Don’t believe the hype.
Justice League #1 arrives on shelves in just a few short hours, heralding a brand new DC Universe. For those who may not know, DC Comics -- home to Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and other heroes of varying obscurity -- has existed since before the second World War and has been publishing some of its titles uninterrupted since the 1930s. As of August 2011, the publisher has canceled every one of its titles, and will be launching fifty-two brand new monthly volumes, some familiar, some not so much, each with a new #1 issue, beginning August 31st. More importantly, the fresh number one on the cover is merely an external indicator of the fresh content behind it. These characters, whether new or old, iconic or obscure, are getting a fresh coat of paint. Longtime readers can expect new costumes and streamlined origins, while new readers can approach these books without having to navigate the characters’ labyrinthine continuity or 80 years of history.
This is a bold move, designed to attract new readers and reclaim market share from rival Marvel Comics. Media outlets have proclaimed that DC has gone “all in” or “bet the house.”
But…don’t believe the hype.
Those poker metaphors imply that DC Comics has something at stake. In reality, neither the publisher nor the industry has anything to lose. The worst possible outcome would involve all of these titles - this ‘New 52’ - failing in their mission to secure new readers and market share. The whole endeavor would be dismissed as a noble but fruitless experiment, and the comics industry would return to where it was before.
That is, dying.
The comics medium has been hemorrhaging readers for years. Twenty years ago, the best selling titles would routinely move over a million units in a single month. Several months have passed so far in 2011 when the best selling comic failed to move a hundred thousand. DC’s gambit aims to change that, to recapture some of those lost readers from the ‘90s and to infect a new generation of readers.
They’ve untangled continuity and history. They’re making all of these titles available for purchase electronically, for your PC, iPad or mobile phone, on the same day-and-date that the physical book is available in stores. The publisher is taking steps to keep these books on a consistent monthly schedule. They’ve expanded their line of superhero books to include elements of horror, espionage and science fiction. There is no longer any excuse not to explore the ‘New 52’ titles of the DC Universe…
…provided, of course, that the quality of these books is as good as advertised. Don’t believe the hype.
For the next year, I’m going to chronicle this new DC Universe and these new titles. I love comics, and I want desperately for this re-launch to succeed. So I’m going to do what I can to spread the word. For the first three months, I will post reviews of each and every one of these fifty-two books, emphasizing whether each title is accessible to new readers and whether, frankly, it’s entertaining.
After the third month, I’ll be winnowing away the titles I’m not enjoying or which just aren’t working. When a title falls off my reading list, you’ll know it, and you’ll know why.
I’ve invited some friends to join me and to post reviews of their own, and they’ll be along shortly to introduce themselves.
DC’s ‘New 52’ just might change the face of a medium and an industry. Don’t believe the hype.
