The New 52 general discussion

[Gaucho]

DC Comics Presents: Deadman!

Also, you're doing yourself a real disservice if you don't pick up Wonder Woman.

Thank you! I'll give those titles a try.

 

[JoeMD]

DC Comics Presents: Deadman!

Also, you're doing yourself a real disservice if you don't pick up Wonder Woman.

Zambipanda, we're just gonna have to accept we have very different tastes. As much as I love Wonder Woman as a character I'm finding the new series impenetrable. Doesn't make sense, characters don't seem to know where they are going and I'm just not enjoying it. Gave up the physical issues but will continue with digital for a little while to see if it improves.

 

[Friday]

Zambipanda, we're just gonna have to accept we have very different tastes. As much as I love Wonder Woman as a character I'm finding the new series impenetrable. Doesn't make sense, characters don't seem to know where they are going and I'm just not enjoying it. Gave up the physical issues but will continue with digital for a little while to see if it improves.

I completly agree with ZP on this one. Wonder Woman is fantastic. Ye, its dense, and it might even require a little research, but it makes perfect sense. Tell me, whats confused you about it?

 

[Zombipanda]

Zambipanda, we're just gonna have to accept we have very different tastes. As much as I love Wonder Woman as a character I'm finding the new series impenetrable. Doesn't make sense, characters don't seem to know where they are going and I'm just not enjoying it. Gave up the physical issues but will continue with digital for a little while to see if it improves.

I'll accept no such thing.

I completly agree with ZP on this one. Wonder Woman is fantastic. Ye, its dense, and it might even require a little research, but it makes perfect sense. Tell me, whats confused you about it?

I wouldn't even call it especially dense, but I'm also curious to see what confused him about it.

 

[E]

Zambipanda, we're just gonna have to accept we have very different tastes. As much as I love Wonder Woman as a character I'm finding the new series impenetrable. Doesn't make sense, characters don't seem to know where they are going and I'm just not enjoying it. Gave up the physical issues but will continue with digital for a little while to see if it improves.

I completly agree with ZP on this one. Wonder Woman is fantastic. Ye, its dense, and it might even require a little research, but it makes perfect sense. Tell me, whats confused you about it?

I agree that it's dense and that has kind of killed any enthusiasm I might have had for it. But it is well-written and the art is great.

I also read yesterday that Bane breaking Batman's back did happen in the new 52. At first I thought it was stupid that everything is not expressly spelled out as far as what happened and what didn't, but after reading Doc's (I think it was him) explanation and thinking about it, it's much better to just assume the big things did happen, and anything else that is ignorable can be ignored.

The only real downside to that is I guess you might not get some of the cool stuff that Grant Morrison did with Zur En Arrh since a lot of stuff from his Batman run was built on throwaway junk from years ago. But then again maybe the loose continuity here means you can pick and choose stuff like that as you please.

 

[mike3717]

I also read yesterday that Bane breaking Batman's back did happen in the new 52. At first I thought it was stupid that everything is not expressly spelled out as far as what happened and what didn't, but after reading Doc's (I think it was him) explanation and thinking about it, it's much better to just assume the big things did happen, and anything else that is ignorable can be ignored.

Where did you read that? Does it mention what else has happened and what hasn't? I know supposedly Superman has died and come back also.

I am starting to get the feeling that the "new 52" may be taking place on a different earth in the multiverse. Which would be cooler than calling it a reboot imho.

At the very least is a back door out of this for DC if this whole new 52 thing ends up barfing on itself.

 

[Friday]

Where did you read that? Does it mention what else has happened and what hasn't? I know supposedly Superman has died and come back also.

I really hate that Supermans death is still in continuity. Especially since we've gotten new origins for Steel and Superboy.

 

[JoeMD]

Just to answer people's questions about my feelings on the WW book - I simply find it hard to follow the writing style. It just doesn't flow well for me. It's not that it's dense that worries me, I can handle dense books no problem. It's simply a style of writing that I can't gel with. That's as good as I can explain it. Hope that answers your questions.

 

[E]

Where did you read that? Does it mention what else has happened and what hasn't?

I think it was on Bleeding Cool and no, it doesn't. It has a couple panels from an upcoming Batman book where Bane basically says "I'm back to finish the job" (I'm paraphrasing here).

I am starting to get the feeling that the "new 52" may be taking place on a different earth in the multiverse. Which would be cooler than calling it a reboot imho.

I don't think they need to complicate things. Events of DC's multiverses are ridiculously complicated in the first place and a hindrance to new readers; probably a huge reason they did this in the first place. I really don't think there's a need to do that and complicate things more.

I really hate that Supermans death is still in continuity. Especially since we've gotten new origins for Steel and Superboy.

Yeah, that makes no sense at all.

 

[mike3717]

I really hate that Supermans death is still in continuity. Especially since we've gotten new origins for Steel and Superboy.

Me too.

I think it was on Bleeding Cool and no, it doesn't. It has a couple panels from an upcoming Batman book where Bane basically says "I'm back to finish the job" (I'm paraphrasing here).

Ah. Cool thanks. I think I hate this as much as I hate that Superman dying is still in continuity.

I don't think they need to complicate things. Events of DC's multiverses are ridiculously complicated in the first place and a hindrance to new readers; probably a huge reason they did this in the first place. I really don't think there's a need to do that and complicate things more.

My guess is DC doesn't see it that way since they are "re-introducing" the multiverse in upcoming 2nd wave titles. It seems that DC doesn't think the multiverse itself was a problem but how it had been handled and the results of multiple crisis events etc. since it seems the crisis events represent the majority of what has been retconned out.

