How do you feel about the Relaunch?

[HighFivingMF]

Bring it.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Bonesaw is ready

 

[Sawyer]

Honestly, I dont see a big fuss about the renumbering. I kind of doubt that it will be long term. DC may have done some strange **** in their time, but they're not going to pass up Action Comics #1000 (which is still like eight years away, but you know what I mean).

 

[JewishHobbit]

I posted this on another forum.

I feel very mixed about this:

It's turning out that this is becoming a full on continuity COIE-styled reboot with everything getting changed, as opposed to the more soft-Infinite Crisis styled reboot that was speculated eariler. As a comic fan, it's exactly as you say, I'm really invested in the current continuity for years and now almost all of it is going away. It feels like one big **** you to the fans because unlike with COIE where streamlining the DC Universe was necessary, another full on continuity reboot just wasn't necessary. You can attract new readers without alienating your old ones.

However, business wise, this move is quite possibly the most revolutionary thing the comic book industry has ever done and is the best chance to save the industry. The moves DC is making are not designed to hype people like me, they're designed to get people reading comics. The Direct Market is a dinosaur and overall, most comic book stores are creepy and a lot of comic book fans that populate them are weird. And because of this, most people don't want to go to them. So if people aren't going to go to the comics, publishers have to bring the comics to them. And they have to make them accessible and easy for new readers in order to retain them.

Selling them digitally the day the physical copy comes out on DC's website and through their iTunes and Android apps is a great way to expand their product. Making deals with retailers such as Barnes and Noble to devote more magazine space to comics is a great way to expand their product and I expect DC to make similar deals with more major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, and Wegmans in the next couple of months. Brian Michael Bendis may say that these moves are screwing over the struggling comic book retailer, but guess what? The days of the comic book shop are coming to a close and it's time for comic book publishers to evolve or die.

And with a new continuity, the $2.99 price point, and new #1s, it's going to be easier to retain these new readers. Most readers aren't diehard geeks like I am who enjoy **** like having multiple Batmen, merging universes, or someone coming back to life by the Superman of our universe punching reality. Most readers are going to be intimidated if they see something like Action Comics #904. And most readers don't want to pay $3.99 for a comic book.

This is how you get and retain new readers, by actually aggressively trying to get your product out there and by making it welcoming to new readers. Not by stupid gimmicky **** like .1 issues, renumbering to #500 or #600 when an anniversary happens, and not by relaunching pointless #1s and sell them only to the Direct Market. This is how the comic book industry is going to survive. And this is why I reluctantly support this. Yes, it totally sucks that a lot of the years I've emotionally invested in characters are just going away to make way for a bunch of idiots, but I'd still rather read comics and enjoy Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Aquaman as opposed to the industry receiving a slow painful death due to ignorance of modern market trends.

And besides, it's not like the stories I like are just going away. If I want to read story that I like, I can just pull them out of the box and read away and continue to enjoy the stories I love. And I'm still going to collect back issues of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Also with Grant Morrison on Superman, Geoff Johns on the Justice League, Green Lantern, and Aquaman, and Fabian Nicieza on Teen Titans, the creative teams so far are looking pretty damn good.

Honestly... I think you make some great points here. If they want to ensure their future continues this might be a great move for them. Get it to new readers hands, make it accessable, and make it easy for them to follow. I think that could really spike the industry, especially if they can get comics back into places like Wal-Mart. I think that'll really save DC's foreseeable future.

This honestly makes me appreciate the move even more, despite my own disdain for screwing with continuity. My only fear is that if this actually works Marvel might follow suit and I'd HATE that.

 

[Kurosawa]

Well, I am a hardcore Pre-Crisis fan, so they universe they are now dumping is one I never liked or supported. So I am mostly indifferent but I do admit that I buy certain titles-that is to say, Batman, Superman, Action and Detective mostly because I have very long runs of the titles, so if those books are started over at number one, that will give me an easy out to cut the titles if they are bad books. When Marvel did the same thing, I cut all those titles and I only buy Cap now because I like the book, not because I feel obligated because I have the previous 300 issues or whatever. So more than anything, this will give me a good excuse to drop titles.

