DC REBIRTH
It’s reboot time ( again) for the venerable comics outfit
When isare boot not are boot?
The rumours were building for weeks. DC Comics was planning something big that would encompass their entire superhero line. At the ComicsPRO event in February, Co- Publisher Dan DiDio revealed the truth. DC Rebirth is a relaunch programme that aims to restore the legacy to DC Comics that its previous refresh, the New 52, erased.
Ripit up and start again
Let’s backtrack a little. Once upon a time, DC’s continuity was a tangle of alternate realities. In 1986 Crisis On Infinite Earths streamlined everything into a coherent continuity. It worked, but DC continued to tinker with things. Deciding that a clean slate was needed, 2011’ s Flashpoint storyline kickstarted the New 52 – a reboot which wiped out decades of character history and started again.
Courting controversy
Rebirth is an attempt to restore some of that history – though how we don’t yet know. The event kicks off with DC Rebirth # 1, by Geoff Johns, Ethan Van Sciver, Ivan Reis, Phil Jiminez and Gary Frank. Dan DiDio has promised that it will feature “the single most controversial scene in DC Comics in the time I’ve been there”. Yay?
What’ sin a number?
There’s nothing comics publishers love more than a new # 1, and Rebirth gives DC the chance to slap them across almost all of its titles. The notable exceptions are Superman and Batman titles Action Comics and Detective Comics, which will be returning to their pre- Flashpoint numbers. So, # 957 and # 934 respectively.
It will cost youless… kind of
Instead of using this an opportunity for a price hike, DC is taking the opposite approach, reducing their issue costs to $ 2.99 ( they’re currently $ 3.99). That’s smart – it encourages new readers while also taking the sting out of this next piece of news: 10 of the more popular titles like Batman, Superman, The Flash and Wonder Woman will be moving to a fortnightly schedule.
Somethingold, something new ...
DC is being cagey about exactly who is writing and drawing what, but we know some of the titles. As well as the big books there are some intriguing spin- offs like The Super- Man and Super Sons, along with books for lesserknown characters like the Blue Beetle. More troubling is the apparent cancellation of diversity- friendly titles like Secret Six, Midnighter, Doctor Fate and Black Canary.
Who isthis aimed at?
Rebirth looks like an attempt by DC to have its cake and eat it. It’s bringing back the elements of the old continuity that fans missed, while also looking to entice new fans with new # 1 issues. It’s a bit of a gamble to start over again so soon after the New 52, but it may just work...
When does it start?
DC Rebirth # 1, by Geoff Johns, kicks the whole thing off on Wednesday 25 May.