Monday, August 29, 2011

DC: The New 52 and You.

And so it begins. After months of promotion, speculation, trepidation, anticipation, and a little confusion, DC launches the first of their new titles this week with JUSTICE LEAGUE #1. Written by superstar Geoff Johns, and art by the legendary Jim Lee, this initial release should be a home run in sales, and a solid way to kick off what promises to be an interesting time in comics' history.

So what's it all about? For those not familiar with the "New 52", here's the short of it: In an effort to gain new readers and inject some life into stale titles, DC Comics is relaunching their entire line of comics with first issues starting this September (Justice League #1 being the exception this week.). Yes, their entire line, starting with 52 titles in September. Yes, even Action Comics which recently reached issue #900. DC states that they are not discarding the storied histories of their characters, but just reworking them in a way for new readers to jump on board more readily. Looking for a good time to try DC comics again? This is it.

Does this mean all your favorite stories of the past will be preserved? Probably not. DC isn't saying yet (I mean, they DO want you to buy the titles and see for yourself), but you can bet that the most life-changing stories will remain somewhat intact, although re-worked to fit into their current continuity. While titles like the Batman family of books, and the Green Lantern line appear to remain somewhat less affected, Superman is getting a major overhaul, complete with modified origin, and a return to bachelorhood. Other characters like Hawkman, Green Arrow, and Captain Atom appear to be getting major overhauls as well.

While comic characters have undergone changes over time, like Superman in the 1980s, or Batman in the 1990s (and over at Marvel, Spider-Man had his history changed recently by magical means), the industry has never seen anything like this current initiative. Initially upon hearing the news, there was shock among professionals, retailers, and fans. Over the past few months, as information spread, the shock gave way and excitement started to build. Customers in our store have an overwhelmingly positive attitude about the changes, and have expressed genuine interest in trying the new titles.

DC Comics is asking alot of fans, old and new. All we can do is try this newest flavor of our favorite characters, and in the end, good stories & good artwork will keep us coming back for more, no matter what number is on the issue.

David Romeo
Owner, Comics on the Green

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