As for the changes, I honestly don't care. They've killed or ruined a lot of my favorite characters since 1986 and there has been like two good Superman stories (Birthright and All-Star Superman) since then, so except for Batman, most of these characters are ruined to me anyway. I will miss the direction Morrison was going with Batman and losing the Legion just 12 or so issues into the book makes me sick. Not to mention I have felt a lot of happiness at just having the title "Adventure Comics" on my pull list-for the first time ever, because when Adventure ended it was actually a digest title and the regular comics issues before it became a digest I bought at newsstands as well.

I will say if they do something really cool like have Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman as members of the JSA during WW II, then my interest will go up greatly. They have a real chance here to fix a lot of the stuff that COIE ruined (like everything).

 

[Tron Bonne]

Wait, what's this about DC making a deal with Barnes & Noble for more space? I don't remember that being said in the announcement.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Marvel is flat out clueless on how to get new readers.

 

[HighFivingMF]

Not to mention I have felt a lot of happiness at just having the title "Adventure Comics" on my pull list-for the first time ever, because when Adventure ended it was actually a digest title and the regular comics issues before it became a digest I bought at newsstands as well.

Adventure Comics is coming back with a new #1 starring Deadman.

 

[Kurosawa]

Adventure Comics is coming back with a new #1 starring Deadman.

Then it's dropped from my pull list. Another 2.99 saved.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Wait, what's this about DC making a deal with Barnes & Noble for more space? I don't remember that being said in the announcement.

Barnes & Noble announced at the end of April that they were going to rearrange their magazine offerings to offer more comics not just from DC, but also Marvel, Dynamite, and others. This of course was in response to national retailer Hastings having success in selling comics.

However, DC titles have already shown up at Barnes & Noble bookstores ahead of the scheduled June rearrangement

 

[Tron Bonne]

Okay, let me ask this: Has it been said that is a hard reboot ala COIE? Like, not by Bleeding Cool and **** but an official source? That all the stuff happening (like Batman, Inc.) is going to be completely thrown away with this? I know that the characters themselves are getting revamping, but do we actually know this is a chucking out and starting anew without any connection with the previous stuff? I'm seeing a lot of people assuming this, but I'm not actually seeing this be said outright.

 

[JewishHobbit]

Marvel is flat out clueless on how to get new readers.

That's been obvious for years and, while I hate how it's happening, I think DC is doing the best thing here. It sucks for old fans but I think it'll pull in enough new ones and, depending on if they try to get into more stores, put them ahead of Marvel for the first time in years.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Barnes & Noble announced at the end of April that they were going to rearrange their magazine offerings to offer more comics not just from DC, but also Marvel, Dynamite, and others.

However, DC titles have already shown up at Barnes & Noble bookstores ahead of the scheduled June rearrangement

And this is an actual deal that someone struck, or is this just a decision to rearrange on B&N's part? You implied DC had an active role in it, so I'm kind of confused.

 

[HighFivingMF]

Okay, let me ask this: Has it been said that is a hard reboot ala COIE? Like, not by Bleeding Cool and **** but an official source? That all the stuff happening (like Batman, Inc.) is going to be completely thrown away with this? I know that the characters themselves are getting revamping, but do we actually know this is a chucking out and starting anew without any connection with the previous stuff? I'm seeing a lot of people assuming this, but I'm not actually seeing this be said outright.

"Who said anything about all the storylines being gone?" -Dan DiDio.

 

[KrypJonian]

Okay, let me ask this: Has it been said that is a hard reboot ala COIE? Like, not by Bleeding Cool and ****, but an official source? That all the stuff happening (like Batman, Inc.) are going to be completely thrown away with this? I know that the characters themselves are getting revamping, but do we actually know this is a chucking out and starting anew without any connection with the previous stuff? I'm seeing a lot of people assuming this, but I'm not actually seeing this be said outright.

I talked to my comic book guy today, not one who is known for talking out of his ass and passing it off as fact...

He said it is a COMPLETE reboot. He also stated that Dick Grayson will be Nightwing again and Barbara Gordon will be Batgirl...

This is all second hand, so take it with a grain of salt...

