This is Entry 207: More DC, Part 2

It's another day & another double post!

This is a continuation of the Conversion between Me & Scott over the *new* DC that started on Facebook, continued in Entry 206 & continues here.

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Some good answers

Thanks. You gave some stuff to think about & stuff worth responding to.

but not everything convinces me that DC isn’t pulling our leg.

As for DC pulling our collective legs I'm not sure. This could be the new direction but I haven't read much from DC other them the solicitations & they don't say much. Everything hinges on the final issue of Flashpoint, which is the last book that will be released before the reboot & Justice league, the 1st reboot book released.

I didn’t know Multiversity was due already. That’s a shame.

All I found talking about it was from 2009 & they said it was coming out sometime in 2010. I found nothing talking about it post 2009. So, what happened to it: I don't know. Only Grant Morrison & DC know.

The Earth 2 Superman who died in the Infinite Crisis was the true one. The one from old DC, who went to the pocket dimension with Lois, Alex Luthor of Earth 3 and Superboy Prime.

Yes. I know that. I just didn't mention it. :)

In that JSA annual, they said Superman and Powergirl were missing. I thought they said they went missing together.

If I remember correctly, it's been awhile since I read that issue: It said that Superman went missing first (During the 1st Crisis most likely) & their Power Girl went out later looking for him afterwards

The original Power Girl didn’t disappear after the Crisis so I take this as the Earth 2 we saw in that annual was a new Earth 2 created after the 52 earths were created. NOT the original. Which means why make the Superman of the new Earth 2 vanish? It’s refrenced in that JSA annual and the 52 series. I think it’s a loose end.

I think that was a reference to the Crisis on Infinite Earths: He went missing from Earth-2 then & some how when this new Earth-2 was created this carried over since at the time he still existed just in a pocket dimension & would have still been "missing" from that Earth-2. Why have certain things carry over? I don't know. This is just me trying to make sense of things.

In the new 52 (what? 52 books? Not 53? Not 49? 52? Why that number?)

Why 52 new books? I don't know other then they seem to like the number. The 2 numbers can look like the same number placed back to back & flipped over. So, it might be that.

there is no refrence in the adverts for the JSA, Powergirl, Stargirl, etc.

I know! I mentioned no JSA & talked about no Power Girl about the very thing in Entry 205!

Now you’re right about sales. But the JSA are very popular. They’ve made it to the JLU and Brave and the Bold cartoons and Smallville (at least several members did). Mattel’s DC Universe Classics line is doing a JSA theme wave (wave 19). Of this toy wave and all three of those shows, Star girl is shown. Why not give her a book? Granted, Mister Terrific was given a new book, but besides Hawkman, he is the only one. And in Infinite Crisis we found out the new Mister Terrific would’ve been native to the old Earth 1.

Being in the JLU, B&B & Smallville is only the allusion of popularity. It's popular enough with the people putting together those shows & toys. But they might not be popular with the public at large.

I don't think Stargirl is a strong enough character to warrant a book. I don't think Mr. Terrific is a strong enough character to warrant a character either but he's getting a book somehow. In the JSA annual you also find out that he has a Earth-2 counterpart but I don't think he became Mr. Terrific there.

Why did Hawkman get a book? I think it's because of his involvement in Brightest Day. why would that matter in a rebooted DC? Not sure but if you read the end of BD I does look like DC is setting him up from something. Like something you'd tell in a Hawkman series.

So no old Earth 2 carry overs? Even popular ones?

At this point in time: no. Which is sad. I like Earth-2 & the people who emanated from it's universe. I had also been enjoying the Power Girl book.

There is a list compiled of the 52 Earths.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_DC_Multiverse_worlds

I've seen it before & used it as a reference before.

On it we see that the main DCU is Earth 0, Earth 1 is their “fresh look Earth” that had two books recently, and the list goes on.

Ok. I'll give that what I was calling Earth-1 last time is actually Earth-0. But what 2 books are you thinking of from Earth-1? So, far only Earth-1: Superman has been released (Earth-1:Batman is still in the works) & I'm not even sure that "Earth-1" ties into the main DCU. I have looked at the E1:S book & thought it was ok. Not sure if was the best "start" to a universe.

Take note of Earth 16. Sure, they goofed up, but they made a point of saying the new Young Justice cartoon on Cartoon Network takes place on Earth 16. They never said that about the Brave and the Bold cartoon, which also began after the 52 earths were introduced. The new Green Lantern cartoon coming this fall ALSO was never given a certain Earth. Why was the Young Justice Earth given Earth 52?

