. Very disappointing.

On the plus side, Animal Man 1 was superb! Unlike JLA and Superman it's not based around the beginning of Buddy Baker's career, he's been a superhero for a fair old while now and has no problems with the rest of society, etc. It's nicely bizarre as well, with Buddy having a nightmare which really was quite disturbing, and which will apparently link in with the growing development of his daughter Maxine's emerging powers. Well written with some beautiful artwork, I'm definitely going to get it each month, which can't be said of the other two.

[Paul Monk]

Got JLI 1 and Action Comics 1 and Animal Man 1 but haven't read any yet.

On a plus side forbidden planet was heaving so its clearly brought the punters in

[Alex]

I found JLI to be a massive disappointment, with Booster back to being fairly one dimensional again. But hopefully they'll flesh him out a bit more over the coming issues.

The timelines of the various comics seem a bit odd - JLA mentions it's set 5 years ago, but Action Comics doesn't, even though it features a Superman new to being a superhero, whilst Detective Comics (and JLI) has Batman with six years worth of background. It doesn't bother me so much, but I can definitely see it confusing some new readers.

[MacNimon]

Sounds like a mixed bag. The Action Comics story sounds quite good, like it's taking the series right back to it's 1938 roots, but I just can't get my head round Superman in denims.

I'll have to try to catch some of these...not being a current reader, I may have a different point of view from you. I'm not overly familiar with the work of many contemporary writers or artists, so I shouldn't have too many preconceptions...

[Paul Monk]

JLI was dull but I quite liked Action Comics. Thought it was a refreshingly different take on Superman. Haven't read Animal Man yet.

[Alex]

JLI was dull but I quite liked Action Comics. Thought it was a refreshingly different take on Superman. Haven't read Animal Man yet.

Ah well, you've saved the best for last at least! As for Action Comics, I don't know, maybe I need to reread it, but I like Superman as a morally strong, mature character who is always striving to be the best he can, and being slightly cocky and having the authorities up against him isn't working for me yet.

I've read Stormwatch 1 and found it to be quite enjoyable. It takes characters from both Stormwatch and The Authority and resets their continuity to the first time most of them got together, but for once I don't mind this as The Authority got all a bit messy with the amount of writers who took a shot at doing it, none of which really captured the feel of the classic Warren Ellis era. Plus it's written by Paul Cornell, who I've a lot of time for, and I think he's done a great job on it.

Batgirl 1 was more disappointing - Babs can walk now, but it's not really explained (just that three years after the Joker shooting took place, miraculously she got better) and again I miss the wisdom of the character. Here she's nervous and prone to screwing up in the field, and whilst it's not a bad take on the character, it's not one that I can imagine will interest me enough to read it every month.

Swamp Thing 1 I quite liked, and I've never been a huge fan of the character (though I do need to read the classic Alan Moore run on the series) but the set up looks intriguing, with both Alec Holland and the Swamp Thing existing separately. He's not quite sure how, but I'm guessing this will be resolved as the series continues, and for now it's one I'm going to be sticking with.

[Stuart Wallis]

Green Lantern, one of DC Comics' oldest and enduring heroes no matter what parallel earth he's on, is serving as a beacon for the publisher again, this time as a proud, mighty and openly gay hero.

The change is revealed in the pages of the second issue of "Earth 2" out next week, and comes on the heels of what has been an expansive year for gay and lesbian characters in the pages of comic books from Archie to Marvel and others.

But purists and fans note: This Green Lantern is not the emerald galactic space cop Hal Jordan who was, and is, part of the Justice League and has had a history rich in triumph and tragedy.

Instead, said James Robinson, who writes the new series, Alan Scott is the retooled version of the classic Lantern whose first appearance came in the pages of "All-American Comics" No. 16 in July 1940.

And his being gay is not part of some wider story line meant to be exploited or undone down the road, either.

"This was my idea," Robinson explained this week, noting that before DC relaunched all its titles last summer, Alan Scott had a son who was gay.

But given "Earth 2" features retooled and rebooted characters, Scott is not old enough to have a grown son.

"By making him younger, that son was not going to exist anymore," Robinson said.

"He doesn't come out. He's gay when we see him in issue two," which is due out Wednesday. "He's fearless and he's honest to the point where he realized he was gay and he said 'I'm gay.'"

"It was just meant to be — Alan Scott being a gay member of the team, the Justice Society, that I'll be forming in the pages of 'Earth 2,'" he said. "He's just meant to be part of this big tapestry of characters."

Well why not?