What I'm interested in is how they're going to go about recreating HISTORY in the DCU... Assuming Dick Grayson's Nightwing was once Robin and all. It could open it up for not only new stories, but stories that build the past of this new universe as well...

 

[hippie_hunter]

Then it's dropped from my pull list. Another 2.99 saved.

I think this one depends on the writer. Deadman is cool and all, but if it's being written by a writer that I don't give a damn about, consider me dropping Adventure Comics as well.

Right now my new pull list from DC looks like Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Teen Titans, Justice League, Aquaman, Batwoman, and Justice League International.

I'm currently passing on the WildStorm-integrated DCU titles, OMAC, My Greatest Adventure, and Batgirl

 

[Sawyer]

Oh, JLI is back too? Sign me up for that, as well.

 

[Kurosawa]

Okay, let me ask this: Has it been said that is a hard reboot ala COIE? Like, not by Bleeding Cool and ****, but an official source? That all the stuff happening (like Batman, Inc.) are going to be completely thrown away with this? I know that the characters themselves are getting revamping, but do we actually know this is a chucking out and starting anew without any connection with the previous stuff? I'm seeing a lot of people assuming this, but I'm not actually seeing this be said outright.

It really is hard for me to believe that they would go away from all the work that Morrison has been doing on Batman, especially considering the reception has been overwhelmingly positive. But if they try to keep some current stories going and they change other storylines, they they will be right back to where they've been since COIE-where no one knows what stories count and which ones don't. Better they just do a total reboot or go back to alternate Earths, which is the best and simplest solution. Then they could continue Morrison's Batman Incorporated on Earth-0, and have all the reboot stuff on Earth-whatever number they wanna give it.

 

[hippie_hunter]

And this is an actual deal that someone struck, or is this just a decision to rearrange on B&N's part? You implied DC had an active role in it, so I'm kind of confused.

I think it's a bit of both. Barnes & Noble saw the success that their competitor had with comics while DC, Marvel, and various other publishers want to expand their product. However, I remember reading that the main reason why we haven't seen comics in major retailers yet is due to various financials and deals were probably made so that both sides could be profitable.

 

[Tron Bonne]

It really is hard for me to believe that they would go away from all the work that Morrison has been doing on Batman, especially considering the reception has been overwhelmingly positive. But if they try to keep some current stories going and they change other storylines, they they will be right back to where they've been since COIE-where no one knows what stories count and which ones don't. Better they just do a total reboot or go back to alternate Earths, which is the best and simplest solution. Then they could continue Morrison's Batman Incorporated on Earth-0, and have all the reboot stuff on Earth-whatever number they wanna give it.

Yeah, see, there's too many issues with this. I mean, we have stuff like Batwoman, Red Lanterns, and JLI coming out that's connected (especially in the latter's case, pretty extensively) to the previous canon. And stuff like Batman, Inc. that and Johns' GL that, from what I know, won't be finished by September. It doesn't seem to add up.

I think it's a bit of both. Barnes & Noble saw the success that their competitor had with comics while DC, Marvel, and various other publishers want to expand their product. However, I remember reading that the main reason why we haven't seen comics in major retailers yet is due to various financials and deals were probably made so that both sides could be profitable.

Oh, okay. I guess by major retailers you Wal-Mart and stuff like that. I always figured it was a lack of interest. I know Wal-Mart cut their book section across the board pretty significantly a few years back.

 

[Nightwing Z]

Wait, so it's confirmed that Dick's Nightwing again? -_- Guess it's bye-bye Damian.

 

[Tron Bonne]

No, it's not confirmed.

 

[Nightwing Z]

Oh, Thank God. I still hope that he's still Batman and Damian's Robin.

 

[antsman41]

"This is wrong..."

WTF.

They can't renumber. It spits on the legacy of these comics...

I want to be 70 years old and be able to buy Detective Comics 1475.

A little of my fandom has died inside.

They've already freshened it up with new titles, please don't re-do (f up) the staples; Detective and Batman.

And, re-starting Det at #1 and not a new #27 is a huge fail, if this is what they in fact have to sadly do for sale...

 

[Tron Bonne]

Oh, trust me, they'll renumber at some point. Even if it's not soon, I really don't see them missing a chance to celebrate those triple digits in some form.