DCU : The Original Universe

[Rollo Tomassi]

Read Green Lantern:Rebirth. That's THE dividing line between everything from 'before' and everything since. It connects everything and explains everything on how and why Hal is back. Yes, the parallax and Spectre stuff is still in-continuity.

Rebirth is actually a well written book. And it got many people excited about GL, including me, who hadn't given a shit in a very long time.

If you follow the current GL series(which is up to issue 65) every story arc leads into the next one, so it follows through on the big events like the SinestroCorps war and Blackest Night. And since Geoff Johns is big on 'continuity porn' he tries to make everything fit with what's come before. Its both his biggest asset and largest drawback as a creator IMO.

It also spawned two 'supporting' series; Green Lantern Corps, which followed Guy, Kyle, John Stewart and the rest of the GLs. And more recently Green Lantern:Emerald Warriors, which follows Guy and smaller team specifically after the fallout of BN.

Also, I believe a RedLantern ongoing is in the works.

On the surface, the idea of multi colored lanterns seems incredibly obvious and a lame 'last idea in the barrel bottom'. Probably something better suited to the SilverAge (you wonder why they didn't do it back then) but on the flip side, its afforded many interesting and even cool new characters, all with different motivations that sometimes do and sometimes don't jive with the GL Corps and the Guardians. And sometimes both at the same time.

I would say the SC War was probably the most exciting event when it came out.worth reading. Blackest Night just got too big for its own good, but there were some good 'moments' in it. It didn't help that it had like 70+ issues of tie-ins devoted to it. It took up 8 months of DCs shipping schedule and storywise it literally happened in a single night(hence the name). Most people were burned out by the time it finished. It was like running a marathon.

Now we're in the midde of the 'War of the Green Lanterns' crossover which professes to shake things up even more. Presumably with a couple of the main Earth GLs coming out of it wearing different rings for the forseeable future.

But start with Rebirth. The 'roadmap' should be pretty clear from there.

[anarky]

Gotcha. I'll see if I can find Rebirth at Comic-Con.

I was a bit saddened to see Emerald Dawn II is out of print (and going for much more than the individual issues combined). It was a classic, and a worthy follow-up to Emerald Dawn (which is in print, similar to the way Knightfall Part I is still available, but Knightfall II & III (technically Knightquest and Knightsend) and Prodigal aren't, only making part of the story available).

BTW, didn't Alan Moore come up with the Rainbow Lanterns for a throwaway annual story or something?

[Rollo Tomassi]

I think he came up with the 'Blackest Night' prophecy, but I'm not sure about the rainbows. Either way, fuck that barmy old coot. He simultaneously criticizes and admits to not reading anything produced in the last 25 years in comics.

That's like me saying I've not listened to anything since the Kingston Trio, but everything since then has sucked ass.

[anarky]

And he's the dude in charge of DC.

Awesome.

[Rollo Tomassi]

Wow.

Or rather..Holy shit.

After Flashpoint, come August 31st, DC is rebooting EVERYTHING.

EVERYTHING.

50 brand new #1s throughout September, taking all its characters back to a 'simpler' continuity 'earlier in all their careers' with newly designed (and if I may inject a personal observance, kinda fug) costumes by Jim Lee. Who is the artist (pshyeah right) on the new Justice League #1.

I'm just..wow...wow. My pull list just, like shrunk.

[jjreason]

I'm calling bullshit - this SCREAMS of Heroes Reborn to me. It will all revert after a few months, regardless of how "for sure" or "long term" this is being made out to be right now.

[Rollo Tomassi]

Its a good thing for me, but not in the way DC wants it to be. I can now have an actual end number to EVERY DC series on my giant want list.

All the new #1s will be in the dollar bins next year. I mean, talk about the "I'm thinking about quitting new books" topic.

I can't believe Action and Detective are getting fucked over when they are so remarkably close to hitting 1000 legitimately. I sincerely doubt rebooting them to #1 would make much difference in the long run. All they've done is added an asterix to them in the annals of comic history.

1000 issues!!!*

*except for that "glitchfuck" they had in 2011.

