Animal Man
During today’s panel for The Dark and The Edge at SDCC, we premiered art from ANIMAL MAN, BLACKHAWKS, DEATHSTROKE, FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E., JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK, MEN OF WAR, OMAC, RESURRECTION MAN, SUICIDE SQUAD, SWAMP THING, I, VAMPIRE, and VOODOO. Click through the gallery to see all this new art.
http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/07/23/today%E2%80%99s-the-dark-and-the-edge-panel-at-sdcc/
Edmonson interview about Grifter!
http://www.wildstormaddiction.com/2011/07/wildstorm-addiction-podcast-episode-23/
Here is SDCC 2011: DC: The Dark and The Edge LIVE!
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/sdcc-2011-the-dark-and-the-edge-110723.html
And then here is the SDCC 2011: DC: GREEN LANTERN Live! Enjoy.
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/sdcc-2011-dc-green-lantern-110723.html
Ok, so time for a rant.
I picked up the free preview today, highlighting all 52 titles with some synopses and pages of a couple comics. And I went from mildly interested to apathetic to actually quite angry. I hate this idea.
First off, I don't give a damn about continuity in terms of powers and feats and such. It's helpful for what we find ourselves doing on the forums, but not necessary. But what I do care about is character. The original Crisis was based on company need, the 2nd and 3rd actually didn't change a whole heck of a lot. And the characters stayed the same. Despite cursory changes to history, characters could draw on their past. I always thought that was a strength of comics, the ability to slowly evolve characters over a period of years. For a stark example, Batman pulling a gun only had emotional weight because of the decades that came before it. I had slowly learned to love the character of Batman, what he represented. We don't get that now...we get a reboot, that only has the potential to become the same thing someday.
The Batman I saw in the preview wasn't Batman. It was a brand new Bruce Wayne/Batman. I'm sure the character will be similar, probably even cool. But everything that happened? The legend DC had built around its Big 3? Gone. It's the Ultimate Universe, except at the expense of 616. Imagine the uproar if that happened. Put in that context, I'm shocked DC is able to sell this.
In many examples, the characters aren't even the same, and it's clear they've undergone dramatic overhaul. So even the characters won't be familiar...they might be good in their own right, but everything that came before is done.
Even the oft-maligned OMD Spider-Man arc didn't erase the character or his history. Peter Parker was still the same, and he still has access (in terms of characterization) to his entire history. Mind you, I don't want static characters that never change. But Peter has changed, that's part of why it's cool. This reboot is artificial change, not change rooted in good storytelling and natural progression.
I also noticed Justice Society is gone. Figures that a team literally built around legacy has no place in this. I wonder what will happen if a writer has the balls to do Jay, Ted, and Alan. Will they ignore their history, effectively erasing well over a half century of development for characters whose history is basically their identity?
Many titles will have strong characterizations and good stories. That I don't dispute. That's just not enough for me anymore. I don't have the time, money, or desire to cross my fingers that DC will build new legacies in the coming decades. If they did it for continuity issues, they'll be dealing with it again in a decade...it's how this beast works.
This is a play to get younger readers to start reading for the first time. Don't mistake it for anything else. It might make business sense, but it doesn't speak at all to me. I'm likely done. And that goes for Stormwatch too. Speaking in angry absolutes is usually a mistake, so I'm not swearing off DC forever. But I won't be picking up titles regularly, and something dramatic will have to happen to convince me otherwise.
I'm also not going to wave a Marvel flag enthusiastically, though I seem to be following more titles of theirs now anyway. With the apparent death of JSA, even if I break down and get Stormwatch, there's nothing drawing me to any other book. I may just start working on fleshing out my archived collections for my favorite characters.
Originally posted by Digi
Ok, so time for a rant.I picked up the free preview today, highlighting all 52 titles with some synopses and pages of a couple comics. And I went from mildly interested to apathetic to actually quite angry. I hate this idea.
First off, I don't give a damn about continuity in terms of powers and feats and such. It's helpful for what we find ourselves doing on the forums, but not necessary. But what I do care about is character. The original Crisis was based on company need, the 2nd and 3rd actually didn't change a whole heck of a lot. And the characters stayed the same. Despite cursory changes to history, characters could draw on their past. I always thought that was a strength of comics, the ability to slowly evolve characters over a period of years. For a stark example, Batman pulling a gun only had emotional weight because of the decades that came before it. I had slowly learned to love the character of Batman, what he represented. We don't get that now...we get a reboot, that only has the potential to become the same thing someday.
