Rebirth
(why the New 52 did not work)
by Phil Perich for the Legends of DC blog
In the last few days, DC Comics has announced that they will be undertaking another company-wide reboot of all their comic book titles this June (2016). They have not given many specifics yet except that there will be even more Batman titles than before (Batman related stuff sells the best for them), and most of the books will star characters from their TV shows & movies (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Arrow, Harley Quinn, Suicide Squad, etc).The only definite information was a name for the event, Rebirth.
While I love DC Comics (and Marvel as well), I enjoyed DC’s old continuity more, before they rebooted and restarted in 2011 with the New 52. Here are a few of my reasons.
- After DC “modernized” all their characters with the New 52, old characters got new histories, even some villain identities were used by new individuals. As a fan who had studied these characters since the age of 10, All of a sudden I felt lost and confused in many instances. And this supposedly modern, hip universe seemed more violent, brutal, and paranoid.
Batman slaps Nightwing
2. Many DC Comics groups and characters lost their legacies. The Justice Society of America was no longer the original superteam that inspired all who came after them like the Justice League and others. Many identities were handed down from generation to generation. Jay Garrick was no longer the first Flash and didn't inspire Barry Allen, then Wally West, and eventually Bart Allen (temporarily) to follow in his footsteps as the Flash.
Flash family
3. Popular, great selling books were cancelled when the New 52 started, and never came back even though the lead characters were popular and people loved their solo series. It was only because they didn't fit into the new continuity as they were. The Red Robin and Power Girl books are the first two that spring to mind.
Red Robin #26
4. The New 52 became a chaotic mess of books coming and going. Some books were cancelled after the first year, others lasted a few. Who knows if office politics were involved as eventually some books were cancelled even though other books that stayed in publication sold fewer copies every month.
Supergirl #40
Coming to the end of the New 52/Convergence era, did DC have to go through these last few years of “growing pains”? Maybe. Hopefully the creators and the company as a whole will have learned from this experience, and hopefully we will see some of the more classic elements we DC fans have come to love. I invite any and all discussion on this issue.
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You can hear me and my cohost Lilith Hellfire (@lilithHellfire) on our weekly podcast World’s Finest reviewing the new DC Comics issues of the week. I also write the True Believers, a Marvel blog. You can find both blogs and all my podcasts, along with those of others at www.southgatemediagroup.com
I have also started writing a new weekly article about all the DC and Marvel TV shows of the week called the Super 5. You can find it every week at www.tvbinges.com
Until next time, don't get lost in the multiverse!