More DC reboot news...good or bad, you decide.

You may wonder why I've flooded the posts this week with all the DC news. Well, this blog is all about the mistakes and successes of the comic industry, and there can be no doubt DC is lining itself up for the biggest of one or the other. No cow is sacred, and everything that's been working for them up to this point is shot.

Today we learned that Secret Six will be ending with issue #36. While never my favorite book, they have had some amazing storylines over the years and I've really loved seeing Catman and Deadshot interact. They have this begrudging friendship and respect that you never see in any other book--mainly because while they're friends you can easily see they'd turn and kill each other in a heartbeat if the situation called for it.

Now the closest we'll get is a new title called Suicide Squad. The series has been in DC's roster twice before with different lineups, and now we see a new face leading the team in a new costume.

Say what you will about reboots, DC has definitely gone for it this time with a newly revamped Harley Quinn. The jester suit and hammer that we've come to love since her introduction almost two decades ago in the Batman:The Animated Series cartoons are gone, replaced by this dominatrix-with-a-knife look.

That doesn't bother me nearly as much as the new look for Deadshot. I've always said he had one of the best costumes out there, and now it appears DC is giving him some sort of cyborg kind of look. I'll reserve judgment until the first issue is out, but I'm not impressed with what I've seen so far.

In happier news, Grifter is getting a solo book. DC has moved the Wildstorm universe to their regular continuity and while Martian Manhunter is joining Stormwatch, Grifter is moving to his own series.

The premise is that he's killing creatures only he can see, leading everyone else to believe he's crazy. If this sounds a lot like the storyline from the old Marvel comic series ROM, that's because it is. I'm sure the creatures won't turn out to be Dire Wraiths, but the similarities are undeniable.

Again, I'm giving this book a shot simply because I like the character from years ago. As long as they don't try to turn him into a Deadpool clone they might have a winner with this one.

With all these new titles coming out, DC is definitely setting the internet on fire this week. They are setting the bar tremendously high, and here's hoping they can live up to the hype.

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...

New Batman Storylines in the DC Reboot

According to an article on IGN, DC is planning on bringing to a close all those Batmen running around out there, making Bruce Wayne the one and only Batman again. This pretty much kicks their newer Batman Inc. series in the butt and says "Thanks for nothing".

Along with such stunners as the return of Barbara Gordon to the role of Batgirl (that should get some folks upset or happy) and the ultimate fate of Dick Grayson now that he's no longer needed as Batman, this return for Bruce Wayne to the mantle of Batman in all of the revolving titles is sure to cause some controversy.

I've actually enjoyed being able to read both Bruce and Dick's adventures, as both were decidedly different Batmen while staying true to the central idea of the character. It was cool to see Dick move from Robin, to Nightwing, and eventually taking the place of his mentor. I actually see this one move as a massive step backward for DC, but only time will tell I guess.

What do you think? Four different monthly issues of Bruce Wayne Batman now...will you jump on as they're hoping?

As a side note, I know I'll definitely be picking up Batman #1 and Detective Comics #1 just to be able to say I have those first issues. They may suck, but at least I'll have them.

As for "news that makes me happy", it's the return of Jason Todd to the regular Red Hood look. True, I'd have preferred him as Red Robin, but at least he's gotten rid of the stupid red fishbowl he's been sporting in the "Batman and Robin" series.  He'll be getting his own ongoing series called "Red Hood and the Outlaws". It's another series I'll be jumping on.

And hey, seeing Dick Grayson as Nightwing again will be good. I was worried they'd do something stupid and kill him off, but this is good news. Still, I'll miss him as Batman.

DC Reboots Everything in August!

 

Ok, that's slightly an overstatement, since 1/3 of their titles won't be touched, but according to a recent interview in USA Today we'll be seeing a LOT of issues after Flashpoint ends that will start with #1. From what has been said, we'll actually see 52 new titles coming out, including reboots of Justice League (with younger versions of the heroes) and even Superman.

Let's be honest, Superman has nowhere to go but up from the past year or so. But look at something else: 52 new titles? Seriously? I want you to take a second and give me 52 DC heroes out there strong enough to hold their own title. Ready...go!

Yeah, I thought so. What we're seeing is a bunch of single starter issues and I suspect we'll be down to about 10 titles or so within a few months.

At the same time, DC is pushing more emphasis toward their digital comics and shoving people that direction. Do you read digital comics? I might look at an issue or two here and there--and it's definitely a cool way to have a ton of comics in a little bitty device or archive important issues--but to me they will never take the place of real paper comic books. I guess I'm an outgoing breed of customer while they focus more on the younger crowd.

Speaking of younger crowds, most of the new titles will be rebooted with younger versions of the heroes, including the new Justice League title headed by the dream team of Geoff Johns and Jim Lee. We'll get the standard heroes of Batman, Superman, etc, along with some lesser heroes. Cyborg is supposed to play a big role in the team, but I have no idea why. I've never enjoyed the character or seen a reason he's vital to any team. Guess that's why I don't work for DC though, eh?

So what do you think? Brave move on the part of DC, or a desperate act that will end in disaster?