DC Universe: Rebirth is revealed. After the New 52 line reaches issue #52 in May, an 80-page special “DC Universe: Rebirth” sets the stage for a rolling update of the new DC line:
- 32 ongoing series total, 17 of them twice-monthly, ALL of them $2.99.
- Not every series will start the same month. They’ll roll out a few at a time starting in June and running through fall.
- Everything is renumbering at #1…except for Action Comics and Detective Comics, which will pick up their original numbering.
- 23 books will kick off with a “Rebirth” special before the new ongoing begins.
Flash: Rebirth and Flash #1 both hit in June. Both? Yep, Flash is one of the 17 comics that will ship twice a month.
As for the shape of the DC Universe going forward, Dan Didio says it’s “designed to bring back the best of DC’s past, embrace the stories we currently love and move the entire epic universe into the future. We are returning to the essence of the DCU.”
CBR has an interview with Geoff Johns in which he says it’s less like “Crisis” or “Flashpoint,” and more like “Green Lantern: Rebirth” and “Flash: Rebirth.”
“DC Universe: Rebirth” is about bringing back what makes the DC Universe the DC Universe. There are certain things, like legacy, that are missing. There are other things that I don’t want to totally spoil. But there are a lot of things in there that I think are unique to the DC Universe, and really need to be pushed back to the forefront.
DC continues to insist that they’re not going for a total reboot. It sounds more like they’re re-incorporating parts of the DCU that the New 52 abandoned. A merging of the pre-Flashpoint and New 52 universes, perhaps? (The new line does include Gotham Academy and Red Hood & the Outlaws.)
CBR has the full list of titles in the new lineup.
I’m really not sure what to think at this point. Knowing the titles is one thing. What I really want to know is the tones they’re going for, what elements are staying, going, or returning, who’s working on these books, etc. Also the page count: If they’re cutting pages again, going twice-monthly isn’t quite as appealing.
I do think that launching with a one-shot instead of dragging out the transformation over six months to a year is a good move. I frankly don’t have the patience to drag myself through six issues of rearranging furniture again. Conversely, I also think it’s a good idea to stagger the roll-out so that people aren’t overwhelmed by 52 choices in one month.
What do you think, based on what we know so far? Good move? Bad? Reply hazy, try again?