 

[Gaucho]

Crisis = Continuity. In these times of huge TPB's sales, Graphic Novels and digital downloads I think continuity is old fashioned. How long you can keep on with a logical continuity without making a mess and need a Crisis (or Brand New Day) to fix things? 10 years, 15 at the most? I choose one hell of a story over 45 years of poor Aunt May at the verge of death. Give me All Star Superman everyday and who cares if Martha and Jonathan are still alive.

 

[E]

I choose one hell of a story over 45 years of poor Aunt May at the verge of death. Give me All Star Superman everyday and who cares if Martha and Jonathan are still alive.

I totally agree, and for Marvel, at least, it looks like they are either considering this or are even already starting to do this. They've been reprinting a lot of classic stories in TPB/premiere hardcover format the last couple years and via digital sales.

 

[E]

So does no one else think it was cool how they showed the fate of the hyper adapter from Grant Morrison's Batman in the All-Star Western #5 & 6?

 

[Zombipanda]

While the newly-relaunched DC Universe's Amazonian princess has shown herself to be one who has no hesitation to throw down in battle, her alternate-Earth counterpart may prove to be even fiercer thanks to having a very different history, according to "Earth 2" writer James Robinson.

"Due the events that open the saga of EARTH 2, Wonder Woman is already the last Amazon of this world and she is determined to avenge her sisters…at whatever cost," Robinson told DC's blog, The Source. Series editor Pat McCallum weighs in as well, hinting at Earth 2 being a rather violent place, saying, "It's one of the mysteries we'll be getting into with the series. While there will be recognizable faces and settings on EARTH 2, don't for a moment think you're on familiar ground. Do that, and you let your guard down…and then you'll end up like the rest of the Amazons."

A radical departure from the core universe, where she doesn't become the last Amazon until issue four!

Why can't the poor island of lesbians just live in peace?

Oh... right...

They get what they deserve.

 

[Ultimate Houde]

I'm kinda of glad that I was sort of right on what Pandora is.

For those that missed it, Pandora is a being like Phantom Stranger (who still exists in this realm, and hasn't changed). She changed the world because she is trying to break her curse, and Phantom Stranger is trying to stop her.

Though ineffectively.

 

[mike3717]

I'm kinda of glad that I was sort of right on what Pandora is.

For those that missed it, Pandora is a being like Phantom Stranger (who still exists in this realm, and hasn't changed). She changed the world because she is trying to break her curse, and Phantom Stranger is trying to stop her.

Though ineffectively.

That was the best part of JL #6.

I like that they just came out and said she is responsible for the new 52 universe. I didn't read Flashpoint so I don't know if that had been revealed already or not. But it was new to me.

 

[mike3717]

This sounds like it has potential to be pretty good. Esp with Lemire at the helm.

DC Comics' "National Comics" Series to Explore the New 52

This July, DC Comics resurrects "National Comics" as a new anthology-style series.

Announced today at Wired's Geek Dads blog, the new series will serve as a base to explore the publisher's New 52 universe, offering single-issue tales of characters and concepts including Eternity, Rose and Thorn, Madame X and the Outsider team-member Looker.

2011 Eisner Award-nominee for Best Writer Jeff Lemire launches the new title with his and artist Cully Hamner's take on Eternity, an updated take on Kid Eternity, with other as-yet unnamed creative teams coming on for subsequent stories.

More...

 

[E]

This sounds like it has potential to be pretty good. Esp with Lemire at the helm.

DC Comics' "National Comics" Series to Explore the New 52

This July, DC Comics resurrects "National Comics" as a new anthology-style series.

Announced today at Wired's Geek Dads blog, the new series will serve as a base to explore the publisher's New 52 universe, offering single-issue tales of characters and concepts including Eternity, Rose and Thorn, Madame X and the Outsider team-member Looker.

2011 Eisner Award-nominee for Best Writer Jeff Lemire launches the new title with his and artist Cully Hamner's take on Eternity, an updated take on Kid Eternity, with other as-yet unnamed creative teams coming on for subsequent stories.

More...

Cool. I wish DC and Marvel did more of these anthology style books. They could really improve on the quality of the writing, consolidate a lot of storylines, and reach more readers compared to publishing a larger number of crappy books.

 

[Zombipanda]

Cool. I wish DC and Marvel did more of these anthology style books. They could really improve on the quality of the writing, consolidate a lot of storylines, and reach more readers compared to publishing a larger number of crappy books.

The problem is that anthologies don't sell well because the installed readership wants those long, convoluted stories because anything short and self-contained "doesn't matter", and new readers aren't going to come into comic shops to buy the anthologies or even know they exist. And the nature of the stories makes trade compilation difficult. The direct market system is by its nature insular and uninviting to new audiences.

But I really do hope this succeeds well enough to not get cancelled. I'm a big fan of anthologies too. The comic book short story is practically a lost art.

Also, am I the only one who thinks that's a really bizarre choice for a title? "National Comics"?

 

[E]

The problem is that anthologies don't sell well because the installed readership wants those long, convoluted stories because anything short and self-contained "doesn't matter", and new readers aren't going to come into comic shops to buy the anthologies or even know they exist. And the nature of the stories makes trade compilation difficult. The direct market system is by its nature insular and uninviting to new audiences.

I think there's a tendency to give these kinds of stories to writers who either aren't very established or aren't very good. If they put top tier talent on them I think the sales issue would disappear.

Trade compilation doesn't have to be difficult. Things are only as difficult as the companies make them. If they put the effort behind them, and market them properly the trades should sell just fine. I think what happens is somehow they decide that something hasn't worked in the past so therefore it's not a good idea, so instead of considering that maybe they did a crappy job they just write it off as not viable.

Wasn't Wednesday Comics pretty successful? that was a new idea and at least the reviews and discussion on it were positive. That was basically an anthology project.