I hadn't heard this since I haven't been watching the YJ cartoon or following any news around it. But I do known in the past people have said that certain people have been from certain other earths & then been corrected later on.

Bottom line: I agree with the concept you mentioned that Barry returned to the wrong Earth. This reboot is a sales gimmick. You are right. I doubt it will be for a single month and honestly, it may be for a year.

Of course it's a sale gimmick: Comic Nooks are built on sale gimmicks but I'm sure how long this will go on for. I think saying it'll be gone in a year is being short sighted. A one month is just crazy what with what DC is launches part of this reboot (The Day & Date digital releasing).

As for it will all turn out to be: Barry's on the wrong earth I don't know. I would kind of sucky if they did that since that's why they are just doing in Flashpoint.

We see 2 different costumed versions of Superman and Superboy.

We have seen 2 different covers from 2 different artists which means that could still be 1 Superman & 1 Superboy. I heard that Action Comics & Superman might take place in different point in time (AC being earlier then S) so that would account for the "different" costumes but that just conjecture.

We see Green Lantern remaining about the same

They didn't want to change it so much. They have a movie to tie into vaguely & Geoff Johns, the writer behind all things GL, is high up in company & was most likely in all the planning so his favorites got to stuff they way he wanted.

yet so many are drastically changed from Harley Quinn to Wondergirl.

Not sure about WG, but Harley's costume looks a bit like the one from the upcoming Batman video game. So, they might of changed to be like that so new readers wouldn't be "confused" about why didn't look the way she did in the game.

The peculiar absence of anyone originally from the old Earth 2 (no JSA, Powergirl, Jade whom they just brought back), Earth S (No Captain Marvel or Marvel Family relaunch) or Earth X (no Freedom Fighters relaunch).

You do bring up a good point. There do seem to be quite a few people missing from the new DC.

The fact that in the new Action 1 it’s listed that Superman was the first hero (again no JSA?), all of this just adds up to more mystery.

This just brings back up the point that since Superman was the 1st published super hero comic, he'd of course be the first hero. The JSA were just but first to make Superman seem younger.

I bet they just put the regular DCU on freeze for a period, play with these concepts, and then after it’s done it goes back.

Maybe. But there isn't really anything "new" there. It's just "old" concept doing in a slightly new way. I didn't see anything I didn't already recognize. There were no new characters. So, I don't see why this couldn't just be done in the regular DCU & make the changes gradually.

Hmmm. A comic company stopping everything and releasing a whole bunch of temporary new number one issues? Where have I heard that before? Maybe I should go ask Super Soldier, Dark Claw and Spider-Boy? Oh wait. Amalgam only got those number one issues. I’m referencing to that excellent gimmick when DC and Marvel stopped all their books for a couple weeks and published merged books as “Amalgam Comics”.

But you knew when they did Amalgam that they weren't going to do anything beyond those #1 issues. Here they seem to be saying "This is where we are going & this is what we are doing!"

*sigh* Wouldn't it be awesome if they did another Amalgam series? Still one of my favorite events/gimmicks.

Marvel did it gain when they stopped all their X-books and published new number one books called the Age of Apocalypse. This is the same thing.

But that was clearly an alternate dimension & you knew that they never have that as the main universe. Also, AoA happened before Amalgam.

What this seems more like is Marvel's "Heroes Reborn": After Onslaught (remember Onslaught?) killed most the major characters (except for the X-Men) were shunted off to a side dimension. All had new #1's, new costumes & the characters were "different" from the version pre-Onslaught. They were written & drawn by different people then before. They were "reborn"! Certain aspects of their earlier stories were redone in this new Universe & they were trying to get new readers to read comics. Does that sound familiar? Flashpoint is DC's Onslaught. We are going into "DC Heroes Reborn"

How long did Heroes Reborn last? a year. What happened? "Heroes Return" which brought them back to the main Marvel Universe & resumed their lives as normal to new talk of it ever again.

Don’t worry.

I would have said Don't Panic or added "Be happy". :)

All those clues will pan out someday.

eventually.

Is it smart playing such a long game? No. They’re losing readers and playing with their heads, and not in a good Sixth Sense way.

They'll continue to play with their hardcore reader because they know no matter what they do they'll still have people buying the book if only to complain about how bad it is.

Still, that’s my thinking. I could be wrong.

And I've given mine & I could also be wrong.

It could just be a bunch of guys saying “wouldn’t this be kewl if…” and “oops, well lets try this then”.

It's what they have always done, why would they change it now? :)

Guess we’ll see.

Yes we shall.

I look forward to your reply. Until then: Stay Jazzy!

- Brian