Cover art for Sept 2011 JLA #1 by Jim Lee
In today’s entertainment world, unfortunately, reboots have become very common. Some work, such as “Battlestar Galactica,” while others, like “Wonder Woman,” don’t even make it to the screen. Earlier this week, DC Comics made a huge announcement. They are not just rebooting one character, but the entire DC Universe.
Consider that statement. The ENTIRE DCU is being rebooted. Think about that for a minute, and then go read the official announcement here. Go on, I’ll be here when you get back.
Now, wait. That statement only talks about renumbering, and starting over again with #1 issues. That does not mean that everything is rebooted. I was hoping that, but then I read an article on the USA Today website that was billed on the DC site as being the first interview about the announcement. In that article, Dan DiDio, co-publisher of DC Comics states, “This was a chance to start, not at the beginning, but at a point where our characters are younger and the stories are being told for today’s audience.” What exactly does that mean? We are not exactly sure yet, but some of the history of these characters is definitely being rewritten. At best, this is a partial reboot; at worst, everything we know will change.
“Justice League” #1 will see a new writer for DC’s premiere team, Geoff Johns. Johns will be giving readers an updated secret origin, which will give the group a reason to form that was lacking in the original history. While the roster is said to be expanding very soon, the core members will be Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and Aquaman. Stories will focus on team interaction and relationships between the members, and remind readers that there are people behind the masks.
Along with Johns will be a new artist, Jim Lee, who is also the DC co-publisher with DiDio. Part of revamping the characters includes redesigning costumes. The only art that has been released at this point is the cover for “Justice League” #1, but it is apparent from just that image that some costumes will see little if any change, while others will be drastically different. You would think they had learned from the controversy over Wonder Woman’s costume change (and her recent reboot, as well), but now I wonder.
I’m all for updating these characters a bit to reflect today’s world. The problem is, what happens to everything that came before now? Major events, such as Identity Crisis and Brightest Day, did they even happen? Who will be the Batman and Flash for this reboot, and what will happen to the others? If they make too many changes to these characters, they may lose more older readers than the new ones they hope to attract.
Perhaps the even bigger issue is not as much the reboot, but the other part of the announcement. Starting the same day as the reboot (August 31), digital comics will release the same day as print titles. For readers, this may be a positive development, as there are many who do not have local comic shops available to them. However, local retailers will now be at a disadvantage. Already, they have been losing business due to the economy, and to the fact that more and more comics are available in a digital format. With DC releasing both formats on the same date, readers have little if any reason to purchase print copies. Sure, collectors will still buy some titles in print, but not as many.
This is a big, risky move on the part of DC. Small changes are one thing, but changes of the level these will be could definitely be a turn off to lifelong readers. Add to that the notion of hurting local comic shops, and this could be a major disaster for the publisher. Will it mean the end of DC? Doubtful. But, if this stunt – and I do mean stunt, as that is the only reason I can see for doing it – fails, DC will have quite a bit of work to do to fix the mess they make.
