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It was mid-afternoon on Friday when Bleeding Cool ran an article that had a rumor that DC was thinking of blowing everything up again, renumbering all their books at #1, and basically starting over. Here is that link: http://ift.tt/1K1onaN
Now this was just a rumor but the idea of DC scrapping the New 52 just 4 years in and rebranding the universe to fit in with the other media versions of the characters seemed preposterous. Didn't it?
Well shortly after that story Jim Lee and Dan Didio tweeted the above image. Most likely spurred by the Bleeding Cool break of the story, they most likely felt they needed to get ahead of the game.
Now this is one image and one word - Rebirth - but to me it spoke volumes. And it also spoke to how splintered I am psychologically as a DC fan right now.
You see, I have long had issues with the New 52 and it's treatment of the characters I love. Remove Grant Morrison's initial Action Comics run and Superman has been all over the map but no where near iconic. He's been aloof, a monster, powerless. He has been away from the Daily Planet. The Kansas farm boy has decided he can love a goddess. He has had no relationship with Lois. He has been hated and shunned by Lana and Perry. And he has been hated by the people of Earth. No longer is he an inspiration to do better. He isn't trusted.
Supergirl went from being an angry, cold, distant young woman who hated her family and Earth to leaving the planet and dying to becoming a Red Lantern.
And the whole vibe of the universe is humorless and dark. From Forever Evil to Future's End to Doomsday viruses to The Truth, I would never ever ever want to live in the DCU.
So I should be welcoming a reboot with open arms? Right? I mean, I should be hoping that DC leadership realizes the mistakes it has made, wipes the universal slate clean, and gives me back my heroes.
But if this is truly a universal rewrite, it also means that I have to start back from square one. And that means losing the few successes this new universe has brought me. From Burnside Batgirl to Harley Quinn to the last issues of Supergirl, I have read good stories. From Starfire and the rocker Black Canary to the odd but engaging Martian Manhunter, there has been some wins in DCYou. Do I lose those books?
And lastly, if the New 52 seemed like a Hail Mary pass by DC to be relevant again, another universal reboot just 4 years later seems like a pathetic grasp for readers by a leadership group who has lost my trust.
Am I honestly supposed to believe with the people in charge that this new Rebirth will be better than the New 52? Isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result?
If the New 52 was a perfect jump-off point, couldn't Rebirth be the 'cut the cord' moment?
So the windmills in my mind are spinning. I don't like much of the New 52. I have been clamoring for change almost weekly on this blog. I should be thrilled about a change!
And yet, another change this soon after the last makes me realize that right now DC is in complete disarray. It's one thing to rationalize this as something Marvel just did. It's another thing entirely when you add in this was just done a handful of years ago.
There are many mantras I have used over the course of my time on this site. One I use all the time is apt here.
Good stories trump all.
Just give me good stories DC. I'm ready for them.
But another misstep after the line wide missteps of the New 52 would be catastrophe.
Now this was just a rumor but the idea of DC scrapping the New 52 just 4 years in and rebranding the universe to fit in with the other media versions of the characters seemed preposterous. Didn't it?
Well shortly after that story Jim Lee and Dan Didio tweeted the above image. Most likely spurred by the Bleeding Cool break of the story, they most likely felt they needed to get ahead of the game.
Now this is one image and one word - Rebirth - but to me it spoke volumes. And it also spoke to how splintered I am psychologically as a DC fan right now.
You see, I have long had issues with the New 52 and it's treatment of the characters I love. Remove Grant Morrison's initial Action Comics run and Superman has been all over the map but no where near iconic. He's been aloof, a monster, powerless. He has been away from the Daily Planet. The Kansas farm boy has decided he can love a goddess. He has had no relationship with Lois. He has been hated and shunned by Lana and Perry. And he has been hated by the people of Earth. No longer is he an inspiration to do better. He isn't trusted.
Supergirl went from being an angry, cold, distant young woman who hated her family and Earth to leaving the planet and dying to becoming a Red Lantern.
And the whole vibe of the universe is humorless and dark. From Forever Evil to Future's End to Doomsday viruses to The Truth, I would never ever ever want to live in the DCU.
So I should be welcoming a reboot with open arms? Right? I mean, I should be hoping that DC leadership realizes the mistakes it has made, wipes the universal slate clean, and gives me back my heroes.
But if this is truly a universal rewrite, it also means that I have to start back from square one. And that means losing the few successes this new universe has brought me. From Burnside Batgirl to Harley Quinn to the last issues of Supergirl, I have read good stories. From Starfire and the rocker Black Canary to the odd but engaging Martian Manhunter, there has been some wins in DCYou. Do I lose those books?
And lastly, if the New 52 seemed like a Hail Mary pass by DC to be relevant again, another universal reboot just 4 years later seems like a pathetic grasp for readers by a leadership group who has lost my trust.
Am I honestly supposed to believe with the people in charge that this new Rebirth will be better than the New 52? Isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result?
If the New 52 was a perfect jump-off point, couldn't Rebirth be the 'cut the cord' moment?
So the windmills in my mind are spinning. I don't like much of the New 52. I have been clamoring for change almost weekly on this blog. I should be thrilled about a change!
And yet, another change this soon after the last makes me realize that right now DC is in complete disarray. It's one thing to rationalize this as something Marvel just did. It's another thing entirely when you add in this was just done a handful of years ago.
There are many mantras I have used over the course of my time on this site. One I use all the time is apt here.
Good stories trump all.
Just give me good stories DC. I'm ready for them.
But another misstep after the line wide missteps of the New 52 would be catastrophe.
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