So…while you were away DC Comics just rebooted their Universe. I know, I know, DC does this all the time. The last specific instance being in 2011, when this whole New 52 business first started. However, yesterday’s Convergence #8 revealed the publisher’s ulterior motives for the event.
Spoilers for Convergence #8.
Minor Information Update: 8:30
This might sound completely ridiculous, but it turns out that DC was actually trying to utilize their huge crossover to simply do some maintenance on their current Multiverse policy. So…the Multiverse is now back with new versions of old characters along with the full Multiverse concept, the difference is that all of these worlds have evolved for the aforementioned new characters. The Multiversity Guidebook #1 seems to be more important than ever, as the company is now trying to bring that series into effect with the various worlds introduced inside of it.
Of course, the publisher loves telling event series that are born out of huge sweeping changes to their line. One of the most notable and influential stories being the seminal Crisis on Infinite Earths by George Perez and Marv Wolfman. Since then, the DC has attempted to pay homage to that story time and time again. However, Flashpoint, and the New 52 did mark a time of exploration with them — albeit a tumultuous time in comics that ended up splitting comics fandom in two towards their opinions of DC. In fact, Convergence #8 featured a pair of splash pages highlighting some of the different Earths that were saved by Brainiac in the big event.
The planets with updated characters from the Multiverse include the Pre-Crisis Universe, the New 52 Universe, a gender swapped Universe, a Bizarro Universe, Earth 2, an Ultra Comics Universe, Captain Carrot’s Universe, a place for the Charlton characters, a world for Kamandi to roam free as the last boy on Earth, and more.
Yet with Divergence now being imminent as the next upcoming DC reboot, the company is really attempting to give comics fandom exactly what they want. The House of Batman and Superman are experimenting with new looks for each character and shedding some light on their older and newer established properties. DC is always stronger when they take advantage of their already established canon. DC is over 75 years young, which is exactly why spinning concepts like Prez with new cultural context is likely going to payoff for the comics creators.
With a Multiverse filled with characters both old and new, comics fans should honestly be excited about what is coming next — even if the event that got us here (Convergence) seemed to be too wrapped up in editorial policy to contain a story that stood it’s own ground as a great comic book.
Actually DC’s canon is more than three-quarters of a century long (yes, that is still technically “more than half a century,” but give the full time expanse its due.
Just one DC event book being an actual story rather than continuity porn and housekeeping would be great.
Your headline is deceptive. DC did not reboot again. All they did was explain some stuff that was already established by Multiversity and establish a few changes relative to past reboots.
I hated Superman in the New 52. Yes, he’s Superman and it’s exciting, but they hardly ever showed him being Clark Kent. That’s what’s always been cool about Superman, he’s got all this power, and he’s still trying to be a reporter, keep Lois from figuring it out(still? Really?!?!), acts like a farm kid from Kansas. That’s what was cool, not him careening from adventure to adventure. And now Action is going to have a Superman who’s lost his powers, fighting an armored Batman, and Batman’s not going to be Bruce Wayne. I guess with the exception of Flash and Justice League, I can stop reading DC Comics!!
This is what they were planning before Flashpoint, with the “52 worlds” plan. It just didn’t have the strong editorial control.
As for rebooting… It’s part of DC’s DNA, ever since … Flash of Two Worlds. Hypertime is another example.
The best plan, what DC does really well:
Let anyone pitch a story to DC on any “Earth”.
Slap a Earth-# on the title so you know (obliquely) which timeline it’s in.
Let it run for four issues, collect it, sell it for $9.99.
If the series works, keep publishing more issues.
If it doesn’t stick, try something else.
It’s self-contained, and makes it easier for readers to discover and read the digital issues.
@Ken….
So, now that Superman has a new power (his Human Torch “nova blast”) which leaves him powerless and thus making him rely on his Clark Kent skill set, you’re leaving the title?
Okay, my brain hurts…
According to this, Crisis on Infinite Earths wiped out the multiverse.
Then, the universe fractured again, and the multiverse existed again.
But according to this, the pre-Crisis DC universe exists now.
But that means there’s a timeline where Crisis didn’t happen, and those heroes continued.
But if Crisis wiped out all of the other possible timelines/universes, wouldn’t the timeline where Crisis didn’t happen be wiped out as well?
Or was this a backup version, outside the DC multiverse, just like how the Marvel universe exists independent of everything DC does, except when they crossover? Multi-multiverse? Tessaracts?
It doesn’t make sense, but I believe we are supposed to think that all planets exist, and that they are all updated with new people…does that make a little sense?
My take on it is pretty much Alex Jones’s: the multiverse collapse in the original Crisis was prevented, so all those Earths (1, 2, S, etc.) exist but they have “evolved” into the new forms of the characters presented in the images above. A potential issue is that this state of affairs seems to mean that there are stories to be told about, say the Earth 2 Justice Society, but will DC publish any? Similarly, this would seem to mean that pre-New 52 versions of Wally West, Donna Troy, etc. exist somewhere in the multiverse, but will DC actually let creators tell their stories? Knowing that such stories and characters potentially exist but never having them told might be even more infuriating to long-time fans than if those worlds and characters were completely erased.
So does this mean we might get books set in the old DC world and not this new 52 rubbish?
‘DC is over 75 years young, which is exactly why spinning concepts like Prez with new cultural context is likely going to payoff for the comics creators.’
yeah right. I’ll be amazed if this title lasts 12 issues.
Sounds like a bunch of chaotic garbage to me. First this, now DC is placing advertisements on their panel pages? Marvel isn’t any better. Comics needs a new brand. Marvel and DC have gotten too big for their britches.
The end result being paying 35 bucks for a really miserable non story. Ugh!
what they should really do is drop the dc tag/title altogether and call themselves warner brothers. comics or what ever they want to rename themselves. this will give them a clean slate. they can start all over. they have messed things up so badly since the 90’s, well the 80’s actually, now there is no way to straighten their mess(es) out. i do not mind the freedom fighters existing in a world where the nazis won world war two. i don’t mind the injustice league being in another universe. i do not mind the funny/satire/parody characters not being a part of the mainstream dc universe. there is no need for the justice society and their historical legacy NOT to be a part of the mainstream dc universe. there really is no reason why the jsa and the jla can not exist in the same universe.
I’m confused. Does this mean I can just stop reading New 52 (I’m a bit behind) because none of those stories are canon after this?
@Hogne B. Batterson – don’t worry about it. Nothing has changed. They revealed some stuff that took place in the past BEFORE the new52/Flashpoint relaunch, but it doesn’t change anything that has been published since August 2011.