[anarky]

Hmmm.... Restarting every title. Rebooting every character (or maybe every character--they mention that Geoff Johns' Rainbow Lantern Corps or some other ramification of his run will remain, but all characters will be younger and somehow hipper). All new costumes, all designed by Jim Lee (who's a damned fine artist, but has proven to be somewhat shitty in the costume design department--Superman looks like a crayon sketch by Snigtad).

The day-and-date digital* is a big deal, but I bet the digital comics will still be massively overpriced. They're trying to push it as a jumping-on point, but I have a feeling they've more likely offered a jumping-off point.

*--Why is it "day-and-date digital"? That's so redundant and repetitive. Why not "same day digital," which takes the same number of syllables?

[Rollo Tomassi]

Yeah, wouldn't the same day automatically make it the same date? And vice versa? Was there at some point, some douche, who said "Same day!" and then tricked everybody because it was a Saturday, and then released it on a Saturday like five months later and said "Ha ha fuckers! it was on the same day, I did not lie!!" So now they have to be explicit?

The digital IS a big deal, but as I don't buy digital comics I could give a shit. For me, a digital comic isn't something to be collected. I can buy a "digital" comic twenty years after its released and it will be as "mint condition" as the day it was released, and it took me all of 0.72 to "find" it. I can buy an entire run of a series in one single moment, instead of waiting for months and years. Now, at some point, comics could all very well be 100% digital (and that day is probably closer than we think) but I won't "collect" those stories. I will, instead, shift my focus towards finding old floppy newspaper print back issues in some musty old flea market.

I'm still trying to fathom what the 52 different titles will be. I didn't think DC had that many viable properties? Or , at least, properties that are viable enough they won't be cancelled by issue 4.

Also, how fucking confusing is it going to be if you have a dozen Batman titles like you do now, except thay are ALL on issue #1 this month, issue #2 next month etc. Talk about confusing new readers.

[jjreason]

It's a real eye-opener, the same day digital. But here's the kicker - I collect comics to COLLECT, not just read. Like you suggested, it's NOT the same thing having them in digital format, reading the story and looking at the pictures are the main elements of comic collecting, but they're NOT the only elements. Want to market digital comics? Offer free copies of the first 12 floppies of the same books for those subscribing for 2 years on any given title. Then it's "risk free" for the first year, and you would likely convert a lot of readers. My thoughts.

[anarky]

At a point, though, a lot--not all, but a lot--of comic collectors get to the "I'm just reading the damned things" phase. Then trade paperbacks and digital look a lot more appealing.

DC stands to gain few, if any, readers, though, if they keep the high price for digital. You cut out printing (meaning ink, paper, and transportation) and at least one level of middleman (I'm not fond of going through iTunes or Comixology, but no publisher has a good direct-to-consumer method yet... so it's like eliminating the comic shop but not Diamond), so why isn't it remarkably cheaper? There's also the bulk thing; sure, print gets cheaper per unit the more copies that are printed, but digital theoretically produces an infinite number of copies for one production charge.

They really don't get that everyone who's likely to get into comics (I'm including current readers, lapsed readers, and the multitude of folks that they pretend to court but never actually do) actually want backstory. That's the fun of reading. A footnote in one issue leads to another, then you get the rest of that story arc and work on the stuff in between that and the present, occasionally going to other issues that are alluded to. eBay and the internet have actually made it EASIER to get the backstory, as have expanded paperback programs (not to mention cheaper back issues overall).

I've got ideas about digital distribution that the major companies seem too timid (or unwilling to cut into profit margins) to try, but am not going to discuss them in an open forum.

[Rollo Tomassi]

Eh, Digital has several years to sort itself out before I'll even become remotely interested. Its like waiting to buy a Blu-Ray player five years from now when all the discs are $5 each and the player is $50, instead of paying $700 for a player and $40 a shot when it first hit. At some point EVERY comic ever will be availible at a ridiculously small price somewhere on the internet. The entire Marvel Collection from 1939 up until now, $25. Or something. I can wait. All this stuff now is growing pains while the thing is in its infancy. It'll sort out.

[jjreason]

*reminds himself to sell key x-men issues for tons of cash prior to that*

[Rollo Tomassi]

Har har. I meant the digital equivalent of.

[anarky]

So Babs is Batgirl again.

This looks like it's secretly a way to make everything be the Silver Age status quo with minor cosmetic updating. Though a Nightwing series could mean Dick won't be Robin.