DC...Now you're starting to worry me.

With the announcement of 52 new series coming out starting in August, you know DC is going to have to throw a LOT of characters out there for a series shot. The vast majority of them will crash and burn within an issue or two, but some might make it. Unfortunately, after the initial coolness factor has worn off we're starting to see some DC comics that look like gigantic steps back for the company.

Case in point: The Teen Titans

Don't get me wrong, I stopped reading this title years ago. I've picked up an issue or two when it looked good, but for the most part I've never seen anything in this one worth reading on a regular basis. Now they've rebooted the team, and it doesn't look promising.

Tim Drake is still Red Robin...but not the RR we've ever seen before. Now he appears as if he's truly trying to be a red robin or something. He could call himself ChickenMan right now and make more sense.

And what in the world is going on with the other guys on the team? Superboy has a tattoo? Wonder Girl looks like she stepped out of a Tron movie. And what about our two other mysterious figures lurking on the page? Perhaps Vixen and Starfire?

Again, I'm not a regular reader of this book so I have no vested interest in the team per se, I just hate to see DC going off on some crazy tangents with core characters. One thing that kept me in their camp after Marvel went crazy with the Spider-Man reboot is the fact that they've stayed true to their characters over the years. Now it would appear they're going to go for a company-wide "Brand New Day", and that doesn't fill me with confidence.

On the plus side, Hawk and Dove are getting a series shot. I was hoping to see Don Hall back in the role of Dove, but I guess that's part of a reboot we won't see.

I'm also not a fan of Hawk's costume color change to black instead of white. I appreciate the desire to show them as opposite sides of the spectrum in actions, but did we have to make it so obvious? Hawk's costume was always one of the coolest ones out there!

I'll definitely be giving this series a shot for the first few issues at least because I like the characters and loved what they did during Brightest Day (let's hope Boston Brand makes an appearance in here soon). I just think it's going to be a long shot for this book to last any length of time. DC is flooding the market with new books and fans will be forced to just buy into titles they are seriously interested in instead of trying new ones simply because of the sheer number of possibilities out there. Spacing them out over a period of five months or so would have been a much better gauge of how good a book was doing. Most of these guys will just be cannon fodder in this war.

Oh, and by the way, 52 new series out there and we never got a chance to submit any scripts? I think DC should seriously consider opening their doors to new talent out there. I appreciate giving established guys a series, but when you're rebooting your entire lineup anyway, why not see who else is out there to shake things up a bit? Just sayin...