The Batman I saw in the preview wasn't Batman. It was a brand new Bruce Wayne/Batman. I'm sure the character will be similar, probably even cool. But everything that happened? The legend DC had built around its Big 3? Gone. It's the Ultimate Universe, except at the expense of 616. Imagine the uproar if that happened. Put in that context, I'm shocked DC is able to sell this.
In many examples, the characters aren't even the same, and it's clear they've undergone dramatic overhaul. So even the characters won't be familiar...they might be good in their own right, but everything that came before is done.
Even the oft-maligned OMD Spider-Man arc didn't erase the character or his history. Peter Parker was still the same, and he still has access (in terms of characterization) to his entire history. Mind you, I don't want static characters that never change. But Peter has changed, that's part of why it's cool. This reboot is artificial change, not change rooted in good storytelling and natural progression.
I also noticed Justice Society is gone. Figures that a team literally built around legacy has no place in this. I wonder what will happen if a writer has the balls to do Jay, Ted, and Alan. Will they ignore their history, effectively erasing well over a half century of development for characters whose history is basically their identity?
Many titles will have strong characterizations and good stories. That I don't dispute. That's just not enough for me anymore. I don't have the time, money, or desire to cross my fingers that DC will build new legacies in the coming decades. If they did it for continuity issues, they'll be dealing with it again in a decade...it's how this beast works.
This is a play to get younger readers to start reading for the first time. Don't mistake it for anything else. It might make business sense, but it doesn't speak at all to me. I'm likely done. And that goes for Stormwatch too. Speaking in angry absolutes is usually a mistake, so I'm not swearing off DC forever. But I won't be picking up titles regularly, and something dramatic will have to happen to convince me otherwise.
No JSA is bullshit.
Originally posted by Digi
Ok, so time for a rant.I picked up the free preview today, highlighting all 52 titles with some synopses and pages of a couple comics. And I went from mildly interested to apathetic to actually quite angry. I hate this idea.
First off, I don't give a damn about continuity in terms of powers and feats and such. It's helpful for what we find ourselves doing on the forums, but not necessary. But what I do care about is character. The original Crisis was based on company need, the 2nd and 3rd actually didn't change a whole heck of a lot. And the characters stayed the same. Despite cursory changes to history, characters could draw on their past. I always thought that was a strength of comics, the ability to slowly evolve characters over a period of years. For a stark example, Batman pulling a gun only had emotional weight because of the decades that came before it. I had slowly learned to love the character of Batman, what he represented. We don't get that now...we get a reboot, that only has the potential to become the same thing someday.
The Batman I saw in the preview wasn't Batman. It was a brand new Bruce Wayne/Batman. I'm sure the character will be similar, probably even cool. But everything that happened? The legend DC had built around its Big 3? Gone. It's the Ultimate Universe, except at the expense of 616. Imagine the uproar if that happened. Put in that context, I'm shocked DC is able to sell this.
In many examples, the characters aren't even the same, and it's clear they've undergone dramatic overhaul. So even the characters won't be familiar...they might be good in their own right, but everything that came before is done.
Even the oft-maligned OMD Spider-Man arc didn't erase the character or his history. Peter Parker was still the same, and he still has access (in terms of characterization) to his entire history. Mind you, I don't want static characters that never change. But Peter has changed, that's part of why it's cool. This reboot is artificial change, not change rooted in good storytelling and natural progression.
I also noticed Justice Society is gone. Figures that a team literally built around legacy has no place in this. I wonder what will happen if a writer has the balls to do Jay, Ted, and Alan. Will they ignore their history, effectively erasing well over a half century of development for characters whose history is basically their identity?
Many titles will have strong characterizations and good stories. That I don't dispute. That's just not enough for me anymore. I don't have the time, money, or desire to cross my fingers that DC will build new legacies in the coming decades. If they did it for continuity issues, they'll be dealing with it again in a decade...it's how this beast works.
This is a play to get younger readers to start reading for the first time. Don't mistake it for anything else. It might make business sense, but it doesn't speak at all to me. I'm likely done. And that goes for Stormwatch too. Speaking in angry absolutes is usually a mistake, so I'm not swearing off DC forever. But I won't be picking up titles regularly, and something dramatic will have to happen to convince me otherwise.
