DC is relaunching their universe as of late August/the month of September. 52 newly launched and renumbered titles complete with character overhauls, origin tweaks, new(ish) costumes, and new number 1's for nearly every title. That's just an overview. You also have to take into account the announcement that DC will be the first of the big two publishers to go day-and-date with digital releases. Oh, and the official confirmation that Geoff Johns (arguably the most powerful comic writer around) and Jim Lee (not at all arguably the most powerful comics artist) are the new creative team on a Justice League title.
Any one of those stories would give us more than enough to pontificate, debate, or rant about for days on end. All three at once? As stated before, it's massive.
I'm not a comics historian nor am I prone to go off on tangents about news items, either in favor of the story or against. So you'll allow me this one indulgence.
I'll start with what is the only officially confirmed creative team announcement. Geoff Johns taking the writing chores on a Justice League book is big news. He's never had the reins of what should be DC's flagship book beyond a brief stint with co-writer Alan Heinberg back during the Identity Crisis days. It's strange to think that the man who has basically been guiding the DC ship for the last five years hasn't written what should be the company's template for it's entire line. Think of what Bendis' Avengers books are to Marvel. That's what the JLA should be to DC. If any one writer can set the tone for the entire line with one title it's Johns.
Factor in Jim Lee, arguably the best known comic artist of all time (if any one artist stands above him in terms of name recognition I can only think of Jack Kirby) coming onboard. It's the comics equivalent of an all star team. The biggest writer DC has with the biggest name in the industry on art duties creating stories staring DC's most iconic characters that should serve as a guiding light for the rest of the line. It's hard for me not to get all fanboyish at the mere mention of this.
Now, I realize that Jim Lee isn't everyone's favorite artist. Heck I even understand that there are some people who don't like him at all. The same applies to Geoff Johns. But there's simply no arguing that this is a book that will get people talking. Whether for good or ill we'll have to wait till August to see...
Which brings me to the day and date digital release news. This, for me, is the game-changer. For the last couple years we've been watching as DC and Marvel dipped their toes in the digital waters. It had essentially become a staring contest between the two companies over which would finally go all the way and release their line in digital form simultaneously with the printed version. The reason being that the company that does it first is taking the most risks. They're risking the ire of the retailers who fear they'll lose customers. They're risking the entire thing flopping and making them look like they jumped the gun. They're also the first ones to have to decide on the cost of digital comics that are released the same day as printed copies.
Eventually digital comics will have to undercut the printed version. But will DC do it out of the gate? And if so, will it take customers away from the brick and mortar retail outlets? I see it as an inevitability that one day comics retailing will either have to change drastically or be eliminated completely. It's not going to be one publisher's fault, simply the reality of an increasingly computerized world. But if DC is the first in the game, despite not being deserving of it, they'll also be known as the company who destroyed printed comics. I'm probably getting a little bit ahead of myself on that prediction but I really believe it's a reality.
At any rate, announcing that every title across the line will be available on your iPad, your iPhone, your favorite comics app the same day it becomes available at your local comics shop? It's the comics equivalent of iTunes being birthed. Or more appropriately it would be the equivalent of one of the biggest record label releasing albums on iTunes the same day they hit Best Buy shelves.
And then there's the relaunch itself.
Here's the thing, I've always been against the rampant re-numbering of titles that goes on at the big two. There have been a couple times where it seemed to make sense. New Avengers relaunched with a new number 1 post-Avengers Disassembled, and I was fine with it. The same thing with Justice League spinning out of Infinite Crisis. Then there have been times when comics were sent back to a new number one for no apparent reason. The most recent example I can think of would be a title like Flash which also had relaunched post-Infinite Crisis... then switched to a new number one within a few years.
Some times it works. Some times it makes sense. Others, it's just to draw attention and serves no purpose beyond that.If you're going to do a re-numbering I can think of no better way than to do it with nearly EVERY BOOK IN YOUR LINE after a summer blockbuster event with new creative teams, directions, costume designs, and even characters. If it works, it will be the text book example of how to do a relaunch.
The most important thing to bear in mind about all of this is that every single move DC is making is being made to bring on new readers. Sure, they want to keep the current readership but day-and-date digitally releasing comics? That's to make those titles accessible to people who don't usually visit comic book stores. Geoff Johns writing a comic might not be too big of a deal outside of the industry but Jim Lee drawing it? If anyone is capable of bringing back readers that were lost in the mass-exodus of fans post-90's it's the man who sold 3 million copies of X-Men. And like it or not, yes, new number 1's sell.
If the same day releasing of those number 1's has the affect I believe it will we could see a boom through out the industry that could help sales figures to not just stabilize but actually go up. Like it or not, the biggest story out of all of this will end up being the digital one.
I intend on writing more on this topic over the course of the week. Particularly I want to point out the ridiculousness of the whining I'm seeing on message boards and Facebook news posts. For now, this is what I've got to say on the subject. It's a good time to be a comic reader. There's a heightened quality to a lot of the work through out the entire industry, not just the big two or in super hero titles. And we're on the ground floor of the so-called digital revolution. I'm genuinely excited by everything that DC has announced over the last two days and can't wait to start seeing who the creative teams are on the 52 titles they're launching.
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