I'm also not going to wave a Marvel flag enthusiastically, though I seem to be following more titles of theirs now anyway. With the apparent death of JSA, even if I break down and get Stormwatch, there's nothing drawing me to any other book. I may just start working on fleshing out my archived collections for my favorite characters.
Originally posted by DigiDigi just ethered the entire dcu.
Ok, so time for a rant.I picked up the free preview today, highlighting all 52 titles with some synopses and pages of a couple comics. And I went from mildly interested to apathetic to actually quite angry. I hate this idea.
First off, I don't give a damn about continuity in terms of powers and feats and such. It's helpful for what we find ourselves doing on the forums, but not necessary. But what I do care about is character. The original Crisis was based on company need, the 2nd and 3rd actually didn't change a whole heck of a lot. And the characters stayed the same. Despite cursory changes to history, characters could draw on their past. I always thought that was a strength of comics, the ability to slowly evolve characters over a period of years. For a stark example, Batman pulling a gun only had emotional weight because of the decades that came before it. I had slowly learned to love the character of Batman, what he represented. We don't get that now...we get a reboot, that only has the potential to become the same thing someday.
The Batman I saw in the preview wasn't Batman. It was a brand new Bruce Wayne/Batman. I'm sure the character will be similar, probably even cool. But everything that happened? The legend DC had built around its Big 3? Gone. It's the Ultimate Universe, except at the expense of 616. Imagine the uproar if that happened. Put in that context, I'm shocked DC is able to sell this.
In many examples, the characters aren't even the same, and it's clear they've undergone dramatic overhaul. So even the characters won't be familiar...they might be good in their own right, but everything that came before is done.
Even the oft-maligned OMD Spider-Man arc didn't erase the character or his history. Peter Parker was still the same, and he still has access (in terms of characterization) to his entire history. Mind you, I don't want static characters that never change. But Peter has changed, that's part of why it's cool. This reboot is artificial change, not change rooted in good storytelling and natural progression.
I also noticed Justice Society is gone. Figures that a team literally built around legacy has no place in this. I wonder what will happen if a writer has the balls to do Jay, Ted, and Alan. Will they ignore their history, effectively erasing well over a half century of development for characters whose history is basically their identity?
Many titles will have strong characterizations and good stories. That I don't dispute. That's just not enough for me anymore. I don't have the time, money, or desire to cross my fingers that DC will build new legacies in the coming decades. If they did it for continuity issues, they'll be dealing with it again in a decade...it's how this beast works.
This is a play to get younger readers to start reading for the first time. Don't mistake it for anything else. It might make business sense, but it doesn't speak at all to me. I'm likely done. And that goes for Stormwatch too. Speaking in angry absolutes is usually a mistake, so I'm not swearing off DC forever. But I won't be picking up titles regularly, and something dramatic will have to happen to convince me otherwise.
I'm also not going to wave a Marvel flag enthusiastically, though I seem to be following more titles of theirs now anyway. With the apparent death of JSA, even if I break down and get Stormwatch, there's nothing drawing me to any other book. I may just start working on fleshing out my archived collections for my favorite characters.
Originally posted by King Kandy
See, I don't read DC. So for me, this is great. I can finally read DC without having to know complicated history. So you may be saying its a "play" to get new readers, but I don't see how making it accessible is somehow a bad thing. I mean jeez. Comics are supposed to be for kids anyway. And now "younger readers" is some kind of boogieman.
Like I said, it may make business sense. I'm not in that demographic though, so...
They cancelled my favorite title and changed everything I know and had come to appreciate. It's not even a new universe so there's a choice, it's just a replacement of the old.
srug
Also, I always felt the whole "complicated history" thing was overplayed. Continuity matters to us, because we pore over the history. To the casual reader, they can read almost ANY Superman/Batman/etc. story without knowing their history. There's deeper meaning knowing history, but it's not necessary for comprehension. I always felt like large-scale reboots under that excuse was just covering up poor writing and character decisions over a period of time.
Originally posted by The Pict
Hang on this is the first I've heard of this and I'm getting confused. Is everything being restarted? Everything in DC?
Everything. Makes Crisis 1 look like a grammatical error.